What are the opening hours?

Monday 08:00 - 17:00 Tuesday 08:00 - 17:00 Wednesday 08:00 - 17:00 Thursday 08:00 - 17:00 Friday 08:00 - 17:00 Saturday 08:00 - 17:00

M&J Zambia, 1504 Mungulube Road, Northmead, Lusaka (2026)

03/08/2025

“Thinking about buying land in Zambia? Don’t get confused know your options before you commit!”

In Zambia, land acquisition isn’t one-size-fits-all. There are different types, and each comes with its own rules and risks.

First, there’s Customary Land usually controlled by local chiefs and community leaders. This is common in rural areas, and while it might be easier to access, make sure you get the right permissions or risk losing your investment.

Then, there’s Statutory Land government-owned land managed by the Ministry of Lands. Here, you’ll get a formal title deed, making it safer for businesses and investors.

You also have Leasehold where you lease the land from the government or private owners for a fixed period (often 33 or 99 years). It’s a popular option for commercial projects.

And don’t forget about Freehold Land land you own outright with a registered title deed. This gives you the most control but is usually pricier and harder to come by.

Understanding the type of land you’re acquiring protects you from scams and future headaches.

So, whether you’re buying farmland in the Copperbelt or commercial plots in Lusaka, know your land type, follow the right steps, and secure your future.

Land in Zambia is powerful only if you own it the right way.

02/08/2025

THE DAY I LEARNED A DEGREE CAN’T FIX STUPID

It was a Monday morning.
The kind where your coffee tastes like stress, ZESCO has just restored power, and your staff are already fighting over who forgot to buy printing paper.

I was waiting for someone.
His name was Kevin.
From Chalala.

He was coming for an interview, but not just any interview I was hiring for a managerial role. I needed someone sharp. Someone who could take over operations, organise the chaos, and make me sleep at night.

And then Kevin walked in.

Wearing a navy blue slim-fit suit, smelling like imported success, carrying a MacBook he didn’t even need to open.
His accent was the first thing that slapped me.

British.

Not ba “Amai” accent. I mean, real UK. “Leh-meh-know” type of accent.
I leaned forward.
He smiled.

“I hold three degrees,” he said casually. “One from the University of Birmingham.”

I didn’t even let him finish.
I was already mentally typing his appointment letter.
This man? This was the one.
Finally a manager who wouldn't embarrass me in front of clients.

I hired him the next day. Made him the head of the department. Gave him access to systems, passwords, and a corner desk.
It was all perfect.

For three days.

Day 4, he called in sick.

Day 6, he arrived at 12:43 PM and said, “Sorry, I had a slight fever and car issues.”

Day 9, he disappeared completely. No call. No text. But Instagram said he was “outside” at 3rd Street sipping cocktails with a woman that was definitely not from HR.

Then came the drama.

Kevin started yelling at other employees.
Told a junior staff member to “shut up and respect the hierarchy.”
Got caught dating three women in the office two of them found out during lunch break and almost fought in the kitchen.

He once told the receptionist she “lacked the emotional intelligence” to greet clients.
He called in sick again the next Monday. We knew because his girlfriend came to the office to fight with his other girlfriend, and the security guard had to jump in.

I still held on.

Because he had papers.

To me, degrees meant professionalism. Degrees meant reliability. Degrees meant maturity.

Until the day he forgot to deliver a key client project the one I begged him to do personally.
The supervisor asked him, “Boss, what happened?”
Kevin stood up, walked across the room…

…and slapped the supervisor.

In broad daylight.
In front of everyone.
Then walked back like he’d just sneezed.

That was it.
I fired him on the spot. No warnings. No HR procedures. I was done protecting degrees.

Two months later, a girl came in.

Her name was Tanya.
Soft-spoken. Finished school up to Grade 12. No university. No fancy English.
Came from Kabanana.
She said, “I don’t have much experience, but I’m willing to learn. I’ll be early. I won’t give you problems.”

I took a deep breath.

Then I said, “You’re hired.”

She has never been late.
She doubled our client retention.
She brings reports without being asked.
She doesn’t do office drama, and she actually does her work.

Tanya is the reason I sleep at night now.

And to think I almost missed out on her because she didn’t have a degree.

Moral of the story?
Degrees are important, but attitude and skill determine a good employee.

01/08/2025

THE DAY MY EMPLOYEE TAUGHT ME THAT TALENT WITHOUT WORK ETHIC IS A TRAP

I once hired a woman who seemed like a dream.
Calm.
Well-spoken.
Smart enough to understand complex tasks and articulate just enough ideas to make everyone think she was essential.

In the beginning, I actually thought she was leadership material.
She carried herself with this “collected” energy always nodding, always present during meetings, always just… composed.
I used to say, “She’s mature. She gets it.”
What I didn’t realise was she got it, but she never did it.

