Left UK, Tried Farming And Failed - My Story
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- čas přidán 11. 09. 2024
- After many years in the diaspora and starting to think of retirement back home ,we ,(my wife and I) started to brainstorm different ideas.
We settled on free range organic chicken farming! 🥚🐣🐓😍. We will also grow organic vegetables.
We have lived in the United Kingdom for just over 20 years with our five children who were all home educated.
While living in the U.K we became very aware of food standards because food was not the same as what we had left behind.
Very early on we started buying organic food and wild fish. We would like to continue on this path of healthy eating and growing our own food.
The chickens will be pasture raised. We are implementing a permaculture farming method.
We will also be using the regenerative agriculture approach to help the soils get all the necessary nutrients.
We bought the land which had lots of gum trees which took a lot of nutrients out of the soil. We need to add these back using the regenerative agriculture approach.
We will use this platform to share information we learn along the way.
There was a pond on the farm which has dried out but we need to revive it as part of permaculture farming.
What is regenerative agriculture?
Soil health and the regeneration of topsoil (the surface layer of soil) are the main priorities of regenerative agriculture. Going well beyond organic farming, regenerative agriculture is a system of agricultural practices and principles that increases ecosystem health, improving nutrients in foods, which almost become a by-product of the planet’s restoration. Soil Heroes
What is permaculture?
It involves taking care of the earth and working with it. We will be using systems like rain capture and solar systems. Trying to be off grid as much as possible.
Join the Online Community For Diasporans, Returnees, and Ambitious Zimbabweans. It's FREE, Signup Today ruwaorganic.com
your chickens didnt die, when you went away the second time he sold them.
if they died ask him where the bodies are
Have a look at
Ram Water Pump
Water preservation techniques including mulching
Solar Battery Charging Station
Biogas Bio Digester for Methane Gas and Fertilizer production
I suspect you are too nice and agreeable, and that was taken advantage off.
@@ruwaorganic Ghanaians are not angry enough
You should have come here. Why? You will take jobs away from the indigenous. No one has any right to give you land to farm. You are not our people. You should stay in Africa and make that a better place. By coming to other people's lands YOU DESTROY them. You people fail to understand this. It is wrong. Our country, out culture, our traditions and our people are 'ending' because of my grayshun.
when it comes to farming, never lead with money. knowledge is key.
True
Very true.
Very true I always tell people that next year I'll be leaving the UK and come back home ndoita farming
i remember doing six interviews with four veterinary officers in different towns. i visited two cement dealership and multiple construction companies and asking thousand of questions. i personally believe everyone has access to knowledge, but not everyone understands how to implement it.
He was getting scammed by the people he hired and he kept doing it over and over again. He didn't even bother to put in place checks to ensure the people he hired were doing the job they were meant to do.
I learnt the hard way when I did pig Farming when I came back from Dubai. It was stressful and hectic yooh 😮, Zimbos are not trustworthy at all. What I learnt was:
1. Before you have livestock on your farm first secure feed. What I mean is if you want to be very profitable plant your own maize and soya beans and vegetables for animal feed basically atleast 6 months in advance.
2. Get e pellet making machine and make sure the feed is easy to manage once yagaiwa.
3. Please make sure you stay on the farm. Do not come and go be the top employee on your own project thats the only way you will succeed.
4. Rotate employees like you playing russian roulette, dnt let anyone get too comfortable on the job. Always make them wonder 😂 why they have been moved from poultry to the garden or vice versa it allows you to have a system where no one really sees the loopholes way early before you start making sustainable profit.
5. Lastly always make sure everytime you make a profit you put a lot of savings aside for just incase. Farming is hard and is stressful but if you have bailout money it will make sense going forward.
Hope this helps😊
Excellent advice! Farming is a business and in business "Cash is King" so build those savings from your first sale!
Not from Zimbabwe, very good advise, you are a gentleman/ Lady that one can depend on for advise. To the guy, please fence that land and let it out when you are coming back to the UK. An Aunty from the West Africa do let her land to the locals in returns for a percentage of the crop. She helps buy the seeds and advise what sell in the market most. Do not abandon or leave that land empty. All your bricks will be gone.
i like your first point, I hear many people are complaninging about feeds price and as i want to concetrate in Chicken and egg production, i decided to do my research on how to make your own feeds, now. i know where to source the Pellet machine and Incubator, next step is to get maize,soya beans and fish meal in south africa since i based in Limpopo.
Because i dont want to jump into spending around R45000(ZAR) in equipment but fail to feed the chickens and the margins are very tricky so you must know how to work with numbers
3 and 4 are most important
You give them sick money. How do you think one can survive of $70 per month. Be human snd pay them a living wage. Teacher earn 200dollars. You pay your labourer and security of your everything 70dollars. You deserve to be stolen from.
Please expose the names of companies who failed you. Your story carries a lot of lessons and honestly we can’t be supporting companies that are pulling people down.
