Startup Story
Dr Mejury Chipato is a Medical Doctor, a Microbiologist, a Philanthropist, and a growing force in the world of entrepreneurship through her multi-faceted business, ProMJ Incorporated Company. She is also a Pastor, a Life & Business Coach, a Mentor, a Leader, a Published Author of the Book “I’m in charge of my Narrative“, and a multi-Award Winner both in Business and as an Author. Recent recognition includes the Zimbabwean Achievers Award Winner for Fashion Designer of the Year 2021 (China Edition). She was also honoured as one of The Most Inspiring Women Awardees of 2022, won The Young Achievers Award presented by the Pride of Africa Awards and received The Leadership & Inspiration Award from Gumiguru Achievers Awards 2022. She is also the Founder of Patience of Hope Foundation which is a non-profit organization whose aim is to pay school fees for orphans and underprivileged children in Zimbabwe and across Africa.
LoA spoke to the enterprising and inspirational, Dr Mejury Chipato, to learn more about what drives her, both in the field of medicine and as an entrepreneur, now building multiple businesses and brands.
What does your company do?
ProMJ Incorporated Company is a registered company which encompasses different businesses, including fashion businesses (MJ Fashions, MJ Bridals, House of MJ, Brand Merjory, etc), transport businesses and many others. We sell high quality clothes for men and women (MJ Fashions), we cater for weddings (MJ Bridals), we provide African clothing and products (House of MJ) and produce modern women classy and stylish shoes (Brand Merjory). We also deal with other lines of businesses such as transport, farming and agriculture, etc. Worthy of special mention is Brand Merjory which is a brand for stylish and classy shoes (red bottoms) for modern women.
“Growing up, l always wanted to succeed and change the narrative of my life, my family and that of our community, as well as being a motivation and inspiration to other young people.”
What inspired you to start your company?
I come from humble beginnings, and my background is my source of motivation to succeed. Growing up, l always wanted to succeed and change the narrative of my life, my family and that of our community, as well as being a motivation and inspiration to other young people. I also noticed that in Zimbabwe and Africa at large, we have very few locally owned brands. For instance, in Zimbabwe, a few women like Pokello’s (who inspires me a lot) own brand for shoes. As a result the majority of things we wear are international brands like Louis Vuitton, Balenciaga, Gucci, etc. Few Zimbabweans have made it on the global stage in terms of fashion. Moreover, l am a shoe addict, hence it was easy to come into the decision of specializing into shoes. Also the fact that in China where l did my University Studies and stayed, there are many factories that produce shoes and this was an added advantage. In addition, the fact that it is not expected by society for a Medical Doctor to be engaged in other things apart from practicing medicine further gave me the drive to start my company, including this brand, as l wanted to change the narrative.
Why should anyone use your service or product?
Brand Merjory is a brand for modern, stylish and classy women’s shoes that are high quality, affordable, durable and comfortable. It comes in different styles, sizes and inches to cater for all the women of different backgrounds; either the sophisticated high heel lovers or the ones who like their shoes flat. This brand came as a solution to the women’ shoe problems, especially for women who have big feet and often had issues finding the right sizes as most nice shoe sizes end at size 39 or 40. It caters for all women’s’ sizes and it comes in different heels (inches) ranging from flats to 8, 10 and 12 inches. Brand Merjory consists of both open and closed heels. This brand has brought so much happiness to many women who now have a choice, since we also customize women shoes according to our clients’ preferred specifications. This is one of the reasons why we have been awarded The Fashion Designer of The Year by the Zimbabwe Achievers Awards in the year 2021 and were nominated as The Outstanding Achievement in Business by The Pride of Africa in 2022.
“The fact that it is not expected by society for a Medical Doctor to be engaged in other things apart from practicing medicine further gave me the drive to start my company, including this brand, as l wanted to change the narrative.”
Tell us a little about your team
I work with a team of highly professional people, from my Chinese counterparts who produce the shoes at the factory and ship them, to my team who are involved in the selling of the shoes. I also work with ladies of high influence who act as my brand ambassadors for my brand. Together we make the best team ever.
