Jacob Esau thriving in God’s favour Jacob Esau and his wife Barbara
Jacob Esau and his wife Barbara

Jacob Esau and his wife Barbara

Ruth Butaumocho Gender Profile
Meeting Jacob Esau for the first time, his humility and unassuming character immediately stand out.

However, beneath his humility lies a burning passion for entrepreneurship that has seen him cross several floors in a bid to set up a viable start up, while establishing himself as an entrepreneur.

Once a polish vendor, farm labourer and syrup manufacturer, Jacob has crossed the length and breadth of the economic strata, engaging in various income generating projects.

Having started off in Chegutu around 2006, where he was nothing more than a community vendor, selling an assortment of goods for his upkeep and that of his maternal grandmother, Jacob believes the time is nigh for God to bless his hustle.

He might not be far from the truth, after successfully establishing a furniture manufacturing concern two years ago.

Jacob is the owner and founder of Furniture Direct International, a business concern based in Harare that specialises in manufacturing office, home and hospital furniture.

“What I am today is fulfilment of God’s prophecy and I believe I am living in his favour,” enthused Jacob during an interview.

While he might not have reached the zenith of his entrepreneurship, his company has been well received in the industry and now has a big clientele among them corporate companies, non-governmental organisations, both private and Government schools as well as hospitals.

From an idea mooted while he was watching a documentary in 2009 of a group of Zambians who had thriving furniture manufacturing company, Jacob is slowly becoming a force to reckon with in the industry.

His slow but promising ascendancy is already yielding positive results. With a workforce of 15 employees, a steady but regular income flowing into his coffers, Jacob can afford to smile, momentarily forgetting about his disadvantaged background.

Far from being a tragedy, Jacob feels his background could have been a harbinger of good things to come.

Growing up in the care of his maternal grandmother after his parents divorced, Jacob learnt to hustle when he was barely in his teens.

With no fatherly figure to hold his hand and offer him moral support, Jacob took up all sorts of menial jobs to assist his granny put food on the table.

Soon after completing his Ordinary Levels and with no prospects of proceeding to Advanced Level, owing to lack of funds, Jacob became both a polish vendor and a farm labourer, alternating his time between the two.

“One day it just dawned on me that I was not making much working as a farm labourer, and I quit,” he recalled.

The decision did not go down well with his grandmother, who wanted him to maintain his job at the farm. What his grandmother did not know was Jacob was using vending as a stepping stone towards his goal.

“I realised that I had the potential to run a viable business, what I only needed was capital,” he reminisced.

Realising that he would not get far with the money from sales of floor polish, Jacob began to manufacture kitchen chairs with the assistance of his sister during the night. During the day he would sell floor polish.

“I had already made up my mind that I was going to start manufacturing furniture after I was inspired about what the Zambians were doing across Zambezi,” he said.

His first assignment was manufacturing household furniture which was sold out in Chegutu, where he was based.

By then, he had partnered with a local guy in the venture. But like marriages of inconveniences, which are usually ill-conceived, the partnership collapsed.

It was while Jacob was in Chegutu in 2009 that he received a revelation from God that he needed to relocate to Harare so that his business would grow.

In September the same year, Jacob took the bold decision, packed his bags and left for the capital, to stay with his aunt, Jane Esau in Marlborough.

That decision was a turning point in his life.

He immediately turned his aunt’s garage into a workshop and started working.

Orders started trickling in, and within three years, FDI had become a household name in various types of furniture. Naturally it meant the business now needed bigger and better operating space.

“The vision was becoming clearer and there was no turning back,” he said.

Now boasting of a staff complement of five full time employees, Jacob worked tirelessly to grow the brand.

Today, FDI is standing among the giants in furniture manufacturing and is already looking at regional opportunities.

Jacob however acknowledges that the journey has not been smooth, with lack of finance being one of them.

What has kept him going is his unrelenting passion for entrepreneurship and determination to leave a legacy in business.

Blessed with two children, Jacob paid tribute to his wife Barbara, Bishop Dr Roswittar Chikohwa and Apostle Dr George Chikohwa for both spiritual and moral support.

“FDI realised much growth and exposure after attending the Wealth and riches Seminars facilitated by Dr Rosewittar Chikohwa who is my mentor in business.

“She was a successful business woman who willingly heeded the call of God to be in full time ministering of the word and training of business and spiritual leaders.

“That is where much of my spiritual inspiration is coming from,” he said.

Looking into the future, Jacob has already set the ball rolling and will soon be installing about 2000 housing kitchen units.

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