Achieving, The Innovators Way

Stay in the room was the new buzz word for me. I understood it. I slept, ate, drank KBN.
I was consumed by what I call this “It” thing. I felt like I was hot and happening. It was
different from everything else I’d seen, because of the pandemic that hit the country.
Everything else that I heard was sad this year, but when KBN came along, it felt like a
light bulb that went on. I believe this is what I needed. It came at the right time and I was
at the right place to receive the great news.

KBN no negativity. The great businessmen and women on the platform on
Wednesdays, and during prayer session in the mornings made a huge difference in my
personal life. We had different lessons from the bible that challenged our thinking as
entrepreneurs. I learnt a lot from the different leadership.

I learned a lot from Sindi, a woman who was always smiling. She’s a game player. She
knew exactly when to come in to keep us together. The group consisted of pastors,
advocates, scientists, coaches, and other talents.

I felt like quitting many times, but I didn’t because I am not a quitter. Some people in the
group didn’t participate in any of the group chats and in the assignments. This was not
good. I think they should have participated in some of the activities. It was not fair on the
leadership. They led well, but some people just didn’t care.

But despite this, Mr V’s leadership was powerful. He engaged everyone on the
WhatsApp group. He didn’t allow anyone to leave the group. He made sure that you felt
his presence as a leader.

101

During this time I kept hearing about The Village. I didn’t fully understand what this
place was. I thought it was a place where some of the people from KBN lived. When I
enquired, I found out that it is in Sandton.

I was amazed by how everything was run via ZOOM. Through the program I met Pastor
T, who’s such a strong woman. I’ve learned a lot from her. She continues pushing and
leading the team alongside Pastor Mtetwa. They are such great team players.

This team is a praying team, so it did very well. We built our team through prayer, I
called it the business war room.

We did three assignments in three days. That got me crazy. I noticed that people were
pushed to see how strong they are as businesspeople, and to see if they could do well
under pressure.

The Innovators did well. We delivered on time. I was growing more and more in faith.
What made me happy was that this course realigned my values as a Christian in
business. I was always learning and increasing in strength. After all, the pandemic
almost brought my walk with God to a standstill.

Businesses closing down was a challenge for many people. But somehow God knew
that I needed to hear this. I needed to think straight again and refocus.

102

A woman named Dr Jazz challenged me daily. She was strong in her thinking and made
me love KBN more. She believes in people and how they can change. Her interactions
with me were personal. She spoke to me directly. Every time she opened her mouth. I
got my aha moment.

The first day I heard her talk, I could hear that she is a real Christian as a woman. She
has standards and she has what every entrepreneur needs in their business. I told
myself that this is it for me, it’s now or never. I have to change the way I think.

Sometimes in life it takes a storm to push you into your destiny. Covid-19 pushed me
into the right direction as a woman. I started challenging myself to do more. I now know
that if I cave in, it will be because I choose to, not because I have to. I learned that you
have to push till a wall breaks, otherwise there will be no breakthrough in your life. I
regained my confidence back. There was always a lot to learn though and I didn’t know
this until we had more tests thrown at us.

Then came exams…

During these exams, I thought after this, I am done. I now know myself. I started feeling
that in many ways, I was not part of the team. Sometimes how we think determines how
we feel about ourselves. I started having negative thoughts, which almost made me lose
good people. I drifted away from the team. I wanted to really leave the team after the
exams.

103

The week before I wrote the exams, I was still feeling unsettled. I was referred to The
Village Pastor.

I was surprised at how accommodating she was. I told her about my experience as an
entrepreneur. I sent the voice message to our teammate, Doctor C, and he was
shocked. He said, Melissa you didn’t articulate yourself well. Dr C suggested that we as
Innovators should all put a profile together that reflects everyone’s profession and areas
of expertise.

The reason I remained was because I wanted to see this through, to see what the
course is all about.

I enjoyed movie nights, as well as the Conversations with Mr K. They were so powerful.
I understand that they didn’t want to give away all the surprises, but we need full.

Every cycle recruits people, and I was happy to do so. I managed to look for people to
bring on board. I brought a lot of people from my industry. I recruited twenty-five people.
My friend Phindi also got more people. I explained the course to her, and she was eager
to get everyone on board. I felt people needed to hear about this. I got friends from
Zambia, Nigeria and locally.

I didn’t want any of my people to exit the group. I kept them informed. As an
entrepreneur, it’s very important to keep checking on your team. I also wanted to make
sure they understand the course.

104

I was surprised when Phindi was made a leader. I was excited about it. She is doing
very well in her team and I am glad that I joined as I know that I am making an impact
by also allowing other people to join. We will become a great team.
Christians are made to dominate. We cannot dominate if we don’t know who we are and
where we are going. KBN is bringing light into many people’s lives. A ship without a
Captain will not go anywhere, but with a great captain on our side, we will go far. We
learn every day and the evidence will show at the end. We need to be strong and
continue learning as Christians.
The Boardroom experience…
It was on a Monday when all was revealed. Our leadership test came at a time when we
thought we had it under control. My team is on fire, but that fire was not kept alive
through different tests. Our first day at the boardroom was so bad. We didn’t understand
the questions so well. We thought we did, but unfortunately, the only person that
decides this is the person who marks you.
We were grilled for our way of thinking. We were told we are not innovative enough, or
at least, that’s what I thought.

105

Week two was even harder. The adjudicators were not impressed. Mistakes were found
on our board packs. We were told that we used copy and paste. WOW! I was so
embarrassed. I didn’t think that we would come back again.
The disappointments on the face of Dr Jazz just made me feel bad. I kept asking myself
what are we doing wrong. Why can’t we get it right?
But we did well at the symposium. I was surprised by this. What we presented was the
information that was in the board pack. But, we are here to win and we will win.
The first will be last and the last will be first. This is it. We are Innovators and we will
make it.