Yes.. In fact there needs to be a platform where vetted service providers across all industries can be found..Before one hires a solar installations/construction/plumbing etc company they check if they are a verified service provider..Something like that.
Well said 💯
@@mandlenkosihlazo977 they already do this its called checkatrade
@@mandlenkosihlazo977 there are most people are just too lazzy to bother using them
What I love the most is his blatant honesty. Remote farming does not work, we can no longer trust those 'on the ground'. Very well executed, bro.
especially africans
You didn't fail bro. You found out what doesn't work. Your conclusion is just right . Knowledge is the key to success in agriculture. It takes time and making a lot of mistakes until you figure out the game
Indeed, thank you so much
1) What doesn't work? It was himself. He returned to Africa thinking it would have been easy.
2) He was changing or adding things as they were going through his head. He did not take time to focus on one project before exploring another field.
3) The planning was done very poorly.
@@e-kotoHow is it his fault that locals scammed him with poor quality construction, bad workmanship and materials?
Don't blame him for expecting his employees and contractors to work honestly.
@@ruwaorganic you should check out the book The Urban Farmer by Curtis Stone. Its a great book. He's Canadian. Documents his process and business plans. He has some worksheets to help with produce planning, marketing etc...His expertise is small producers and he teaches some classes.
Jamaican-British in The Gambia, I am so proud of you and your every move so far. You are doing it young man - keep going. Money has not been lost as it was money well spent on teaching yourself. Time for a cup of English tea and a slice of spicy Jamaican bun...🎉
I feel your pain man. I did the same. Went back to Nigeria in Dec 2021 after living in Moscow for 15 years, started a pig farm, built a small pen of 20 rooms, got our first 6 pigs in March, 2022. Quickly grew and had to build another pen and then more pens. Now we are near 500 pigs. Ventured into the cattle business as well, now close to 50.
One major mistake you made was that you were not very involved, cutting corners is a No-No anywhere in Africa or dare I say anywhere in the world, some places are worse than the others. Be involved, allow yourself to be cheated, not too much too, but only when it is logical and it saves you time. Time is Money, as an IT guy who gets paid hourly, you know what I mean. Hire professionals, drain their brain, ask many questions and ensure you learn from every single moment with them, do your own research to counter what they are saying or buttress it (I use to tell people around me, I consider it paying a tuition fee for a course, especially when I’m cheated, it’s part of the learning process). Now, if you wanna pay a tuition fee for a course, would you pay for the basic course or the most intensive and comprehensive one? Always go for the professionals. You should’ve bought an LG freezer instead of a custom built one. You should’ve done your research before buying the solar set up or the freezer itself. Don’t rush. Take your time to do research. Information is king. It saves a lot of money! You should’ve bought custom made blocks. If you’re going to make blocks by yourself in the farm, be there!
On your next trial ensure you have a good paying client, before you go back. Because even if you saved $100k it still would not be enough. You need a constant source of income. Learn more to earn more. Try DevOps (Cloud Solutions Architect, Kubernetes and the likes, since you’re in UK check Azure, get as many certifications as possible in Azure).
Consider cattle farming. I consider it the most profitable venture in livestock farming based on my experience so far. If I knew how lucrative cattle business was before I started, I would be focusing on just that by now. Not to say pig farming is not lucrative but it consumes more money and the profit margin is lower than that of cattle.
Focus on planting your own food. Milling your own feed (a small grinder and a manual mixing with shovels will do). Learn feed formulation. Plant hectares of maize and soya. That’s a better way to secure your money than buying custom-made feed. Find courses online. Learn as much as you can. I still learn to this day. Currently considering masters in agricultural science even though I’m an IT guy with 10+ years of experience.
I still do IT full time today. But I found myself yearning for more in the agric space and I’m tired of being at the mercy of employees, I want to run an automated farm with hundreds of thousands of pigs and cows. That’s my dream and I don’t see anyone around me doing that. That’s why I want to do masters and learn from those that’ve already done it and are still doing it here in Russia. I wish the best of luck man. Ask me anything!
There is so much value from your insights. Thank you
Brilliant advice! All the best in your endeavors.
Great information brother
My bruda! Wow
@@adewolemayowa You should write an Ebook on this. 😎
Key Points:
1. Boots on the ground is a MUST!
2. Work with industry professionals
3. Start small
Even people on the ground get duped every day in Zim. Everyone claims to be a professional while they are just middleman.
Ya this story of leaving someone in charge while you go back to another town or country is a horrible mistake
secret is, start small. knowledge is key
@@jurodiko2388 That right, when you start small you will minimize your risks, learn and adapt quickly.
