Msindawe Ndhlovu, Founder & CEO of Noble Savage
Sep 06, 2023
Tell us about how you got started.
It started with a miracle, I had a dream about my business and in it were detailed formulas and dimensions on how to design my products. I wrote them down and I started working on them. Since 2017 I started experimenting with how to make an affordable roof tile that could withstand hail and glass building materials from waste. I moved back home from Tlokweng, Botswana to Zimbabwe and kept developing my products from my parent’s backyard until April 2021 when I got industrial space.
What makes your company unique?
We recycle waste plastic and glass to manufacture eco-friendly building materials which are lighter, stronger, durable and affordable. We make roof tiles, pavers and kitchen tops and have prototyped a solar tile.
No business is without setbacks, can you tell us about a time when you faced a significant setback and how you recovered from it?
I lost everything and I was down, having no answer to my problems. I slipped into depression to a point where death felt like a better option. I did not know where to go or who to talk to. I got help from an unlikely place which gave me enough time to remember my fathers words that “there is no problem so big that you can't solve it, you just need to hold onto it for about 9 days and a solution will come”. This is the philosophy I now live by. To those getting into this journey, know that it's not an easy journey. Whatever happens always hold onto that dream long enough to see it shape.
How do you define success and to what do you attribute your success?
My definition of success is the ability to wake up everyday and have my goals achieved each day. I attribute my success to four things; My fathers guidance and encouragement. He is late but he is the one who encouraged me to be an entrepreneur My grit. I am not the smartest person but I am a hard-working individual and problem solver who doesn’t quit no matter what. Networks, my network is my net worth. I have managed to build networks and relationships with great people like Mr Zimutho of Desas panel beaters, Mkhululi Nyathi of Makadu group, Rudo Mcloud Mungofa and Diana Shirto of Stimulus Africa, Jackson Dlomo, Mzingaye Ndlovu of Steward Bank and Zibusiso of Ndeza Capital. My family and the team I work with are also part of my network. Each one of these people have played a critical part in my journey as an entrepreneur through mentorship guidance and have been a strong support system. Luck. Luck favors the prepared. For you to be lucky you need to lay the groundwork. Every opportunity I have received I have had to sit down, do my part and watch everything else fall into place. I am grateful to the Tony Elumelu Foundation, the Old Mutual Group and ZimTrade. They have been my sprinkle of luck.
What's next for your business, what will it look like in 5 years?
We are an innovative company, we are bringing technology to our building materials and expanding across our borders.
What do you think the future holds for Africa-focused entrepreneurs and advice do you have for entrepreneurs who are just starting out?
1. Just to start, it's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. 2. Have a WHY because it gets hard and lonely. Depression is real but if you have your why It will hold you to the end when everyone has given up on you. 3. To the innovators remember you are not crazy make the things you wish someone had made for you.
Owning a business while balancing a personal life can be challenging; how do you take care of yourself?
I have two days in a week for rest and family.Sunday is my Sabbath and time for church and on Monday evenings I have dinner with my family back home.
What is your favorite quote or mantra? What keeps you going?
My favorite quote is Africa is full of problems, problems need solutions and solutions bring opportunities to make an income.’Msindazwe Ndhlovu What keeps me going is the mantra; Live life like it's your last day and work hard like you will live for a hundred years.
What is your favorite app or a business tool that you can't live without
Pinterest, Canva and Facebook