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0 By Amanda Ellen Nicola Jojo
DESPITE encountering many obstacles, George ‘Billionaire’ Munengwa is an entrepreneur who has exhibited an undisputable resilience, unbreakable spirit and grit. His quest for excellence is powered by his ability to purposefully use failure to find success thus igniting the fire within him while acknowledging that there is always potential for more.
Today, he is the founder ProAir Zimbabwe which is a a fully-fledged company in refrigeration and air conditioning. He is also a distinguished speaker, a business growth consultant and a mentor.
Born and bred in Glennorah, Munengwa is the last born son of Theresa and Nicodemus. He attended St Georges College and Prince Edward.
Before carving out a reputable name in the entrepreneurial circles, Munengwa’s dream was to become a soccer player.
“Growing up soccer was one of my greatest passion, because of my streetwise soccer skills I became a superstar when I attended high school, ultimately, I thought I was going to be a soccer star.
“Unfortunately, Tinotenda ‘Dj Rimo’ Marimo and I had an accident just before the Coca Cola Tournament and we didn’t make it to the field because of injuries. Because his father was the Dynamos coach, we went for trials though it didn’t turn out well but it was a great experience,” Munengwa revealed to The Entrepreneurial Magazine.
The setbacks that he faced to some extent prepared him for the future as they did not deter his destiny of realising his full potential.
“I believe all things happen for a reason. I also got a full scholarship at scholarship at Prince Edward which turned out to be a blessing in disguise, so when I look at my life, my failures were all purposed together to work for the good,”
Munengwa’s path to success is best summed up by the quote; “There is no greater education than one that is self-driven.”
“….I came from an upbringing where I didn’t pass my Ordinary Level and I had to repeat and I got 3 points at Advanced Level, I am not defined by my educational status. The real world doesn’t define people by how knowledgeable at school they were but by how practical you are in applying what they learnt at school in life,” Munengwa said.
Thus, before occupying a sphere of entrepreneurial excellence, Munengwa did a lot of menial jobs which include working in an internet café, shop attendant at a candy store by Ximex mall amongst other jobs.
He said: “While working at Ximex mall I was exposed to the streets as such, I was equipped with hustling and making money outside the shop. I also worked at a clothing boutique which was owned by one of my amazing mentors Constance Marimo she played a pivotal role in my life, she believed in me, she is a hardworking woman, she shaped my lifestyle because the exposure that she gave me and being under her roof and tough love shaped me.”
The fruition of his dream of founding ProAir was made possible by the support and guidance that he got from Constance Marimo. ProAir is an affiliate of Proverbs Investments and it operates under the pay-off line, ‘make the weather behave with ProAir.’
“Our tagline is make the weather behave one of the most important elements is that air conditioning is no longer a luxury but a necessity….in first world countries it is now mandatory for businesses to have air conditioning,” he said.
Besides having other business interests in various sectors, Munengwa is on a resolute drive of offering his key contribution to the general populace.
“I have invested in a couple of other things. Because mentorship is not about what people tell you to do but what you see them doing I have got a mentorship program which empowers a selected group of people and it’s called GB mentorship we used to have a lot of people but now we empower a few who are serious and committed.
“I am also a business growth consultant I like to do that a lot I like to help other people to reach their visions and grow their businesses,” he added.
He has been purposefully growing and he owes that to his role moles who include; Zodzwa Mkandla, Nigel Chanakira, Stive Masiyiwa, Chamu Chiwanza, Dr Philip Chiyangwa who helped him grow his business through his contacts, advice and networks, Dr Edgar Chandiwana, Clive Chisinye, Lloyd Chingwena, Dr Eve Gadzikwa, Amai Rebecca Chisamba he also appreciates Pastor Victor Kamabasha among other people.
“These people taught me a lot of things, I would like to pass the button on. I do that by posting motivational videos telling people that as much as having a stable job is good, entrepreneurship is one of the sweetest thing and it is the future. My mentors have surrounded and shielded me, they have kept me sane.
“I have been talking about this for the past 7 to 8 years, COVID 19 came and it took a lot of jobs…therefore, the future is in empowerment, thank God because our former late President Mugabe who empowered us to believe in ourselves to stand up and never be oppressed, he emancipated us…the current president ED is leveraging and letting entrepreneurs strive
“…Zimbabwe is blessed beyond measure because of the amazing climate, peace and we should be solution bearers to so many problems,” he said.
To be part of the movers and shakers, Munengwa realized he had to push beyond his limits and recognize the unconscious boundaries in limitless ways.
“When I started out, I had just had twins George and Gugulethu they really pushed me because I wanted them to have a better lifestyle. It was a very challenging period, because after I made a conviction that I want to be an entrepreneur.
