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 5 SURVIVAL TIPS
FOR BUSINESSES
2021
The pandemic and everything related to it caught many business
owners by surprise and, even worse, caused some businesses to
fold. Yelp reported that permanent business closures have
reached 97,966, representing 60% of closed businesses that won’t
be reopening. Imagine investing so much into an entity, and
because of some virus, things start to slow down, till they
eventually go under.

It’s the New Year, and nobody knows what it holds. But as a
business owner, you have to plan and fortify your business
against such problems.
Every day, innovations are created which simplify the buying
process for your customers. If your business isn’t doing anything
new and making life easier for your customers, you may risk
losing your customers to people who will. Steve Jobs said,
“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower .”
Meaning, if you want to become a leader in your industry or
niche, you have to innovate. This cuts across marketing, product
delivery, customer retention, etc.
2021 is a different year and would most likely have new
challenges, so here are five survival tips for your business.

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 1. Stay on your customers’ minds
Marketing is very crucial for any business. Businesses that
survived through 2020 were the ones that remained in their
customers’ minds. If there are still lockdowns in 2021, that may
cause your business not to operate normally, resulting in lower
revenues. However, you shouldn't stop marketing but instead,
reduce your marketing budget.

Marketing is how you understand your customers’ needs,

educate them, attract new ones, and get them to keep doing
business with you. All marketing strategies may not lead to
outright sales, but sales will happen eventually if you’re
consistent enough.
Your social media platforms should be your best friends in the
coming years. Studies show that “nearly 50% of the world's
population uses social media. That's over 3 billion users
worldwide.”

Part of staying on your customers’ minds is being around

where they can see you, and social media marketing is
a marketing strategy that gives you that leverage. Whether
you choose to use influencers or paid social, you have to put
in the effort to remain in your customers’ minds.

2. Get the best hands for the job

Great employees mean great business. If you want to give your
business that competitive advantage, then you need to get the
best hands for the job. You won’t give your customers the best
if you don’t have the best staff.
It goes beyond hiring the right people but also training and
keeping your employees happy. This cuts across being
understanding, ensuring that you create a healthy work

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environment, and giving them a purpose that contributes to their
job fulfillment.
How do you create that positive work environment? Everyone
likes to feel heard. So, it’s your job as the business owner to
create an environment that allows everyone to share their
opinions and ideas about certain things. This can happen at
weekly meetings. Implementing this can significantly increase
their productivity, which in turn helps your business.

3. Asset protection
As a business owner, many things can harm your assets, which
can cause you to lose money. It won’t be nice losing your
business assets in a legal case. Many entrepreneurs overlook
this part, but it is crucial to secure your assets even if things
don’t go your way after a legal case.
Nobody starts a business and considers the possibilities of
entering a court case; this is why many people get into
trouble. Seventy-eight percent of lawsuit defendants in the US
never thought it would happen to them. Sony lost 200 million in
assets, which could have been avoided if they protected their
assets. Interestingly, you can still get your assets protected online
and offline no matter your enterprise’s size.

4. Financing and budgeting

Your planning should also touch on finances because every
business needs money to facilitate certain areas of business.
Budgeting is like a roadmap for your business; you put your
business at risk when you don’t have a budget.

Riley Panko, in a report on budgeting, said, “Businesses of all

sizes should create a budget if they don’t want to risk the
financial health of their organization.” She said, “Businesses may

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 create more challenges for themselves by skipping a budget.
This is because budgeting helps small businesses focus.”
Budgeting decides whether your marketing, asset acquisition,
employee remuneration, and other parts of your business can go
smoothly. You should anticipate all your long and short term
financial needs. This may require hiring an accountant who will
keep records of all the money going in and out of business.

5. Be ready to adapt to anything

How adaptable are you? Patrick J. Rottinghaus defines
adaptability as “The capacity to cope with and capitalize on
change, and the ability to recover when unforeseen events alter
life plans.”
No one saw 2020 coming, but it came, and it was like everyone
had to “adapt or die.” The usual nature of work we were all
used to halted for apparent reasons. Everyone had to adapt to
zoom meetings, online education, and social distancing. This
alone affected many brick and mortar businesses whose primary
service delivery was in-person.
2021 is uncertain, but what is absolute should be your ability to
adapt to anything. Whether it’s in your service/product delivery,
marketing, or engaging with your customers, you have to be
ready to dance to the tune of whatever the market throws at
you and attack it creatively.