Nailed it especially starting small because THEN you can transfer the skills to the larger farm/business
Your resilience is off the charts brother
They just think it is their right to steal
As someone who wants to get into farming I appreciate your honesty. Very refreshing as people avoid talking about failures. Never give up. Inspiring 🙏🏾
I appreciate that! Thank you
Hi bro. This is a very touching video. I feel your pain because I have invested heavily in Zim in the agricultural sector. I too lost so much money because I am here in the UK and i have a very close and trusted relative running the farm. Here are the issues learnt which make farming in Zimbabwe very risky business;
1. The Zimbabwe market unlike robust markets like the UK, is very small and weak. Blantly put, people don't have much money to spend. The weak spending power of the Zim market directly means although there might be demand for your products, people simply don't have the money to buy your goods.
2. The Zim market is congested/overcrowded thereby making it difficult to make good margins. If you sell cabbages, a 1000 other people will be selling cabbages. Its the same story across other products. I made the mistake of having 3 hectares of cabbages at my farm towards Christmas time. I lost big time because the market was flooded with cabbages. Imagine what happens if a weak market is flooded with a single commodity. To clear the cabbages, we ended up selling 8 cabbages for a dollar at Mbare. It was really that bad.
3. The Zim workforce has a poor work ethic. Guys if you have been to Europe especially here in the UK you get to realise that in Zim our work ethic is very poor. Here you work, eat, sleep and repeat. It is not easy. If you are lazy and want to rely on benefits you will always be broke. To get decent money, you have to graft and graft hard. In Zim people work with one eye on the clock. We, as a nation have to learn that rich countries are where there are because of their strong work ethics. We as a country are poor because dont work hard enough.
4. The overall business environment in Zimbabwe is harsh and not friendly especially to start ups. From poor financing to electricity problems, there are way to many negatives in the Zim macro economy that make it more likely for businesses to fail than to succeed.
Against this background is it all lost and is dreaming of opening a business in Zim a bad idea. No. There are so many opportunities in Zim. However I feel if you are to succeed, you need to be on the ground and do not rely on the Zim market. There are two options. Grow crops that you can sell to marketing boards such as GMB and get paid after you deliver. Good example. If you focus on cash crops such as soybeans, wheat etc if you produce a good crop especially under irrigation, you will get decent profits. The only good profits I have made from my farm was when we had a bumper harvest of maize and GMB paid us straight into our business account. The other option is to EXPORT. Use Zimbabwe as a place to produce your goods and take advantage of the global markets. You wanna produce goats? Don't think of taking your animals to Mbudzi in Harare. Think of UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar etc where a single goat may fetch over $300. It is doable but you just need to get your paperwork in place. There is a very successful co operative in Ethiopia exporting goats to the Middle East.
Good luck to you all. I know its a tough journey but don't give up!
Definitely not giving up, thank you for the input
nah you didn't fail bro. you have tested your venture through experience and knowledge accumulation. And everything you have said makes total sense. That's why it's fundamental to start with the basics and stay consistent with your stages of development. I really respect the attitude, keep going you will inspire others. each one teach one.
I appreciate that!
I am Italian and live in Umbria. For whatever it is worth, I want to say hats off to you! Being a genuine man that strives to build, to improve, to contribute and to build is a very tough job. Bravo! You have a new admirer (and subscriber).
Your an immigrant that invaded Italy ?
I'm a polish migrant in the UK, it's interesting how us immigrants share similar struggles
So brave of you to come back with the back story, we judged you when you first shared your story. Many apologies. At least you tried, we trust you gonna come back stronger than ever before 👏
Thank you 😊
Consider trying a neighbouring country to Zimbabwe. Explore Zambia, Tanzania and the like. Thank you for sharing your experience. Wishing you the best. At least you gave it a go!
Never trust a Zimbo! Vanhu vajaira zvekuba. They live in survival mode. You have to be very careful and do most of the work yourself. When the see that you're coming from diaspora, vanoti tawana wekubira. I built my own house but was there every day every hour, I lived in caravan on site
Never trust true
On site was a very good idea. One strategy I use and encourage is always looking for services through a trusted mutual party. It almost always works as a form of insurance. Another tip is building relationships everywhere you go, have a guy kumaPassport, kumaBirth, kuZimra, kuZinara,, everywhwere, pretty much build a contact list. I manufacture t-shirts and I keep extras and rejects in my car boot everywhere I go. Ndikangoona kati unemusoro I give you a free t-shirt. I also use them as a way to navigate spaces, even difficult characters like guards and receptionists ndovapa. I always say Harare has very dishonest people....which makes it easier to thrive if you are a person with integrity.
Agreed
😂😂😂😂it fact of life never any one survival is work ku amzon list ways to make money Zim fuel service stations open a school sell water have mine farming sell outside of Zimbabwe trousim construction company buy machinery for building
People steal
Farming, shortcuts, speed, no research, and impatience can never be in the same sentence
Except this one😉
True
So true..one needs divine patience to see the fruits of one's labour..