106

107

Chapter Thirteen
A LITTLE GIFT

Auxillia Gundavakuru

When l was introduced to KBN l had no clear picture of what the whole program was
about.

As an Entrepreneur who had a passion to learn more about business, I joined KBN.

The most important thing l learnt at KBN was PRAYER. I learnt that you don’t just wake
up and start a business. Business is born in prayer, you have to partner with God for
your business to prosper. At KBN they open their day with prayer devoting their
business matters to God. I began to understand the importance of morning devotions
and this process changed my prayer life. I also learnt generosity through the chairman
of KBN, Mr Kambasha. I find their ecosystem teachings very helpful in a business
setup.

In my journey with KBN I had a few challenges which are network problems especially
up here in Zimbabwe, as we were learning through zoom most of days. l lost out on the
lessons due to network. KBN empowered me through the motivational speakers, their
ecosystem, their prayer, and the way they celebrate hard work.

108

I really have learnt a lot from KBN, and those are the things I think KBN has to take into
consideration as it continues, in growth.

109

110

Chapter Fourteen
SLEEP IS OVERRATED

Lorraine Penduka

If they had told me the KBN program would cause me sleepless nights or come with
pressure that would test my mental and emotional fortitude, I would have wondered if I
was enrolling in a boot camp and passed on the chance. Life was challenging enough
as it was.

If they had told me I would meet fellow Christian entrepreneurs or forged friendships
that would add value, love, and laughter, I would’ve signed up immediately. However,
my KBN experience started with an invitation to join a prayer meeting three times a
week in the mornings.

The Village Prayers became an integral part of my week and I started looking forward to
them. The prayer points were structured, the anointing present and there is nothing that
can replace the sound of corporate prayer. My next invite was to the Wednesday
connection. I passed on a few sessions before availing myself to join one. The session
had Dr. Walter Mandaza and Bishop Tudor Bizmark. I listened to the wealth of wisdom
that was coming out of the two men.

111

This was the level of exposure that sustains my attention. The discussion was about
Africa and how we can build and change the narrative of the continent. This was right
up my alley. I logged off with a more determined mindset to do what I have to and be a
part of changing the African story. I faithfully continued to attend the prayer sessions
and the Wednesday Connection.

I received an application form to be a part of the History Makers program. I had no clue
what that was. Looking back, I realized there was an invitation received for the previous
season. At that stage I was overcommitted. I couldn’t possibly add something that
would require my full attention. My Saturday’s were virtually non-existent. This invitation
I would consider, it was during lockdown, I wouldn’t have to leave the house and had no
expenses to consider travelling from Pretoria to Sandton. I shared the forms with my
proteges and encouraged them to sign up, even though I was not sure what to expect.

All I knew was that I trusted the person sending the invitation. I completed the
application and submitted. Six weeks of my life for a few hours every Saturday was a
small sacrifice. I excused myself from my Toastmasters commitments to be able to
focus on the business side of my life. I was mentally ready for this!

I found myself placed in a group called “Innovators”. Yay, the team colour was green so
we were definitely off to a good start! Green is my favourite colour. Now, what about all
these strangers that I have been put in a group with? Breaking the ice was not one of
my fortes. I silently observed as questions were tossed to and fro about the program,
what we can expect, who is in charge, etc. Instructions had come in that the team had

112

to select leaders to be the point of contact. There were clear leaders in the group who
took charge by organizing a Zoom meeting for everyone to get acquainted over Zoom.

As an introvert this was fantastic! This pandemic was kind to my personality. I did not
have to leave my place of comfort. I joined the first meeting and listened attentively as
people introduced themselves. I wrote down their names and professions for ease of
reference and created nicknames that would help me remember their names. They all
seemed like nice people from this side of the screen.

My introduction was quick and impersonal. I am not that person who spoke about
myself. My true personality usually comes out once I am acquainted with people. For
now, I was satisfied to be the quiet lady. At the end of the meeting I was happy with the
jovial personalities that I had interacted with. We had good laughs during the session. I
liked the group already.

Day one of my History Makers session I was willing to go in with an open mind and take
whatever happened at face value. If the program were not Christ-centric the impact
would have been minimal. The praise and worship broke my canal preoccupation and
brought my thoughts back in alignment with God. There were so many people on the
call. Two out of the close to a hundred people were complete strangers.

I was glad it was not a physical meeting as the size of the crowd was a little
overwhelming. The next three hours passed by without notice. As we progressed
through each part of the session, I could feel my inspiration tank fill up. I had aha

113

moments and received strategies I could immediately implement into my personal life
and business. It dawned on me that morning that this was God’s perfect timing. I was
in a position to receive and had limited distractions to assimilate these teachings into my
life.

The introduction of the pillars highlighted the areas of improvement I needed to work on;
they affirmed what I was doing right; taught me things I needed to incorporate and
inspired me to do more. I had never had an experience such as this that empowered
the spirit man to function as a businessperson. As I reflected on my first day, I was
filled with gratitude that despite the pandemic this was a good thing that came out of it.
I decided to stick with it.

The demands started the following week with the introduction of assignments with tight
deadlines. I was wondering how I would squeeze it in into my daily routine. The team
effort in our group, encouragements and communication made it easier to navigate this
part. The support was present, and our leaders were in control of the situation. I
enjoyed the assignments.

