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By Amanda Ellen Nicola Jojo
AT the heart of every successful venture is an ardent willpower that surpasses expectations. Driven by love, passion, purpose and empowerment, Lucky Ngoshi (38) is an Australian based serial entrepreneur who has managed to find the delicate balance as a mother of one, public speaker, an award winning community leader and event organiser.
Born in Seke and raised in Chinhoyi, Lucky is the director of the Lucky Way, a company founded to serve Zimbabweans in the Diaspora by linking them and their loved ones with services in Zimbabwe.
Because both her parents were entrepreneurs, Lucky was inspired by one during her formative years.
“I worked with my mother in her business a lot as I was growing up. My own entrepreneurship journey was propelled by the realisation that there was a gap in the market. We have aging parents living in Zimbabwe, whose children in the Diaspora need to look after.
“I saw this as an opportunity to bridge the gap that existed between Zimbabwe and the Diaspora. I have a great network around me in varied profession and disciplines and often times I know where to go if I need help with something,” she told The Entrepreneurial Magazine.
Because entrepreneurship is not a values-free amoral process, Lucky is safeguarding the foundation of her enterprise upon the values of; authenticity, integrity, kindness and empathy.
She said: “Through authenticity, relationships are sustained and being true about who you are and what you bring to the table. Regardless of the (monetary) value, I handle everything with integrity.
“Lastly with kindness and empathy – I believe these two go together. Putting yourself in the shoes of another person has no other result other than you will treat them with kindness. In whatever I do, kindness has to prevail.”
Lucky is a marketing and public relations expert, this has complemented her entrepreneurial journey since one of the key tenets of entrepreneurship is selling.
“To sell you need a market which is the people. To reach them you need to understand how they think, their values. They have to relate to you at some level. I believe I am a great communicator naturally, however my marketing and public relations background taught me to focus. Narrow down and find a niche. Communications we put out are not for everyone. We have a target market therefore we customise for them,” Lucky highlighted.
Various schools of thought are of the view that in order to withstand competition, it is critical for entrepreneurs to find a specific business niche where they can modify their market strategy. This is because it leads to the establishment of a loyal customer base and steady revenue stream.
For that reason, Lucky Way is standing out because their services are pivoted upon satisfying their customers.
“We understand that we have two groups of customers in every transaction, the buyer (in the Diaspora) and the consumer (in Zimbabwe). We have to with communicate with these two groups of customers.
“Communication is our greatest tool and at The Lucky Way we have clear policies and procedures; we even offer a refund in some instances,” she stated.
The reception of The Lucky Way in the Diaspora community has been notable, in addition Lucky is engaging in social responsibility initiatives through, Ladies of Zimbabwe in Australia (LOZA) and Friends of the Lucky Way.
“With Friends of the Lucky Way, someone buys a Grocery Relief Pack for $50 (or more if they wish). We will then ask via our Facebook Page if anyone knows a family that can benefit from this Relief Pack. The Lucky Way delivers these Grocery Packs free of charge. Normally there is a delivery fee but we waiver it for this initiative.
“We came up with this initiative to cater for benefactors who like to give; anonymously, someone they don’t know and those who like to give but don’t know where to start. Through this initiative; we have established on going donations for three charity organizations in Zimbabwe and we also donate Sanitary Pads through two organizations in Zimbabwe,” she said.
LOZA was founded on 1 June 2016 as a Facebook group and to date it has 4 700 women of a Zimbabwean heritage.
“It was founded by my good friend Shingai Masundire, and I assist her with the administration. It is a Registered; Not for Profit Organization that is community oriented. Australia is vast and has a large population of Zimbabweans across it. Zimbabwean women have so much talent and wealth of information; all this was dormant or rather not fully utilized because of this dispersion. LOZA is the bridge that brings all those women together,” she explained.
Some of the projects that have been spearheaded by LOZA include fundraising for: the Cholera outbreak and Cyclone Idai in Zimbabwe, members in dire Financial Hardship as well as, members suffering from critical illness.
From LOZA many organizations and friendships have been birthed since it’s a safe space for airing out opinions and discussing socio-economic issues.
On various platforms, Lucky has been recognised as a phenomenal woman because she has washed out the traditional rules of civilisation by flourishing a leader. She reinforces the conviction that being a leader entails making a lot of unknown sacrifices for the greater good of their team or community.
“As an entrepreneur those sacrifices can be in the form of realising little to no profit at all but making sure the staff are compensated for their hard work. As a courageous leader; you take risks to keep the business going. At times you diversify, bring in other services. You have a huge burden of hope. The business will be crumbling in the background but you have to hold it together for the sake of your team who have to feed their families,” she clarified.
Challenges are always a fragment of the package that comes with running a business and some of the challenges include lacking employees who are willing to drive the vision, time management and operating environment.
By reason of being an exceptional leader, Lucky serves as a role model particularly to women whose visions are aligned to being game changers. She unpacked strategies that women can implement so as to stay ahead of the game.
“Delegate- you can’t do everything. Distribute tasks among your team according to their capabilities.
Set boundaries, be clear and do not feel guilty. Say “No”, do not be a people pleaser. Trust your instincts, follow your gut, regardless of what’s in front of you. Be kind to yourself, take care of the biggest asset which is you,” she pointed-out.
She encouraged women to always set goals, targets, utilise time and constantly write notes pertaining their vision.
Even though Lucky is an overachiever, no amount of fame, awards and fortune compares to the fulfilment she gets from being a mother.
“I have many but one major one is the birth of my son. Every move I make now is with him in mind. I ask myself how he will be impacted. I now view the world with different lenses than I had before he was born. “He unlocked a drive in me that I never knew existed. I now have an heir. I brought him into this world therefore, I have a responsibility to make his life worthwhile. It is my hope and prayer that I live long and that when it’s my time to depart this earth my son will be grateful for the legacy and he will carry the torch forward,” she expressed.
