As with most people trying to make it in business, Tofara Chokera tried a series of buying and selling ventures which were all futile. It was only after she sought guidance from an established entrepreneur that she realised the field that entrepreneurship is all about solving problems profitably. Today she is a serial entrepreneur pushing multiple brands globally.
As with most people trying to make it in business, Tofara Chokera tried a series of buying and selling ventures which were all futile. It was only after she sought guidance from an established entrepreneur that she realised the field that entrepreneurship is all about solving problems profitably. Today she is a serial entrepreneur pushing multiple brands globally.
Tofara is the founder of African Queen Zimbabwe, an online based clothing business, pushing African print designs internationally. She is also the founder of Tofara Online, an organisation that offers digital marketing courses for businesses to grow their online presence. In addition, she founded Rava Bookstore, an online book shop promoting a wide reading culture on the African continent. Her passion for technology stems from her background as a computer engineer – trained in Information Systems at Midlands State University.
To Strategically Position Herself For The International Market, She Setup An Online Shop
Business mentorship enabled her to focus on one business and not be swayed by trends as she had done before. She was drawn to African print fabric distribution, giving birth to African Queen Zimbabwe in 2017. Although the business was trending in Zimbabwe with many players at the time, Tofara had done extensive research on the industry. She was aware that African print business was a multi-billion dollar industry globally and to strategically position herself for the international market, she setup an online shop. While many players sold to the local market she had a target beyond Zimbabwe and she ensured that her fabrics were of high quality.
Don’t Wait To Raise Significant Capital To Start Your Venture
Initially, African Queen Zimbabwe sold fabrics only, and later expanded to become a clothing brand. Tofara partnered with an esteemed fashion designer who once worked with established clothing companies like Edgars and Truworths to create a clothing line. This enabled her to have a fashion brand without necessarily having to invest huge capital in sewing machinery and labour. For the designer, it was a boost in business as well as the online shop pushed volumes internationally. “Don’t wait to raise significant capital to start your venture. Create partnerships with people who are eager to grow their businesses and both parties would benefit,” Tofara said.
The progress she scored with the African Queen Zimbabwe digital marketing strategy resulted in several people approaching her for advice and training to apply in their own businesses. Tofara went on to create Whatsapp groups where she would impart knowledge for free. This went on for a year until it dawned on her that she had potential to monetise her knowledge by creating a digital marketing course. To deepen her understanding in digital marketing, she enrolled for a 6-month online course with a United Kingdom-based digital marketing expert, Yeukai Kajidhori. “I had to invest in personal development before scaling up. The course not only equipped me with enhanced digital marketing knowledge but I was also mentored to have a mind-set shift,” she said
Currently, African Queen Zimbabwe services the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia and several Southern African countries while Tofara Online operations are currently in 10 African countries. Tofara reveals that the business grew as a result of partnerships with other organisations. However, her successes have not been without challenges. She admits that initially the local market was not receptive to online businesses as people were used to physical shopping and classes. However, the Covid-19 pandemic led people to appreciate online businesses, giving her ventures a boost. Tofara Online has had the greatest advantage as many people are now seeking digital marketing training. “We have trained over 3 000 people across the African continent since we started in 2017,” she stated
It is remarkable that this young woman has managed to balance up full-employment at a local mining firm, her family and running multiple businesses at the same time. She attributes this success to discipline in committing time for the business. “I commit 5pm to 8pm to family time then 8pm to 11pm is the time that I work on my businesses each day,” she stated. She anticipates being able to leave full time employment to fully focus on her businesses in the foreseeable future.
The Program Is Assisting In Tackling Some Of The Challenges On The African Continent Like Hunger And Poverty
Tofara has gained fulfilment from the impact her businesses have made on society, particularly Tofara Online. It took her 3 years to build the content that she is currently using in her trainings and it is making a difference. The trainings are accessible to many people as they are conducted on the Whatsapp platform and online on edigitalskillsacademy.com. The classes are also flexible to individuals with busy day schedules as they run from 8pm to 10pm twice each week for a month. “The program is assisting in tackling some of the challenges on the African continent like hunger and poverty. By assisting women grow their businesses online some have been empowered to feed their families and send their children to school,” she revealed.
A Business Not Solving A Particular Problem Is Not Entrepreneurial And Is Likely To Struggle
She envisions her brands being internationally endorsed in a few years to come. As an avid reader, Tofara recommends four books to aspiring entrepreneurs namely You Have All it Takes by Edna Mukurazhizha, Commanding your Morning by Cindy Trimm, Crushing and Soar both by T.D Jakes. She insists that a business not solving a particular problem is not entrepreneurial and is likely to struggle. She encourages aspiring entrepreneurs not to give up but stay in their lane, not moving from one venture to the next. As a digital marketing expert, she highly recommends entrepreneurs to adopt digital marketing and innovation for growth of their ventures.
