Dear Business Owner,<\/p>\n
You have a great product. Your prices are fair. Your service is excellent. But customers are not coming.<\/p>\n
Before you blame the economy, before you blame competition, before you blame social media algorithms \u2014 look at where your business is located.<\/p>\n
Many Zimbabwean businesses are dying not because of what they sell, but because of where they sell it. They are hidden in back rooms, tucked away in quiet streets, or buried in corners where no one walks past.<\/p>\n
Location is not everything. But for many businesses, it is the difference between survival and failure.<\/p>\n
Some businesses need people walking past. If you run a tuckshop, a fast food outlet, a salon, a barbershop, a phone accessories shop, or any retail business that depends on impulse purchases or walk-in customers \u2014 you need foot traffic.<\/p>\n
Foot traffic means potential customers passing your door every hour of every day. Each person who walks past is a chance for a sale. If 500 people walk past your shop daily and just 2% come in, that is 10 customers. If only 50 people walk past, 2% gives you one customer.<\/p>\n
The maths is simple. More visibility equals more opportunity.<\/p>\n
Yet many business owners choose locations based on rent alone. They find a cheap shop in a quiet area and wonder why no one comes. They save $100 on rent but lose $500 in potential sales.<\/p>\n
Yes, prime locations cost more. A shop on Jason Moyo Street in Harare CBD costs more than a standalone shop in Highfield. A spot in Sam Levy’s Village costs more than a spot in a quiet strip mall in Borrowdale.<\/p>\n
But here is the question you must ask: What is each dollar of rent buying me?<\/p>\n
Tendai started his phone repair business in a back room in Mbare. Rent was $80 per month. He relied entirely on word of mouth and WhatsApp marketing. On a good month, he repaired 30 phones at an average profit of $8 each \u2014 $240 profit.<\/p>\n
After a year of struggling, he moved to a small shop near a busy kombi rank. Rent jumped to $200 per month. But now people saw his sign every day. Walk-in customers increased. On a good month, he now repairs 60 phones \u2014 $480 profit.<\/p>\n
His rent increased by $120, but his profit increased by $240. The expensive location made him more money, not less.<\/p>\n
The formula: If the additional rent is less than the additional profit the location generates, the move makes sense.<\/p>\n
How do you know if your location is the problem? Ask yourself these questions:<\/p>\n
If you have been operating for six months and people in your area still do not know about your business, your visibility is a problem. A business on a busy road announces itself daily. A business in a hidden corner must fight for every bit of awareness.<\/p>\n
If almost all your customers come through referrals, WhatsApp, or social media \u2014 and almost none walk in \u2014 your location is not working for you. This might be fine for some businesses, but it is a warning sign for retail.<\/p>\n
Do customers complain about finding you?<\/p>\n
“I drove past three times before I saw it.” “Your place is hard to find.” “I almost gave up looking.” These are location problems dressed as customer feedback.<\/p>\n
A business in a visible location markets itself 24 hours a day. People see your sign, your branding, your shopfront \u2014 even when you are closed. A hidden location does nothing for you when you are not there.<\/p>\n
Not every business needs high foot traffic. But these do:<\/p>\n
Impulse purchase businesses \u2014 Tuckshops, fast food, snacks, cold drinks, cigarettes, airtime. Customers buy because they see you, not because they planned to visit.<\/p>\n
Convenience businesses \u2014 Pharmacies, phone charging, printing and photocopying, mobile money agents. People use whoever is closest and most visible.<\/p>\n
Walk-in services \u2014 Salons, barbershops, tailors, shoe repairs, key cutting. Many customers decide on the spot when they see the shop.<\/p>\n
New businesses building a customer base \u2014 If no one knows you yet, you need to be seen. Visibility accelerates awareness.<\/p>\n
Some businesses can thrive without prime visibility:<\/p>\n
Appointment-based services \u2014 Lawyers, accountants, consultants, doctors. Clients book in advance and will find you wherever you are.<\/p>\n
Destination businesses \u2014 Specialty stores, wholesalers, manufacturers. Customers seek you out because you have something specific they need.<\/p>\n