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Interview with Young
Entrepreneur
GRACE NGADZE

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Atrebla: Who are you? (Tell about quality and class, different and something
us a bit about yourself, with a touch of opulence that stood up. So I really
your background, what in it. And that’s what did research on the core
you do and why you do birthed Raffiné Culture values and what I wanted
what you do) (French for sophisticated it to depict when people
culture) heard about it and there it
Grace: Hello and thank was.
you so much for having With Seasonal Secrets, I
me. wanted to develop it from Seasonal Secrets was
a skin and beauty actually suggested by one
My name is Grace of my friends because I
perspective. I wanted to
Ngadze. I am a 22 year had mentioned how I
look good but at a low
old student and wanted my business to
cost and before I started
entrepreneur born and have several branches so
making my own money,
bred in Zimbabwe. Why I she suggested it and I
things like pedicures and
do school? Well because I absolutely fell in love with
manicures looked really
need it, and why I am an it!
expensive, so because I
entrepreneur? Simple, I
wanted to look good, I
love it! I like the good Atrebla: How did you
had to learn how to do it,
things in life like good raise funding for your
find a way to make
food, a healthy life style venture?
money through it and up
and to be able to have
to today, I’m still learning Grace: My very first source
those, in my caliber of
because Seasonal Secrets of funding was from my
independence, I just need
is growing slowly but most father. I remember, my
to put in the extra hours.
definitely. sister and I wanted to
So there you have it, a
little bit about me in a start businesses so bad
nutshell. and managed to convince
him to loan us some
Atrebla: How did the idea money and he did.
of your business come Unfortunately the $50 he
about? loaned us went down with
losses because of lack of
financial intelligence. So
the second time I gave it
Grace: I’m just going to
a go, I used my own
touch briefly on how each
savings from school as
business started off. Let’s well as from doing
start with the clothing peoples nails at school
business. I love looking and eventually, I had
good and because I was enough to make my first
so rooted in Zimbabwe three satin bonnets which
culturally, I had to think of Atrebla: How did you
come up with the name/s are still doing
a way to stay trendy but tremendously well up to
also attract respect from of your company/s?
now.
people from the type of
Grace: Raffiné took a
clothes I wore. So for this Atrebla: How did you build
while to develop and this
reason, I started a a successful customer
was because I really
clothing brand that was base?
wanted something

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Grace: The places I have definitely excited to use chickens is going to lay
been are mostly where my more of the techniques the most eggs.
customer base came from. I’ve learnt in the near
Every time I switched future. I enjoy nothing more than
schools, I dreaded the a challenge, imagine the
idea of starting afresh but Atrebla: How do you feeling of knowing you
God had a reason. It later define Success? have conquered in
occurred to me, had I something, or the feeling
stayed in one place all my Grace: Simple, of doing your absolute
life, I wouldn’t know as success is not an best, even when you don’t
many people as I do now win, the important thing is
event, it’s a process. you took on the challenge
and have as many
connections as I do now. Success is head on.
So I definitely owe it to benchmarking my
Atrebla: Where do you see
that. performance yourself in the next five
Atrebla: Marketing, how yesterday to today’s years?
do you market your and seeing the Grace: I see myself almost
business/s and which improvement in it. reaching self-actualization.
tactics have been most
successful? It’s celebrating every I say almost because I’m
not oblivious to the fact
step whether
Grace: My marketing is that there’s a lot of work
mostly through social
backward or forward to be done and that it
media, word of mouth and inclusive of the little won’t take me two years
references from most of wins because they to build an empire. So for
my customers. I mean, all amount to the big me, the next five years
because the business is are about walking in the
still growing, I don’t like to
ones. That has to be right direction that leads
flood all the tactics at my definition. me to reaching my
once so every marketing maximum potential.
technique is carefully Atrebla: What is your
calculated for example, favorite aspect of being
when I release a product, an entrepreneur?
I give a glimpse of it Grace: Creativity and the
weeks before it comes out challenge part of it. I
and because people are
mean, there’s so much
curious many a times, I
going on in this world
have their attention until
from the minute you
the product is out. When
wake up to the minute
it’s out, through supportive you go back to sleep.
friends and several And for this reason, I
connections, many people always feel like the need
will definitely hear or see to discover something
about it somewhere and new every day is what
then we go to the pushing makes life exciting
of sales through discounts because you never know
and giveaways. I’m which one of those

