We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Mwenzela Ndhlovu a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Mwenzela, appreciate you joining us today. Can you tell us about a time that your work has been misunderstood? Why do you think it happened and did any interesting insights emerge from the experience?

To be very blunt with you, yes.

Many are the times when a Finance Professional like myself tends to be mischaracterized based on what we decide to show on social media.

As a lifestyle digital creator, my life can be said to be ‘out there’. Where I decide to eat, what I wear, where I shop etc. So when I walk into the office on a Monday as a senior in the company I work for, sometimes, people tend to have opinions. Both good and bad.

And I guess it comes with the platform.

Not every person that consumes my content perceives it how I intend for it to be perceived. For those that do, great! It means I’m doing something right.

And for those that don’t, well, I guess they just aren’t my target audience.

And when this does happen, I try my best to learn my lesson, if any, which many of the times is to show up as my full authentic self regardless of what some people might have to say about it.

All In all I would say professionals tend to look at digital creators as ‘unserious’ or ‘unprofessional’ because the creative field is not as rigid as the professional one.

Then there’s me, that’s a part of both.

So, like I said, it comes with the platform. But I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Mwenzela, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Mwenzela Chikumbi Ndhlovu, which is the name I am professionally known by, but on social media, many people know me as Zee Ndhlovu. I like to describe myself as multifaceted because I do not fit into just one box. I am both a professional in the finance and accounting industry and a content creator who uses digital platforms to share my life, my faith, my experiences, and lessons that I believe can inspire other people.

Professionally, I work in the accounting and audit space. I am currently an Audit Supervisor at a firm of chartered accountants. My journey into accounting was quite straightforward in the sense that I pursued the necessary qualifications, even though it look me longer than I had expected, applied for opportunities, and began building my career like many other professionals do. However, what I believe sets me apart is how quickly I have been able to grow and prove myself in the industry. I am only 22 years old, and in under two years, I have grown into a supervisory role. That is something I do not take lightly. It reflects my work ethic, discipline, ability to learn quickly, and willingness to take on responsibility at a young age.

In the accounting industry, I believe one of my strengths is leadership. I have had to develop the ability to manage tasks, work with people, pay attention to detail, and remain dependable in a field that requires accuracy, integrity, and professionalism. Audit work comes with pressure, deadlines, and high expectations, but I have learned to carry those responsibilities with maturity. I am proud that I have been able to show that young people, especially young women, can take up space, lead, and excel in professional environments.

Alongside my career in finance and accounting, I am also a content creator. I have been creating content professionally since 2021, although my love for content started long before that. I remember being in my parents’ backyard when I was still living at home, pretending to film YouTube videos. I would have these little “mini interviews” with myself and say things like, “Hey guys, welcome back to my YouTube channel,” then talk about random topics as though I already had an audience. Eventually, one day I decided to stop imagining it and actually do it. I picked up a camera, created a channel, and started.

Since then, content creation has become a big part of who I am. My content is mainly centered around my life, but not in a way that is only about showing people what I do. For me, it is about sharing parts of my story that can encourage, inspire, or speak to someone else. I talk about my relationship with God, my personal journey, work, relationships, growth, and the realities of navigating life as a young woman with big dreams.

What sets me apart as a content creator is that my life itself carries a message. I come from Luanshya, a small town on the Copperbelt in Zambia, and I know what it feels like to come from a place where big dreams can sometimes feel far away. But I also know that with hard work, faith, self-belief, and consistency, it is possible to build something meaningful. That is one of the main messages I want my platforms to communicate.

Across Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, I have built a community of about 21,800 followers. While I may not have hundreds of thousands of followers, I deeply value the community I have. For me, it has never just been about numbers. It has been about impact. I want people to come across my content and feel seen, encouraged, challenged, or reminded that they can also become more than what their environment may have told them they could be.

The problems I solve through my work and platform are not always traditional “business problems.” In accounting and audit, I help bring structure, accuracy, and accountability to financial processes. In content creation, I solve a different kind of problem: the lack of relatable, faith-filled, ambitious, and honest representation for young people who are trying to figure life out while still pursuing greatness. I want people, especially young girls and young women, to see someone like me and think, “If she can do it, maybe I can too.”

I am most proud of the fact that I have been able to grow in two very different spaces at the same time. Being an audit supervisor at 22 is something I am extremely proud of, but so is building a content platform that reflects my values and inspires people. I am proud of my resilience, my discipline, my courage to start, and my willingness to keep showing up even when the journey is not always easy.

What I want potential clients, followers, and supporters to know about me and my brand is that everything I do is rooted in purpose. Whether I am working in audit, creating content, sharing my faith, or telling parts of my story, I want my work to have meaning. I want to be known as someone who is hardworking, authentic, faith-driven, ambitious, and intentional.