But we should never give up 🙏
Are you sure the chickens died? Because sometimes people...it sounds a little bit like people were taking advantage of you.
They definitely did not die, they were sold to the first bidder 😂
Thats what I was told but I don't belive it at all. 1000 chickens is a lot.
@@ruwaorganic in the future do and manage business with your close family get them interested in farming
@@ruwaorganicI suspect they were stolen and the guy not tell not that .
I thought the same thing. I mean they all died? Not even one survived. Where did he put all the bodies?
26, Only 9 months living in the UK. I'm Zimbabwean thinking of starting a business back home. This was very eye opening.
You're welcome
Winners never quit, I know you can do it brother, never give up , bounce back again, if others are doing it, why can't we
Sir, in my humble opinion, you didn't fail. You just got involved with the wrong people. Things were not supposed to fail if everyone was being honest from the start. However, unfortunately, we Africans are our biggest enemies and each other's downfall.
It is quite sad
If this is what you took away from the video that is honestly insane. There were so many oversights, this is what caused the business to fail.
@VinylMemoirs First of all, "keypad warrior" normalise in your head, stating your point of view without using vile words. Secondly, while there was some oversight on his part (which he admitted by the way), the losses he encountered were to a very large extent unnecessary. He lost more based on the dishonesty of the people that he dealt with than from his oversight. And no matter how experienced one is in business, there will always be some oversight and new things to learn so, chill professor!
@@VinylMemoirs hindsight is a wonderful thing, but life doesn't work like that. Unfortunately some people get away with mistakes, others don't. It's all luck at the end of the day.
My brother never gives up, mistake is to make you better next time
True, not giving up
As a 29 year old turning 30 soon I appreciate this. My parents brought me and my brother here in 2002, my dream is to build a coffee farm in Zim and then sell the coffee here in the U.K. Thank you for this!
Do it.
Don't wait.
A lot of people in zim are unaware that they're scammers. Unopa munhu basa the next thing anokuudza false stories.
Chokwadi ! Unovharwa
So true
Yes..Being dishonest has become a culture.
@@mandlenkosihlazo977Zvatova muropa shuwa.
You didn't fail my precious brother. You simply learnt the biggest lesson for your next successful endeavor. I like your experience and I can already see how successful your next farming business is going to be. Go ahead and never give up until you make it.
Remember, the true mark of an expert is not their success, but the countless times they've failed and had the courage to rise again. It's through those failures that mastery is forged. Keep going-you’re on the path to greatness.☺
Everything big starts small,but failure is not a destination it's a great teacher if you learn from your mistakes.
are you still doing websites,if so how can I contact you?
Can we all just agree that doing business in Afrika, especially as a Diaspora is an extreme sport and one of the 1,000 ways to unlife 😅
Totally agree, it's extreme sports. " Don't try it at Home!"
I share the same sentiment!
😂😂😂
You guys man, here laughing alone.
Don't give up
65% to %75 of poultry or fish farming costs is feed. Investigate making your own feeds rather than relying entirely on commercial feeds. Bro persevere and Trust not a single employee or anyone in business until they prove themselves. I wish you success.
Thank you, I will definitely look into producing my own feed.
My pastor went to Nigeria, spent a couple of thousands and successfully opened a poultry farm.
He travelled back to the UK.
When he came back they had stolen everything so he was forced to close. Our church going mentality in Africa is extremely deceptive. You can hardly trust any investment to a black African without him messing it up.
crazy
PSALMS 118:8 It is better to trust in the Lord (the word) than to put confidence in man (pastor).
Thats because africans are short term thinkers, only think of today never tomorrow
Are locals African lazy?
You didn't understand my post@@Christsword
Failure is often the best teacher. You'll learn from this experience and come back stronger. Take a deep breath. You have the ability to improve and grow from this. 😊
Yes! Thank you!
This is how we grow and develop. Sharing your thoughts will help the next African person looking to go into farming business. ❤️❤️
Damn. I’m a business owner here in the UK & every time I heard your consecutive losses I drew in a breath. One common thread I detected was that every time you tried to cut corners & save money, you fell into problems.
A big realisation I’ve witnessed in business is that the most high sometimes wants some business owners to spend freely and buy the best. When you buy cheap, it sends out a frequency of lack.
I firmly believe that business owners are sometimes running businesses with massive potential that will go far. However the energy of fearlessness & boldness needs to be in the business, which is not present when you buy the cheapest.
your out of order...
You are so intelligent
Beautifully said.
Yes....its tapping into the frequency of Abunndace.
@@faithsrealtalk2292 YOU JUST MIGHT BE RIGHT...THANKS
I like the fact that you are not going to give up. I have been following you from the time wade maya visited your farm. Keep on fighting my brother. Many people are now looking up to you.
Thank you :)
I was heartbroken listening to this, but I'm so glad he came to the right conclusion and he isn't giving up. He will be successful ultimately, but it's tough.
