3 Lessons We Learnt From Startups In 2019

I’m pretty sure 2019 was a pretty eventful year for all of us but through the good and the not so good, there are always lessons we can take. Here are 3 lessons we learn from 3 startups in 2019:

Housing Hub – Solve The Problems In Front Of You

This is probably the biggest cliche any and everyone has heard but it rings true and the Housing Hub is the truest testament to that. Marvellous Nyongoro the founder of this startup said he was motivated to solve a problem he and other students were experiencing:

I once experienced the pain of travelling to Gweru from Nyanga just to search and secure off-campus accommodation. It was draining and expensive for me to say the least. I tried my luck with local agents but their terms and charges were not practical. From that, I told myself, I do not want anyone to go through this again. That’s how The Housing Hub ZW was born.
Marvellous Nyongoro

The startup grew rapidly over the course of the year and by finding this niche they are now solving the problem on a wider scale and now offer accommodation for students in a number of cities now.

Fresh In A Box – Collaboration is a key part of progress

One of the hardest aspects of eCommerce is logistics. For Fresh In A Box they didn’t have the capacity to solve logistics in-house once they started scaling up. Since then they’ve worked with Link to Load and Mutumwa to ensure deliveries get to their customers in time.

Outside of a logistical partner collaboration is an integral part of Fresh In A Box’s business model since they rely on partner farmers to provide some of the produce they sell on their store.

We got in touch with Kuda Musasiwa of Fresh In A Box and asked how important this collaboration has been for them :

The easiest way to succeed in ZImbabwe is to work together. Find great people who are great at what they do and help them be greater whilst they make you greater. I have a small farm and a tiny fleet. To move the volumes we do daily, I also have access to a huge farm by combining all the other great tiny farms in our database, and we deliver happiness together with our logistics partners, so we become the biggest, fastest, most efficient, last mile service in Zimbabwe.
Kuda Musasiwa

Lawbasket – Leverage the internet for scale

Lawbasket is an online legal services marketplace and whilst the company has both its founders in Zimbabwe the services of the startup are available to people in 16 countries on the continent.

In a recent interview with the startup, Lawbasket’s co-founder Nyasha Makamba confirmed that they had served over 150 clients in their first 12 months. None of this would be possible if Lawbasket wasn’t leveraging the internet as a core part of its experience.