At the core of who I am is a young woman who believes deeply in God, in growth, in excellence, and in using her story to inspire others. I want my brand to remind people that where you come from does not have to limit where you are going. With faith, hard work, consistency, and belief in yourself, you can become everything you were meant to be.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Here’s a polished version that keeps your voice, story, and message clear:

The story of how I built my audience on social media is actually quite funny because I created my Instagram account around 2017, when I was in Grade 10. At the time, I was not thinking of it as a brand or a platform. It was just a social media account. But as I mentioned before, I started creating content more professionally in 2021, and that is when I began to take the idea of sharing my life, thoughts, and experiences more seriously.

When it comes to building an audience, I will be very honest: having thousands of followers came after the fact. It was never the main reason I started creating content. For me, content creation has never really been about trying to get as many people as possible to follow me, like my posts, or engage with my content. It has always come from a place of genuinely enjoying what I do and wanting to share parts of my life and the things I love.

I believe my platform grew because I was consistent with creating content that felt true to me. I know that sounds cliché because people always say, “Just show up, be consistent, and eventually people will find you,” but there is truth in that. Growth does not always happen overnight, and it does not always happen in the way you expect. Sometimes you keep creating without seeing major changes, and then slowly, the right people begin to connect with your content.

For example, on Instagram, I currently have about 12,400 followers, and I know some people may look at that and think it is a lot. But there was a time when I was stuck at around 10,000 followers for the longest time. I remember feeling like maybe my growth had stopped or maybe I was not posting content that people were relating to anymore. But over time, I realized that no matter what you post, some people will follow, some people will unfollow, some people will resonate with you, and some people will not. That is just part of social media.

What matters most is staying true to yourself. You have to post the content you genuinely love creating, because eventually, your target audience will find you. If you are constantly trying to please everyone, you may end up losing the very thing that makes your content unique.

One thing that has really helped me is consistency. I will admit that right now I am not as consistent as I used to be, mainly because I have a full-time job and life comes with other demands. Sometimes work gets very busy, and I cannot always post YouTube videos every week or pictures on Instagram as often as I would like. But in the seasons where I was very consistent, I saw how much it helped my platforms grow.

Another thing that helped me was trying to create high-quality content that people could resonate with. I am a perfectionist, so I rarely post content that I personally do not like. I care about how my content looks, how it feels, and whether it reflects me well. But at the same time, I have also learned that you cannot wait for everything to be perfect before you start. Sometimes you have to post, learn, improve, and keep going.

On YouTube, for example, I currently have about 5.7K subscribers. Some people may think that is a lot, while others may compare it to bigger creators and feel like it could be more. But I always come back to the fact that your growth depends on your personal goals. Not everyone’s journey will look the same, and not everyone is building for the same reasons.

My advice to anyone just starting to build their social media presence is to start with what you genuinely love. Do not begin by chasing numbers, trends, or validation. Begin by asking yourself what you enjoy creating, what message you want to share, and who you want to impact. When your content comes from a genuine place, people can feel that.

I would also say: be consistent, but be realistic with yourself. Show up as much as you can, in whatever season of life you are in. If you can post every week, do that. If you can only post a few times a month, still show up with intention. Consistency does not always mean posting every single day; sometimes it means refusing to quit.

Most importantly, do not be discouraged by slow growth. There will be seasons where it feels like nobody is watching, nobody is engaging, or your numbers are not moving. But if you keep creating content that is true to you, keep improving, and keep showing up, the right audience will eventually find you.

For me, building an audience has been less about becoming popular and more about building a community. I want the people who follow me to connect with my story, my faith, my journey, and the lessons I share. That is what matters most to me.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding part of being an artist or creative is simply being creative.

As someone who also works in a very professional industry, I think people often assume that those of us in accounting or auditing live very structured, serious, or even boring lives because we are constantly working. There is this common misconception that if you are in finance, audit, or accounting, then your life must only revolve around spreadsheets, deadlines, and office work.

But then there is me.

From 9 to 5, I am working hard in my professional career, showing up as an audit supervisor, handling responsibilities, and doing what needs to be done. But outside of that, I get to step into another side of myself. I create content, attend brand events, do my makeup, get dressed up, film, connect with other creatives, and express myself in a completely different way.

In many ways, it feels like I live a double life – but in the best way possible.

Content creation gives me an outlet. It allows me to express parts of myself that I may not always be able to express in a corporate or professional environment. At work, there is a certain level of structure, seriousness, and professionalism that comes with the job. But through content, I get to be playful, expressive, stylish, vulnerable, thoughtful, and free.

That is what I love most about being a creative. It gives me room to explore different parts of who I am. It allows me to tell stories, share experiences, create beautiful things, and connect with people who understand what it feels like to be behind the camera, to have ideas, to build something from nothing, and to put pieces of yourself into your work.

I also genuinely enjoy the community that comes with creativity. Being around people who think creatively, who understand the effort behind content, and who appreciate the process is very rewarding. There is something special about being in spaces where people understand the work, the vision, and the passion that goes into creating.

So, for me, the most rewarding part about being a creative is being a creative. The freedom to express myself, to connect, to inspire, and to exist beyond one title or one version of myself.

Honestly, I think having a creative mind is such a gift. God really snapped on that one.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zee_ndhlovu/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mwenzela-c-ndhlovu-75426a280/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ZeeNdhlovu