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24 July 2026

Become a Software Engineer

Yes, I think it is viable, but I would not launch it exactly as "$50 and anyone can sign up." Given what you've told me about your platform and your goal of serving schools at scale, I would make it a managed self-service platform.

Think of it like this:

Schools visit your website

 
www.skunet.org
 

They click:

Create My School Website

Then they:

  1. Register their school.
  2. Verify their email and phone number.
  3. Pay the setup fee (e.g. US$50).
  4. Instantly receive:
    • schoolname.skunet.org
    • Admin login
    • Default website template
  5. Start uploading:
    • Logo
    • School history
    • Staff
    • News
    • Events
    • Gallery
    • Contacts

No intervention from you is required.

Why I think this has potential

Schools increasingly expect to manage their own websites rather than email content to a developer.

Your platform already supports multiple schools from one codebase, which is exactly the architecture needed for a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) offering.

Instead of selling websites one at a time, you're selling access to a platform.

I would change the pricing model

Rather than:

US$50 once

I'd consider something like:

  • Setup: US$50
  • Hosting & support: US$5–10/month

or

  • US$100/year

Recurring revenue is much more valuable than one-time payments.

For example:

  • 100 schools × US$100/year = US$10,000/year
  • 500 schools × US$100/year = US$50,000/year
  • 1,000 schools × US$100/year = US$100,000/year

That's before selling additional modules.

Offer upgrades

Start with a website, then let schools add:

  • School Management System
  • Fees Management
  • Library
  • Lea ing Management System
  • Alumni
  • Online Admissions
  • AI Assistant

Each module becomes an additional revenue stream.

One thing I would add

Before making a school publicly visible, require approval from your team. That helps prevent spam, fake schools, and inappropriate content while still allowing genuine schools to get started quickly.

I think this SaaS approach has greater long-term potential than building every website manually. Once the onboarding process is polished, every new school can sign up, pay, and start using the platform with very little effort from you.
23 June 2026

The clubs

Using ZB Bank should mean your transaction was processed at the official bank exchange rate. Since your receipt shows the total cost as ZWG 281.03, the bank converted your US$10 into ZiG at the official rate applicable on that day, which is the reason for the units received.

Here is a breakdown of the transaction based on your receipt:

  • Exchange Rate Implied: US$10 converted to approximately ZWG 281.03 (the total cost including levies). This implies an official exchange rate of about **ZWG 28.10 per US$1** at the time of purchase.

  • Unit Cost: You paid ZWG 281.03 for 41.04 kWh, which equals approximately ZWG 6.85 per kWh.

  • REA Levy: The 6% Rural Electrification Levy (ZWG 15.91) is included in your total.

Here is the standard block tariff structure for reference:

 
 
Consumption Block (Units) Price per Unit (ZWG)
1st 50 kWh ZWG 4.69
51st to 100th kWh ZWG 6.85
Over 100 kWh ZWG 7.52

Based on the above:

  1. First 50 units cost: 50 × ZWG 4.69 = ZWG 234.50.

  2. Remaining funds: ZWG 281.03 - ZWG 234.50 = ZWG 46.53.

  3. Additional units at higher rate: ZWG 46.53 ÷ ZWG 6.85 = 6.79 units.

This totals approximately 56.79 units if the entire amount were used for the first blocks, which doesn't match your receipt. Your receipt shows 41 kWh.

To clarify the discrepancy, consider these factors:

  1. Bank Charges: ZB Bank may have deducted a transaction fee or service charge from the US$10 before converting the balance into ZiG for the electricity purchase. If the net amount credited to ZESA was less than US$10, this would result in fewer units.

  2. Date and Rate Fluctuation: The official exchange rate fluctuates. Your transaction might have used a higher rate than ZWG 28.10. If the rate was ZWG 34.50 per US$1, the conversion would yield fewer units.

  3. Applied Tariff: It is possible the system applied the higher tariff (ZWG 6.85) to all units purchased instead of starting with the cheaper first block. For example, ZWG 281.03 ÷ ZWG 6.85 = 41.02 kWh, which matches your receipt exactly. The ZESA system may have bypassed the subsidized first block for this specific token generation.

The banks use the official RBZ rate. To get the exact calculation, check your ZB Bank statement or SMS alert to see the exact ZiG amount that was converted and sent to ZESA.

 
 
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