Meet Ebonie Mbeteni | International Hospitality and Tour Company Owner (Tanzania)

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ebonie Mbeteni and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ebonie, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
My life has been a series of unfulfilled talents. A pattern of what I felt was a chain of missed opportunities. There have been many occasions in my life where I have been on track to ultimately blast through the door of success just to have it locked right as I turned the key to unlock it. There were several huge life events for the sake of my family or those in my life that compelled me to lay my dreams aside. It became a theme, but with rage or remorse, these choices were not taken. Since nearly all of them were intentional, well thought out and deliberate, I never doubted the choices I made. However, as I grew older, I began to notice that blooming was becoming more complicated and less frequent for me. So, the transformation of Ebonie went from a craving to express, develop, and conduct my talents to an action plan. I made the option that I would do everything and anything to put myself out there and hopefully something would stick and flourish. I didn’t have a definite idea, I didn’t have a lot of resources, I didn’t even have the right equipment or set up, but I had a goal, a commitment, and a fire in my belly to figure it out and prosper! My talents were known to me, and I was about to build on them. I had just buried my dad in 2018, whom my husband and I had taken care of, from the moment he was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, until he took his last breath while I was holding his hand. As I watched him take his last breath and felt the life literally leave his body, I seemed to take my last breath in that chapter in my life. I was forever changed. In that moment, in that room, in my home it was just me and my Dad. He was leaving me and he needed me while he was sick as much as I needed the strength to do it all. It required so much strength for me to take care of my own 3 young children while watching my Dad die before our eyes but it also taught me so many lessons about life and perseverance. My husband and I planned, organized and executed, what we called “The Year of Dad”. Looking back I realized, in a strange way, I was creating my own internship while caring for my father. I was his primary care taker, who along with my husband created customized experiences for him every month of the last year of his life that created a memories that made him forget he was ill. I was in the process of doing hospitality and tourism in my home completely unaware that it was happening. I was already doing what would later become my business for my father in a weird twist if fate. After every event my dad would tell me how happy he was that he got to attend an NBA game, or have VIP seats at a musical, or attend the Symphony or see a play at the theater. While I was devastated this was my reality, our time together became a blessing. He always recognized my talents, I just needed to have enough patience to wait for the time to come to utilize my talents officially. My father lived his last year to the fullest doing more in that last year with my family than he had done his whole life. It was a sacrifice, it took patience, it took making the impossible possible with the help of medical staff but there was so much love, pride, rewards, memories and pure happiness in the end. I then learned that if I could care for my dying father’s daily needs while taking care of 3 young children, I could find time to start my dream of owning a business. What’s ironic is that my father’s illness was yet another moment when, for the sake of family, I once more thought I had to cast aside my ambitions. He was dying, so I was going to make sure that he was well cared for, and he needed a lot of care. He spent his last year in my house is surrounded by love, and boy did he live his best life! However, the detour did not end the way I thought it would and I did not react the way I thought I would. I thought I would never recover but instead when he took his last breath, I took my first breath to new beginnings and a changed mindset. While that experience seemed like a detour in my life plans, it was the missing piece to my entrepreneurial puzzle. Once I was able to look outside of myself and see the bigger picture, I realized everything I wanted to be and do lead me to this moment of truth. I always felt like I was 10 years behind where I should be. I had all these milestones for my life but I never achieved them when I thought I would. I had to let go of the stereotype that society puts on us about success. These experiences were critical to launching my own business, which required life experience and wisdom. I own two international hospitality and tourism businesses, First Class Africa and First Class Hospitality and I am a silent investor in other businesses. When I first began my journey as an entrepreneur I was all over the place. I didn’t know what would stick and what would flourish but I finally was able to see that my life was the blueprint for my vision. I started travelling internationally at the age of 15. That sparked an interest in other places, people and cultures that continued to grow as I got older. Fast forward to my 20’s and I graduated college with a BS in Business Management and Entrepreneurship. Then out of nowhere (at least that’s how it felt to me), I met and married the man of my dreams from another country. We had 3 beautiful children whom we raise in a bi-cultural environment splitting our time between my home country, the United States and his home country, Tanzania. We have always been a family who travels internationally. It was important to my husband and I that our children not only spend