adminBrenda Phiri Lifestyle Writer
Zimbabweans qualify to be amongst the most hard-working people the world all over the globe. They work hard beyond the country’s boarders and even harder to stay afloat in the mother land.
It’s no secret that our economy reached rock bottom in the past few years. To date, the majority of people leave below the poverty datum line yet life keep going on.
In spite of the harsh conditions, you still find people in heels, nice suits and fancy cars.
If you can make it in Zimbabwe then you can make it anywhere else in the world. This is because locals have mastered the law of surviving in the concrete jungle. Although most people are formally employed, over the years, people are finding side-jobs to make extra bucks. Multitasking is indeed the way to go and each day, an entrepreneur is born.
It does not matter the person’s occupation or post on a job, somewhere somehow people are doing their own “things” on the side. The trend is not limited to people with full time jobs, but those who are unemployed.
House wives and college students have also joined the bandwagon and doing their thing to make ends meet.
They get involved in various activities like buying and selling among other projects to supplement their income.
Direct selling of goods is more popular among the working class with some saving up and going to places like Dubai, China and South Africa to buy clothes for resale. These kinds of businesses are usually associated with flexible payment terms where people are given a certain time frame to pay up. Besides the diversity they bring to the fashion sector, their flexibility is what keeps them viable in a competitive market.
Other side ventures are seeing people capitalising through their networks. One such method is the direct selling programs where people become salespeople for established brands that are beyond the borders at times.
The companies provide catalogues and samples to their sales people while selling their products at wholesale prices.
The ventures are diverse yet saving the same purpose of supplementing the lame pay-check. Poultry projects and the selling of various agricultural produce is no longer limited to farmers in the trade.
Those without land are either renting, working with small yards that are available or simply acting as brokers of farm produce.
New ideas pop up every day and some people have been capitalising on their artistic talents to make extra money.
Arts and crafts are no longer hobbies or jobs for artistes. The arts sector is also being penetrated by the white collar people who are teachers by day and musicians by night.
We have a lot of people who are also carving stones or wood, baking, and also venturing into interior decorating.
Personal motor vehicles used to be a luxury that carried people from point A to B. the latest developments has seen the script being flipped as they are now used to generate that extra dollar.
It is now common people where importing trucks that they would hire out to farmers for carrying their produce or farm animals to butchers. At some point, the same cars would also be hired out to move people and property before being turned back to private vehicle.
In the name of exploring side gigs, even smaller private vehicles are also being turned to cabs. During working hours and weekends, the vehicle is used to ferry people within and around cities.
One does not need to win the lottery or rob a bank to lead the lifestyles they desire. Money making opportunities are all around us and waiting to be explored. Although we mentioned a few, a lot is happening in the offices, the streets and car booths.
Only early this year, the Finance Minister Honourable Patrick Chinamasa was preaching the gospel and encouraging people to keep sweating for their success. Who knows that better than “Zimbos”?
Online Reporter
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