Startup Story
Many women small business owners find it hard to connect their businesses to markets and customers, especially in Zimbabwe. But Rachael Mazvita Sabondo, founder of Inga Creative Centre, is creating a space where women and young people can connect, learn together, showcase skills and spark collaborations.
LoA chatted to founder Rachael Mazvita Sabondo this month to find out more about her support for creative women entrepreneurs in her country.
Tell us more about yourself
My name is Rachael Mazvita Sabondo and I am a Certified Life Coach and Certified ILO Trainer. I hold a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) and Bachelor of Management Human Resources Degrees. I have over 20 years’ experience in Human Resources and Administration having worked in telecommunication companies. I am the founder of Inga Creative, a company that offers coaching, training and consultancy services. I am passionate about women and young people empowerment, therefore after the provision of training in different areas, I also curate market spaces for members which are dubbed “Creative Market Days”.
“Inga Creative is creating a space where women and young people can connect, learn together, showcase skill and spark collaborations.”
What does your company do?
Inga Creative is creating a space where women and young people can connect, learn together, showcase skill and spark collaborations. We have people in different categories like visual arts, photography, horticulture, textiles, ceramics, calligraphy, and recycling. My major role is to arrange meeting dates, liaise with space owners, service providers and also advertise the events. I also do the logistics of hiring and transportation of the tables and chairs to the venues. Inga Creative’s services include:
1. Curating market space for members through exhibitions. The exhibitors pay for the tables in advance and on the day they just bring in their wares and a tablecloth.
2. In addition to exhibitions, we also do training on business management and recycling.
3. We create a networking platform through WhatsApp and Facebook and host various events.
4. As a Life Coach, I also do one-on-one or group coaching to this team and I call my niche Creative Coaching.
My desire is to help people cope with the uncertainties of the social, cultural and economic environment in Zimbabwe. For the past year I have seen improved people, improved products, and improved presentations on market days.
What inspired you to start your company?
I have realized that many women have a small business and are so gifted, but what lacks is knowing where to sell what they have produced.
“My desire is to help people cope with the uncertainties of the social, cultural and economic environment in Zimbabwe.”
Why should anyone use your service or product?
It makes women come together, learn together, and it brings smiles to their faces.
Tell us a little about your team
This is mainly a family-run business and we usually outsource helpers when we have events.
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
I am Rachael Mazvita Sabondo (nee Nyamwena). I was born on 12 November 1974 into a family of 5 by Martha and Charles Nyamwena. My parents were both teachers and hence we had two homes, that is at the school where they taught and our rural home in Hondevalley. We would operate from Newengo School during the school term and every holiday and some weekends we were in Hondevalley. What we enjoyed in Hondevalley was the abundance of fresh fruits, vegetables, water, privacy and peace. The vegetables that were grown on the plot included green covo, grapes, tomatoes, carrots and lettuce. As for fruits we had plenty of bananas, oranges, lemons and nartjies. Most of the produce was for consumption but some would be sold or given as payment for labour in our fields. Hondevalley has high temperatures so our parents would encourage us to work in the fields in the morning and then in the afternoon you have time to study. My mother is a reader and that time in the house we had lots of literature from education, religious and motivational books. On the other hand my father would bring newspapers when he went to town and would ask each and every one to read and say what they would have understood. I remember even the 8PM news, my father would ask everyone to listen to the radio and say what they would have heard. My father passed away in January 1988 when l was going into form one and my mother continued with life of teaching and farming at the same time.
I attended St David's Girls High Bonda for Form 1 to 4 (1988 -1991) and Mutambara High School (1992 -1993). In 1994 I did temporary teaching in Manicaland and when I could not get a place for Teacher Training I moved to Harare where I did an Executive Secretarial course. Upon completion of this course l got a job in the Posts and Telecommunication Corporation (PTC) as Secretary to Area Manager Rusape. In 2000 when l got married l requested to be transferred to Mutare and was placed in the Administration Department as Administration Clerk. That time PTC had privatised and it was now known as Telone. In 2002 l started Bachelor of Management Human Resources with Zimbabwe Open University and completed in 2006. In 2007 I was promoted to Administration Officer. Although I was working for Telone I would try by all means to find ways to have another stream of income. My mother had taught me that your salary will never be enough. In 2004 I got the opportunity to attend the International Labour Organisation Training of Trainers. The course was life changing for thats where I discovered my passion for training and would do it on parttime basis. In 2008 I moved to Harare in search for more challenging opportunities. In 2010 l joined ZTE Corporation a Chinese company as Human Resources Officer. In 2014 I was moved to Administration as Fleet Manager. At the same time I enrolled with Women's University in Africa for Masters in Business Administration and graduated in 2016. Personal development is of importance to me and when opportunities arise I attend courses that are relevant to my career and passion. During the MBA course that is where I felt the urge to pursue the entrepreneur in me. I started really building my dream. In 2018 I attended a Community development course and in 2019 I attended Life Coaching Certification and graduated in November 2019. I target that every year I should add the knowledge that I have. For 2020 I am doing an online Digital Marketing Course.
For the past year I have seen improved people, improved products, and improved presentations on market days.
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
The long-term objectives for Inga Creative are:
To have our own place and building which we can use as a training school, co-working space and the ground for our market days. This will enable us to be consistent and also for our customers to know where to find us in between events.
To have a craft shop where we can sell our members’ things. The shop will also have raw materials like wool, beads, paint, etc that the artists can come and buy.
We are working on our vision, because although we do not have space of our own, we have partnered with Spar Queensdale and Braeside and that’s where we hold our exhibition interchangeably. We have started online training since 1st April 2020. We hope to have a website soon so that some of the work of the members can be visible on line.
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
Being able to help other women and bringing a smile to someone's face. There are many success stories that have come from the women who have met at our events.
What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
I would advise them to network with others, hear other people's stories and just start. Attending training is also important.
Contact or follow Inga Creative Centre
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE | EMAIL mazvita.nyamwena@gmail.com
Why LoA loves it…
In these tough trading times and environments, women entrepreneurs need access to market spaces that connect them to customers and sales opportunities. What is inspirational about the Inga Creative Centre story is that it is not only bringing women entrepreneurs together to support one another, but also showcasing their businesses to prospective customers in a safe and nurturing environment. It supports our belief that we are stronger together, and never more so than when we work collectively to help everyone to succeed. — Melanie Hawken, founder & ceo, Lionesses of Africa