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
I started my entrepreneurial journey in 2017 when l went to China for my University studies. Taking the advantage of being in a country which is the business centre, where things are cheap and where there are many industries which focus on different things, l started with selling clothes and wedding gowns both within and outside China. In 2019, l registered my company, ProMJ Incorporated Company in Zimbabwe together with my Foundation Trust (Patience of Hope Foundation where we use some of the profits generated from the business to give back to the less privileged) and in 2020, l started a brand for women stylish shoes, which are produced in China, and are sold within China and outside China. Not only that, l have been to the shoe factories, where l have learnt a lot. It is my desire that in the future, l open a shoe factory in Zimbabwe, where my Chinese partners, would come to Zimbabwe and teach us and help create our local industries for shoes, which will not only create employment to the local people, but will equip the people with practical knowledge and also help in improving the economy of our country. I also come from an entrepreneurial background. My parents were always involved in one business or the other, and this is how l learnt about business.
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
It is my desire for my brand (Brand Merjory) to be internationally recognized in the coming years with its branches in different countries all over Africa and around the world. I intend to work and collaborate with international designers and getting recognition both on local and international platforms as a powerful brand such as Louis Vuitton, etc. The goal is to put our country on the global map, in terms of fashion industry. I plan to open many shops for my brand in Zimbabwe and internationally. I also intend to establish a shoe factory in Zimbabwe, which will not only contribute to the betterment of our country’s economy but also create jobs for the majority of local people as well as train, equip and empower women. Like they say when you empower a man, you empower an individual but when you empower a woman, you empower a nation. In the near future, l want to introduce Brand Merjory handbags to compliment the shoes.
“I enjoy sharing about my business journey and teaching people about business and helping them to start their own businesses. l love to see people make it and flourish in their businesses.”
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
I enjoy sharing about my business journey and teaching people about business and helping them to start their own businesses. l love to see people make it and flourish in their businesses. l love to network with different people from different classes, social backgrounds, etc. This helps me with building my social capital, strengthening business connections, getting fresh ideas and a new perspective, gaining more knowledge regarding different areas, raising my profile, getting new opportunities, building long lasting personal relationships and the like. I also enjoy the clients satisfaction feedback about how they love their shoes and how beautiful and comfortable the shoes are, etc. The fact that we use some of the profits generated from the business to give back to the less privileged makes this entrepreneurial journey rewarding and worthwhile.
What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
Before you start a business, you need to do a research on the type of business that you want to venture into. For instance, the kind of product that you want to sell. Research about its availability, and easy accessibility.
Check about the quality of the product, for example if you want to do fashion business, most customers prefer good quality. Think about the pricing of the product, compare between the buying price and the selling; keeping in mind the profit that you will make. It is very important, to do a background check on the suppliers where you want to buy your products from. Are they reliable, genuine, trustworthy and do they produce and deliver the products on time? Think about where will you do this business, be it your home, renting a shop, at the flea markets or the streets, even online.
Try to look for somewhere where it is legal to avoid issues like your business being shut down by the City Council (Town Authority). It is also important to think of who will sell your products; will it be you or someone else? If it is someone else, are they reliable, honest and good to customers?
Then you should also look into the audience or clientele that you want to target. Can they afford the things that you want to sell? I want to encourage you to start a business for the purpose of significance and not just for survival or success.
When you start your business, Don’t give in to competition. There is no traffic when you are in your own lane! Remember you are running your own race. Prepare in advance for losses because they are bound to come one way or the other. Be ready when they do. When you get profit, use it to invest back into your business. Don’t eat your profits! The importance of this cannot be overstated. Consider each dollar that you receive as an investment soldier whose mission is to bring more finances into the business. Learn about financial management; you can do that by watching videos on YouTube.
Find mentors who are doing well in the line of business you are venturing into. And it’s equally important to celebrate other businesses which are doing well! You want your business to be successful; celebrate those who have successful businesses. You can never be/become what you despise!
And finally, doing business is not for the faint hearted. It’s not easy to start and maintain a business. Start small, and move on to the next level, one step at a time. Don’t give up! Make a vision board about your business; concerning what you want to achieve in a certain duration of time. For instance, over 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, 5 years, 10 years, etc. And make a list of your short and long term goals in your business and start executing them one goal at a time.
Contact or follow ProMJ
FACEBOOK | EMAIL drmejurychipato@gmail.com
Why LoA loves it…
Being tenacious, driven and having a ‘never give up’ attitude to achieving goals and ambitions are the hallmarks of many successful entrepreneurs, and Dr Mejury Chipato has these in large quantities. Her self belief, firstly in qualifying as a medical doctor, and also in becoming a serial entrepreneur, is inspirational, and she is a great example to others to follow your dreams and never give up until you have made them a reality. Her ability today to be able to break the mold and be a medical professional and an entrepreneur at the same time is proof positive that everything is possible if you want it badly enough and are prepared to work hard to get it. — Melanie Hawken, founder & ceo, Lionesses of Africa