They made me read portions of scripture I was familiar with in a different perspective. It
was interesting to identify each pillar teaching within the scriptures and extract the
business lessons that were contained within them. The splitting of the group into editing
and vetting groups allowed me to interact with the other members, some for the very
first time. We worked together and delivered our assignments.

114

As the weeks went by the daily interacts created a comrade between the group
members. Some chose to remain silent, others disinterested, and the rest wanted to
see where this was all going. I chose to milk the opportunity for all it was worth. Why
would I invest so much of my time and not benefit from it?

KBN programs were the order of my week. There was an array of activities and shows
to be involved in. The wealth of information were my draw cards, even if it meant I had
to multitask in order to meet my commitments. My insatiable hunger for knowledge and
learning from the experience of others fueled my commitment to “stay in the room”.

As I attended event after event, I grew in my understanding of the business world and I
could tell that my level of faith was going to new heights. The rollercoaster of emotions
brought about by the pandemic started to flatline. With God all things work for my good.
The program drew to an epic finish with an exam that would see us move to the next
cycle. We had made it through.

We were tasked with pitching our businesses as we drew to the end of the program.
This request weighed on my mind for days as I tried to figure out what I would do. One
of my teammates asked me about the business I was going to pitch and if I required
assistance. I explained my dilemma and they offered to set time aside to assist me by
reviewing my business plan.

My idea had been sitting in a folder for two years and I felt this was the opportune time
for me to make it a reality. Finally, I had the help that would remove the stumbling block

115

that had caused me to shelve the project. I received feedback that assisted me to
compile my pitch video. This was the best progress I had made in years. After multiple
takes of the video over a number of days, I finally made my pitch.

I felt nervous bringing my baby out into public for the first time, but the excitement was
of a parent watching their child achieving a milestone in life. The submission
consequently led to my representation of the Pioneers team in the “Chairman’s
Boardroom Battle”. The excitement was diluted by the sinking feeling of having to be on
the other side of the camera.

I had the opportunity to watch the previous competitions and it never crossed my mind
that I would find myself being one of the competitors. My stomach was in knots in the
weeks that followed. I scrambled back and forth refining the concept into one I was
confident enough to pitch. All the preparations were in-between all my other pressing
commitments.

The pressure was on. Most days I felt overwhelmed and couldn’t get to everything.
There was only so much time in a day. I met five of my group members for the first time
the day before the contest as we polished our pitches. It was not awkward at all. I felt I
had known them forever.

The pitch day finally arrived. My morning was quite dramatic. My phone did not charge
the previous night as the charger decided to pack out on me on such an important day!
What was I going to do? I had agreed with my fellow teammate and contestant that we

116

would call each other in the morning to make sure we were both up. She tried my
number, it was off. After a desperate plea to God my phone switched on long enough
for me extract her number and as I was typing my pickup address the phone switched
off.

“You gotta be kidding me!” This was not the way I imagined my day would start. I went
on Facebook on my laptop and called people who I knew were early risers to make a
call for me a relay the address. Finally, everything came together. As I waited for my
teammate to pick me up, I prayed for the peace of God to come upon me and douse the
raging flames that were caused by the early morning drama. We arrived at The Village
and it was my first time.

We were ushered into a lounge were fellow contestants were. There was nervous
chatter as people introduced themselves. The breakfast that was prepared for us lay
untouched as the appetites were brutally murdered by the nerves. We looked at each
other wondering who would win and possibly in our heads decided. We picked from a
hat our speaking positions. I chose the 3rd position. I couldn’t decide if I was relieved or
in a state of panic. Either way, it would be done whether I was first or last.

As we were ushered into Goshen Garden. I was humbled to be in the physical presence
of so many of the amazing people who had taken us through the program and
ministered to us. At the same time that felt extremely intimidating. I delivered my pitch
in the best way that I could under the intense pressure. Public speaking prepares you
for such moments and I was grateful I had that advantage. That was the easy part.

117

I dreaded the question session as they tended to throw in elements that would leave
anyone speechless. Lo and behold it came. My business plan was not received.
Stumped. I came back the best I could. The submission was out of my hands and I
made sure I did not pass on the blame to anyone. Spilled milk is not worth crying for. I
wondered if people could notice I was shaking.

When my question session was concluded I was relieved. I figured if I could survive
that, I could tackle anything in life. Unfortunately, I did not win the grand prize, but I
surely won an experience of a lifetime. Many deserving entrepreneurs can only dream
of such an opportunity. I felt privileged.

If that was the only pressure, I had to endure in the whole program I would’ve been
content. However, we were about to go into a different type of a competition as a team.
The Village Boardroom Experience was nothing I could have been prepared for. The
excitement as we drew close to the launch was electric. Clearly misplaced as the
competition began. We jumped into our tasks and we were confident in the direction
that we would take.

We believed in our leaders and followed their lead. One thing I learned from our first
experience in preparing for the board meeting was, never assume that someone else is
doing it. We went in ignorant of what was required of the board pack and the weight of
its compilation placed on a few individuals. Unfair pressure. The key lesson I learned
was that preparation and execution need to be planned for. In battle you need to

118

understand your enemy and study their strategies. In Toastmasters the number one
rule is, know your audience. We were not prepared enough.

The day of the first session finally arrived. Our team met for the very first time in a
physical space. It was truly an exciting moment for us. At The Village we were treated
to a scrumptious lunch. I joked with my teammates that we were being fattened for the
slaughter. Little did I know my words would come true. Our first board meeting was
brutal. Holes were poked into everything that we presented and submitted. I could see
the trauma and shock in the faces of my fellow teammates. The adjudicators were
ruthless in their approach.

