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Charity Ruzvidzo Business Reporter
RUNNING a successful business is not for the fainthearted.

One needs to be “open to constructive criticism and be trustworthy” in his dealings.

This is the guiding philosophy for Philip Muripa, one of Bulawayo’s promising entrepreneurs.

At 44 he is already director of Natform Services Private Limited, a hardware, furniture and fibreglass manufacturing firm he singlehandedly founded.

He grew up in a family of eight and endured the hardship of being raised by a single parent after his parents separated.

“As a breadwinner my mother used to sell several goods such as brooms in order to provide for us,” he recalled.

Muripa did his primary education at Tengwe and proceeded to Vhuti secondary, both in Hurungwe in Mashonaland West. He relocated to Bulawayo in 1988 and enrolled for a motor mechanics course at the Bulawayo Polytechnic.

“l dropped out of college halfway after I felt I did not belong to the field. I later enrolled for a three-year marketing course at the same college and finished in 1994,” said Muripa.

While at college he said he secured a job at Setsail Equipment, a company that sold computer gadgets and accessories, to get money for fees and attended evening classes. Muripa later left Setsail and started selling and buying computers in town for four years until 1997, when he established Natform.

“Selling and buying computers enabled me to raise capital to start my own business. My marketing background proved handy and gave birth to a desire to manufacture, sell and market my own products,” he said.

“Coming from a background of marketing l didn’t have much knowledge in carpentry. I employed people who were well versed in that sector to assist with the production of school furniture.

“We produced school furniture such as chairs, tables, combination desks, flip charts and writing boards.”

With time Muripa said the young firm, located to Kelvin industrial area, increased production and broadened its business to include making hospital furniture such as beds.

Today Natform also manufactures fibre glass products such water storage tanks, fencing materials such as barbed and diamond-mesh wire.

They also manufacture fibre translucent roof sheets, ice vending boxes and lab sinks.

“We’ve plans to produce nails. We already have the machinery. The challenge we’re facing is the unavailability of raw materials,” he said.

Muripa said their market has grown beyond Bulawayo as they have managed to spread their wings to Plumtree, Beitbridge, Gweru and Hwange.

The firm makes a turnover of between $10,000 and $30,000 per month.

“Because of the difficult economy we now produce per order and we’re able to make $30,000 per month when business is good. At times we make $10,000. However, there are bad months where we don’t even make anything,” said Muripa.

The firm has 12 employees.

The influx of cheap imports into the country, the liquidity crunch, high unemployment levels and biting production costs are some of the challenges Muripa said are militating against the revival of industries.

He is however optimistic for an economic turnaround that would allow him to expand his business and employ more workers in the next five years.