Startup Story
Zvikomborero Jane Chigumadzi is a Zimbabwean based entrepreneur who provides an online grocery shopping and door to door delivery service. She started her enterprise in October 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Zvikomborero Jane sees herself as a fearless woman and a goal getter in life and in business. She is mother to a son Julian, and he is the reason the business was formed, so it was named after him. Zvikomborero Jane calls him her entrepreneurial baby.
LoA chatted to the enterprising Zvikomborero Jane Chigumadzi this month to find out more.
What does your company do?
Juli'an's Basket Groceries is a fast growing online grocery store based in Zimbabwe that helps people in the diaspora connect with their families back home in a unique way. The company offers door to door delivery services to meet customer satisfaction and is not limited by boundaries, reaching every terrain.
“We keep our promise to our clients, we are efficient and transparent, and that is why we have lived to this day regardless of the economic hardships in Zimbabwe.”
What inspired you to start your company?
Due to COVID-19 many women were affected as they lost their jobs and among those many was me. I also had just given birth to my first born child and my former employer didn't pay me my salary for that month, even my 3 months’ maternity wasn't paid for. Instead of chasing her, l redirected my energy to starting up new initiatives, as it is a jungle out there and the popular jungle belief is "the survival of the fittest". My husband and I had to survive through the jungle and our fitness was tested during that time as we both had lost our jobs. We pulled through and can safely say it is now our family business that serves the diaspora community and we are now in our second year running. The quest to create a better future for him made us start this entrepreneurial journey.
Why should anyone use your service or product?
We keep our promise to our clients, we are efficient and transparent, and that is why we have lived to this day regardless of the economic hardships in Zimbabwe. I can safely say that we have been tried and tested, and now we have one goal - to serve smiles in every delivery made.
Tell us a little about your team
My team is myself, my husband, and Aubrey Ncube, a self-driven man who is very hardworking and a perfectionist. We have merged our talents together to create an
organisation that will soon be an epitome of success. My husband is naturally a marketer and a hard worker. I am a graphics designer and videographer by qualification. With all our efforts combined, we will make the strongest legacy ever. It is one of the best things, spending time with your partner and sharing ideas as a couple - we have become more like friends. Though we have our ups and downs we always emerge stronger.
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
Yes l have an entrepreneurial background - all females from my paternal side have white collar jobs, but both my dad’s two brothers are entrepreneurs, the other one is late unfortunately. The same goes for my maternal side all my mom's sisters are successful entrepreneurs. How we started, my (mom) mom's sister who is into poultry gave us 20 crates of eggs to kickstart our business and she had so much faith in us growing. So from those 20 crates we advertised on social media platforms and we got a massive response which was positive. From eggs, people from the diaspora started asking if we do groceries and who were we to say no? So, we took up the challenge. Our first batch of clients though were funny. l remember when we started in October 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic was prevalent, most people in the diaspora at that time had become panicked by it's onset. It has been a journey worthwhile so far. We have our ups and downs here and there. The business terrain in Zimbabwe is not smooth especially for entrepreneurs, but we always find our way up.
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
I am a proficient video editor and cinematographer to say the least. So the future of our brand is to take a lead in that field as well. To have another brand that will be budded on Juli'an's Basket Groceries when we save advertising money, as we will be doing it all under one roof. I have attached some snippets of the designs that I have done of late. Also, my aspiration is that our grocery store should be a household name here in Zimbabwe and the diaspora.
“I can safely say that we have been tried and tested, and now we have one goal - to serve smiles in every delivery made.”
“The business terrain in Zimbabwe is not smooth, especially for entrepreneurs, but we always find our way up.”
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
Being employed is in many ways a curse, as each time your month ends most times employers feel like you are robbing them, and they don't want to pay you your wages. So entrepreneurship comes with satisfaction as you always wake up to a guaranteed pay check if you work hard. If you work after-hours it is rewarding, because you are certain that your efforts will not go in vain, unlike being employed. It is self-fulfilling doing what you love and loving what you do.
What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
You are your own COMPETITION. You are the only one who knows who you are, the world knows only your name, that's my motto. So whatever you know you can do, go for it and get it. The sky is never the limit. Always think beyond what you think you can't do. Never be limited by circumstances proving to be too difficult to sail through and fight to win at the end. Also if you don't risk it, you can't get it.
Contact or follow Juli'an's Basket Groceries
FACEBOOK | EMAIL zvikojane3@gmail.com
Why LoA loves it…
If ever there was a story of resilience in the world of entrepreneurship, then Zvikomborero Jane Chigumadzi’s would be it. During the most challenging of times as the Covid-19 pandemic struck, she launched a business that not only gave her and her family a livelihood, but also provided an essential service for others. Today, despite all the challenges along the way, her business is now growing and thriving, testimony to that initial resilience and self belief. Inspirational! - Melanie Hawken, founder & ceo, Lionesses of Africa