Her real talent wasn’t in performance. It was in gossip.

She never reached her targets.
She was always late.
Always had an excuse.
But the most dangerous part?
She spoke softly… convincingly.
She would come to me with a “concern” —
how this one is not focused,
how that one is rude,
how someone else is a threat to the company.

Even the cleaners were not safe from her whisper campaigns.

And I listened.
I believed her.
She had that calm, manipulative tone that made you feel like she was just “protecting the company.”

So I started firing people.

Good people.

People who were loyal, punctual, and doing the work all because she painted them in the worst light.
Meanwhile, she was building her empire of laziness: missing deadlines, stirring up drama, and planting seeds of distrust in every department.

By the time I figured it out, the damage was done.
Morale was low.
People were afraid of speaking up.
And she still hadn’t brought in a single result worth mentioning.

I called her in.

And for the first time, I didn’t let her speak.
I simply said, “Pack your things. We’re done.”

That day, I learnt something I’ll never forget:

Work ethic isn’t how you look in meetings it’s what you do when no one’s watching.
And a calm voice doesn’t mean a clean heart.

I don’t care how polished someone is.
If you gossip more than you work,
if your mouth moves more than your results,
you’re not a leader
you’re a liability.

01/08/2025

IF YOU’RE STILL TRACKING CLIENTS IN A NOTEBOOK, YOU’RE LOSING MONEY

You don’t need more leads.
You need to stop forgetting, double-calling, or ghosting the ones you already have.

That’s where Odoo’s CRM module comes in.

✔️ Every lead in one place no more scattered WhatsApps
✔️ Set reminders so you never forget a follow-up
✔️ Track deals from first hello to closed sale
✔️ Assign tasks to your sales team with one click
✔️ Get reports that actually show you what’s working (and what’s not)

Whether you sell products, services, or promises
Odoo CRM helps you close more deals, faster.

Because the fortune?
It’s still in the follow-up.

01/08/2025

WE ARE ALL IN SALES EVEN IF YOU’VE NEVER HELD A SALES JOB

Think “sales” is just for people with targets and commission slips?

Think again.

Whether you're closing a client, convincing your child to eat vegetables, or trying to get your crush to reply faster than 2 business days you’re selling.

Here’s how it shows up in real life:

💬 In relationships:
You pitch yourself on the first date. You highlight your strengths ("I'm a good listener"), downplay your weaknesses ("I only watch football...sometimes"), and try to close the deal. That’s a sales pitch.

📚 In job interviews:
You’re not just answering questions. You’re positioning your value. “I’m passionate about growth” = sales. “I’m a team player” = sales. “I’m willing to learn” = a closing technique.

👶🏽 With children:
You want them to clean their room. You don’t scream (okay, sometimes you do). But most times? You negotiate. “If you clean your room, we can go for ice cream.” That’s a classic upsell.

🧠 In friendships:
Convincing your friend to try your business idea, attend your church, or choose your preferred restaurant is selling an experience.

💼 At work even if you’re not in sales:
Pitching ideas to your boss? Persuading a team member to support your project? That’s internal selling. The most successful professionals know how to sell ideas, vision, and themselves.

So yes you may not have a product.
You may never wear a name tag.
But you sell every single day.

If you want to succeed in business and life, stop saying “I’m not a salesperson.”
Instead, master persuasion, practice listening, and learn how to package value.

Because whether it’s love, money, jobs, or influence
you get what you can sell.

31/07/2025

Hiring without a contract is like dating someone who says, “Let’s not put a label on it.”

It feels exciting in the beginning.
They're showing up early, calling you "boss," even smiling during lunch.
You think, “This one is loyal.”
Until one day, boom they vanish with your client list, your laptop, and your dignity.

You try to confront them and they hit you with:
“But you never told me I couldn’t do that.”

📌 No job description.
📌 No working hours.
📌 No salary agreement in writing.
📌 No leave terms.
📌 No disciplinary process.

My guy, that’s not employment.
That’s vibes and risk.

Let’s be real ZRA, NAPSA, Labour Office don’t care if “you trusted them.”
They’ll ask for contracts.
They’ll ask if you gave them probation letters, warnings, and termination letters.
If you didn’t?
It’s YOU who’s in trouble.

👊 Protect your business.
📄 Put it in writing.
✅ Contracts are not for “big companies.”
They’re for serious ones.

31/07/2025

THE GATEMAN WHO COST ME K4 MILLION WHILE LISTENING TO SLAP DEE

Guys.

I lost a K4 million deal.
Because my gateman decided to act like the Minister of Defense.

Let me explain before I collapse.

