A business growth strategist, and a champion of authentic business coaching for entrepreneurs everywhere, Tawanda has spent his career working with corporates and startups in Toronto focusing on strategy, sales and relationship management.

A storyteller, Tawanda captivates audiences with contagious energy, compassion and humour. He is most passionate about helping entrepreneurs discover, develop and master their authentic voices so they can lead and inspire their best customers.

Prior to founding Becoming a Willing Student, Tawanda founded and ran The Willing Student Company, a strategy and business development firm for early-stage professional services entrepreneurs, and iSustain Africa, a startup accelerator that helped African entrepreneurs build sustainable businesses while creating long-term value for themselves and the communities in which they live and work. Tawanda founded his first entrepreneurial venture in 2008, a social enterprise that partnered with high schools in designing alternative, non-traditional, and sustainability-oriented leadership development programs for their students.

Tawanda has also held various roles in corporate social responsibility and engagement, including as a Corporate Engagement Manager with World Vision Canada where he was part of the team helping companies meet their business needs while empowering the most vulnerable children and communities around the world. He also worked as a CSR Brand Manager for Do Some Good, a digital marketing firm, leading the growth of their community engagement platform, and helping companies leverage the platform to boost their brands and social impact.

Prior to that, Tawanda was a Corporate Engagement Manager with Imagine Canada where he led in the development and management of the Caring Company Certification, the largest corporate community investment accreditation program in Canada. In this role, Tawanda worked and partnered with leading Canadian brands helping them design forward thinking community investment strategies while increasing these brands' annual giving percentage to a minimum of 1% of their pre-tax profit.

Tawanda is on a mission to be a refreshing voice in the entrepreneurship space by providing an honest approach in getting the best return on your investment. His passion is building authentic businesses that inspire and prosper.

He holds an MA in Sustainable Development from Staffordshire University, and a BSc in Psychology from the University of Zimbabwe. Born and raised in Marondera, Zimbabwe, Tawanda lives in Toronto, Canada.