This was tough love multiplied. I left The Village mentally and emotionally drained. This
was not what I expected. We were the first team and clearly the example for the others
as they follow. They would capitalize on our failings. The major disadvantage of being
first. The mood in the camp was demoralized the following day. I quickly chose to pick
myself up and as many people as I could.

We were in a competition. We needed to get up and fix our mistakes and that meant
acting fast. I loathed the feeling of the defeat that we received. The team came to the
party and we burned the midnight oil. Around 1AM we found ourselves laughing
hysterically as we shared memes on the group that reminded us of our dramatic
boardroom debut. This is how fatigue lost its grip on us. We were determined and
that’s what I love about us.

119

120

Chapter Fifteen
SEEKING AN UNDERSTANDING

Dr Cathbert Dutiro

I joined the Kingdom History Makers program after first joining the three times a week
week morning prayers and Wednesday connection meetings, introduced through
Minister Mtetwa whom I met through business circles. I really found the speakers on
Wednesday connection meetings powerful especially Dr Mandaza, Pastor Pushie,
Ambassador Javier and Mr. Garande.

On the morning business talks the nuggets literary picked out verses in the bible that I
had not heard the same way, at this point I knew that God was bringing me back to my
destiny. It was quite an event on recollecting that I had had a dream two weeks before
joining the program where vivid images of bible verses had been popping out in my
dream. I felt in the dream that these were very important verses, and that I had to read
them. Upon waking up I could hardly put them together even though they were so
vivid. I had a sinking feeling.

Now I truly understood that God had brought me to the KBN History maker’s program to
hear the true ministry of a businessman’s bible and what God intended me to
understand.

121

As I joined the Innovators team the bond between us quickly grew as we got to know
what each other was doing and chose to be led by Advocate Viljoen, and Sindi
Tshabalala, who are amazing leaders in their own lives and it has been a privilege to
share a moment with them in their lives during the KHM program.

I got to know every member of our teams as we did the assignments. It was true what
Minister Mtetwa said that if we don’t inconvenience your life during this period, we
haven’t done our job. For my usual life it was a welcome change in my routine during
the Covid 19 scourge. Nothing I thought would be more worthwhile doing than this. I
felt that what was really looking like a demise event for the whole world was going to be
such a blessing for me.

We had great interactions with teams as we were given strict deadlines to go through
scriptures comment and often figure out what the assignment was as most times KBN
would give us a vague brief. Most times we found ourselves coming out of our shells
and interacting, exchanging ideas and getting bible lessons with totally much deeper
meaning.

I loved the video lessons including the French acting the Minister Mtetwa and VP, and
the many teachings on love and marriage, the McDonald’s Founder story and the
powerful lessons of Noah’s ark and Jonah. I totally believed that when you pray ahead
of everything and start your day with prayer, even when you study and read the bible,
your understanding of the scriptures is enhanced in a way only God can explain. I can
confess that scriptures had never moved me as much as during this time.

122

What a learning journey!

I have since then learnt a lot as an Innovator on this journey and singling out the three
most important things were:

1. Leadership skills with people one has just met for a positive outcome
2. Flexibility in character, as one meets and fits the purpose of assisting others and

being assisted in difficult circumstances
3. Humility amongst a whole set of different generations of people within our team.

Soon after the KHM program we started the TVBE program and Advocate Viljoen
elected me as leader for the task, a very humbling experience indeed. I didn’t know how
difficult or easy that task would have been until I got into it many sleepless nights later.

Generating teamwork at a time when you have absolute pressure and things to deliver
so quickly meant that most times I had to be away from my family to make it all work
with my new Innovator’s family. It has been my pleasure to really work with this
Innovator’s family with great conversations most days with everyone in the team.

I have learnt a lot to compromise and be firm lovingly passing on encouragement for my
team for tasks that would otherwise detract us from work and income generation. Given
another chance, I will do it all over again and look forward to a long-term relationship
with the Innovators for life.

123

I have never been as clear as I am now about the future of my business and how to go
forward. This experience has taught me that God will always provide even during
difficult times and he can transform your life instantly on an enriching journey that you
never imagined. I have built so much internal resilience as manifestations of the verse
in Mathew 6 25-34. 25Thereforefore I tell you do not worry about your life, what you will
eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the
body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or stow
away in barns, and yet your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not more valuable
than they?

As a person with scientific training and knowledge, the Covid-19 virus as it came out
sparked a lot of fears in my mind that I literary locked my family up even before
lockdown. It was an overwhelming feeling of how will I be able to protect my family?
Science was not forthcoming at all in any regard for a cure or proper survival
mechanism.

Strangely all the projects that I had been working on became priority projects as energy
is required more than anything else to push things forward. I realized that our destiny
as a human race has never been up to us, it has always been in the hands of God and
only his grace overshadows everything we experience here on our life journey.

I heard a sermon from one of the USA based Pastors (yeah on Zoom), about Chronos
and Kairos, God’s timing and the seasons in our lives and harvest time. She could
simply have been talking about me and my life. Covid-19 forced us as a human race to

124

re-look at our way and redefine who we are, and has brought us back to the basics of
what God had always intended.

The boardroom experience was a daunting and immense task for any leader trying to
get two scores of people focused on a task and delivering it to cowboy adjudicators who
will find fault in anything you do, no matter how accurate it is. It simply has been an
amazing journey of knowing oneself giving to others and allowing oneself to get
stretched in your timetable.

