Exclusive moment with a Zim strategist

Zimbabwean strategist known as Samu Gumbie is a lady who empower women to break down internal barriers to make a positive change in their lives.

A strategist is a person who is skilled in planning the best way to gain an advantage or to achieve success.

My Afrika Magazine reporter Sympathy Sibanda (SS) caught up with a young Zimbabwean strategist named Samu Gumbie (SG) and unpacked about her life achievements.

SS: Can you tell us about yourself and what you studied to become what you are?

SG: I am a strategist who inspires and motivates people around the world to break down their internal barriers and to make a positive change in their lives. I am a woman who will help you to connect to your authentic self so that you build a legacy that will outlive you.

I am also an Accountant by profession, completed Bachelor of Accounting at the University of Namibia. To add on, I am a qualified Revenue Specialist where I studied and worked for the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority. I am also a diploma holder of Business Management Diploma as well as International Trade and Transport Diploma. I am the CEO AND Founder of SamuOnline. 

SS: How has been your journey like?

SG: My journey in business has been an adventure. I have had ups and downs. But I can say mostly ups because I took it as a marathon not a sprint. I am constantly connecting and growing my brand.

SS: What opportunities did you look at and grab

SG: Opportunities that I looked at and grabbed are spaces like YouTube, when I was doing Network Marketing, how I set myself apart was to record videos about the company and put them online. By doing that, I had people join my team from all over the world.

I also look at spaces which are not congested, and I put myself there. I call myself a Trendsetter and I am. I am the leader I would also follow. Recently saw a gap on Udemy and I uploaded my course which we will talk about later.

SS: They say, there is never balance in a mum’s life. What do you say about that?

SG: Well, they say that but, in my world, I teach and empower mums on how to have that balance. In my book VALUE ADDED WIFE I give tips and tools how a woman can balance both worlds. One of them is being organised in your home, set things once and they run like a well-oiled machine.

SS: What have been your online business successes?

SG: Having women come back to me and say how much of an impact I have heard in their lives is fulfilling.

Samuonline was established in 2017 and since its inception, we have trained over 2000 women in various workshops, namely :

–           Network marketing

–           Camera confidence

–           Digital marketing

–           Personal development

–           Social media management

In 2022 we held a 5-day workshop where we challenged over 400 women to Step out of the shadows into light. Teaching about the importance of Visibility using video. And we have seen tremendous growth in women using this tool.

There are so many women in Africa who are doing business and we show the spotlight on some of them by conducting interviews into the work they do. About 44 women were interviewed from eight African countries.

Stay home moms are the forgotten heroes but Samuonline strives on reaching the unreached, we trained 30 women on how to start, grow and escalate their business while still looking after the family. We taught them on adopting Digital marketing as the world is moving digital.

SS: Any memorable interviews you have done to date?

SG: I am the one who mostly does interviews. Like the interviews that I am currently doing with women in business from all over Africa under the umbrella of AfriMoms – African mompreneur

SS: Africanisation…what does this term mean to you?

SG: Proudly African, born in Africa doing business in Africa, empowering Africans and being able to also impact on a global scale.

SS: Udemy girl! That’s huge. Tell me about it and impact.

SG: Udemy as we know it is one of the largest online learning platforms in the world. Most of the time, we are referred there to go and learn, and I know I have suggested it a lot to many people but one day, I thought to myself how about I create a course that people can benefit from. I started at home, my home language, isiNdebele. And guess what, it’s not found there. I was elated and I got to work creating a course in isiNdebele for beginners. I know the cry of many people who are in diaspora is that their children will not know their mother language but wipe away your tears because now, they can have lifetime access in learning isiNdebele. And hey including my own kids.

I am a course creator, so it did not take me much time to come up with the course.

I know as well that it will have a huge impact on Tourism because Tourist will have basic words to communicate.

SS: What’s next for you?

SG: An advanced course on learning isiNdebele and more courses that are on international platforms. Yes, from Africa but not ending there. Born in Zimbabwe, went to university in Namibia, living in South Africa and doing business Globally.