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Sikhulekelani Moyo, mskhulekelani16@gmail.com
HILDAR Foromozo, driven by the belief that every woman deserves a fabulous and stylish home, regardless of her financial circumstances, founded Fabsmart Homes in Bulawayo in 2019. This venture, born from a desire to empower women, offers a curated selection of high-quality kitchenware and luxurious blankets designed to infuse a touch of royalty into every home.
Located in one of the busiest shopping malls in Bulawayo, Ascot, Fabsmart has managed to create a database of more than 2 000 women who have been sourcing different home items from Foromozo. In her explanation, Foromozo said her business idea came after losing a job from her former employer. Being a person who loved kitchen items, she owned multiple sets of kitchen utensils, and people started relying on her when they hosted parties and gatherings. This made her think of selling the wares she had in her house.
She then saw that people were willing to buy, and she came up with the idea to be a supplier of quality and classy items to fellow ladies so that they have fabulous and smart homes. She shortened this into Fabsmart Homes, a brand name for her business.
“There was a time when I was unemployed, and I told myself I had to create a job for myself. But I asked myself, what business should I do? I looked around my house and I had pots in excess. I don’t know if I can say I have a weakness or a soft spot for pots. Because of that, my friends would abuse that privilege, coming to my house and borrowing the pots when hosting parties and gatherings. Sometimes they brought my pots back burnt or soiled, so instead of borrowing them, I thought of selling the pots to them. So, I can say I started selling used pots,” said Foromozo.
From selling used pots, Foromozo opened her first shop in the CBD in 2019, where she could stock a few items since she didn’t have enough capital. However, due to support from different platforms, she got tenders to supply some local hotels in Bulawayo, which was her major boost. Foromozo also said that during the Covid-19 lockdown, she approached a local pots producer, Kango Products, and opened a distributor account, which she then did well with.
“After Covid-19, business went down, and I came up with a club initiative, where ladies would pay whatever they could afford and collect their pots after they finished paying. The initiative is to give every lady an opportunity to buy classy items for their home. An empowered woman is a happy woman, and it reduces chances of gender-based violence. I also managed to supply women with classy blankets in 2024, and if you joined the clubs last year, you have classy pots and blankets, and we are going to the next level,” she said.
Taking advantage of the information and experience she has with many ladies she worked with, Foromozo said this year she will engage different ministries and organisations to empower women with business ideas and initiatives so that they can own cars, houses, and sustainable businesses.
“We have a database of about 2 000 women who are willing to be empowered and they are ready. We are not going to ask for exorbitant inputs, but we are going to ask them to avail themselves when we knock on their doors. We are not going to ask for money, because the little we have, we will try to work with it. I’m not a public speaker, but what I know is I’m good at talking and will convince ladies so that we do some impactful projects beyond blankets,” said Foromozo.
Meanwhile, Foromozo, who is a medical lab scientist at one of the local hospitals, has applauded the Second Republic led by President Mnangagwa, saying that it has come up with favourable policies that allow small businesses to flourish. She also said that President Mnangagwa’s initiatives to empower women will see them being empowered and create employment for others.
“I want to thank the Second Republic for affording such an environment to entrepreneurs. It’s not rosy, just like every venture, there are obstacles here and there, but being small with the mind to start from the ground and having a Government with policies that allow us to create employment and opportunities for ourselves, as a woman, how was I going to be able to own a business?”
The policies are for the people, she said, and even ordinary Zimbabweans benefit from them.
“With these policies, I have managed to empower myself, employ more than five people in my name, and I have managed to empower other ladies, all thanks to President Mnangagwa’s Second Republic,” she said.
Foromozo said her business is flourishing through e-commerce, which she also attributed to Government policies allowing everyone access to different social platforms used for business purposes. Now, she boasts a customer base across the country, which has seen her not bothered by opening branches in other places as she does her business online using online payment.
In the same vein, Foromozo has called upon potential business people to consider investing in Bulawayo, saying that the city still has the potential to become the country’s industrial and business hub.
“I want to call upon everyone who has an idea or a project to invest in the city. No one will provide jobs to our youths if we move and invest in other cities. Bulawayo was an industrial hub, and I believe the city still has that potential. I want to thank my friends and family who supported me to be where I am, and I want to thank my husband for his support. He believes in me, and for that, my phenomenal gift, I’m grateful.” — @SikhulekelaniM1.
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