time in his country but also have the opportunity to see the world and develop a global understanding of people, places and other cultures. The summer of 2019 we took our children on a epic adventure to visit 7 different countries and it was absolutely amazing! We spent time in London, Paris, South Africa, Germany, Eswatini, Tanzania and Zanzibar. My international travels were always a popular conversation topic amongst friends, family and strangers. I had a passion for educating others about different places, people and cultures. I also love luxury and traveling in style and that was the missing piece of my entrepreneurial puzzle. That is what encompassed the evolution of Ebonie. My entire life was about being hospitable and travel. My husband and I have a tradition of having people over for dinner to cook foreign foods for them to taste, see and experience. We would serve them in the traditional way of that culture and spend the rest of the evening sharing stories and educating them about foreign places. My social media highlighted our travels and adventures and people would constantly ask to see and learn more. My family and our adventures are my sweet spot, my happy place, the place where I naturally thrive. So, finally I realized my passion, my purpose and my strengths were there all along. The experience of caring for someone I loved who was dying, seeing people on the streets of China, tasting amazing foods in Germany, touring a palace in France, talking to people about the Serengeti in Tanzania, jet skiing along the coast of Zanzibar, learning about King Mswati III in The Kingdom of Eswatini, all these things were an extension of Ebonie. I was and I am hospitality and tourism! I just had to embrace my life experiences and be grateful for all the wisdom and detours that brought me full circle to be the entrepreneur that I am today. Cheers to evolving into your purpose!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I own two international businesses where I am the Director and Founder. First Class Africa, located in Tanzania and First Class Hospitality, located in Eswatini. First Class Africa or FCA is headquartered in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. A country located along the Indian Ocean in East Africa. Tanzania is a large country geographically and is home to about 60 million people. Their national language is Kiswahili. Tanzania has been called the next Singapore with regards to their economic growth and potential. What makes Tanzania so unique is my connection to this country. Our family is Tanzanian-American. My husband is from Tanzania and I am American. It was a natural process to start a business there because of our connection to the country both professionally and personally. First Class Africa was developed organically from friends, family and associates asking me to assist them with their travels to the continent of Africa. Tanzania is home to some of the world’s best attractions such as Mt. Kilimanjaro (highest free-standing mountain in the world), The Great Migration in the Serengeti, Lake Victoria (2nd largest lake in the world), Lake Tanganyika (2nd deepest lake in the world), Ol Duvai Gorge where the oldest human bones in the world have been found, the Ngorongoro Crater and the beautiful Coastal Islands of Zanzibar. My business offers hospitality and tourism services for anyone who wants to visit, tour and move to the beautiful country of Tanzania. We offer assistance with services such as housing, schools, legal services, transportation, safari and beach excursions. What makes us unique is our 5-star white glove service. Tanzania, with all it’s beauty still has challenges that any developing country would. Customer service is still evolving on the continent of Africa. We provide a level of service that is not standard. Everyone on our team is native to Tanzania and an expert in their field. Our network of business connections, resources and knowledge allows us to ensure our clients have a smooth transition when exploring foreign land. We pride ourselves in offering piece of mind to our clients while under our care. We are the premier provider of your African experience. First Class Hospitality is headquartered in the Kingdom of Eswatini formerly Swaziland. The Kingdom of Eswatini is located in the Southern part of Africa. It has a population of about 1.14 million people and the official languages are Swazi and English. It is surrounded by South Africa on 3 sides. Eswatini is a country that is rich in culture and wildlife. The Ngwenya Mine which is found north of the Kingdom is considered to be the world’s oldest mine with iron deposits that are the oldest geological formations in the world. The country is the last absolute monarchy on the continent of Africa. Eswatini is ruled by King Mswati III who was the youngest crowned monarch in the world when he came to power in 1986. While this country is small in size (affectionally called Africa’s little lion) compared to a country like South Africa, Eswatini has so much to offer. Forbes names Eswatini the top 20 places to visit for tourism. The increase in tourists visiting the country also led to an increase in demand for exceptional customer service. First Class Hospitality or FCH in partnership with AHLEI (American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute), specializes in providing hospitality classes, training, certificates and diplomas. My business ensures that our students will be trained to deliver gold star white glove service to your customers and clients. At FCH we offer over 40 courses for anyone in need of training and certification from entry level to the CEO. We offer tailor made training for organizations and globally recognized hospitality certifications. Our gold star standard ensures your customers will receive first class services. The continent