“I faced resistance from family, friends because they didn’t think I was going to make it. My own father was like it’s better to work and have that 300 USD than to have nothing also because of my educational background where like it won’t work,” he pointed out.
Through passion, resourcefulness, tenacity, optimism, problem solving with vision and sharp focus, Munengwa is on a way to the pinnacle of success.
“I believe that entrepreneurs are problem solvers who have an inbuilt V12, they possess an unbreakable mind-set which does not believe in failure. And I always tell people that entrepreneurs are people who have failed many times, did not stay down, and got back up to till they reached their destination called success.
“Entrepreneurs can be likened to makorokozas (gold panners) because they don’t give up. I believe that I am fearless, courageous, and tenacious, I like going against the status quo. I like doing things that have never been done before. Some may say am not educated enough, but to me it doesn’t mean that I am going to be a failure.
“Those who know me, know that I do positive speaking all the time. With a serious work ethic, everything that I do always come to fruition,” he expressed.
Speaking on why he is associated with the rich tag, ‘Billionaire’ he said: “George Billionaire is self-proclaimed, I believe in the Self Fulfilling Prophecy…the Word of God says, “As a man thinketh, so is he,” so you can call yourself what you want to be, thus I specifically want to be remembered for doing something that was never done because I like to think outside the box.
“I want to be associated with the billionaires club of the world, they started from the bottom and it was a transition of hard work, and it took a lot of time to get there and I said to myself, I want to be called George Billionaire and at that time I remember I was not as famous but so many people used to mock me and say do you know what a billionaire is.
“I do not believe that God created me to be ordinary and average even though people may laugh at me, ultimately the only thing that can set people back is themselves. God gives you the desires of your heart, so I am destined for greatness. Steadily am on that journey it took Aliko Dangote 32 years to reach the billionaire status and I have been in business for 10 years so I will get there. I like to throw things in the atmosphere and chase them.”
Outstanding customer experience is at the heart of ProAir, for that reason, the company has stayed on top of the game.
“A happy customer will go and sneeze on so many other people. We are on top of our game because of communication, five year warranty and we do complementary services. A customer is a king and if they are treated like that we are able to tap into their huge sphere of influence. ”
Because there is no perfect combination of ingredients that can guarantee success, Munengwa defines success as fulfilment of set goals and ambitions.
“Success is personally defined, for it is having good health, being successful as a father, businessman, golf player, being able to create a brand that relates to people.
“My life specifically happened in the way that it happened to make me become the person that I am. So I don’t take anything back. Failing my ordinary levels, losing my mother, graduating at the university of XIMEX mall to being dismissed on several workplaces because I was overzealous, out of the box thinker…but all of this shaped me to be the person that I am today,” he said
In recognition to his stellar work, he has won several awards and he attributes that to his hardworking team.
“You can only be great if you have an amazing team, without them I wouldn’t be here. They are the ones that engage more with people and they are more like family, shout out to my mentors, I could never relate to my story without mentioning them. I am nothing without God, I always reference my life to proverbs 3 vs 5, which states that Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways submit to him and He will make your paths straight,” he commented.
Munengwa is grounded on the principles of Christianity as such he believes that he was blessed to bless others.
“Because we were blessed to bless, we do have some social responsibility activities. We take care of children and adults. I believe that God gave me this platform to minister His word so no matter how big I get I will always minister His word,” he emphasized.
ADVICE TO ASPIRING ENTREPRENEURS: I tell people about this simple abbreviation and a basic principle of how I live my life which is DBWA
In order for you to become something you have to DREAM big.
You have to BELIEVE in yourself, as a man believes in his heart so is he, you will be unstoppable.
WORK hard, put in more time, effort and time be the best version of yourself. When others are sleeping, partying, playing, work on your craft
ACHIEVE if you plant a seed, water it I can guarantee you will definitely harvest.
Also, my advice to the youth where you don’t know, go and ask experienced people about how they overcame their challenges. Successful people are always eager to give you full information if you are willing to ask. When you meet a successful person, do not ask for money, ask for wisdom and guidance
Lastly, do not be misled by social media, get rich schemes, anything that comes quick flies away even quicker put in hard work. PROAIR IS TEN YEARS THIS YEAR BY God’s grace.
KEY TAKEAWAYS ON MEN’S DAY:
It’s such an honour to actually spend a little bit of time on men. In our society men are not given enough acknowledgement in a manner that they should. Women are great individuals but I tell you there is need for co-existing for us to have a functioning society. Men are pivotal, paramount importance in building a home, community, town, nation and the world at large. It’s important to acknowledge their role as fathers, leaders, because. A celebrated man will achieve more, an appreciated man will run harder, Thank you for acknowledging men in this edition, and I think this should be done more often.
