How it all started.
I am
writing this blog post I am in the United States of America. Sitting in a dorm
bed at Pasquerilla East campus at the University of Notre Dame, South Bend
Indiana.
Date:
21/36/2019
Time:
09:25PM – I would like to emphasize that the sun hasn’t set yet.
How does a
girl from the rural area of Siphocosini in the Siphocosini Inkhundla from the
Hhohho region get here? Well, It started with identifying a problem that was accompanies by
lots of prayer and action. Action not just from me but from other people whom
God used to make sure my purpose in life gets fulfilled.
I know my
purpose, it took a while to But I know it now. Here’s a short version of my
story.
Ten years
after I finish High School I became a Public Relations graduate from Limkokwing
University, I endured the pain of being lectured by my former high school
mates. It wasn’t fun at all. I endured not having lunch money, I endured a lot
of challenged but I graduated. I was happy and I was not poor, I got around
fine, I had all I needed.
In December
2017 I officially registered my PR and Marketing Agency called Kuanza Dreams and
went into business with ZERO (0) capital. Business did grow, I went into office.
Everything I needed to ask I had people to ask and I got help instantly. From
Tax, to business registration to service delivers, accounting, etc. The whole
business.
Now, I realised through conversations with other young people
starting and running businesses that some do not know where to go to find help,
how to find help and general business related issues. They find themselves
lonely because business is mean and leaves you without friends and sometimes
family, this then leads to people feeling demotivated and start to lose hope. There
are so many events on mentorship and empowerment and most of them require a
registration fee or ticket. These entrepreneurs are not at a
profit making state, they live and build the business on sometimes one client. And
this is the reality.
I remember creating
content for a You Tube series I would do to help these fellow Eswatini youth. I
read statistics, I really got to know the Mbabane community of young start-ups.
I will not lie and say I know it all. I don’t, I know what I know and I wanted
to make a difference. I shot one pilot episode and I knew it would not work. I then
researched strategies on the net, came across a video by Start-up Grind JHB. I
knew that is exactly what I wanted to do, their values spoke to my soul. I applied for Directorship and I got
it!
I hosted my
first event on May 9th. I roped in my friends Jaha Sibiya, Fatima
Mulla and my then assistant Lungisile Madonsela and I shared this idea with
them. We brainstormed and we decided on a speaker and a venue. With no money I paid the venue, printed a very small banner, paid Facebook Ads and water. Other
resources were sourced from Destiny Group, Nkosi Culture and BrandIn.
Since I am
A PR graduate, I used PR tactics to market the event without spending money. The
attendance was amazing! I was so happy, the feedback was more that I was ready
for. People really received a lot from Nathi Gule, who was a guest.
We
continued to work on a zero budget. The networks grew, the data base grew as
well. Startup Grind Mbabane received its first grant to host an Entrepreneurship
Incubator where 34 young out of school youth and aspiring entrepreneurs
graduated from a 4 weeks program. We hosted more events at the Mbabane National
Library and one day we had one for the Theater club and only 6 people came. I honestly
wanted to cry. Fatima told me not to worry. Junior Achievement Manager Phetsile
Masilela, who was our guests, insisted on going forward.
I remembered the words someone once told me, “In
order to change lives you do not need a full stadium, you need 1 person and
change them.”
Regardless,
the event happened and from that, I inspired someone to open Startup Grind Manzini
and he went ahead with it. Now I know I need to change one person. This has
helped me rethink how I view things. By far I have worked with over 200 young
people. Just last week, 30 young people of Eswatini graduated from a program
facilitated by The Black Upstart from the USA (courtesy of the US Embassy Eswatini)
through startup Grind.
We are
still operating from an empty budget. Thank you to the U. S. Embassy for
creating Endibanweni, Startup Grind Mbabane has a home. My business, Kuannza Dreams, has
suffered due to the commitment this requires, I am not complaining, I am learning.
I know I am better with time management than I was, I have learned to be
patient and trust the process. I have learned to value money.
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TBC on next blogpost
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