Brother this is so eye opening, I’ve lost big time but man you went through hell, I remember investing in a bottle store with a close friend, he sunk the business, I tried a shop too lost again , when I look back I don’t trust anyone with money anymore , learnt that research is vital , be on the ground, be fair, firm and frank.
Thanks for sharing this experience it teaches us how tough farming or any other business can be expensive and mentally draining. Those who say nasty things have never lost big time, don’t know how hard losing money is or about. Keep up the honest educational content.😊
Thanks for the words of encouragement :)
Brother, you took a learning curve and you owned it. That's a victory already. You have practically learnt how not to go about what you intended, now you can go back and reorganise yourself for lift off. Godspeed.
Thank you, appreciate it :)
The major problem which impedes and destroys small scale farming business in Africa is incompetence and dishonesty of labours.
I’m really happy that you took the blame, it makes you do homework’s everytime and correct
You tried and did your best. You were very very enthusiastic.
I'm sorry things didn't work out.
You still have the land.
Back to the drawing board and brainstorming sessions.
Good luck for the future.
I respect your honesty my brother.
I pray that your next adventure is a success.❤
What an inspirational story 🫶🏽. I admire your courage for trying to run a business back home from abroad. Thanks for letting us know that the better option is to be there yourself. Your story shows that it’s the people back home who discourage people in the diaspora from going back home and starting businesses. They run you to the ground. What a shame and missed opportunity for your country. Your story will help guide others not to make such mistakes. 👍🏽😊
Thank you so much!!
Thank you. These are the kinds of videos we need. Is farming the only way to go for us who want to go back home? I can't imagine investing so much and learning farming from scratch.
Checkout the video I made about 5 business ideas in Zimbabwe. We chose farming but there are other industries you can get into
That manager didn’t do a good job he sold the chickens. Reliable management is probably the biggest issue we have in Zimbabwe - so many stories of this
Indeed
The same problem in Nigeria.
Majority of the people in Nigeria are very dishonest whenever money matters are arise
I don't why we Africans we're like this.
Many of us cannot build, but they can destroy things.
@@johnsonolajide4647 ya we need to investigate - some people say because we pay them too little, but I had one guy I paid a very good salary - he still stole and he stole a lot 🤷🏾♂️
@@johnsonolajide4647 do not value honesty and hard work
@johnsonolajide4647 I have the same problems in The Gambia. Very untrustworthy people, for such a religious country.
the channel we didn’t know we needed, keep up the good work
Thank you :)
You are brilliant young man, but you forgot rule 1 of business, stay in field which you are knowlagable. But with your risk taking attitude, this is not a failure but a learning curve. You are destined to greatness young man. Wishing you the best. I did the same mistake
🤣🤣🤣..... scammed on all levels bro .... I hope you will succeed
Hie Ruwa nice to see your content, i am glad your took your failure in a positive way.I am also in the same shoes as you. but i was doing a different thing from yours i am into automotive engineering, i closed my shop in South Africa to zimbabwe with all the machines and gues what it didn't work from 4 cars i am now walking, and i have just come to the realization that nothing works here ,therefore i am starting afresh and i am selling everything
I know it’s not easy but everything happens for a reason. It’s going to be alright. Just don’t give up on yourself 💪🏼
Sometimes whe we fail we think we are alone. Thanks for sharing your story. I am thinking of creating a website for a community of serious entrepreneurs so we can share ideas.
@@_BeYourBestSelf_-nq4zp Thats true, stay stong!
@@ruwaorganic I’m also going to my country to start poultry farming this year.
@@ruwaorganicI am with you on this one. There is so much that can be accomplished in harnessing each other’s energy.
Here is a man who walks the talk! Much respect to you and God bless ❤️
Going back to Africa is like going to another planet!!!
I am a 72 young grandma and still battling with it.
Bravo for leaving your comfort zone and re-learning how to survive with great Mother Africa who draws you to where your heart really is, and there is no place like home❤
3 reasons why you did NOT fail - you learnt a lot (all organically), you kept up another income stream, and you are still able to come out to recharge and review.
It may not seem so sometimes, but you are very privileged.
Keep it up cos you have yet a lot to do and offer all of us. God bless and guide you.
Indeed, thank you
Africa is the true home for all Africans
Your strength is in your resilience. After all those disappointments you kept moving. You have the heart of a viking.
Oh, sorry! Africa happened to you. You paid the welcome home tax. 22:18 I also failed at business in Nigeria. I'm back in the UK licking my wounds, re-strategising to back stronger. All the best.
More like - we are sorry the west and the colonial powers happened to us. now we are licking our wounds and trying to get rid of the burden and scars left by the neoliberalism and the colonial continuum. Africa did not ask for anyone's presence and invasion, yet, look at what they did to us, and look at the amount of anti black/anti african sentiment we see in these comments. Sad to testify.