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Atrebla: What would you many lessons and one or Grace: About myself? I
say are the top 3 skills the most practical ones don’t know. I don’t think
needed to be a successful being nothing good comes there’s much to it but
entrepreneur? easy and within a short maybe; just maybe, I’d call
space of time. I can put it The Silent Alphafemale.
Grace: Top three are quite hours to their success But that’s all speculation;
difficult because I live by because I saw them it might even change
five, so let me be smart having sleepless nights
about this. Be a planner when I do write a book, if
and long working hours I decide to.
and a prayer warrior even into the weekend. So
because to take the right they inspire me every day.
risks in entrepreneurship,
you need to have God Atrebla: If you were to
lead you especially write a book about
through your planning yourself, what you name
process because that is it?
very key. Secondly, hard
work and consistency. You
need to give your best
and do it all the time. This
thing called
entrepreneurship won’t
always have you
motivated every day, so
that’s why consistency
matters because even
when you don’t feel like it,
you know deep down that
the work has to be done.
Last but not least, my
favorite, move in silence.
Entrepreneurs don’t
disclose what they are
doing when their doing it.
It’s called moving smart.
This will make it hard for
people to attack your
plans because half the
time they don’t know what
you’re doing.

Atrebla: Who is your

greatest inspiration?

Grace: It’s definitely my

parents. I’ll put them as
one person because jointly
from them, I’ve learnt

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 TOP 10 MOST ANTICIPATED
ALBUMS 2021

In March of 2020, it really felt like music was gone for the
foreseeable future. Clubs closed. Tours were canceled. Albums
were pushed. But musicians pulled through in a time when we
needed their art the most, and released some necessary and
powerful music as we hunkered at home watching the news and
avoiding a pandemic.
We're not out of the woods yet. It's a new year, but our
problems persist. There's no telling when concerts will be back.
But music is not gone. We don't know what 2021 will throw at
us, but we do know that artists will continue to provide us with
escape. While nothing is certain in the music industry right now
(or anywhere else), we can expect to get some new albums from
the biggest artists working today. Certainly, nothing on this list is
set in stone. But we have reason to believe that 2021 might
bring music from Drake, St. Vincent, Travis Scott and more.
Hell, we need it now. See below for a tentative list of some of
the biggest releases we're hoping for in 2021. And check back in
this space as the year progresses where we'll be curating the
best as soon as its released. Stay safe and keep listening. Music
is always here for you.

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 1) KENDRICK LAMAR
Though Kendrick hasn’t released a solo album since 2017’s astounding,
Pulitzer-winning DAMN. The writing on the wall indicates that he has
something big brewing. Before the pandemic hit last year, he was
scheduled to headline Glastonbury Festival, a strong indicator he was
planning a new release. Since then, TDE bosses have hinted at new
Lamar music on the way. He’s also been reportedly seen filming music
videos in LA.

2) LORDE
After a four year break between her smash hit 2013 debut Pure
Heroin and her astounding 2017 follow-up Melodrama, the time has
come for a new Lorde album. In May of 2020, Lorde shared in a
message to fans that she’d been in the studio since December working
on new music with Jack Antonoff. ―The work is so fucking good, my
friend,‖ she wrote. ―I am truly jazzed for you to hear it … It flowed. A
thing started to take shape. And then, of course, the world shut down.
We’re still working away—Jack and I

FaceTimed for over an hour this morning going over everything. But it’ll
take a while longer.‖

3) DRAKE
Though he was secretly planning on releasing Certified Lover Boy in
January, Drake decided to push his sixth studio album so he could
recover from knee surgery. "I was planning to release my album this
month but between surgery and rehab my energy has been dedicated
to recovery," he wrote on Instagram. "I'm blessed to be back on my
feet and feeling great and focused on the album, but CLB won't be
dropping in January." For now, we can likely anticipate the album
sometime in the first half of 2021.

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 4) CARDI B
After dominating pop and hip-hop for the last few years, Cardi B
confirmed multiple times throughout 2020 that the follow-up to Invasion
of Privacy is on the way. Last summer, Cardi tweeted to fans about her
new music: ―It’s comin .It’s going to hit too!!!‖

5) BILLIE EILISH
With one debut album written with her brother in their childhood home,
Billie Eilish became one of the most successful breakout artists in
decades. Her follow-up to that is certainly one of the most anticipated
sophomore albums in a long time. And in a December interview
with Vanity Fair, Eilish confirmed that she and her brother had 16 songs
for the new album. ―We’ve been working and I love all of them,‖ Eilish
said.

