Money & Me: ‘I wish I'd started investing more when I was younger'
Tadiwa Tendayi quit a full-time job and became an entrepreneur at 23 to pursue her passion of becoming a personal chef who creates intimate culinary experiences. Ms Tendayi, now 27, has come a long way. She is now an international chef with experience in five-star hotels and top restaurants, and runs her own businesses – Satiate Luxe. Her love for food started in her childhood, the Zimbabwe-born entrepreneur says, when she immersed herself in cookery books and TV shows. Ms Tendayi left high school at 16 and started a diploma in cooking and culinary arts at the Southern African Hospitality Training Company. She was chosen to represent Zimbabwe at the Young Chef Olympiad in Kolkata. Later, Ms Tendayi joined the Victoria Falls Hotel in Zimbabwe before moving to Abu Dhabi in 2019 as part of the pre-opening team for Tasha's Al Bateen and then to Dubai with Avli by Tashas. Her experience also includes being a full-time chef for a professional sportsperson living in the UAE. Ms Tendayi spotted the niche of serving top-quality luxury culinary experiences to clients who wanted restaurant-standard fine dining without leaving their homes. She decided to take the plunge and launched Satiate Luxe in 2021 to provide personalised at-home dining experiences. The concept brings fine dining to people's homes in different ways, including private chefs and gourmet meal plans. Ms Tendayi lives in Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi. My family comes from a good financial background. I went to private schools and while my parents did the best for me, they were always careful with money. Unfortunately, when my dad died when I was about 12 years old, there was a little bit of a drift in how money circulated in the household. Things got a bit tougher, but it didn't get to a struggle. It taught me that money comes and goes, and that's how I describe my relationship with it. My first job was as a trainee sous chef at The Victoria Falls Hotel in Zimbabwe. I earned $120 a month. When I started my business, it was tough to manage setting up licensing costs and getting things in order. When I started the venture, I barely had enough money to survive. At some point, my family told me to get a full-time job. A chef's career is very challenging. When you work for a restaurant, it takes you a long time to get to the stage where you can create and build recipes. For me, it didn't define what I wanted. My passion is to cook food and see people enjoy it. When I started my business, I realised that being a private chef creates more intimate gatherings and more enjoyable experiences for my customers and me. Starting a business is a journey. I'm now at the stage of realisation that when you start a business, it takes time to grow. It's just been building blocks for the business over the past four years. Moving forward, I am optimistic about making profit. Since my business revolves around me, I try to diversify and tap into other industries. I have recently started investing in technology start-ups in the UAE. My first investment was an apartment in South Africa, which I recently sold to invest in the tech start-up. I hope that as my business grows, I can buy more real estate. A bit of both. I enjoy buying nice things, but I'm very conscious about how I spend my money. I have different accounts where I put money away for holidays and a rainy day. If I want something, I slowly start putting money aside for it. No, not all the time. Especially within my business, I find myself overspending on things that I don't need. Sometimes, the employee mindset kicks in and you start to forget that your start-up is not on the same level as the company you worked for. The apartment in South Africa was a big one for me, because it's something that I really wanted at the time. To understand that money is not everything, but it can buy you freedom. Also, to start investing more when I was younger. I had a full-time job, so there was a steady income and I could have made smaller investments. I wish I realised that investments don't have to be expensive. When you're younger, there are opportunities to invest in things for $200 a month. This could pay for a retirement plan. No, I am not where I want to be yet. My goal last year was to make my first million in dirhams through my business, but I just missed it. My goal is to consistently earn a large income through my business since I am a salaried employee. As an entrepreneur, you pay yourself last. Also, I would like to invest more. Fragrances and travelling are important to me. I like to see things and eat luxurious food in fine dining restaurants. I am a major foodie and will pay anything for food. Money buys you freedom and lets you buy what you want, most of the time. It cannot buy you health but can contribute to good health. It cannot buy you family but buys you time to spend with family. However, money is not everything.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Zawya
10 hours ago
- Zawya
Africa must finance conservation future before debt buries it