of Africa still has issues with infrastructure (although some countries have made great strides to improve theses issues), power outages, internet and customer service is still lacking, which makes conducting business or daily task a hassle. My companies helps to ensure our clients have a stress free transition into a new country. Our employees are all natives to the country who understand the language, culture and people. This allows us to navigate issues on our clients behalf so they never have to deal with the frustrations of dealing with local everyday challenges. We are there to turn challenges into comfort. We customize our services to fit our customers’ needs while in a foreign country. Our clients can spend their time enjoying their trip or service we provide while we do the work behind the scenes. Creating and operating a company from another country can be challenging, which is why finding the right partners is probably the single most important decision you will make outside of finding a person to marry. I have been fortunate to have partners who are not only natives but have a global understanding and mentality. Our mutual respect, loyalty and extreme work ethic has allowed us to build a business that has remained prosperous through a global pandemic while still delivering exceptional service to our clients. I sometimes wonder how we manage but I never doubt why. If you or someone you know is interested in experiencing an African adventure, my team and I would be honored to have the opportunity!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If I were to plan an epic trip for my best friend it would be in Tanzania for sure. Why choose Tanzania? Well, for starters, Tanzania is one of the few countries that offers every natural resource and adventure you can imagine. There are mountains, deserts, waterfalls, snorkeling, scuba diving, the Serengeti, exotic animals, amazing culture, delicious food, crystal clear ocean water, white sandy beaches and more. Now that I have your attention, lets begin! I would divide this adventure up into 3 chapters, Beauty, Beaches and Bongos. My adventure would require 3 weeks of unmatched lifetime memories. The first chapter is called Beauty. We would start our African adventure in Arusha where the Serengeti, Mt. Kilimanjaro and Ngorongoro Crater are located. In Arusha, we would stay for 5 days and 4 nights. We would go to the Serengeti to see the Big 5 ( lions, elephants, rhinos, leopards and buffalo). Then we will hop over to the Ngorongoro Crater where you can see more exotic animals and birds like flamingos and monkeys. We will also spend time at a village with the Massai tribe learning about their culture and history. Next we will go to Mt. Kilimanjaro and climb as high as our legs and lungs will allow and end the day at the bottom of a beautiful waterfall in that same area. Since we started our trip experiencing all the beauty that nature to offer it’s time to change gears. This chapter is called Bongos. Dar es Salaam is often referred to by natives as “Bongo land”. Dar is the business hub of Tanzania and largest city. During our time here we will go to a variety of restaurants, clubs and social events all sponsored by my company First Class Africa. One of the services that my company offers is tours. One tour is a Tour of Dar, where you can visit all the main attractions and learn about the history of Tanzania and it’s culture. At the end of this tour we would participate in an interactive cooking session and learn how to make some local dishes. Another tour that we will be able to experience through my company is Dar by Night. This is a tour where we would go to 3 night clubs with a driver and private transportation and dance the night away making fun memories to talk about over the next 20 years! Our last stop will be the coastal island of Zanzibar. This chapter is called Beaches! The white sandy beaches of Zanzibar and the warm, crystal clear water of the Indian ocean is unmatched. We will start in Stone town and take a cultural tour with my company to see where Freddy Mercury was born, visit a slave chamber, go on a Spice tour and grab come unique souvenirs. The we will spend the remainder of our trip in the Nungwi area where the best beaches are. While there my company will organize some activities like snorkeling, swimming with turtles, going to the Jozani Forest to see the Red Columbus monkey (only found in Zanzibar), feed tortoises on Prison Island and jet ski in the Indian Ocean. I will make sure we have plenty of time just to relax and drink exotic cocktails on the beach while eating some of the best fresh seafood in the world. Before we board the plane to return to America we will have lunch at the famous Rock Restaurant, located in the ocean just outside the shoreline in Zanzibar. After this trip, you will never be the same! Africa is a warm hug while sleeping on white sand, enjoying the ocean tickle your toes as you dream about the lions mane blowing in the wind in the Serengeti under the orange glow of the sunset.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
First and foremost. I want to thank my husband and children who are always my biggest supporters and give me encouragement daily. You guys are the wind beneath my wings! I love you all so very much! I also want to say thank you to all the people who have supported me, encouraged me and gave me a hand up during this journey of uncharted territory. There are too many people to name but in my YouTube community all my supporters are affectionately called Ebonites. So, to all the Ebonites out there, I sincerely thank you. Your support means everything to me and more.

Website: www.firstclass-africa.com

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/EbonieMbeteni

Image Credits
photo credit : wandermamaphotography.com (individual pictures only)