I thoroughly enjoyed the crazy comments that the judges would make and how as they
came in there would be an endless time of face staring before sitting down to start the
board meeting. It was always difficult to get everyone to finally perform at the right
speed for board-pack preparation and editing on time. I have learnt that as different as
people are, when a team is united anything is possible, and this experience has shown
me that everyone has a strength, a lot of creativity and Africa can go a long way to
liberate itself from poverty.

The launch of the boardroom experience was a great event with a lot of dancing of
Jerusalem and many other old school songs as we performed our way into meeting
these adjudicator’s who were going to make our lives an oven of the heat of being
reformed like a draught. I have learnt a lot from it although I wouldn’t do it again
anytime soon. I have met business people I wouldn’t have otherwise met and this
opportunity has literary blown out the past and forged me and my Innovator’s team into

125

an amazing set of Entrepreneurs that will now make history in their lives as Kingdom
business people.

126

127

Chapter Sixteen
LIFE CHANGES ARE DONE IN A MOMENT

Mirriam Mushakwe

I never knew a single WhatsApp group link would change the course of my life. My life
would turn into a totally different and new direction.

It was 21 July when I joined the History Makers Season 11 group. Honestly, I had no
idea what I was getting myself into. Early in February I travelled to South Africa, and
participated in a week’s programme with the KBN family. So, I thought this was just a
follow up session of a few things we left behind.

I thought it was a group where I would spend my day literally doing nothing but share
jokes and laugh at unproductive stories that brought no value to my life maybe those
touch and go Christian groups where we learned a few scriptures. But I was dead
wrong. To this day, we are still going.

A briefing letter signed by Mr Mtetwa, KBN Trustee, dated 02 July 2020 was sent to the
group, inviting aspiring, emerging and established entrepreneurs to the History Makers
programme. In his, letter Mr Mtetwa took time to avail KBN’s vision and mission to
aspiring candidates. The Application forms followed. They were to filled in and returned
to KBN.

128

We held our very first zoom meeting on Saturday 25 July 2020. But, I forgot about the
group, so Mr Mtetwa followed up with an e-mail, asking why I missed the meeting?

As a struggling entrepreneur, life is difficult. This is worse in our unpredictable economy,
where you are not sure what tomorrow holds. You feel like the entire world is sitting on
your shoulders. But off course, you still have to fight for your share in the marketplace
on a daily basis so as to provide for yourself and your family so that your small business
does not fail. I decided to never deliberately miss another meeting again.

Kingdom Business Network introduced me to a whole new meaning on Zoom meetings.
I had the zoom application on my phone, but I only used it to attend meetings for multi-
level marketing business meetings and online businesses and in my mind that was all to
it.

I learned that with KBN it was totally a different type of platform where in the morning
we held 7.30 am prayer sessions with The Village Pastor Thenjie and in that prayer we
would receive scriptures to carry us and cover us throughout the day, declarations that
enabled us to face the market place and words of love and comfort from the holy bible.

There is the village Wednesday connections held every Wednesdays where different
preachers where invited to come and share the word of God with us, the likes of the
Garandes, Mr Erick Drielinger and Pastor Dave Roberson just to name a few. Here we
had the privilege to meet and hear big people talk to us, millionaires and billionaires

129

took time off their busy schedules to share with us the word of God and it was an
amazing experience.

Yes Covid 19 was a major setback to businesses and life as a whole but encouraged us
to explore other means of technology and communication we never knew existed and it
united us even more because it was such a good feeling to be connected to people all
over the world and to be able to share business experiences and life changing
testimonies and to be able to be inspired over a platform like zoom.

Our Saturdays changed from being just a weekend as we began an early day with the
Kingdom Business Ecosystem Teaching with Mr Mtetwa followed by preachings from
anointed preachers like Mr Garrine Rhulani, Dr Walters Mandaza and many more
indeed it was a good start to a weekend. We also had conversations with Mr K and the
boardroom battle and in my whole life I had not seen anything like this before.

It was not easy to catch up on all the action, the tasks , the deadlines and so on and
there was a time I considered exiting the group because of mounting pressure of
running my business and having to be online all day waiting for KBN programmes. I
took time to look at the time and energy I had invested plus the value of the teaching I
was getting from the group and I decided not to quit but to stay in the room until I reach
the finishing line

There was an induction and wealth mind set teaching from Mr Mtetwa who was our
mentor throughout the first 6 weeks of our programme and as he took us through the

130

teachings I began to understand the need to change my mind set towards wealth and
my approach to business. Thumps up to Mr Mtetwa he has his own way of explaining
things and he not speaks just words but you can feel that he has walked through his talk
so this feeling gave me the will to stay in the room and learn more from this great
leader.

The very first Wednesday Connection guests were The Garandes and indeed it was a
place where inspiration flows and dreams are ignited, It was just the beginning of the
many powerful teachings to come from different man and women of God.

Since July I have come to the realisation that KBN covers not only gospel teachings but
covers the entrepreneur as a person how to conduct yourself as a business person,
they teach on the market place and its competitiveness and approach, wealth and
investments and to be innovative.

In the early stages we were taught on the history makers rule book which are that we
must be punctual and our Mentor always gave emphasis on time keeping because time
lost is money lost, excellence it is very important to always perform your best,
expectation as it the breeding ground for miracles and big dreams, Participation is a
must because during the KBN programmes teamwork is the main game, Exam and a
completely changed mind set

During the course of our teachings I learnt about the ecosystem pillars, business rules
and spiritual rules. There are 10 ecosystem pillars which are crucial for any business.

131

From time to time we were given tasks to study and present, which were related to the
market place and the word of God like Noah’s Game Reserve 7 Marine Services, Jacob
the Serial Entrepreneur and The Widow’s Oil Factory and Refinery.

