The ragged road to riches

A businessman's success has its roots in a childhood dream in africa

When Enock Mundia left a small village in Africa with just a little change in his pocket and a one-way ticket to China, he had little idea about where his adventure would eventually take him.

Despite being a gifted student, the son of Zambian cattle farmers struggled to get into university at home but was awarded a scholarship to study for a diploma at Tianjin Textile College in 1988.

What followed is a story of hard work, determination and amazing success, offering motivation to those looking to set up business in China and hope for the thousands of African youngsters studying in the country.

Now, 24 years later, Mundia is a household name in the textile industry and the co-owner of a Chinese firm with annual turnover in excess of $60 million (45.17 million euros), producing clothes for some of the biggest brand names in the US and Europe.

As general manager and co-owner of Shanghai Liberty Apparel, he supplies clothes to many brands in the high street, from Adidas to Calvin Klein.

Lilume Textile, the company he founded in Zambia, is the country's biggest employer, and can track its success back to his childhood fascination with China.

"I was a very curious young boy, and at about 10 years old I kept wondering why everything I used to wear said 'Made in China'," Enock told China Daily. "Little did I know, several years later I would actually be made in China."

Born in Lilume village, in the Senanga district of Zambia in 1965, Enock is the fifth of nine children.

"My parents were both subsistence farmers. They owned a large herd of cattle, and had several maize, cassava and rice fields. My father was a good fisherman and hunter. My parents loved us all and taught us how to help each other. My father was a very generous man. He helped a lot of people in our area. He was the mediator in every conflict, and he was later chosen as chief of the area where we lived."

But the easygoing Mandia, now 47, had aspirations higher than farming.

While he often joined his brothers hunting and fishing, he also excelled as a student, getting top grades, despite being enrolled in a school environment divided by social class.

"Those from rich families associated with other rich kids only, while the poor kept to themselves," he says.

"Being from a poor family, it was hard for me to live with students whose parents were rich. Some of my classmates were brought to school in expensive cars, while I was using public transport - buses."

However, Mundia was elected class captain and performed well academically, so he caught the attention of teachers. Soon he was tutoring his classmates, rich and poor. During this time, Mundia would ask the families how they acquired their wealth.

"I planned to apply their secrets to make my family rich as well."

While he excelled in many areas, English was not one them. Following high school he failed to meet the language requirements to get into the University of Zambia and was forced to return home to help on the family farm.

Quickly growing disenchanted with farm life, he left shortly in search of something better, where, after moving several times and applying for several different jobs, he found a position as a bricklayer for Mulungushi Textiles Ltd.

"I knew absolutely nothing about bricklaying. But already I had something else in mind for myself."

With a strong academic background, he rose quickly through the ranks, going from bricklayer to manufacturer in one month. In less than a year, his employers offered to pay for his education, highly unusual given his junior ranking in the company.

"They gave me a choice: I could have either gone to Bulgaria or Russia, but because of that childhood fascination with China, I chose to come here."

Enrolling at Tianjin Textile College, Mundia started his China journey and began his climb to the top of the nation's textile industry.

More than 25 years after leaving Zambia, he has worked for some of the best known brands in the industry, gained an MBA and learned his trade while working at Eddie Bauer in Hong Kong and Liz Claiborne International in Shanghai.

In 2005 he decided to leave Liz Claiborne to start up Lilume Textiles using contacts and knowledge gained during 15 years in China.

"With the full support of my wife, I decided to take the challenge," he says.

Now, Shanghai Liberty Textiles Limited sends highly sought-after materials from its factory in Jintan, Jiangsu province, to upmarket fashion companies worldwide.

"Starting a company was the best decision in my professional life. I am now the general manager of a sizable garment factory boasting 3,500 employees and over $60 million in annual revenue," he says.

"Our company is specializing in high-end garment manufacturing for export to the US, Japan, Africa and Europe. We manufacture for some of the most highly regarded contemporary fashion brands in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, doing complex, highly specialized orders."

While Mundia is still the biggest employer in Zambia, China is ideal for running a world-class textile factory.

"The biggest advantage of China is its infrastructure. You find that transporting things from point A to point B is easy, so it's much easier to do business here.

"It's also a one-stop shopping point. If I want to source buttons, fabrics or other materials, I can do it in one place. Back in Zambia I would have to import many of those items.

"What makes the difference in keeping our clients happy despite these problems is how relentless and determined we are in finding solutions to deal with the situation. This attitude is not only my secret to success, but also the reason why my company is renowned in the industry for being able to handle orders that no other garment OEM manufacturer can handle. This is also why our factory is quite profitable compared to our peers."

He plans to expand operations and is looking for investors to help link Zambia's rich agricultural sector with China.

"Zambia's land is very fertile, and in the next 20 years China's demand is going to continue to grow, so I hope to make this connection between the two countries."

Contact the writer at toddbalazovic@chinadaily.com.cn