A sobering reality emerges as African governments get ready to present their national budgets in the upcoming weeks: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) states that Africa now accounts for 52 percent of the world's most heavily indebted countries. From Egypt to Ghana, from Kenya to Angola, mounting debt obligations are shrinking the continent's fiscal space at a time when environmental and climate threats are accelerating. Historically, conservation in Africa has been funded largely by external donors, philanthropic foundations, and international NGOs. While this support has been meaningful, it has also exposed a dangerous dependency. Global priorities are shifting away and yet, the needs on the ground are growing. The question facing our leaders is this: Can we continue to treat conservation as an optional sector when it is, in fact, the foundation of our sustainable development?A key barrier to domestic conservation financing in Africa is the lack of budget structures that recognise natural assets as part of the economic base. Despite their clear contributions to sectors like agriculture, tourism, and energy, forests and wildlife are often excluded from formal economic planning. Yet when assessed, their value is striking; recently Zimbabwe placed its natural capital at over $2 billion annually, and Kenya links ecosystems to over 30 percent of GDP and nearly 40 percent of jobs. Still, without integration into national budgets, these assets remain overlooked and underfunded. When ecosystems degrade, governments bear the costs elsewhere — through increased food imports, disaster relief, health impacts, and lost productivity. These hidden expenses are rarely captured in fiscal planning. Recognising ecosystem services as economic assets and integrating natural capital into national accounts would help justify consistent investment in conservation as a form of risk management, not just spending. This is not an argument against international partnerships but a call for shared responsibility, with African governments leading the way. Conservation must be put at the centre of national planning and public finance. There are global examples that show what's possible. Costa Rica's Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) program - a government-led initiative that compensates landowners for preserving forests, has reversed deforestation trends and delivered measurable outcomes in climate mitigation, water regulation, and biodiversity protection. Closer to home, Rwanda is building a green growth strategy around Volcanoes National Park, estimating nearly $300 million in returns to the national economy from development efforts that treat nature as a productive asset. By investing in conservation, Rwanda is also strengthening tourism, infrastructure, and rural livelihoods. Redirecting a portion of these revenues or introducing targeted environmental levies could provide steady, domestic financing for conservation without imposing significant new tax burdens. Africa has the natural capital. What it requires now is the political will and financial innovation to treat nature as essential infrastructure. This means allocating national budget lines to conservation – at an annual incremental minimum of 1 percent of GDP - establishing sovereign green funds, integrating nature into climate and economic policies, and engaging private sector actors in sustainable development. It also means investing in local communities and Indigenous peoples who are the most effective stewards of our natural assets. The potential returns are immense. According to UN Environment Programme, investing in ecosystem restoration can generate economic benefits up to 30 times greater than the cost of investment. And yet, many countries continue to underinvest. Protected areas lack adequate funding, and environmental institutions remain overstretched. Conservation is still viewed as a donor responsibility rather than a core national priority — even as 47 African countries face IMF arrears and tightening economic conditions. This is the moment to shift course: To treat conservation as a resilience strategy, not a luxury, and to fund it accordingly. So, as national budgets are debated and finalised, the real test is whether governments will rise to meet this challenge. Will they continue to outsource environmental protection, or will they begin to own it, financially, politically, and morally?We cannot borrow our way into climate security. We cannot depend indefinitely on foreign aid to protect our forests, rivers, and wildlife. And we cannot afford to ignore the link between ecological collapse and economic fragility. Conservation is not a cost; it is a precondition for prosperity. And it is time we fund it like it matters. Because it does. © Copyright 2022 Nation Media Group. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Zawya
4 days ago
- Zawya
European Union and Culture Fund Continue to Strengthen Zimbabwe's Creative Sector with Four Newly Awarded Grants