With these tasks came the need to work as a team and learning to work according to
deadlines set because every task came with deadlines and time frames so it was really
an eye opener and a wake-up call to me because I never imaged sharing a task with a
total stranger who I was not able to see but it really worked.

Then came exam time on Saturday 5 September yes the exam was a bit challenging. It
covered many things from the ecosystem pillars to the business rules. KBN vision and
mission and a lot more but since we had covered most of the content in our course am
sure I did well as we have not yet received the results for this exam

On business rules Stay in the Room was the talk of the season and surely I did learn to
stay in because this amazing kingdom business network is unpredictable and full of
surprises so you have to be in the room to get it.

On Friday, 18 September one lady walked away with 100 000 Rands after a successful
boardroom battle presentation. She had to be in the room to win and then the following
Friday again two vehicles went to two winners. It was a big challenge to us zoom
participants because we could not attend the boardroom battle due to the Covid-19
travel restrictions.

132

As I go about doing my business I always keep this business rule in mind because it
was always said time and again the success comes not to you but you go to it, and I am
now geared and ready for success.

Mr Mtetwa always told us that you get what you work for and not what you wish for
therefore I am ready to go out there and work till I get the fruits of my labour. So much
emphasis as put on networking because bit is an essential part of building wealth and
the opposite of networking is not working and work was described as:

W-Wisdom that gives vision
O-Opportunities that no man can give
R-Recap what you have worked for
K-Kairos time, your set time comes

The KBN programme have been very beneficial to me as a person because through
these teachings. I have learnt that I must set my vision straight and work towards
achieving them, in order to have purpose in life. That’s how you make a lasting impact
and big change to my life, my business and those around me.

Creating sustainable wealth is not for a chosen few, but with hard work and focus I can
become a multi-millionaire. No matter how my educational background is, what’s
important is knowing what to do and when to do it and networking with the right people
and most of all hearing what the word of God is saying about you request.

133

I now see things differently and as an entrepreneur. I am now ready to bulldoze into
marketplace, because I am a child of God and no longer a slave to fear. In my business
I have learnt to delegate and share responsibilities with others. I engage in productive
teamwork because it’s said, divided we fall and united we stand and Kim always told
leaders to delegate

After the examinations, I thought I was done. I thought I would no longer have to look
out for links of 7.30 am morning prayers or Saturday teachings, or the Wednesday
Connection. I would miss the Conversations with Mr K and the Friday worship moments.
I didn’t realise the game was getting tougher.

I started off as a trailblazer led by Mr Kenneth, but unfortunately, our group was
dissolved by the board on the 2nd of October. That is how I joined my current team, the
Innovators led by Dr Dutiro. For the month of October, we are now on the apprentice
stage where we are having boardroom experiences to showcase our approach to the
tasks at hand. We are now being exposed to the real world of technology and
innovation

As teams we are supposed to finish these tasks in four weeks and the best team will be
the winners of The Village Boardroom Experience of season 11. Here we are faced with
tasks that most of us have no knowledge of but as entrepreneurs of this era of
technology its game on and we are in it to win. As team Innovators we are left with only
two boardroom sittings and I know we will emerge victorious

134

The boardroom experience has not been a bed of roses. The adjudicators are tough
and very difficult to please, but I noticed that when you go back out there and do as they
have corrected you it will be a day in the park.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr and Mrs Kambasha for this wonderful
platform. It’s working in favour of the entrepreneurs and the community at large. If my
business thrives and does well, I expand and create employment for the youth in my
community and reduce unemployment rate.
I would also like to thank the Beryl Group, the KBN executive board of trustees and the
KBN family at large for making this programme a success and worth our while. I am
looking forward to working well with my team to finish the good work we started
together, and we will definitely win this. I thank God the Almighty for giving me the
strength to soldier on when I got weary. I will keep on applying everything I learnt on this
platform.

135

136

Chapter Seventeen
FOLLOWING THE RIGHT PRINCIPLES

Nester Chipangura

I was the happiest person as l entered the KBN program. In life and business, I did not
have anyone who could help me change my life in business.

When l heard about the KBN program and how it is there to impart knowledge to an
entrepreneur at no fee, l felt honoured by this gesture. l did not need to think twice about
joining.

In this world we are living nowadays everything that people are doing it's all about
money, money, money, but in this case KBN is giving out knowledge to make this world
a better place to live regardless of race, nationality, and background. It has opened my
eyes to see that there is a brighter future ahead of me.

I learnt that don't despise humble beginnings even if the business is small. If you follow
and apply the right principles, you will never go wrong in whatever you are doing. Be
open minded to take advise from other people who may not have qualifications or
experience in whatever you are doing but have good advice. We must be obedient to
God and to the laws of the nation by legally registering our business and paying taxes.
We must tithe and give, asking for more wisdom from God to prosper.

137

The program motived me to seek bigger opportunities by expanding my business and
market it to other different parts of the country. My goal is to reach international
markets through interacting with others as it is a way to get new ideas and skills.
Having faith in our business is the key to the growth and expansion. I must uplift the
poor by giving and serving my community through sharing skills.

A person must serve their local church. God should be the center of our business as
He is the one who blesses everything that we do from, from the small things to the big. I
learned I must become a prayer warrior as every business will face challenges. We
have to break every yoke through prayer and having some declarations for our
business.

In this time of Covid 19, it is an era where we must have full knowledge about using
digital marketing and using all social media platforms. All businesses should install
digital equipment to ease business across the world. It's high time for us to be alert
when it comes to the natural environment and climate changes.

