The journey so far: Isaac Kwaku Fokuo, founder, Botho Emerging Markets Group Published by Nelly Murungi on 31 October 2019 ‘Within the African context, we ought to have a certain hustle and start-up mentality in most of our business activities.’
The journey so far: Brad Magrath, co-founder, Zoona Published by Nelly Murungi on 29 October 2019 ‘No one performs at their best when you are exhausted and under pressure for long periods … find time to look after your whole self, not just your business.’
The journey so far: Ameer Sherif, CEO, BasharSoft Published by Nelly Murungi on 21 October 2019 ‘At times, we didn’t even have enough cash for office rent and had to change offices five times in two years.’
The journey so far: Leticia Osafo Addo, managing director, Samba Foods Published by Nelly Murungi on 3 October 2019 ‘I’m proud of starting a micro-initiative from my kitchen, with less than $10, that became a medium-scale agribusiness listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange.’
The journey so far: James Lightfoot, co-founder, The Latitude Hotels Group Published by Nelly Murungi on 16 September 2019 ‘Focus on profitability from the start, it does matter. In the tech age of apps and user numbers, people have lost sight of that.’
The journey so far: Temitope Ogunsemo, CEO, Krystal Digital Network Solutions Published by Nelly Murungi on 4 September 2019 ‘I have … embraced the season of failure, learning and capacity building that I have encountered over the years.’
Profit-making idea: Converting street hawkers into powerful marketing activators Published by Nelly Murungi on 26 August 2019 “Someone has to build a solution that turns hawkers into a far more productive activation force for businesses.”
The journey so far: Bright Simons, founder, mPedigree Published by Nelly Murungi on 23 August 2019 ‘Constant iteration is not merely a norm of innovative thinking, it has become the barrier across plain survival and instant obsolescence.’
The journey so far: Mawuli Tse, director, Solar Light Africa Published by Nelly Murungi on 19 August 2019 ‘After more than 20 years in the entrepreneurial space, and seeing all the companies that have fallen away, I can say that staying alive is in itself a big achievement.’
Profit-making idea: Protection against the devaluation of African currencies Published by Nelly Murungi on 12 August 2019 ‘I have always thought that there should be an app that allows its users to easily exchange funds into a reserve currency such as gold.’
The journey so far: Michail Myburgh, co-founder, Cash Flow Capital Published by Nelly Murungi on 9 August 2019 ‘No amount of experience as an employee will prepare you to be able to lead and build a company. The only way is to do it.’
The journey so far: Debbie Merdjan, CEO, Camelot Group Published by Nelly Murungi on 3 August 2019 ‘I have now learned to do a thorough due diligence prior to jumping into the deep end.’
Profit-making idea: Human capital development. That’s the big one. Published by Nelly Murungi on 30 July 2019 ‘If we can localise training and knowledge, learn to share it within the walls of Africa, we can have a breakthrough.’
The journey so far: Samuel Amanor, CEO, BlueSPACE Africa Published by Nelly Murungi on 29 July 2019 ‘If you don’t disconnect, business can consume everything, even your friends and family.’