The Culture Fund of Zimbabwe Trust, in partnership with the European Union (EU) Delegation to Zimbabwe, is pleased to announce the awarding of grants for a total amount of USD $27,929.00 to four outstanding Zimbabwean cultural and creative operators under the CreativeACTIONs 2 program — the EU Delegation's flagship cultural initiative in Zimbabwe. The newly awarded grants, ranging from USD $1,598.00 and USD $10,000.00, support a dynamic mix of local and international-facing initiatives that use arts and culture as tools for promoting inclusion, innovation, skills transfer, economic empowerment and global engagement. The four funded projects include: A disability-inclusive visual arts exhibition amplifying the voices and creativity of persons with Albinism through workshops, public showcases and advocacy around accessibility in the arts. A heritage-inspired empowerment project helping 100 women generate income by transforming gemstones into high-value jewellery, in collaboration with the Zimbabwe School of Mines and MMCZ. A mobility grant enabling a young Zimbabwean theatre educator to participate in a knowledge exchange and international capacity-building in Germany. Funding for an international theatre festival and arts platform showcasing Zimbabwean and international talent, further expanding Zimbabwe's cultural footprint and promoting cross-cultural dialogue and sector growth. This latest round of grants builds on the EU and Culture Fund's shared commitment to bolstering Zimbabwe's creative economy by supporting youth, women, and Persons with Disabilities (PwDs),at all career stages from emerging to established through strategic funding of organizations, institutions, events and festivals that expand opportunities within the arts and culture sector. This support also facilitates international cultural exchanges between Zimbabwean creatives and artists in other African countries and EU member states. Since its launch in 2023, CreativeACTIONs 2 has supported 86 projects nationwide with a total investment of USD $1,232,050.00. The initiative has had a meaningful impact on Zimbabwe's creative ecosystem by: Strengthening institutional and individual capacity; Advancing inclusion and representation in the arts; Creating platforms for creative expression, innovation and economic opportunities; Supporting national cultural policies; Facilitating mobility market access for Zimbabwean arts and cultural products. All ten provinces of Zimbabwe have benefited from CreativeACTIONs 2, with projects ranging from community-level empowerment to international collaborations. These initiatives have provided Zimbabwean artists with enhanced opportunities for cross-border exchange, market expansion, and increased international visibility. The final Call for Proposals under the programme closed on 31 May 2025, with successful applicants expected to be announced in July 2025. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Delegation of the European Union to Zimbabwe.
Zawya
4 days ago
- Zawya
Zimbabwe: Food security and markets monitoring report, April 2025
Situation Update The Second Round Crops, Livestock and Fisheries Assessment (CLAFA-2, 2025) reports a strong recovery in Zimbabwe's agricultural sector, with total cereal production reaching 2,928,206 MT, driven by improved weather conditions and expanded cultivation of maize (up 6.4%) and drought-resistant traditional grains (pearl millet up 29%). Despite a national cereal surplus ranging from 811,732MT to 1,225,732 MT, some districts will require food assistance highlighting persistent regional disparities (CLAFA-2, 2025). The rebound underscores the success of climate-adaptive policies, but targeted interventions remain critical to address food distribution gaps. On the economic front, Zimbabwe's annual inflation stood at 85.7% (April 2025), with a 0.6% monthly rise in local currency prices, while USD-denominated inflation remained low (0.2% monthly). The FAO Food Price Index rose 1% in April, influenced by higher cereal, dairy, and meat prices, though it remains 19.9% below its 2022 peak. Meanwhile, the Food Poverty Line (FPL) reached ZWG 862.06 per person, with the Total Consumption Poverty Line (TCPL) at ZWG 1,263.41, reflecting ongoing cost-of-living pressures despite agricultural recovery. Highlights In USD terms, the month on month inflation was 0.2% up from 0.1% while the annual inflation was 14.4% in April 2025. In local currency, the month on month inflation rate was 0.6% up from -0.1% in March 2025 (RBZ). The seasonal rainfall performance has been characterised by mixed conditions but has concluded generally on a positive note with the country estimating surplus agricultural production (WFP Monitoring). The CLAFA-2 report observed some improvements in crop, livestock and pasture conditions across the country due to significant rains received in both surplus and deficit– producing areas. Maize meal was available in an average of 85% of the rural and urban markets. Other food commodities monitored were generally available in most markets (WFP Monitoring). Price of food on the international market increased by 1% according to the FAO price index. The index stood at 128.3 points. The USD and ZWG cost of the monitored food and non food essential needs basket remained the same in both urban and rural markets when compared to March 2025 (WFP Monitoring). © Copyright The Zimbabwean. All rights reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
