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Gibson Mhaka
SUCCESS has many routes.

Like a delicacy, it has several ways of being cooked. Success is not a straight-jacketed destination.

One needs to always know how to reach this destination with what they have at hand. Know your strengths and take maximum advantage of them.

These words by Ghanaian Playwright and Entrepreneur Kobina Ansah seem to have inspired a young entrepreneur Tatenda Proper Kaseke who established a herbal medicine company.

At 25, he is founder and director of Taproka Herbal Solution.

The company which is based in Bulawayo is registered under the Traditional Medical Practitioners Council in Zimbabwe.

When it comes to growing a profitable herbal business, building a thriving, engaged community, Kaseke has the winning prescription.

Being totally different from what other graduates do after completing their studies, Kaseke, a qualified phytotherapist, decided to form his own company after he failed to get a job and also realising that more and more people who wanted to live a healthier and more natural lifestyle were turning to herbs as health alternatives to high conventional medical costs.

“Medicinal herbs are one of the most profitable businesses one could start,” said Kaseke who has become one of the renowned young business entrepreneurs in Bulawayo.

The use of herbal medicinal products and supplements has also been widely embraced in many developed countries as complementary and alternative medicines.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that more than 80 percent of the world’s population use traditional medicine and in Africa, with 50 percent of the population regularly using alternative therapies with natural herbs being the most used.

In Zimbabwe, there is growing popularity of the herbal medicines due to their healing properties, affordability and availability.

They have also arguably remained the most affordable and easily accessible source of treatment in the primary healthcare system.

More so, it is believed to play an important role in meeting basic health care needs especially of the elderly and mostly women who are more vulnerable to chronic illnesses.

Before setting up the herbal medicine business, Kaseke said he started by doing a lot of research, into natural sciences, herbal medicines and biotechnology.

However, his plans were met with scepticism.

“People told me I was crazy,” he says.

“The reaction from the industry was that luxury and naturals don’t go together.

“But a few years later, things are different. Now, they’re saying, we’re sorry we ever doubted you.”

From there, he developed a natural knack for the medicinal use of herbs which now has a long and fascinating history.

“Taproka Herbal Solution is a natural medicine company which was established in 2020.

The company specialises in healthcare services using natural herbs.

I realised the void in the herbal health care business and ventured into the business.

“Before one uses our products, we first do full body scans detecting any kind of illness and body physiotherapy.

We also offer health counselling services teaching about diet and body health management.

We have state-of-the-art machines to detect our patients’ illness before we recommend the actual herbs needed.

“During this ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, we do door-to-door delivering of our products to our clients especially the elderly and those with chronic diseases who are at increased risk of complications from infection with Covid-19,” said Kaseke.

He said their herbs help people with ailments such as cancer, ulcers, acids, blood pressure, asthma, diabetes, back pain, weight management and those with genital problems such as erectile disorder and painful menstrual cycle.

He said his life story has inspired many unemployed youths adding that he was working to share that as a mentor for those young people looking to follow in his footsteps.

“If you want to get into this business, you have to do the research first, just as you would do with any other enterprise,” he said.

He adds: “As there are a variety of means to reach the top, it also takes a lot of courage to uproot your life and become successful.

As long as you take the first steps, no matter what the outcome, you’ll learn something.

I believe in setting goals that are “SMART” — specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound and which resonates with our core values and beliefs”.

While talking about unforeseen challenges are usually part and parcel of the entrepreneurial journey he said: “All you need to do is to find your route and of course, one should know that there are some key hurdles which can’t be ever ignored when running the race of success”.

There is no doubt that in Mr Kaseke, people look at some of the brightest young business talents who can inspire other young people to take up the challenge of finding their place in modern world.

The youthful businessman hailed Government’s economic blueprint, the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) which recognises the importance of traditional complementary and alternative medicine in order to attain Vision 2030 of achieving a middle-income economy saying it provides opportunities in the herbal drug industry which had been lagging behind in various aspects.

“Our company goals are also premised on the vision of Government’s economic blueprint, the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) to strengthen traditional complementary and alternative medicine.

As young entrepreneurs we have to grasp the Government’s economic blueprints like the NDS1 which is full of life-changing opportunities.

We are also appealing for funds from the government to boost the herbal drug industry with respect to manufacturing and commercialisation of herbal medicines,” said Kaseke.

Since safety continues to be a major issue with the use of herbal remedies, he says it becomes imperative, therefore, that relevant regulatory authorities put in place appropriate measures to protect public health by ensuring that all herbal medicines are safe and of suitable quality.

Kaseke is planning to publish a book to inspire other youths to succeed by giving them financial, business and investment knowledge to reach their goals and dreams.

“It’s going to be a momentous experience that I can’t wait to share with everybody especially the youths so that they can learn inspirational tips for success.”

To counter the difficulties, his advice to young entrepreneurs is to build a solid network of contacts and seek the support of experienced businesspeople.