Zulfat Mukarubega is the founder and legal representative of Rwanda Tourism University College (RTUC). Her university, which started in 2008, has grown from five students and three workers to 250 and 103 respectively today. Zulfat recently won the RDB’s Business Excel¬lence Award as the best female entrepreneur for the second time while RTUC won the best tourism SME investor for 2011. Emmanuel Tulinomubeezi talks to her about her journey to the top and how she has been able to sustain her position.
What kind of business did you begin with?
In 1979 I opened my first business--a restaurant. In 1983, I conceived of an idea of opening a school that teaches mechanics, business and accounting. Together with other women we eventually started one, but in 2000 I pulled out and left it to my colleagues. That’s when I thought of beginning a school that teaches tourism. And until recently I’ve been dealing in and selling furniture.
Why did you abandon the first school to begin another?
My heart eventually weighed most on the side of offering customer services than what I was doing then. It all started with my frequent travels abroad where I was impressed by the way services in hotels and restaurants were offered. That’s when I began to think about offering similar services at home. I contacted several universities, colleges and similar institutions such as Utali College in Kenya, which helped me to work out a curriculum and securing workers. Other countries I visited are Mauritius, Egypt and South Africa and it’s the collected ideas from these places that gave me a base to build on. In 2005, I bought all that was needed to begin in addition to 50 computers I had previously purchased in Egypt and I officially launched off in 2006.
What made you outstanding in both 2010 and 2011 to be recognised for RDB’s Business Excel¬lence Award?
Mainly it’s because of instituting this project of RTUC from such humble beginnings. I started my first business with only Frw5,000, which today can be equalled to Frw50,000. Then I started a restaurant with four tables at Gikondo, near the garages. Now I’m running a university and investing close to Frw2 billion.
What needs to be done to improve Rwanda’s customer care challenges?
The main problem I see is that people are requested to give what they don’t have and this becomes a difficult bargain. Rwanda compares itself with other countries that have had tourism schools for more than 30 years. Naturally, Rwandans are hospitable people and what they need is just some more training.
But analysis into Rwanda’s poor customer care says it’s a product from a legacy passed on from our predecessors who were not taught to serve but to be served.
That’s not true. As I had told you earlier Rwandans are naturally hospitable people. Possibly what one can say is that their hospitality was not aimed at commercial gains and when it became necessary to adapt to the new way of life, it became a problem. The new way of life has turned everything into business and this is why Rwandans need professional training to have their look at the present world change.
Many business people in the business sector complain about Rwanda’s high tax rates. What has been your experience?
It’s very interesting, yet true, that some of the business people who decry high taxes have been doing business for the past 20 years and they have been singing the same song. If tax is truly high why don’t they try something else if they are not making any profit? I finally attribute this kind of thinking to one’s mind set. Business people in Rwanda are lucky that our tax money is used efficiently to our advantage by building roads and airports and other infrastructure needed to ease business in the country. We easily forget that other countries also have high tax but on account of high levels of corruption.
What can you say is the secret of succeeding in business?
Avoid dividing your effort, vision and resources into many and different initiatives. Concentrate on one thing and invest in it all that you have. This calls for doing what you love to do and not to copy and paste what you’ve seen others do.
Secondly, be a person people can trust. Can you imagine business people lend each other so much money without any written agreement! It’s all because of trust they have in each other.
Finally, be willing to sacrifice for your business and doing all that is needed to grow your business. Some people want to have a successful business without playing an active role. Instead they put in a relative, a friend or a son without a close follow up.
But you yourself said you had a furniture business and now you’re also in tourism. Don’t you consider that as divided energy and resources?
At the moment I’m not selling furniture. I first put a pause on it and I’m using the same house I used to sell furniture as an extension to my tourism classes.
What else do you do in addition to running your tourism college?
I’ve been a business lady for more than 30 years. I’m also on the board of Chamber of Women and Entrepreneurs and I’m the vice chairperson of the board.
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