adminBorn in Marondera, Zimbabwean born Godfrey Madanhire has lived a rags to riches story. For seven years Madanhire taught at several schools in the Gokwe, Masvingo and Bikita districts. He made the move to South Africa in 2000 to embark on a new career.
Arriving in Johannesburg aged 26, he began the journey that would lead to the creation of Dreamworld Promotions, a company that now employs more than 100 people.
Q :Briefly articulate how you started and developed your business from when you arrived in South Africa 15 years ago?
A: At first I struggled to land a job. I began selling short term insurance and through hard work, I was promoted and sent to open a new branch in Cape Town. In 2006 I was managing eleven branches.
After gaining that experience I decided to break away and start Dreamworld Promotions.
Q: What line of business are you in and what prompted you to choose it?
A: I am in the motivational and advisory business, and I love it. I’ve always given advice and this was one of the main reasons I got into teaching. I think it’s also why I adapted to selling short term insurance so quickly.
Q: Any notable individuals or organisations who helped you to achieve these and other goals?
A: My mother was a constant supportive role model in a broken household. As early as ten years old I would advise her on how to deal with the issues.
The role I played in my family, helping others, has helped form the adult I am today.
Q: What challenges have you faced in the South African business landscape considering that you are in a foreign land?
A: I would highlight the ongoing xenophobia in South Africa as a major challenge for foreign entrepreneurs. The other problem would be establishing connections in a new business landscape, where it so often is a case of who you know, not what you know.
If you apply yourself in your field and become an expert, people will start to ask for you by name.
Q: What do the two awards you recently won mean to you as a young businessman?
A: The awards I received at the Cape Town Zimbabwean Excellence Awards have been a fantastic incentive for me to carry on pushing towards a bigger goal.
Even when most people would think that I am at the pinnacle of my career, I believe in keeping up the momentum when success strikes.
Q: How do you see the future of your business? How do you intend to grow and do you hope to come and invest in Zimbabwe someday?
A: My company has been making inroads into Namibia, Swaziland and Lesotho. At the moment we’re concentrating at expanding our footprint across South Africa by conducting seminars and workshops in rural areas.
Our future plans would be to expand back into Zimbabwe and also to Kenya, as these two markets are wide open for those in my field.
Q: You advice to other businesspeople in both Zimbabwe and South Africa.
A: Before setting out on any journey in life you need to plan to achieve your dreams.
As Benjamin Franklin put it, “Not planning is planning to fail.” The idea that you develop needs to be one that you’re passionate about, as starting and maintaining a company is a 24-hour a day job.
You need to be enthusiastic about your career or you’ll land up straying from the path.
Finally you need to be persistent and keep pushing as you are bound to have lows, but if you push through you’ll achieve your dreams.
Online Reporter