By Style Reporter
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade and for local businessman Austin Makonye he had less than a lemon to begin with, but due to determination and zeal, he has made it in life.
Starting from nothing and working his way up to the top, Makonye has established his own unique business venture – Jupiter Hardware — where he specialises in selling imported face bricks and cement.
He told The Standard Style that his business was now a household name, thanks to niche marketing which he described as the hallmark of his growing business.
“As Jupiter Hardware, we try to provide unique products to our clients that have been overlooked by the mainstream hardware providers. We import face bricks from South Africa and Botswana that we sell to locals,” Makonye said.
“These bricks are highly resistant to all kinds of weather conditions, ensuring durability. They are now a hit in Harare and major towns as well as rural communities.”
For Makonye, his is a rags-toriches story.
“I started this business from nothing and worked my way up to where I am today. I worked for a large clothing retail where we earned peanuts and at times we had to forgo lunch. Even when we got our salaries at the end of the month, that did not help matters,” he said.
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“At times, I would walk on foot from Glen View 3 where I stayed to board the ‘Freedom Train’ to take us into town. It was a difficult phase of my life although I was armed with a Higher National Diploma in Marketing and an accounting qualification.”
Like someone who grew up with dreams, Makonye decided to augment his meagre salary and started operating a backyard hardware shop in Hatcliffe, selling cement.
“The project did not see the light after I was conned all the money that I had realised from the business compelling me to shift to something else,” he said.
“In 2005 I took advantage of the recession in the country and started cross-border trading where I was importing soap and cooking oil from South Africa selling it in Zimbabwe. Of course, I made a killing and I quit my job.”
Two years into the venture, Makonye saw himself expanding his business opening a grocery shop at Whitehouse and in Madokero in Harare.
“The business grew and I ended up manufacturing beverages taking advantage of the shortages of fizzy drinks in Zimbabwe at that time. It was a lucrative venture, but it was shortlived after the introduction of the multi-currency system that saw the reopening of major manufacturing companies in the country,” he said.
With a construction boom shaping up in 2009, thanks to the multi-currency regime, armed with a start-up of $800, Makonye began what is now known as Jupiter Hardware.
“We started with $800 which we used to buy cement from local hardware retailers and reselling it in Madokero and surrounding areas. I would go and load three trucks of cement a day. There was growing optimism in the construction industry so we had to innovate and expand,” Makonye said.
“After noticing the demand for face bricks, I ventured into the business and it paid off. Today these face bricks are the cornerstone of Jupiter Hardware. The business was registered in 2013 and is growing.”
With branches at Sanganayi Inn, Nyamachoma and Mbudzi roundabout in Harare and Kadoma, Makonye said the business was thriving and was expecting to cast his net wider.
“We are planning to open branches in Kwekwe, Gweru and possibly Masvingo. We want to be one-stop hardware retail chain reaching out to every corner of the country,” he said.
Makonye says one’s spiritual beliefs can help them be happier, more productive and more successful at work.
“I could not have survived entrepreneurship without spirituality. I am a devotee of the great Lord Jesus Christ and without him, I would have been nothing,” he said.
“When starting a business, it’s not all about capital, but one needs to be disciplined. You need to strategise and implement what you have planned.”
The entrepreneur said the future was looking bright for his business.
“There are hurdles here and there, but the future looks bright for Jupiter Hardware. We are seeing us improving as the year unfolds, acquiring our own fleet of trucks and venturing into the timber business,” he said.
While other businesspeople grew in the lap of luxury, Makonye believes his success came out of sweat.
“It was not a stroll in the park. I worked very hard to come up with this project and all that is needed is dedication and perseverance,” he said.
With a staff complement of nine, Makonye believes Jupiter Hardware will in the next five years be counted among the top hardware outlets in the country.