6) ADELE
The world needs more Adele right now. Hell, the world has needed
more Adele since at least November 21, 2015, the day after she
released her transcendent 25. We know she has new music ready to
go—in fact it was expected in 2020, but the pandemic might have
thrown off her release plans. Let’s hope 2021 is her year.

7) FRANK OCEAN
I know, every year we pray that there will be a new Frank Ocean
album.

But, with a few singles in 2020, Frank Ocean seemed to be gearing up

for some sort of release. Who can say if this will be the year? Certainly
he’s overdue for a full-length now nearly five years
after Endless and Blonde.

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 8) RIHANNA
At this point it really does feel like Rihanna is teasing us with R9. While
she’s been focusing on her fashion line recently, we also know she’s
been working on new music. In 2018 she promised a new album the
following year, but that was pushed to 2020, then pushed again with
hopes that it’ll be out this year. Please? We need it.

9) ST. VINCENT
Thankfully there’s one thing we can count on this year. In December of
2020, St. Vincent tweeted that she has a new album ―locked and
loaded,‖ and that she ―can’t wait for you to hear it.‖ In an interview
that month with Mojo she said this new music would mark "a tectonic
shift.‖ "I felt I had gone as far as I could possibly go with angularity. I
was interested in going back to the music I've listened to more than
any other -- Stevie Wonder records from the early '70s, Sly And The
Family Stone. I studied at the feet of those masters."

10) TRAVIS SCOTT

There has thankfully been no shortage of Travis Scott music in recent
years. He had a huge 2020 full of appearances, collaborations, and
Fortnite concerts. And he has plenty more on the way. While
celebrating his third No. 1 single of 2020, Scott tweeted back in October
that he was getting ready for the release of his fourth album, which
he’s been calling Utopia.

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 conventual R&B music, but my music
definitely has elements of Neo-Soul, Pop,
R&B/Soul and Trap-soul.

2 Minutes with…

Who are you? (tell us a bit about yourself,

your background, what you do and why
you do what you do)
Merunisa
My name is Merunisa and I’m a
singer songwriter from North West
London. I’ve sung since I was three What is your creative process like?
and began writing songs when I
was the age of seven. Being It’s very simple. I listen to the music
Tanzanian, Portuguese and Saudi and try to sense what this song is
Arabian has allowed me to adapt to about. I then begin humming
various singing styles but I’ve been melodies that I would use and
mostly influenced by music from the eventually words come out of me
90’s till now. I do what I do subconsciously. The best part of my
because I love it. There’s never creative process is once I start, I
been a time where I never made don’t stop going.
time for music – its more than a
Who would you most like to collaborate
hobby, its second nature.
with?
What first got you into music?
This is a tricky one. I would
I first got into music when I was probably most want to collaborate
primary school where I joined a with Jhene Aiko or The Weeknd
choir from the age of 5 or 6. Shortly right now. I feel like in terms of my
after, I began singing my own tunes artistry they are who I gravitate
and writing my own lyrics that more to. Drake is definitely up there
would randomly come to mind. as well as Kehlani.

How would you describe the music that you If you could go open a show for any artist,
typically make? who would it be?

The music that I typically make is a mixture I’d love to open a show for Jhene
of many genres however to make things Aiko. She’s been a huge inspiration
simple I say Alternative R&B. I don’t make of mine since I was younger, and I

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 have watched her grow into the Where do you see yourself in the next 5
standing legend she is now. She years?
inspires me so much.
I see myself signed with a
What is one message you would give to publishing deal. I see a huge team
your fans? around me that love and support
the brand I’ve built. I see my music
I would tell them to never stop being shared all across the world
doing what they love. At the end of and if the pandemic is done, I see
the day, we live in a world where myself touring and connecting to my
dreams are meant to stay dreams audience more than ever before. I
and it’s not fair. Grasp on to those see myself performing to my fans
things that make you happy, fulfil and building facilities for people like
those dreams and make them your me who didn’t have that much
reality. support in the beginning of their
What is the most useless talent you have? career.

The fact I can bend my thumbs

backwards aha!

What would you be doing if it wasn’t for

your music career?

I would probably be writing novels

or working in gaming where I’d be
one of the writers writing the
content. I think I was born to be a
creative.

If you could change anything about the

industry, what would it be?

There are loads of things I’d

change but if I had to pick one, I’d
pick how much money writers make
in the industry. I think it’s unfair
that producers and vocalist get the
most when if it wasn’t for the writer
the song wouldn’t be what it is. We
deserve more of a split!

Which famous musicians do you look up to?

