From passion to profit: the growth of Mambokadzi Bath and Body
Publication date: 18 September 2024
Abstract
Learning outcomes
By the end of the lesson, students should be able to identify and think critically about common business problems and come up with possible solutions, explain how a business owner’s attributes can influence the business decisions they make, use available information to assess the viability and sustainability of a business model/strategy, determine the strengths and weaknesses of a particular marketing strategy and suggest ways to improve it and use the information provided to evaluate the risks and benefits of business growth strategies and determine their appropriateness for specified circumstances.
Case overview/synopsis
Mambokadzi is a small business with considerable potential in Zimbabwe’s beauty and personal care industry. The case study spans several years, highlighting Sharon Chingwaro’s journey as she navigates the difficulties of starting and growing a business with limited resources. The case study delves into various aspects of running a small business, such as production, marketing, distribution, human resources and intellectual property. It also discusses the value of resilience and endurance, as well as the need for resourcefulness when starting and growing a business under difficult circumstances. This case study is intended to teach entrepreneurship and marketing strategies to both under- and postgraduate students, with a particular emphasis on the difficulties of starting and growing a business in a limited-resource environment. It has applications in a variety of fields, including entrepreneurship, strategic management and marketing.
Complexity academic level
This case study is suitable for undergraduate and postgraduate students.
Supplementary materials
Teaching notes are available for educators only.
Subject code
CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to express their gratitude to Chingwaro, the founder and owner of Mambokadzi Beauty Care, for agreeing to be a part of the project. The authors would also like to thank ACT in Africa for providing funding and arranging their meeting with Sharon Chingwaro. AI tool ChatGPT 3.5 was used to edit and improve the language in some of the sections. Since acceptance of this article, the following author has updated his affiliations: Dr Samson Mtisi is also a Research Associate at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa.
Disclaimer. This case is written solely for educational purposes and is not intended to represent successful or unsuccessful managerial decision-making. The authors may have disguised names; financial and other recognisable information to protect confidentiality.
AQ2: Note that the following sentence appears to be incomplete; please revise for clarity: The Mambokadzi business not only included a team of sales agents and bran.
Citation
Ndofirepi, T.M. and Mtisi, S. (2024), "From passion to profit: the growth of Mambokadzi Bath and Body", , Vol. 14 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/EEMCS-08-2023-0313
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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