If you’re an aspiring entrepreneur, be prepared for failure, but always keep your eyes on success.
Leone Nabaraki from Nasigatoka Village in Rewa is a shining example of “make it till you break it”.
Today, he operates a thriving riverside cafe at Nasali Landing which also serves as a second-hand clothing outlet, as well as caters for the water taxi operators by being a one-stop shop for fuel.
While it hasn’t been smooth sailing for the Rewa man, he is certainly not one to give up. With a supportive wife and children by his side, Leone emphasised that only through focus, discipline, and time management he is where he is today.
He finished off high school at Davuilevu’s Lelean Memorial School and settled down shortly after with his wife in 2005.
It was at this point that as a couple, they began to plan about setting up a business venture that could support their young family and also grow into something their children could fall back to.
In 2006 they took their first small step by setting up a stall at the supermarket selling vegetables and root crops.
“In 2015, we started a food business, so I got my licence done and started delivering food packs to customers around Suva who placed orders,” Leone said.
“After that, we slowly expanded into Nausori where we would set up every evening and then close up after the nightclubs would close.”
Leone stated that despite this, they still longed to set-up their business in a more permanent location to ensure the stability of their operations.
“When COVID-19 struck, it seriously affected us as we could no longer travel from house to house delivering orders, so we set-up a second-hand clothing business based at home.
“I later approached my uncle who owned a piece of land at the Nasali Landing and he offered me this spot,” Leone said.
When the lockdowns came to an end and the pandemic was under control, Leone shifted their business from their home in the village to the piece of land at the landing.
Leone revealed that from his point of view, it made sense to set up there given that it is always teeming with commuters and visitors travelling to and from the villages in Rewa.
“So, we successfully shifted the clothing and food business and then we added the fuel business as well later on.”
Leone shared that at 18 years of age, he was already dreaming of starting a business of his own, so the various business ventures were nothing new for him.
“I managed to get a loan with the Fiji Development Bank (FDB) at 18 years of age and started a water taxi business here at Nasali and also sold premix to the other operators,” he said.
Tragedy would strike however later as his business was taking off when he came down with an illness that left him unable to work for three years.
“My wife had to take care of things when I was sick, and this was when our business started to decline.”
Later, as he slowly recovered, an opportunity presented itself in the form of an overseas seasonal workers program.
Leone signed up, underwent a preliminary fitness test, passed, and was selected to travel abroad in 2018.
“This was my first work trip under the program, and I am so grateful to my employers for recognising the talent in me and giving me that opportunity.”
He would be selected again in 2019 and upon returning a year later, had saved enough money to revitalise his business venture.
“Last year I was called up for a third time and I was fortunate to also travel with my wife. We returned earlier this year, and we have been working tirelessly to set-up this business (cafe) ever since,” Leone said.
The Nasigatoka man agrees that the three trips overseas and the observations he made about how businesses are run there — opened his eyes and mind to new and innovative ways of doing business.
“The biggest lesson for me is time management. Not to waste a single second. I noticed upon returning that some of my family members still struggled with this concept and I am doing all I can to help them.”
As we are right in the middle of the festive season, Leone is working round-the-clock to get all the upgrades to the cafe’s facilities done by Christmas.
He stated that they open at 6am daily and close after the last bus does its drop-offs at the landing.
“We serve breakfast and lunch. At the moment, the 30 food packs we make are still not enough to cater for the demand, which we are working hard to meet,” Leone said.
“Our customers range from the water taxi operators based at the landing, to schoolteachers across the river, as well as villagers and commuters.”
The busiest periods at the landing are normally from Thursday to Saturday, which according to Leone are the peak periods for people travelling to and from the villages. He also mentioned that when village functions take place, it draws huge crowds to Nasali.
Looking to the future, Leone is not satisfied and plans to further expand his operations into the night by turning the cafe into a kava bar in the evening.
With the support of his wife, he is also planning to purchase land for commercial farming to supply produce for this food business.
Leone stated that looking back at his journey of struggle and seeing how much he has achieved today, he has adopted a spirit of giving back, especially towards the welfare of the students of Rewa.
Coffee and fresh fish and cassava with a side of salad. A typical lunch combination at Leone’s cafe.
Picture: Lenaitasi Cavuilati
A customer enjoys the fresh breeze and scenic view while having lunch.
Picture: Lenaitasi Cavuilati
Premix drums and gallons on standby for purchase by boat operators. Picture: Lenaitasi Cavuilati
Men’s and women’s clothing on display. Picture: Lenaitasi Cavuilati