So there I am in the office — sweaty, hungry, wig hanging on by edge control and prayer. ZESCO had just brought power back, my supplier sent packaging that looked like it was printed using dishwashing paste, and I was shouting things like, “So you expect me to deliver THIS?”

Just a normal Tuesday in Lusaka.

Then my receptionist runs in like her ancestors sent her.

She says, “Madam… there’s an email. You need to read it right now.”

Now me I’m thinking maybe someone finally paid, or it’s ZRA threatening my peace again. I open the email.

It’s from the investor I’ve been chasing since January.
The one I sent 5 versions of the proposal to.
The one I attached graphs, revenue projections, pie charts, and even Google Drive folders labelled “Final Final REAL FINAL.”

This man… decided to stop by the office.
Unannounced.
Wanted to “see how we run the place.”

And guess what?

He never made it past the gate.

He was turned away.
No one asked his name.
No one asked questions.
No one called me.
He just got bounced. Like a club bouncer on end-of-month Friday.

He ended the message by pulling out of the deal.
No emotion. Just vibes and rejection.

I froze.
You know that moment where your soul packs its bags and walks out without you? That was me.

I stormed out of the office, no shoes, just pure heartbreak.

And guess who I found?

Jackson.

The gateman.
Standing tall.
Listening to Slap Dee through his Itel Bluetooth.
Face fixed like he was guarding the President.
Hands behind his back like he’s about to shout, “Company... attention!”

I said, “Jackson. Did someone come today asking for me?”

He nods. Like it’s nothing.

“Ah yes. Some man came. Said he had business. But he was walking. No car. Looked too local. Just holding a notebook. I told him to come back next week.”

Just like that.
No shame. No stress. No sense of the K4 million he chased away like it was a chicken.

And the worst part?

He genuinely thought he was protecting me from disturbance.

That’s when it hit me:

I trained my sales team how to pitch.
Taught my socials girl how to say “Hi love 💕” in DMs.
Even trained my receptionist on how to say “Let me check with Madam.”

But the one man who meets everyone first?
I gave him a whistle and a folding chair.

And that’s how I lost a deal that could’ve changed everything.

Not because my idea was bad.
Not because my service sucked.
But because Jackson decided the man didn’t look like money.

Since that day, I stopped saying “just the gateman.”

Because that’s not just a gateman. That’s public relations, customer service, brand ambassador, and HR all in one starched uniform.

Every single person in your business is marketing your business.

The cleaner.
The driver.
The guy who sends clients change on a bike.
And yes the man who opens the gate while jamming to Slap Dee and deciding your destiny with his mood.

If your team doesn’t know what your brand stands for they’ll destroy it before clients even get a chance to experience it.

Train them.
Include them.
Because your next big investor might not come in a V-Class.
They might just walk in quietly... with a notebook...
And Jackson will send them away for looking “too humble.”

30/07/2025

HOW THE LUSAKA AGRICULTURAL SHOW TAUGHT ME THE MOST EXPENSIVE LESSON OF MY LIFE

Every entrepreneur in Lusaka has that one story that makes them laugh and cry at the same time. Mine is about the Lusaka Agricultural and Commercial Show, two moody salespeople, and a pile of money that vanished faster than a plate of nshima at a wedding.

My business was finally taking off. We supply high-quality, locally sourced honey. I decided this was the year to go big. The target? The Lusaka Agricultural and Commercial Show. This was our chance to get noticed by supermarkets, lodges, and everyday honey lovers.

So I went all in.

The stand fee alone felt like I was paying rent for a flat in Kabulonga. K15,000. Gone.
Then came the branding. Big, beautiful banners that could be seen from the ZAF fly-past. Sharp-looking branded t-shirts for the team. And 5,000 glossy flyers with a picture of our honey looking so good you could almost taste it.

I hired two salespeople, let's call them Bwalya and Mwape. In the interview, they were brilliant. They talked about targets, customer engagement, and building a sales pipeline. I thought I had found my dream team.

The show started on a Wednesday. The team looked sharp. The stand looked amazing. I thought to myself, "This is it. We are about to make it rain."

Oh, how wrong I was.

The Horror Show at the Showgrounds

I had other business to attend to, so I left Bwalya and Mwape in charge, checking in periodically.

My first visit on Thursday afternoon was my first sign of trouble. The showgrounds were buzzing. Music was blasting from the Movi TV stand, people were lining up for freebies everywhere, and the air was thick with excitement and the smell of roasted maize.

But at my stand? It was quieter than a library during exams.

I found Bwalya deep in his phone, scrolling through TikTok with the focus of a surgeon. Mwape was having a loud, very personal phone call behind the banner. A family of four walked up, looked at our honey, and then walked away because no one even bothered to say, "Muli bwanji?"

I walked up to them. "Ba guy, what's happening? People are passing."

