How Love And Divorce Plus Other Marital Dynamics Affect Zimbabwean Entrepreneurship
Hello
This is Cain Ndhlovu the founder of Sunrise Start-up
Solutions and creator of the three-part free training series for you on Start-up
Growth Mastermind. If you haven’t registered for this flagship
and amazing training yet please click here to
do so.
I am a Zimbabwe-based Start-up Growth Consultant and I help
early-stage startups, SMEs, established businesses diversifying or entering new
markets, NGOs/investors requiring local market insights for projects or entry
strategies etc with hyper-local expertise and online product launch services.
Now you can dare to dream again. Days when start-up failure
was as obvious as the rising sun are gone. Proven formulas that help ensure
increased chances of start-up success are now available.
Do you know what is
an MVP?
Do you know what is an MVP? You are wrong if you say most
valuable player. In entrepreneurship MVP means Minimum Viable Product. According to Eric Ries an American you do
not need to wait until your product is perfect before launching but you can
release into the market a Minimum Viable Product and use customer feedback for
continuous perfection through iteration .
Another must-know winning formula for your start-up is the
product launch formula by Jeffrey Walker. What is it all about ? This formula
helps you leverage the power of the internet to launch new products and
services.
You see how Ok Zimbabwe an established brand market itself
is different from how your start-up an unknown should market itself. Since OK
Zimbabwe is already known its marketing objective probably is consolidating its
market share hence all those colourful billboards you see along main roads. But
for your start-up an unknown your marketing objective is obviously to break
through into the market.
So you can not use the same marketing method of erecting
colourful billboards or any other form of image marketing even on digital media
as what OK Zimbabwe would do. As a start-up you have many cases to first answer!
Here are some of these cases expressed in the form of the
following questions;
1. Who are you ?
2. What’s in it for me ?
3. Your offer doesn’t work for me.
4. It’s too expensive.
5. I don’t believe you.
6. I don’t see myself doing that.
Your best marketing method therefore, must involve a process
that addresses these objections first before asking people to buy from you.
Attempting to close a prospect who doesn’t know who you are and what he or she
stands to gain from you is an uphill climb.
But how do you do all this ? This is were the product launch
formula (PLF) by Jeff Walker comes in. The PLF is proven by start-ups across
the world in various niches and is responsible for generating billions of
dollars during launch.
Yourself reading this blog means you are seeking advice and
this shows that you are a smart person. You should therefore, avoid reinventing
the wheel but you must adopt these and other proven formulas like the business
model canvas and apply them in your business.
I can help you because my mission is to study and
contextualise these formulas for the Zimbabwean setting. This is the essence of
my free course Start-up Growth
Mastermind. If you haven’t registered for this flagship and amazing
training yet please click here to
do so. In this course I show you how to implement the product launch formula
using everyday digital tools like Gmail, Blogger, social media ( Facebook,
LinkedIn, X [Twitter]etc).
Let’s talk about love
!
Enough with the formulas. Now lets talk about love and
divorce as promised in the title. During my A Level days in Glen View I wrote a
love poem titled Wilderness Wanderer.
It talked about a beautiful girl searching for love but it seemed love was
illusive like a mirage in the wilderness. I should hasten to put a disclaimer
that it wasn’t because I was love-struck those days but love was topical during
my school days and it continues to be now and throughout life.
By talking about love as illusive the poem captured the
reality of love today. Yes many start well in their relationships but along the
way the love mysteriously evaporates and people divorce. I remember seeing a
newspaper headline screaming about the alarmingly high rate of divorce in the
country.
Again I remember reading a research by the government and
World Bank on micro, small to medium enterprises MSMEs in Zimbabwe that said
many MSMEs are co-owned and run by married couples. The reason obviously is
that spousal partnerships help provide collaborative opportunities by
leveraging pooled resources and labour.
I then paused and asked a question “If Zimbabweans are
divorcing like this what will happen to the couple’s small businesses ?” Clearly,
love, divorce and other marital dynamics impact MSMEs in Zimbabwe. This realization
inspired the writing of this article focusing on things like how these marital
dynamics affects MSMEs, possible opportunities and my recommendations.
1. The Financial Weight of Tradition: Lobola and
Entrepreneurial Capital
The practice of lobola (bride price), a
cornerstone of Zimbabwean marriages, requires significant financial outlay.
Families often spend years saving, diverting funds that could otherwise seed or
expand businesses. A 2022 study by the Zimbabwe Women’s Resource Centre
revealed that 40% of urban households delay entrepreneurial investments due to
lobola expenses. Young couples, burdened by post-marriage debt, face reduced
capacity to launch ventures, stifling innovation and growth in the MSME sector.
2. Marital Instability and Household Economics
Rising divorce rates (estimated at 15–20% in urban areas)
disrupt household economies. Legal battles over assets and income can drain
resources, forcing families to cut discretionary spending. Local MSMEs,
particularly in retail and services, often feel the pinch as loyal customers
reduce purchases.
3. Gender Roles: Constraints and Opportunities
Traditional gender roles both hinder and spur female
entrepreneurship. While patriarchal norms sometimes limit women’s access to
marital assets or loans, divorce or widowhood often pushes women into
entrepreneurship out of necessity. The Zimbabwe Informal Sector Association
reports that 65% of market vendors are women, many of whom entered informal
trade after marital breakdowns. Conversely, stable marriages can provide
collaborative opportunities—spousal partnerships in agriculture or retail are
common, leveraging pooled resources and labor.
4. Polygamy and Resource Fragmentation
In rural areas, polygamous marriages may dilute financial
resources across multiple households, reducing disposable income for each.
However, this dynamic also fosters informal micro-enterprises, as wives often
launch small-scale ventures (e.g., poultry farming, crafts) to supplement
household income. While these businesses are typically modest, they highlight
resilience in resource-constrained environments.
5. Social Networks and Business Survival
Stable marriages strengthen extended family networks,
crucial for MSMEs through informal loans, labor, and customer bases. A 2023
UNDP survey found that 30% of MSMEs rely on family for startup capital. Marital
discord can fracture these networks, isolating entrepreneurs from vital
support. Conversely, wedding-related enterprises (catering, event planning)
thrive on marital traditions, illustrating how cultural practices can buoy
specific sectors.
6. Cultural Shifts and Market Adaptation
Younger generations are marrying later, prioritizing
education and careers. This shift alters consumption patterns—single
professionals may invest in tech-driven services or convenience foods, creating
niches for agile MSMEs. A Bulawayo-based meal-prep startup founder shared,
"Our clientele is largely young, unmarried professionals seeking
time-saving solutions."
Recommendations for Policy and Support
- Financial
Literacy Programs: Educate families on balancing cultural
obligations (e.g., lobola) with entrepreneurial investments.
- Gender-Inclusive
Financing: Enhance access to credit for women, particularly
post-divorce.
- Social
Safety Nets: Strengthen community-based support systems to
mitigate the economic fallout of marital breakdowns.
- Cultural
Dialogue: Engage traditional leaders to modernize practices like
lobola without eroding heritage.
A balanced article on entrepreneurship highlighting the negative effects on marriages.
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