Teamwork is needed in this business world for us to achieve positive results and
success. It helps us produce more and break barriers. Through the various teachings
in this program of entrepreneurs, all the information that we got comes from the Word of
God. Our strength and power come from God which has kept me reading the Bible,
praying, and fasting for more wisdom and grace for the business.

138

139

Chapter Eighteen
STARTING OUT WITH CHRIST

Dijon Lloyd

Thank you for allowing me to provide feedback about my journey and experiences as an
Innovator and KHM Member.

I recently surrendered my life to Christ. This happened in February 2020. My family and I
started praying together, and we’ve started reading the bible bit by bit. Then started the
KBN journey. Wow!

I was raised by an independent single mother, who worked in and out the country for my
sister and I to have the best lifestyle. She was very successful in business, and everything
that she touched tuned to gold. But this was lost very quickly, and I never understood
why.

She taught us principles of the power of the subconscious mind. She also taught us how
to use our minds to grow our reach, and many other lessons that relate to this.

Due to disappointments by pastors and people in the church, she chose to keep us away
from church. We still believed in God and we prayed. But she felt that the people at church
were hypocrites and that one day, we would be led to either join a church or not. She

140

wanted us to make that choice, despite that we lived with people who were staunch
Christians. All my uncles, including my father are pastors.

I was raised in a church, but unfortunately, I didn’t learn anything. What they represented
was an environment that was very strict and unloving. This didn’t make sense to me. How
could God’s presence be with such cruel people? For me, these were false prophets.
For the past six weeks, I learned more about who God really is to me, and to us. I learned
this more than in the 19 years I spent with my family at church. We were forced to be a
certain way, but never taught that we were given dominion over the earth. We were not
taught that our birth right is to prosper and be fruitful. We were not taught that it’s okay to
be a sinner and that God will not cast you out and forsake you, if you acknowledge your
sin, repent and try daily to be like Christ.

These are things I learned in the past six weeks of KBN, through the magnificent
teachings of Minister Mtetwa. I spent this time absorbing this like a sponge and hung onto
his every word every Saturday morning. I could not get enough of this revelation. His
humour made it easy to understand his teachings and passions that came from him were
so refreshing.

Funny story: I thought Jesus was both in the Old and New Testament. My group and I
had such a laugh about this when we were finalising a case study of Jonah. My idea was
that Jesus walked on water to save Jonah. I had to apologise to my team, because for
me, it made sense that this was the reason for Jesus to walk on water. But they told me
He did not walk on water during Jonah’s era.

141

The Innovators were amazing. I have been refined. These are some of the things I learned
in this period:

1. Jacob, Noah, Jonah – These men were flawed. And yet they were chosen by God
to do His work. The tasks we did on these men gave my mom and I an opportunity
to look at the way we viewed Christians before, and we decided to take a different
view. We repented for being so judgemental. It felt like the scales fell off our eyes.

2. The Ecosystem Pillars – Wow! Let me start with tithing – we finally understood why
my mother’s business was so successful for some time, and why money always
slipped through her fingers like water. Eventually she lost it all. She never tithed.
She believed that the pastor and his wife used the money for their own benefit and
not to feed and clothe the poor. We tithed for the first time in the past Friday as a
family and there was an instant shift. The blessings never stopped flowing for me
and my family since. My mother got a job offer and a business offer. We are now
blessed from every angle.

3. Every single pillar opened my eyes to something new and remarkable.
4. Networking – I have done a lot of networking in business, but after this teaching, I

look at networking in a completely different light. The scales have fallen once
again. Impacting a generation is a driving force in every business decision I will
make in the future. This is absolutely brilliant.
5. Every person we studied represented one or more people in my life. I had to go
back to forgive myself for judging them so harshly.

142

Monday, Wednesday and Friday prayers were absolutely amazing. I’m so excited that we
can still continue to be part of this. I haven’t prayed this much in my entire life. What a
blessing. I just love Pastor Thenjie. One can see the Holy Spirit that is residing in her.
She has a glow that can only be there from the Holy Spirit, or maybe it’s also from Mr.
Mtetwa.

This is consistent daily – her love for Christ is so evident. She is such a blessing. This
has catapulted my prayer life to another level. I cannot imagine not having fellowship with
other Christians and just getting into the presence of God each day. Thank you so much
for this. And for the books we received – they are such a blessing. I am so grateful.

Mr. K Show: Wow Wow Wow!!! I heard Mr. K worship and what an experience that was.
I was so moved by his energy. We are so grateful for all this gentleman does for all of us,
and for this opportunity. I absolutely love the praise and worship and every guest speaker
has been remarkable.

Wednesday Connection: this was such a bonus. The fact that this was free, and we got
to learn and interact with the best of the best in the industry was unbelievable and such
a blessing. Most of the speakers didn’t just touch on the ecosystem pillar teachings, they
shared from their own personal experiences.
I took away something glorious from each and every speaker.

 Prophet Chiviya – Success does not come to you – you go to it. Hunger! This
does so much.

143

 Jennifer Pacheco – You are in the Kairos moment! She also told me that I am a
seed. This is my new motto. “They thought they buried me, but they didn’t know
that I was a seed.” They kept spitting on me, but they didn’t know I am a seed.”

 Eve Banda – Your mindset is geared for war. Business landscape is battlefield.
Vision, vision, vision.

The guest speakers were phenomenal.
 Dr Jasmine Pega – what a remarkable woman. She’s humble and beautiful inside
out. To offer her services to coach each and every person in the group, this is
servanthood to the Kingdom of God.
 Jenita Foster – Find a need and service that is in demand and you will never be
broke again.
 Dr.Selina Siganga – What a remarkable woman who has such a strong message.

