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0 By Amanda Ellen Nicola Jojo
PAULA Marowa is a self-made entrepreneur who is on a drive to weave success in the leather industry through her venture Rukanda Pride. Anchored on retaining customer satisfaction, Rukanda Pride is a brand that takes pride in bespoke finely crafted leather products that are manufactured from real African pure leather while simultaneously carrying an international class.
Paula is a testament that creating tailored products is thoroughly rewarding and that there is always success that is drawn from incessant testing and learning.
In a conversation with the The Entrepreneurial Magazine Editor Amanda Jojo (AJ), Paula Marowa (PM) discussed the early beginnings of Rukanda Pride and how she is on a mission to grow and manifold in her entrepreneurial quest.
Below are the excepts of the interview:
AJ: Tell us about yourself especially on your life before entrepreneurship
PM: Before becoming an Entrepreneur, I worked in Victoria Falls for a year. I came back to Harare and worked for a company called Vision Consultancy Africa (VCA) as a call agent. Took money out of my savings and started my entrepreneurial journey by going to South Africa to get baby wear and sold it from Kwame mall. I grew out of Kwame mall and found opportunities in the leather industry.
AJ: When did you first discover your entrepreneurial journey and how is your entrepreneurial career developing so far?
PM: Well I started in 2018 with the production of shoes only. So, the model was that the customer pays half deposit then half balance on collection. The deposit would cover a huge percentage of the cost of production then balance on collection. At that time, I didn’t have any machines so I’d outsource the production service. However, I managed to grow and acquire a few machines through bootstrapping. Acquired a few awards, Grew the product portfolio with time and now we produce bags, shoes, wallets, belts, folders etc. We managed to be one of the most recognized brands within Zimbabwe and beyond.
AJ: When and why did your birth your enterprise?
PM: The need to take care of my little sister at that time. I needed a sustainable business that would secure us of At least food on the table, fees and just general basic needs. However, I grew to be passionate about the leather business and it ceased to be just about hand to mouth or about survival.
AJ: Kindly unpack your services and products.
PM: Rukanda Pride is into manufacturing and retailing of leather products using locally sourced leather. We mainly do bags, wallets, shoes, belts, corporate folders just to mention a few.
AJ: What has been the biggest success and failure stories you went through?
PM: Biggest success story would be our participation at ZACS through Zimtrade where we got to meet the Minister of Small And Medium Enterprise, the president of the Lusaka Chamber of Commerce, Her Excellency The Ambassador of Zimbabwe to Zambia and various people who showed interest in our products. Biggest failure story would be when we made substandard products during our very first manufacturing days.
AJ: Who is your target market?
PM: Our target market would be middle to high income earners with a taste for bespoke products.
AJ: Where do you see growth and opportunities in your business?
PM: We seek to grow, expand and be innovative enough to deliver remarkable real leather products that satisfy today’s customer within the borders of Africa and beyond. Our aim is to tap into the export market through trade fairs and trade missions and occupy a bigger share of the local market.
AJ: What have been the challenges of running your kind of business in Zimbabwe?
PM: Our Biggest challenge was breaking out into the market because most of our local people are very skeptical about local brands. Another one would be the various changes in financial policies.
AJ: What can government and other relevant stakeholders do to create an enabling environment for leather business owners?
PM: Well I believe Government should intervene on the duty structure for components that are usually imported for the industry such as chemicals, equipment and other manufacturing inputs because the fees are too high for the viability of the sector. Some tax exemptions would also be greatly appreciated.
AJ: How are your products fairing on the international scene?
PM: Through trade fairs and trade missions in and out of Zimbabwe we found that a lot of our international stakeholders were very much interested in our products. We managed to actually export a few of our products.
AJ: Where do you see yourself in the near future?
PM: We seek to have success that is derived from continuous testing and learning. We would love to occupy a larger share of the local as well as international market. We want to bring great value to the leather industry in Zimbabwe.
AJ: Any words of advice to aspiring and starting up entrepreneurship.
PM: You need to grow a thick skin especially if you’re a female in a male dominated industry and never be afraid to take risks
Maintain quality, leather has a lifetime guarantee so we need to give our clients a lifetime experience of great quality. They should be able to enjoy Rukanda Pride products even after so many years.
Never give up, Rome wasn’t built in a day.
Continuously learn and apply innovation.
