In this episode of the Pure Digital Passion Podcast, I had an in-depth conversation with Farayi Ziswa, Founder & Executive Director of BTL Consulting Ltd, Co-Founder of Mapepa Karatasi, Founder & Executive Coach at Inheritege Coaches, and author of Selling to Informal Markets.

This is a deep and practical conversation about how African commerce actually works on the ground.

Farayi shares his journey from growing up around a family farm in Zimbabwe, studying business and finance at the University of Hull, joining Unilever’s UK International Management Trainee programme, and becoming National Sales Manager for Unilever South-East Africa, to later working across African Sun Hotels, SPAR Zimbabwe, SIT Distribution in Dubai and the GCC, BTL Consulting, Copia Global, Farm Shop, Mapepa Karatasi, and Inheritege Coaches.

The conversation explores why Africa’s informal markets are so often misunderstood, why sales and route-to-market execution deserve more respect, and how mobile technology, field intelligence, data, and modern sales systems can help corporates, entrepreneurs, and distributors serve informal retail markets more effectively.

Farayi also discusses his book, Selling to Informal Markets, which provides a practical blueprint for corporates, entrepreneurs, sales professionals, and training institutions looking to successfully sell to Africa’s informal retailers.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

1. Farayi’s early life in Zimbabwe and his exposure to commerce through the family farm
2. Studying business accounting and financial management at the University of Hull
3. Lessons from Unilever’s UK International Management Trainee programme
4. Why sales is one of the most strategic disciplines in business
5. What corporates misunderstand about Africa’s informal markets
6. How BTL Consulting helps FMCG companies reach informal retailers
7. The role of mobile technology and real-time reporting in field sales
8. Lessons from Copia Global and Farm Shop
9. Serving small-scale farmers as customers, not statistics
10. Why informal markets should be respected as sophisticated commercial systems\Farayi’s book, Selling to Informal Markets
11. The future of route-to-market, informal retail, and African commerce

About Farayi Ziswa

Farayi Ziswa is a Zimbabwean-born business strategist, sales transformation leader, entrepreneur, executive coach, and author. He is the Founder & Executive Director of BTL Consulting Ltd, a regional advisory and execution firm focused on helping FMCG companies make their products more available in Africa’s informal markets using mobile technology and modern sales strategy.

He is also Co-Founder of Mapepa Karatasi in Tanzania, Founder & Executive Coach at Inheritege Coaches, and author of Selling to Informal Markets. His career spans Unilever, African Sun Hotels, SPAR Zimbabwe, SIT Distribution in Dubai and the GCC, Copia Global, Farm Shop, and multiple advisory and board roles across Africa.

Chapters

• 02:30 Introducing Farayi Ziswa and his career journey
• 05:45 Growing up in Zimbabwe and learning commerce early
• 11:20 Moving to the UK and studying at the University of Hull
• 16:40 Joining Unilever and learning sales discipline
• 23:30 Why sales is the first line of business performance
• 29:10 SPAR Zimbabwe and seeing retail from the other side
• 35:00 Dubai, the GCC, and pioneering mobile real-time reporting
• 42:15 Founding BTL Consulting and serving informal markets
• 50:30 What corporates misunderstand about informal retail
• 58:45 Mobile technology, data, and field intelligence
• 1:06:30 Copia Global and the realities of serving mass markets
• 1:14:00 Farm Shop and working with small-scale farmers
• 1:22:20 Mapepa Karatasi, Inheritege Coaches, and the next chapter
• 1:29:00 Selling to Informal Markets and why the book matters
• 1:35:00 Final reflections and how to connect with Farayi

Buy Selling to Informal Markets:

https://www.amazon.com/SELLING-INFORMAL-MARKETS-CORPORATE-SUCCESSFULLY/dp/1779286457