Bwalya looked up from his phone, annoyed that I had interrupted his entertainment. "Ah, boss, these ones are just window shoppers. They won't buy."

Mwape ended his call and added, "True, boss. They are just looking for where they are giving free food."

When Your Sales Team Becomes Your Competition's Best Asset

The next day, I decided to watch from a distance. It was worse than I imagined.

A well-dressed man who looked like a lodge owner from Livingstone stopped. He picked up a jar of honey, clearly interested. Bwalya and Mwape were busy eating meat pies they had just bought. They glanced at him, and then went back to their food. The man put the jar down and walked straight to the competitor's stand next to us, where a smiling lady immediately engaged him. I felt my heart sink.

They weren't collecting phone numbers. The "leads book" I had bought was still sparkling new. When someone asked a question, the answer was a one-word reply. They spent more time planning their route to the beer garden than they did talking to potential customers.

The final straw was when an elderly woman asked, "Mwana, how much is this one?"

Bwalya, without looking up from his phone, mumbled, "K120."

She asked another question. He ignored her. She sighed, shook her head, and walked away. We didn't just lose a sale; we lost respect.

The Aftermath: Counting the Cost

When the show ended on Monday, I went to pack up. The banners were dusty. I had a box with about 4,950 flyers left.

Total sales for five days? K720. Just enough to cover their lunch money.
Total leads collected? Zero. Not a single phone number.

My huge investment was gone. Flushed down the drain by two people who were paid to represent my brand but acted like they were forced to be there. As we were packing up, Bwalya had the nerve to ask, "So boss, when are you paying our balance?"

I almost exploded.

The Lesson That Hit Harder Than a Lusaka Pothole

I learned something vital that week. Your product can be the best in Zambia. Your branding can be world-class. Your stand can be in the perfect spot.

But if the people you put in front of your customers have a bad attitude, you are wasting your money. Your salespeople are not just staff; they are your business. Their energy is your brand's energy. Their smile is your company's smile.

To Every Business Owner Preparing for an Expo:

Are you just hiring people, or are you building a team?
Do you assume they'll perform, or do you train and motivate them?

Two Tips to Avoid My Fate:

Hire for Attitude, Not Just a CV: A person who is positive, energetic, and willing to learn is a thousand times more valuable than a "seasoned" salesperson with a bad attitude. A smile makes more sales than a fancy title.

Incentivize Results, Not Just Attendance: Don't just pay a flat fee. Offer a commission for every sale made or every solid lead collected. Make them hungry for success, because their success is your success.

Final Word

If you’ve ever had your business represented by someone who looked bored, you know the pain I'm talking about. If you haven't, let my story be your warning.

Your biggest investment isn't the stand or the flyers. It's the people you choose to wear your t-shirt. Choose them wisely.

Have you ever had a similar experience? Share your story in the comments!

30/07/2025

If you need three phone calls, one notebook, and a silent prayer just to confirm stock levels… your business isn’t growing. It’s surviving.

Every second you spend chasing receipts, double-checking payroll, or begging staff to update you you’re losing money.

Odoo changes that.

✔️ All your operations in one place sales, stock, payroll, HR, even POS
✔️ Accessible on any gadget your phone, laptop, or tablet
✔️ Whether you're traveling, stuck in traffic, or at home you’re always in control

No more guesswork. No more chaos.
Just systems that speak to each other and to you in real time.

Smart Zambian business owners have already made the switch.
If you're still managing through WhatsApp and spreadsheets... you're being left behind.

30/07/2025

Have you ever had K18,000… and two weeks later you’re begging for K20 to buy sugar or data?

Like, the money was there. You touched it. You were even generous that day. You bought pizza. Gave someone talktime. You even said “keep the change” at Hungry Lion.

Now?

You’re refreshing your bank app like a prayer point and you have no idea where it all went.

That, my friend, is what happens when you run your business without bookkeeping.

You’re not broke because your business isn’t working.
You’re broke because you don’t know where your money is going.

Bookkeeping isn’t about being fancy or becoming an accountant.
It’s about knowing:

1. How much you actually made
2.What you spent it on
3. Who owes you
4.And whether you’re surviving or just performing stress.

Because let’s be honest being busy doesn’t mean you’re profitable.
And making sales doesn’t mean you’re growing.

You don’t need more clients right now.
You need to open your books.

M&J Zambia

03/08/2025

02/08/2025

01/08/2025

01/08/2025

01/08/2025

31/07/2025

31/07/2025

30/07/2025

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30/07/2025

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Monday	08:00 - 17:00
Tuesday	08:00 - 17:00
Wednesday	08:00 - 17:00
Thursday	08:00 - 17:00
Friday	08:00 - 17:00
Saturday	08:00 - 17:00