@@itsmetheinterrupterThis comment is not necessary here because Africans have refused to take responsibility for their actions. West did that, neocolonialism did this!
A beg let Africans stop this nonsense! After all these years you are "still licking your wounds".
Are you going to lick it for eternity.
We should grow up, move on and start being honest and trustworthy. Stop blaming anybody for our lapses. Now that we know what they did, are we going to be slave of our own selves till when. In Nigeria here, we celebrate "independence " every year, but the wickedness of our people in power is subjecting us to conditions synonymous with dependence.
We should learn to call a spade a spade. Like in the story of this brother who trusted and paid his kinsmen for different jobs, and they all disappointed. Instead of blaming them for their actions, you're faulting colonialism.
May God Help us
@@itsmetheinterrupter Nothing will improve by living in the past and blaming others. Nothing at all
@@itsmetheinterrupterwith respect, without that history people from african nations wouldn’t even have the opportunity to work in these western nations and pursue large ventures.
I am NOT saying colonialism is good, however beforehand africa was riddled with tribal warfare and slavery (the latter ofc continued through colonialism).
Human history is dark regardless of where you look.
@@itsmetheinterrupterWakanda isn't real bro it was like that when we got there.
This isn’t failing, it’s learning. The most expensive lessons are these but you just do it once snd go on to the next lesson
So true
Accountability and tenacity are the things that make us go forward while improving. You definitely got them both brother, you'll get there.
Peace and hang in there✌🏾
Thanks for the encouragement.
Haveahouse inonzi yako usinganofambe nemasuitcase kumbakwevene 1 rulehave yoown house high density med or rural that's the way to 🚶♂️
Africa economy needs a farmer like you. Please don't give up. Find people to partner with and return to farming. All the best
Thank you
Keep going brother.
You still sound positive after the set backs, hopefully you can come back to the UK recuperate and come back fresh with all the new wisdom you’ve got under your belt.
The uk is a third world shit hole with low paying jobs probably best go to to the US or Australia to make money
You have not failed. Watch this space because God is about to surprise you. Keep following what you feel led to do
I can see the pain in your eyes my brother. We probably came here in the UK, same time. And at least u gave it a good go. We learn from our mistakes, and when u restart those projects again, u will be the best. I always watch your content here in South Wales and everything u say especially about the Diaspora is spot on. I hope to be a small scale farmer in Zim 1 day. Keep fighting brother, u will get to the pinnacle. 💪💪💪💪
I hope so too, thank you
Thanks, I'm planning to retire to farming without any knowledge of how , start-up capital and a farm
Well spoken
You're welcome
Take advantage of both worlds my brother use UK to finance your zim projects. Take time to truly understand construction first. Fence your property if its not fenced. Have a proper water survey done your land. The drill boreholes . Test your soils then decide what project you want to do. Yes chicken farming can be profitable but horticultural projects are more profitable.
Thank you for the advice. I agree borehole is definitely top of the list. Am also looking into horticulture. I soil samples done already.
Who do you use for the borehole my friend
@Khp1983 it's a hole in the ground that will store rain water for the house, crops or live stock
@@TTT-su3ri My friend please read again…
“Who…” do you use….
I'm not even a Zimbabwean but damn bro! As a passionate aspiring chicken farmer I can never let that level of resilience pass me by.
Dude is pure embodiment of resilience, bro you already won your mental health. Wish you well
that you are not giving up made my day. go go go. dont look back. myself i am making baby steps. learning the hard way
You needed to put cameras around the farm, a lady from Uganda Aire Farm apparently has done that and is able to manage her goat and cattle farm while she travels back to US.
🤣🤣hustlers will find a way
For sure, unless you don'tsleep, some people don't see the future benefits businesses like this can give them.@bokkkie1
Now you are me in future!!! Thank you very much ...Never GIVE UP!!!!
You're welcome
Keep posting. l love watching your videos. l am usually the first 20 people to watch 😂
Thank you 😀
l think you need investors to support you.....two hands are better than 1.
l hope you are also getting your wife's blesssing before you venture into these businesses. Wives have kamwe kaBlessing so
@@glowhidesfinds The wife is behind it 100%
. Perfect ..wife is always the greatest partner ...I can relate
Thank you for your candid vulnerability, we appreciate it from another farmer in UK 🇬🇧. ❤❤❤
Thank you so much
Thanks for sharing your experience, it is so educational.
My pleasure!
You are super gullible but honest i would not have kept trusting and trusting every one who says they will do this or that for you they saw you coming❤..get a family member to watch the place not strangers
Thank you for sharing your story. It's quite informative and a big lesson for me who is thinking of going back home
Glad it was helpful! You're welcome
I think this is a valuable video and lesson for many with an ambition.
You don't hear it often, only think about it in a worst case scenario.
If there's one take away. Your "Farming is a serious business" quote, is definitely it.
