Goal-getter par excellence

director Beullah Mudumi stop at nothing in her quest to go up the business and education ladders.
She is one woman who decided early in life that mourning about a situation does not take one far, but that it is through spirited efforts grounded in one’s beliefs and religious persuasions that will see them achieve feats that would have been impossible ordinarily.
In fact, the minute you encounter Beullah even for the first time, you immediately get the impression that she is an assertive, educated and accomplished woman.
She carries herself with such verve. She is not intimidated easily nor does she succumb to any pressures or negative vibes.
A story on how, after completing her diploma in education at Belvedere Technical and Teachers’ College between 1990 and 1993, she told herself she would only teach for one year and further her studies in the United Kingdom is quite illustrative of how she is such a goal-getter.
When she started teaching in St Mary’s Chitungwiza, she began to save and invest part of her salary right from the first month and even booked for her ticket to the UK as a step of faith.
At that time she had no savings but was confident that come December she would be on her way to the UK and things went as planned.
“As an eldest child I was modelled to take up leadership position at an early stage of my life. Raised by strong Christian parents who believed in the empowerment of a girl child, I was encouraged to persevere.
“My grandmother Nyevero taught me that education was very empowering especially for a girl child,” she said in a two-hour- long interview recently.
Currently, Beullah runs a travel agent, which she has managed to steer over the last few years, to claim a place as one of the best in the sector.
She employs four people in the travel agent that has concentrated more on building relationships with clients as opposed to being a business that is far-removed from the needs and welfare of the people it serves.
“We personalise our services. We just don’t say we have sold you a ticket, goodbye. But we make sure you are well catered for even on your trip. We also help with clearing while we hold workshops particularly with groups or companies on all aspects of travel before they take off,” said Beullah.
Her organisation has representatives in such countries as Dubai, China and other countries that assist their clients from Zimbabwe with information on the particular market they would have visited.
Partnerships have been established with airlines, the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority, clearing agents and other such partners for the benefit of the traveller.
“We realised that a big number of our customers were ignorant on such issues as duty payments, customs clearing and even understanding the markets they go to. So it is through such partnerships that we equip them with the requisite knowledge.
Her passion for this country and her desire to impart the knowledge and education she acquired in the United Kingdom saw her coming back home to start businesses while teaching at the University of Zimbabwe’s Department of Theatre initially on a voluntary basis.
She was eventually offered a part-time lecturing post as the UZ sought to maximise on her skills and ensure she would not leave the situation that so much desires her skills, particularly at a time when it experienced serious brain drain.
Happy Travellers is one of Beullah’s operations which she started in 2006 under her holding company KNEB (Private) Limited, registered in 2004 after she came back from the United Kingdom.
When she started the business she did not have any training in travel and tourism but her passion and eagerness to learn saw her establish herself firmly in the sector. She then did a crush programme on some aspects of her sector which she mastered in no time.
“Friends and family encouraged me to start a travel agent. Mr Mapanda the then Galileo boss told me that even though I didn’t have any qualifications in travel he could see my vision. He believed in me and it was rewarding to hear him five years later saying that he was proud of his decision.
“One particular friend who gave me the last push I needed is Helen Matiashe, managing director of Natural Beauty academy, for she became my first client. Throughout the years we have built strong relationships with individual and corporate clients. We believe business is about relationships and that’s what Happy Travellers thrives to achieve lasting relationships,” says Beullah.
Besides the travel business, Kneb is also into commodity broking and runs Nyevero, an organisation that helps educate the disadvantaged girl and boy child named after her late grandmother whom she says instilled in her life skills that she applies up to now.
Other subsidiaries include Kneb Fashion and Beauty specialists and Kneb Alternative Therapy.
During her time in the UK, Beullah attained a distinction in marketing with the London Chamber of Commerce.
The 38-year-old woman was the first black person to lend a teaching post at Fort Pitt Grammar School and she excelled in her post, achieving results that even the masters of the English language itself could not help but admire.
It was during that period that her appetite for education and her endeavours to give of her best in everything she does saw her get a scholarship through the grammar school, to do a Masters in Arts with the University of South Bank which she completed in 2002.
Everything was going well for her in the UK but she just decided to come back home. It’s not everyday that you find someone with a good job and opportunities to buy houses in theUS, UK among others, opting to come home instead to help rebuild the country.
“It just happened like that. I think God wanted me to come home and I decided to listen to his voice despite the life that I was leading in the UK,” she speaks casually as her eyes twinkle with passion she exudes for people and her country at large.
She has never regretted taking that decision.
“I believe I had gone there for a season and had to come back home. Maybe if I had not come home I would not have achieved that which I have today. I would not have impacted on people the way I have done now and maybe I would not be the person I am today,” she said.
Beullah is not only an expert in her field of travel but she is well-travelled herself. Over the last few years she has been to 38 different countries and she’s still to quench her appetite to sample more countries.
“I have told myself that I should travel to at least one new destination every year,” she says.
These journeys have also given the exposure and more knowledge of the markets, something she then imparts with ease to her clients.
“Travelling is my passion and I try and go to at least one new country every year. They say travelling is like reading a book, if you don’t you will only have read one page. So whether it’s visiting the Mavhuradonha mountain or the Eiffel Tower, travelling is full of life lessons.”
Beullah believes that any business persons and women in particular can accomplish much in life once they put their minds top it. Although Zimbabwe has largely remained a patriarchal society, the playing field has levelled up for women to give of their best.
“As women it’s high time we stop appealing for sympathy. Behaviour breeds behaviour and its how you carry yourself that determines how you are treated out there. Let’s move away from being barbies (dolls) on display and let’s get out there and become real players in the economy.
She also challenged entrepreneurs to desist from any form of speculative behaviour as happened a few years ago when the country went through economic challenges.
“Gone are the days when you woke up with one dollar and went to sleep with US$1 000. Now we really need to work.
Beulah, a mother of one child, Kimberley is currently working on her doctorate as she seeks to climb higher on the education ladder.