I look up to many; if I could list it

would be The Weeknd, Jhene Aiko,
Mary J Blige, Kehlani, and The
Weeknd.

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 ART
SECTION
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Naledi Tshegofatso Modupi is a contemporary illustrator and visual artist known for
her versatility and her ability to seamlessly maneuver between digital art territories and
traditional art mediums at a seasoned level.
Her work is mainly portraiture and the style developed can be best described as reductive
or semi-abstract portraiture. She tries to convey as much individuality and personality to
her subject as she uses basic shapes and colors.

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 Aided by her keen eye for composition and space, Naledi also employs a very
experimental approach to her art making, often incorporating mixed media elements such
as wool and fabrics through sowing, as well as photography.

Her work is heavily inspired by the beauty of blackness and characteristics associated with
black people. Through it she aims to inspire confidence and awaken hope in those who
are able to find their reflections in her pieces, just as she sees her work as a reflection of
the faces surrounding her, accompanied by a beautiful array of colours, shapes and
patterns.

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Vegetable & Chickpea
Curry
Ingredients
 3 teaspoon coconut oil
 1 large onion(red or white)
 1 heaped teaspoon minced garlic
 1 teaspoon cumin
 1 teaspoon coriander powder
 ½ teaspoon turmeric
 2 tablespoons madras curry powder (or whichever you prefer)
 1 tin chickpeas(drained)
 1 tin chopped tomatoes
 1 tin coconut milk
 300ml vegetable stock
 1 medium/ large sweet potato, cubed
 2 medium carrots, sliced
 (Any other veg you have; I like to add cabbage, broccoli, sweetcorn and whatever I
have lying about!)

Method
1. In a large pot, heat the pot over a medium heat. When the oil is hot stir in the onion
and garlic and cook for about 3-5 minutes or until the onion is soft
2. Add the cumin, coriander, turmeric and curry powder. Stir to combine for a couple
minutes.
3. Add the carrot and sweet potato and sauté for 3 minutes so the spices coat them.
4. Pour in the tomatoes, coconut milk, Chickpeas, stock and any other veg you have. Stir
to combine, cover and leave to simmer over a medium heat for 20-30 minutes or until
the sweet potato and carrot are tender.
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve on a bed of rice or any other grain.

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 Sports Spotlight:

Sebastian Summerfield
- U-20 Zimbabwe Youth International

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Bio:
D.O.B: 11th February, 2002
Height: 178 cm (5’10 in)
Weight: 67 kg (148 lbs.)
Nationality: Belgium/Zimbabwe/Czech
Passport: Belgian/Zimbabwean
Position: Centre Midfield (CM/CAM) — Attacker (RW/LW/ST)
Current Teams: Zimbabwe U-20, Gateshead Football Club U-19 and Newcastle Blue Star FC

Experiences:
Zimbabwe U-20 National Team
10 Day Zimbabwe National Team camp (20 November - 30 November)
COSAFA U-20 National Tournament (December 3rd to 13th 2020)
- 1 National Team cap in a 4-1 win over Lesotho
Managers Award (Most Disciplined Player of the tournament)
Gateshead U-20 (2020/21 Season)
Games: 1: Assists: 1
Newcastle Blue Star: (2020/21 Season)
Games: 2 Goals: 1 Assists: 2 (1 Man of the Match Award)
Invited to train with Dynamos FC First Team (Zimbabwe Premier League) from the New
Year
KAS Eupen U-21 Trials November 2019
- Was called back to train /trial again with the team but due to COVID-19 it was delayed

Harare International School 1st Team — 2016 - 2020 — School Athlete of the year (2018 and
2020)
Season 1 (16/17):
Games: 16 Goals: 5 Assists: 4
Season 2 (17/18): MVP for 2018 ISSEA Season
Games: 15 Goals: 6 Assists: 4
Season 3 (18/19): Captain and Runner Up in ISSEA Tournament (International Schools of
Southern and Eastern Africa)
Games: 14 Goals: 21 Assists: 9

Barcelona U-16 Summer Camp — Summer 2016

Chelsea U-12 Summer Camp — Summer 2012
FK Dukla U-18 — Summer 2018
College Connect Showcase Cape Town — March 2018 — College Connect Showcase Harare
— April 2018 - A part of the Team of the Tournament and offered a place at the Summer ID
Camp in the United States
Legends Academy U-21 and U-18 team — 2018- 2020 Season 1 (18/19):
Games: 10 Goals: 7 Assists: 2

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