The nuggets I picked up from all the speakers that I found life-changing and worth being
framed:

 Satori and Kensho Moments.
 Do not pray amiss.
 Don’t violate God’s principles.
 Lead, be upfront, don’t choose to be second place.
 Be number 1.
 The world must not dictate to you as a Christian.
 Dominate the earth.
 Pain with no gain is wasted trauma.

144

 Anything not birthed in prayer is illegal.
 The wealth of the wicked is ours.
 Do not be a sin dictator.
 Wealth is your (MY) portion.
 We can manipulate the situations in the world in Jesus name.
 Avoid ego fights.
 The KEY is to be KEY.
 Manage people’s emoitons.
 Give, give, give – do not just take, take, take.
 Add value to your business or product.
 Manage processes.
 Faith is the vehicle.
 Forget everything else and run towards opportunity.
 Opposite of faith is fear.
 Faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God.
 Face everything and RISE.
 It must impact a full generation.

Thank you again…

145

146

Chapter Nineteen
THE JOURNEY OF AN INNOVATOR

Clara Gwete
“Innovators you will not make it.!! At this rate you will surely not make it," reiterated the
Chief Adjudicator Ms. Jasmine as she shoved our board pack aside. With a stern look
she glared at us as if to say we were not serious at all.
I felt my heart sinking. Are we done with? Is there any hope? Is there any light at the
end of the tunnel? I sobbed as I wondered in my heart.
This was the journey of an innovator…
The journey began with an invitation from the KBN group. I was very excited about the
invitation. I looked forward to a beautiful journey of entrepreneurs’ development. Maybe
I was naïve, but I didn’t see anything difficult coming from this. This journey was to
perfect an entrepreneur, well capacitated to run a successful business. There were a
series of courses lined up for us.
I had no idea how the system was going to work. I didn’t know how long it would take or
how it would work. Tutorials, seminars, gatherings or webinars – these were the things

147

that clouded my mind. All I could picture in my dreams was a polished entrepreneur at
the end of the program.

I became a part of a WhatsApp group called “History Makers Season 11.” The group
had a beautiful profile of a KBN logo. I was proud of being part of the group.

Scrolling down on the group, I found a chain of anonymous strangers. Who were these
people? Where are they from? Will they be friends? Do I introduce myself?

These were questions that were going through my mind as I tried to figure out what was
next. Then the many “thank you for adding me followed”. I thought it was a good
gesture, so followed suite. I wasn’t surprised that the group administrator muted
everybody on the group. And so, a call to order began.

Kim Jacobs sent in a briefing letter, welcoming us on board. I felt such warmth as we
were promised a great experience ahead. I wanted to say thank you, but this time, the
participants were muted. Only KBN administrators could send messages.

While wondering about the History makers season 11 group, I found myself belonging
to another group, the Innovators. I was not surprised; innovation is in my DNA. This
new one was more interactive. I felt free as at last I could introduce myself as Clara
Gwete from Zimbabwe. There were other Zimbabweans. The rest of the group were
South Africans. I loved the mix and told myself that I was going to befriend everyone. I
hoped to start a South African business with my new friends at the end of the program.

148

A lady named T. Mtetwa sent guidelines of how we were expected to follow the KBN
trainings. We were advised to choose our own leaders based on their background and
capabilities. A zoom meeting was setup by a colleague, since we could only meet
online. I soon realized the mix with different levels and classes of people. Doctors,
advocates, coaches, authors, pastors, bankers – these were different professionals with
different education levels. We had different backgrounds, interpretations, opinions and
views, and yet we were all placed in one group. The challenge was to find common
ground.

Fortunately, we had one thing in common, we were all INNOVATORS. Zoom showed us
our mix, the outspoken, the shy the domineering all the different characters of people.
Natural leaders emerged. A quick online election was held, and that’s how advocate
Viljoen and Sindi became our leaders. I was interested in how they would lead different
people in different parts of two countries. This proved to be easy for the leaders. I found
myself well fitting in the innovators journey.

The endless zoom meetings began. It was zoom after zoom. Wednesday connection,
The Village prayer, the Mr. K. shows, KHM Ecosystem, the Wow Challenge, the Lion’s
Roar… The list was endless. They lined up, one after the other. Attendance was
mandatory and a tracker register was kept by group leaders. It was hectic.

I found myself choosing between my daily chores or staying tuned to the KBN zoom. I
realigned my daily routines to accommodate the new schedule. Data had to be

149

purchased and used effectively, avoiding unnecessary Facebook, Instagram and Twitter
to be able to “Stay in the room.”

The zoom meetings have paid dividend. They were packaged with so much literature to
achieve a mindset shift. We were taught how to transform from being ordinary to
become successful entrepreneur. The KBN ecosystem Vision blew off my mind. Who
could imagine 1000 entrepreneurs in The Village?

At first it sounded unrealistic, but every Zoom meeting gave me the thought that it was
possible. Every session we sang an anthem, “I am no longer a slave to fear, I am a child
of God.”

Fear of failure was unacceptable. After several sessions, I was obsessed with the song.
I vowed that one day I would be part of the 1 000 entrepreneurs in the village.

The KBE mission is “To offer personal business development to entrepreneurs, through
various activities that promote networking and in calculation of an entrepreneur’s wealth
mindset shift. We pride in propelling entrepreneurs to have capacity to make a
difference in the communities.”

I tried to figure out how this mission could be achieved in my personal life. I realized that
I had to hang in there and watch this space. The Christian standards of doing business
were first grounded in us. The KBN 10 pillars were drilled into my mind. Each Saturday

150