Mrs Mugwagwa: ZNCC Businesswoman of the year
Entrepreneurship is not child’s play; you have to be committed and passionate to be successful.
THESE are the words of the woman who recently won the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce Businesswoman of the year Award, Mrs Rachel Mugwagwa.
Mrs Mugwagwa is a wife, a mother, an entrepreneur and a mentor. She is a humble and soft spoken woman who has achieved a lot over time through hard work and sacrifice.
“Being an entrepreneur shouldn’t be about making money only but you need to know that you have responsibilities. You should have deeper knowledge of the industry you are working in so that you provide the best service you can,” she says.
And she has done just that. She owns a hotel, guest houses, a restaurant, a pre-school, a botanical garden and a farm among many other business ventures.
And for her to be successful in all these, she has done her research, enhanced her knowledge, and made a lot of sacrifices.
She has done courses that range from a secretarial course, marketing, accounting, theology, information technology, hospitality and agriculture just to make sure that she keeps abreast with all parts of her business.
Born in Mutoko, 51 years ago, Mrs Mugwagwa believes she has always been destined for great things.
Her inspiration is her own mother, who despite being a housewife, worked hard to provide for the family.
“My mother would not just sit and wait for my father’s salary. She started a chicken project which she would sell to other women in our neighbourhood. She grew vegetables for resale. She even encouraged us to bake and sell the products to other children. So I have always been an entrepreneur,” she says.
She says she has always looked for ways to make extra money even at a time she was formally employed.
“I am just fortunate that I have always been good at identifying business opportunities and seeing them through.”
Her journey in the hospitality industry began in 1994, when she teamed up with two friends, Mrs Elizabeth Harare and the late Mrs Mpariwa, and started a small catering project. The three would cater at weddings and funerals during the weekends when they were not at work.
In 1998, her in-laws, who lived at a farm in Weymouth, Mutare passed away leaving their farm empty.
When the farm began being vandalised, she and her husband had to make a lot of trips from Harare to Mutare just to manage things. And when the movements became too stressful, she decided to move to Mutare permanently.
This was a bold step, that would however give birth to the businesswoman she has become.
When she went to the farm, she had no knowledge of farming but that did not stop her from becoming a successful farmer. She left formal employment and went back to school on a part time basis acquire a degree in Agriculture to enhance her knowledge.
On the farm, she has done a piggery project, a chicken project, horticulture and she even ventured into tobacco and paprika farming at one time. She won several accolades as a result of her sterling tobacco and paprika farming.
She even converted an old garage at the farm into a preschool which has now been constructed into a formal school with proper classrooms.
“We had a house in town which we leased to a person who was using it as a lodge. But when they left, I decided to operate the guest house myself. I took all the beds in my house and put them at the guest house and bought new linen since hey two boys were in boarding school and her husband was working out of town. While the lodge was taking off, I had to make a lot of sacrifices sleep on the couch, paving way for the furniture to be used at the new guesthouse,” she said.
Fortunately for her, he accounting and marketing background played a major role in making the lodge a success. Before long it was making profits and they had put in new furniture.
She later constructed greenhouses at the farm where she grew vegetables that fed fresh produce into the hospitality business.
In 2007, the Mugwagwas were blessed with a set of twin girls and she had to take a small rest from the fast pace she had been used to. They subdivided the farm for stands hence her farming activities lessened, giving her a chance to focus more on the hospitality business.
But they retained some of the land.
She decided to turn that rocky piece of land into a botanical garden.
“I have travelled extensively and I have seen beautiful things which I like to copy. My idea of a botanical garden was a stroke of genius and soon it became the best wedding and events venue in Mutare,” she said.
Meanwhile, she was expanding her business. She acquired Wimpy Mutare, the only one left in Zimbabwe.
She recently took over Mountview hotel in the Mutare CBD, which is currently under refurbishment.
Mountview is expected open its doors to the public soon as Manica Skyview Hotel.
She says her success would not have been possible without the support of her husband and children because family is the most important thing one can have.
“I have left a legacy for my children. I believe I have already paved the way for them to make a success of their life. We should not work for ourselves only, but make sure the businesses we build are family businesses. If your child has an interest in what you do, make sure you teach them from a young age to take over from you one day,” she added.
Her sons and daughter-in-law, through her mentorship, now own a travel and tours company in Mutare which promotes domestic tourism.
She believes children, girls in particular, need all the support they can get to rise above certain situations in life and be successful.
“I want to support the girl child all the time. I want them to be able to realise their full potential and not be limited by circumstances. Entrepreneurship starts when you are still a young woman, you should not wait until you are a mother to start a business. Equip her and train her early so that she can be able to take on the challenge,” she said.