Diasporans, These 'Zhets' Are For You

We have seen “hustlers ” as they would like to be called, importing things they have bought in Forex make a profit in bond, only to fail to acquire the Forex they need to go back and restock. We have also seen this Zhet, of people selling simple things at exorbitant prices because, inorder to restock Forex is only accessed at the black market and the prices are too steep hence the ridiculous pricing of their goods. Lastly, we know of this Zhet of selling your wares in USD only and not accept any other form of cash, currency or payment.

So?

At the end most people living in the diaspora are on crossroads, is ever doing even a tinniest Zhet in Zimbabwe going to work?

• What can I do?
• Do I sell cars if so in what currency? What will be the stock turnover rate of such commodities?
• Do I sell clothes? At what price?
• Do I sell phones which brands, second hand or new?
• What ideas can I come up with?
• Who will manage my hustle since I’m thousands of miles away, how will I market it?
• Where do I set this whole Zhet up?
• What’s the market for my most preferred Zhet?
• Will I make enough profit to sustain it?

All these are questions that have never yielded an answer and for that reason, most people are skeptical about having even the tinniest Zhet back home in Zimbabwe.

Still Wondering Which Zhet to do back home?

Because of the volatility of the bond and the lack of it in hard cash its safe to conclude that one needs to be on the ground to do any Zhet in Zimbabwe at the moment. BUT a huge BUT there are some Zhets that will not sink your funds like a brick and these are?

 

1. The Steward Bank Mortgage Financing Plan. This Plan will enable you to build, acquire or renovate your property. This Zhet will make you add value or just give you an option to purchase something with a locked value. When I say the value is locked I’m saying, the price of an immovable property is fixed, it’s not affected by inflation. The biggest advantage of this Zhet is that no importing and exporting of any commodity is done. Just pay your premiums from the comfort of your country of residence.
2. Gadgets – Many youngsters are now searching for maoriginal, gone are the days when people used to buy cheap imitations of phones, cameras and tablets. The first thing that people are searching for now is the brand and the originality of the gadget before they part with their hard earned cash nomatter how minute it is. We know the diaspora is the home of these gadgets, selling these things either brand new or second hand will be a nice Zhet to earn any business minded a small extra income.
3. The obvious one, clothes – this Zhet is tricky but if you break into it, it will be very lucrative. First of all super-sized and larger women have problems buying clothes in local shops because they can find nice fitting clothes. If one wants to go into this zhet, the market for large sizes is still undersupplied. Large size shoes from size 12 going up are also a bit scarce but I’m not sure about the market for them.
4. Exporting things from the Diaspora to Zimbabwe – For people staying overseas and the northern and western part of Africa, getting things that are not money or small items to Zimbabwe is hard. Any diasporan can build a network in whatever country you are living, collect items on those people’s behalf and send them back home to Zimbabwe using the cheapest means available. Disclaimer, please research about the rule and regulations and probably permits needed to do this kind of Zhet.
5. Human Hair and Beauty products – this industry has been booming over the years, but like any other industry, its marred with cheap imitations that may also affect your sales, things like lipstick, face powders, foundations especially original brands like Revlon, Estee Lauder, Mac etc, nail polish, quality perfumes, deodorants and roll ons are selling nicely across Harare and probably some other cities too. Again researching on ZIMRA’s rules and regulations about importing such is always best.

Wait a minute, how will i manage a business when im thousands of killometers away?

2 Words, Social Media. We all know the problems associated with involving a 3rd part in your business who is probably your relative or an employee. Social Media becomes your third part and that relative and or employee only helps with deliveries. Facebook and Instagram have promoted posts and you can boost your posts for as little as $1. There are several advertising WhatsApp groups that one can advertise on. Bottom line, the bulk of today’s customers is online.

In these days of ZIPIT/ECocash/RTGS/Internal Transfers you cant trust anyone with your money. All transactions between you and the customers are done between the 2 of you. Isn’t technology a beautiful enabler?Bottom line is no business is easy, everything requires hard work and consistence

So why do Zhets in Zimbabwe?

It is a good opportunity to rake in some extra cash. Money is always good nommater the day or time you access it. Money in a Zim account can help you with remittances and you may use it when you come home for a holiday