Online-first businesses \u2014 E-commerce, delivery services, digital services. Your location does not matter if customers never visit.<\/p>\n
B2B businesses \u2014 If you sell to other businesses rather than consumers, your office location matters less than your relationships.<\/p>\n
If your business falls into these categories, you can save money on rent and invest elsewhere. But be honest about which category you truly belong to.<\/p>\n
A cheap rent can be expensive when you count what you lose:<\/p>\n
Marketing costs \u2014 A hidden business must spend more on advertising to create awareness that a visible business gets for free.<\/p>\n
Time costs \u2014 Hours spent explaining directions, drawing maps, waiting for customers who got lost or gave up.<\/p>\n
Lost sales \u2014 Every customer who could not find you, who did not know you existed, who bought from a competitor they walked past instead.<\/p>\n
Slower growth \u2014 Visible businesses build recognition faster. Hidden businesses struggle to become known.<\/p>\n
When you add these hidden costs, that “cheap” location often costs more than the premium one.<\/p>\n
Before signing a lease, do this research:<\/p>\n
Count foot traffic. Spend a few hours at different times \u2014 morning, lunch, afternoon, Saturday \u2014 and count how many people walk past. Do this for any location you are considering.<\/p>\n
Study the neighbours. What other businesses are nearby? Are they busy? Complementary businesses (a salon near a market, a phone shop near a bus stop) can feed you customers.<\/p>\n
Check accessibility. Can customers park? Can kombis stop nearby? Is it easy to find? A location that is hard to reach will always struggle.<\/p>\n
Understand the rent structure. Is it USD or ZiG? Does it include rates and utilities? Are there annual increases? Get the full picture before committing.<\/p>\n
Talk to other tenants. Ask existing businesses in the area how trade is. They have no reason to lie to you.<\/p>\n
Moving is disruptive and expensive. But sometimes it is necessary.<\/p>\n
– You have been in your location for over a year and foot traffic remains your main problem
\n– Your marketing costs exceed what you would pay in additional rent at a better location
\n– Customers consistently struggle to find you
\n– The area is declining \u2014 other businesses are closing, foot traffic is dropping
\n– A significantly better location becomes available at a price you can afford<\/p>\n
– You have only been open a few months (give it time)
\n– Your problems are product, pricing, or service \u2014 not location
\n– You cannot afford the new rent even with increased sales
\n– Moving would take you away from your existing customer base<\/p>\n
If you cannot afford to move, you can still improve your situation:<\/p>\n
Maximise signage. Make your sign as visible as possible. Use colours that stand out. Add directional signs if allowed.<\/p>\n
Use landmarks in your marketing. “Opposite OK Supermarket” or “Next to Chicken Inn” helps people find you.<\/p>\n
Invest in online presence. If people cannot walk past you, they must find you online. Google Maps, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp Status \u2014 make yourself visible digitally where you are invisible physically.<\/p>\n
Offer delivery. If customers cannot come to you easily, go to them. Delivery removes the location barrier entirely for many products.<\/p>\n
Create reasons to visit. Special offers, events, loyalty programmes \u2014 give people a reason to make the trip.<\/p>\n
Location does not guarantee success. Plenty of businesses in prime spots fail because of bad products, poor service, or terrible management.<\/p>\n
But location can guarantee failure. A great business in a terrible location will always struggle. You will work twice as hard for half the results.<\/p>\n
Be honest with yourself. Is your location helping you or hurting you? If it is hurting you, calculate the true cost \u2014 including lost sales, extra marketing, and wasted time. You might find that the “expensive” location is actually the affordable one.<\/p>\n
Your customers cannot buy from you if they cannot find you. Make sure they can find you.<\/p>\n
With respect for your journey,<\/p>\n
ZimLedger Admin<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Dear Business Owner, You have a great product. Your prices are fair. Your service is excellent. But customers are not […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1608,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1607","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-articles","category-business-tips"],"yoast_head":"\n