Oh boy, I get it! Scaling was definitely the bigger issue. Even if you have the capacity to grow big, you need to start small and make sure to conduct a risk analysis right from the beginning.
Kudos to you for trying to build something in your home country and learning every step of the way. It's a pity you had to learn the hard way but thankfully it didn't bankrupt or ruin you. There are far too many swindlers waiting in the bushes to exploit optimistic entrepreneurs. As a Zambian, your story sounds very familiar to me. I like your optimistic note at the end. Success is indeed possible if one is more weary of being swindled and generally more knowledgeable about the industry they wish to participate in.
Good luck with your endeavors!
Thank you so much
Thanks a lot. Inspirational and candid.
The day most Africans learn that TRUST is key in business, things will flow
Indeed
I saw the bull ring. Thank you for being honest about life here in the UK.
When you start again, attach yourself to a farmer that is doing what you want to do. You can replicate all their systems and structures. Use their contacts to build all the structures you need. You wont make the same mistakes they made. You would move faster.
Thanks
Keep on going. Those who don't take the leap never succeed. Keep on vlogging
Listening to your experiences is "devastating". Your honesty about the hardships is admirable. Keep pushing! Now you have wealth of experience!!
Thank you, I will
But sometimes we jump into farming without assessing whether its best business fit that will give us most bang for our investment. Remember that Zim is a low income economy and expenses eg feed, vet medication, fuel are in USD yet prices for end product are low. Products like chicken, horticulture have low barriers to entry hence market is prone to experiencing gluts and low prices. I would say do a business that aligns with your skill set… if u had online business in UK why not come home and continue with IT related business and then do farming as a hobby and side hustle. The cold fact is that majority of our farmers are bleeding cash… they caught the rumor wave that farming is great and profitable but most have never seen those profits just pouring more money… and with challenges like climate change expect it to only get harder
Thank you for sharing.
This will help those of us who are starting out.
I like your honesty, positivity, and tenacity. Go get them champ! You're giving some of us some invaluable tips
🙏🏾 thank you.
Thanks for sharing your experience. It’s good to see a real life example here for a change. I was considering to take the same path a years ago, but because it was a complete new world to me and I wasn’t sure of all the unknowns, I chickened out and continued to watch the happy stories on youtube. Your video gave me a bit of comfort on my decision, but at the same time made me feel like I should have taken the shot, just for the experience. We all going to end up in the same whole, and all it matters is the journey and experiences we take on the way there. All the best
We are learning a lot from you. I am doing the broiler business but what hinders me is the market here in S.A. As for refrigeration i use KIC 570 litre that i bought for R6500 and you stock up to about 400 chickens in one goal.
I will be very happy if you could help me with some marketing strategies that you have up your sleeves.
Do you do your own packaging ?
Thank you so much for sharing your point of failure. It's not easy for somebody to acknowledge his faults. Life is too short to learn from our own mistakes, thanks guy and i wish you a successful second coming.
You are so welcome and thank you
HALF way through the video, it's YOUR fault nobody else's 😕Stop getting advice from people desperate for money, in Bulawayo and Zulu they're called "umshayizinyoka" meaning Snake Killers/catcher, they will offer their service for anything even killing snakes they don't have jobs or skills. To be a business man UNDERSTAND your business or the leader/ceo/boss your hire needs to be SKILLED in that business, the book Diary of A CEO describes this as 5 buckets, the first 2 buckets can't be skipped before they are full. The 1st bucket = Knowledge 2nd = Skill. I run a plumbing business, if I didn't know what I was doing or have the experience(skill) I couldn't do it. Remember Mugabe kicked out white farmers and replaced them with unskilled farmers, that didn't turn out well. Farming is generational knowledge, even 1st world countries England and France the farmers protest because it's narrow margins, even more narrow in Africa with draughts. Hire a farm hand with 10 plus years experience who speaks farm language and can hire others and tell if it's bullsh*t.
Facts bru Zimbos hustle for the $ they saw an unskilled own and licked their lips 🤣
I was in the same situation but I never give up and currently things are going very well .
Awesome, we will keep pushing
Farming is very capital intensive. You need at least $100,000 and surround yourself with experienced professionals not friends and family
Your story is unique in the sense that if it was a mountain hike, you would have started at the top of the mountain and easily descended without the experience of the hardships of going up. Now that you are back on flat land, the mountain is relentless in discouraging you from going up one step at a time. You made the right decision to step back and take a second look before starting again. Your ideas are brilliant and your positivity is infectious, however, I'm perplexed by a brilliant teacher who fails the exam for which he spent 2 years preparing his students.
Thank you for sharing with such vulnerability
I suggest you seek out a mentor in commercial farming, you have the advantage of credibility on social media. Reach out to farmers in the expertise you are interested in and shadow them for a year . Let them teach you how they manage costing, production, mechanization, staffing, marketing & leadership etc.
