2020 has been one interesting year. Though if I’m being honest the past four years have been one hell of a ride.
Back in 2017 still at the age of 21, I had this insane dream of starting a talk show.
Early 2018 excited and naive, I pitched my idea to a company we will call company x and I was simply told they had their own similar idea and they were embarking on that.
Want to know a secret? They didn’t.
Anyway, I went home with my tail between my legs and told my sister, who enthusiastically said why don’t we do it ourselves.
There were important reasons not to do it. Number one being we had no cameras or equipment and most importantly no money to do anything.
But we did the brave thing; we asked. We weren’t afraid to ask and that’s how #NoFilter came to be.
Which brings me to the very important lessons I learnt through this.
Lesson number 1: Do not be afraid to ask and be nice to everybody!
On a radio interview later I was asked how I met the ladies on our panel.
And well at 19, just having finished my A-Level but unable to afford university, I met a guy at a party. I told him about all these dreams I had and he gave me a number and told me to call it. Nervous the next day I called this number which belonged to Chido Musasiwa-Gutu, the best boss in the entire world.
I was a volunteer, but that time and journey opened up my world. She introduced me to Zaza, to Ammara and the other people who’ve been instrumental to the success of #NoFilter.
And all this happened through talking to a stranger one day.
Networking is important.
Patience Musa and Ruvheneko worked with my sister and so did Tate (who would later become my second boss) and when we asked them why they agreed to do the show with us, Patience laughably said, ‘she couldn’t say no to such a nice person.’
In Shona they say, ‘Ziva kwawabva kwaunoenda husiku,’ and honestly, I can’t stress this enough. Build relationships because without the people who will stand behind your dreams, we can not succeed. Treat everyone like they might one day be a part of your future.
If you have a dream ASK. The worst thing someone can say is no. We’ve received a lot of no’s but this just made all the yes’s that much sweeter.
Lesson number 2: Don’t give up and surround yourself with the right people
Soon after asking and getting this amazing cast of women to agree, I heard the loudest knock on the door.
Imagine me, in a blue messy bun slowly walking to the door thinking what the hell.
It was bill collectors.
If this has ever happened to you, you know the feeling.
They took all the couches, the fridge, that wasn’t ours, table, chairs and we had three days to get out.
‘How did this even happen? We were paying rent. They can’t just put us out on the street,’ I thought.
Three days later, all our bags, beds, pots and plates were on the street.
I called the only person I could call, one of the best friends one can ask for. First night with a small bag between my sister and I, we slept at one of the presenter’s houses.
We didn’t have the time to be homeless. We had a show to put on.
A month later we found a place to stay.
Once again we used the power of asking and 1+1 surprisingly agreed to be our venue. We brought friends together to act as our crew and asked different people in the industry for equipment and they came through.
With zero dollars, and fresh from being homeless, we managed to put on our very first clips.
It would take another year to be able to finish doing our very first season, but this time taught me the power of surrounding yourself with the right people.
Life can look daunting right now, the future might be unclear but if you have a dream, don’t give up on it. You have two choices, to sit down and let the trials and tribulations that life brings keep you down or you can keep on going.
I never gave up and we started even when we had no reason to.
So whatever you’re trying to do, just start.
Written by Amanda Marufu. She is a Digital Marketer, Writer, Producer and co-founder of Visual Sensation. She hopes to leverage her passion and vantage point to further spread awareness of Digital Media and how it can help uplift and provide sustainable solutions for communities. Follow her on @mandytait52.
