Mavis is a very impressive entrepreneur and has made a great success out of her cross-border trading business, which she started 10 years ago. She told us that she started the business when she was just 25 and became a mother for the first time. She said she needed to find a way to support her children and as a mother she was very motivated to make this a success. She started by simply trading in clothes and small personal items, which she largely purchased in South Africa and then sold at retail in Zimbabwe, but now she has greatly expanded her business and in addition to clothes she also sells a lot of white goods to people in Zimbabwe and she has expanded her territory to include Tanzania. She travels regularly to these countries to purchase the items and then arranges delivery to Zimbabwe. She need to be a motivated and tough businesswoman in order to make this successful. Her job requires a lot of travel and great negotiation skills. She told us that since joining local microfinance organisation, Thrive, about 3 years ago she has really been able to grow her business since it provides her with a vital source of capital. Mavis often needs to make big purchases upfront and she requires adequate cash flow at all times. She told us that the economy is unstable in Zimbabwe and so the services offered by Thrive are even more important to a successful business. Mavis’ home is testament to her success, she was in the process of fitting a new kitchen and was the proud owner of her own car. She told us that after each successful business cycle she promises to invest in something useful for the family or her business and she likes to purchase something tangible as evidence of its success. Mavis told us that she loves to bake and she is hoping that together with her husband she will be able to expand into bakery in the near future.