It sounds like you may need systems and an experienced commercial farmer will teach you those . Once you have SYSTEMS you can have the farm operate autonomously and experience the true benefits of entrepreneurship. Right now you are operating as an employee of the farm and that will always result in under earning.
Additionally, consider also establishing the end user for your farm. All those chickens that became ‘dead stock’ could be converted to inventory for a shisa nyama or eatery that you own. Close your value chain to avoid loosing money, get into retailing your chickens at your braii spot or canteen. This will exponentially increase the value of the chickens from wholesale to takeaway prices.
Life is meandering and no one has it all figured out. I hope these suggestions are helpful, there will be success at the end of the tunnel. All the best ‘detoxing’ with your family and hopefully that will give you the energy to get back on the horse.
Great suggestions, thank you and they're definitely part of the business plan.
Bro, you did never fail. That was an awesome experience and experiment. I trust and believe that next time, due to your outcomes of your experiment, you will get a better shot at it.🎉
Thanks, I hope so
Going back to England? Nooooo man, Ruwa Organics, I think you are making a mistake. You should continue despite the challenges you are going through. You are now starting to deep your roots into this new career and feeling the pain of it, and that is when you cut and run? Come on my man, you will regret this move. By the time you come back, you will be old and tired and won't have the energy to do demanding farm work. This is my two cents
True, thanks
Don't follow this person who will come to eat and dance at your funeral.
Africa will not change in this generation. If you think you will retire rich or even retire then do it.
We live by grace. At my age I will be rich if I am super lucky or win the lotto.
The best things in life are free. As silly as it sounds happiness comes first.
What if you drop dead tomorrow. Perspective is everything.
I am not saying I can make the decision for you. Also health is wealth. I don't know why we as Africans think it's so complicated.
Your life was written before you were born. Your destiny is set.
Candid and honest. We learn from our mistakes, but it's even better to learn from others'
Thank you
My best advice to you is don’t give up on your dream brotherman its most dark before the dawn
Indeed, thanks
We need more stories like this to guide dewy eyed entrepreneurs. It's worse for us in Lagos because all we have available are dodgy service providers, sharp practices and no business dispute mechanisms.
thanks for sharing
We need support each other in Africa.We need to be honest about ourselves Customer care is the beat option that you can choose for the business you will how you will win.
The problem is,is that you were too trusting and took contractors on board you know nothing about. You should have never left your business for somebody to run. Your chickens didn't die, your manager sold them. Your very nieve.
Thank you for sharing your story. I equally discovered this after resigning from my senior corporate job with a view to start farming as a business. Yo! It aren't as easy as most say it is. A year down the line amd i wemt back to my corporate desk with the view to put systems in place. I'm in Zambia by the way
Let's make it again thanks a lot
Sure, thanks 😀
I’m very happy you’re taking it in a positive way and I’m so sorry to hear of all that has happened, you have not failed, try your very best to understand whatever you’re going into. be there as much as you can or get someone you can trust and use local ingredients example from the Forrest or plant you own feed or some, install CCTV cameras all over your farm , visit as many farms as you can go to farm shows, and see how others do things. With time you will try again and do a much better job of it and hopefully you’ll tell us all about it good luck 🙏🏿👍🏿🐇
Bro u are brave.
I try, you have to go out there and try things.
You did not fail in-fact, you are a step up, keep going and GOD is working🙏
My name is Tendai Lady Trucker. Im a truck driver i started watching u from WodeMaya Zim visit. I used to watch u several times a day as my motivation. I too tried business in Zim n Ghana. I just got to Zim a week ago and by the grace today im getting my first ever broilers. I know nothing of it except wat i watch on youtube videos as im driving daily. I'll be going bk to US to raise a lil more to start pigs. But so far on this trip i put up cabins n got rabbits,ducks ,guinea fowl and the broilers. The boy im leaving is young n mupostori ,seems honest...but im leaving him with my mum to monitor him. If i get a call of yaafa u better turn in that dead chicken to my mother. Hakuna izvozvo. But im gon be bk fast within like 3 month's coz u cant dissappear on these ppl out here. Unova donatera capital. 🙄🙄
That’s great. In my experience you need someone that has knowledge and training on how to raise broiler chickens. Fiver offers free training.
Secondly having ducks etc may pass diseases to the broilers so you may need to look into that too. Wishing you all the best and thanks for watching my videos.
Investing kwausingagare is total BS. Do Business where you are.
😂😂😂 'you better turn in that dead chicken to my mother" 😂😂. You killed me
@KanyeKelvin. I work in America and I want to live in Zim so we move.
Dear brother thank you so much for sharing. It is my first time to watch one of your videos
Yes it was a feed back not a fail, you will thrive since you have decided to continue
I am also planning to go back home to do business
Hopefully it will work for me first time of attempt
Good luck with everything
Thanks and welcome