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Kundai  Marunya Lifestyle Writer

Hustling has become a great part of survival for the current generation.

Fuelled by unemployment and economic hardships, young people, well educated or high school drop-outs are out to profiteer from every deal.

The money changers-cum-car dealers at Ximex Mall, cellphone traders at Gulf Complex or the general fuel dealers are mushrooming in every suburb.

The peddling of different items, what has grown to be known as “zhet” in local slang is present everywhere you look.

Scabo expressing a point during an interview at Capitalk FM in Harare recently

Sheer wits and creativity are what set many hustlers apart from their counterparts.

It is this wit that sees one earning enough to put food on the table or to afford life’s various luxuries.

It is this creativity that has seen Tonderai Leonard Adam grow from an ordinary sneakerhead from Mbare to a rising entrepreneur whose business has grown to create employment for others.

Through his company Smart Zhet, he cleans and renovates people’s sneakers, restoring them to the beauty of their nuance.

Let’s face it, Scabo, as Adam is affectionately known, is not the first guy in his line of work. Shoe cleaners mill around many street corners in Harare’s CBD, touting people to give them business.

Some go on to clean or should I say paint one shoe and then demand unreasonable amounts of money to finish the other.

It is creativity, and a perfect craft that sets Scabo apart from regular shoe cleaners.

When street guys paint shoes with water colours over the dirt, spending a few minutes on a pair, Smart Zhet takes time, spending at least 48 hours on a pair and at most 72 hours depending on the dirt and stains.

“Smart Zhet professionally started operation on December 18, 2019 from what was a sneaker head’s day-to-day cleaning routine since the age of 8,” said Scabo.

“Sneakerheads always want their sneakers to be crispy at all times. However, after years and years of thinking of the possibilities of a sneaker cleaning business running in Zimbabwe, I gained confidence after I visited my friend Marcus Zvinavashe of Caligraph.

“He cleaned his sneakers the way I had taught him in college. When his friends came around they actually thought he was selling sneakers because of the relatively new and clean form they were in.

“Right there is when it all came to fruition.”

Since December 2019 Smart Zhet went from cleaning one pair of sneakers a week to cleaning an average of 10 pairs of sneakers a day, with prices ranging from an equivalent of US$5 to US$30 a pair.

“I started as a sole operator to having a team of three guys on the ground everyday making sure that our clients are given the best service,” said Scabo.

“We have a lady in our team who is one of the best. She is good with the out-soles (bottoms).”

Smart Zhet also works with Caligraph, a creative agency who specialise in corporate, home and social murals.

“Whenever we have clients who want a custom look on their shoes, these guys really know how to do colour swaps and one-on-one custom designs,” said Scabo.

Helping in raising Smart Zhet’s visibility is DJ Towers, a social influencer who exposes them to ‘‘high network individuals’’ and prominent people in local entertainment.

“It’s safe to say our business has grown from a regular cleaning company to a booming lifestyle brand,” he said.

“Right now we are focusing on expanding our customer base because we have a team that is capable of executing excellent service.

“We are also focusing on retaining our customer base so that we keep the momentum that we have right now.”

Smart Zhet plans to expand their operation by opening a flagship shop.

“We have come a long way and it is our utmost endeavour that we scale up our business and position ourselves where we can effectively churn out our brilliant service,” said Scabo.

“An official brick and mortar flagship store can help us achieve excellence in our day-to-day operations such as express services (same day or 8 hour turn around).

“This will be a place where the rich and famous can walk in comfortably, lounge, drop off and pick up their shoes as opposed to our current drop off zone Kwame Mall.

“A flagship store gives us our clients’ confidence and assurance that their footwear is safe as opposed to travelling to and from Glen Norah. The store will also give us competitive edge on our competition; however, it also provides us the presence that Smart Zhet needs as a brand.”

Scabo also hope to start events valet and grooming services.

“We have sights on corporate, wedding and festival functions. This space is a potential gold mine because of the numbers (100 on average) that attend,as well as the weekly turnover rate,” he said.

“We will have a two-chair set up and clean shoes on the go (mobile service) that will cater for attendees so that their shoe game stay tip top for the entire event.”

Smart Zhet’s near future plans also involve using new products that protects sneakers from rains.

“We have a proposed new product, Dry Steppers, something that acts as a raincoat for shoes keeping sneakers dry when it rains and protecting them from dirt and scuffs when it’s muddy or dusty,” said Scabo.

“In the near future, however, our five-year plan is to have a Nike, Vans or any sneakers brand partnership and have a flagship store for authentic sneakers.”

It’s not only street smart that has seen Scabo launch and grow a business where others saw dirt. He is a holder of a Bachelors Degree in Creative Art and Design. It is a degree that is being well spent, with creativity earning him a sit among top entrepreneurs in the country.