When you think about small businesses and local merchants, you know that they are the engine that fuels economies all over the world. This is true everywhere you look, including in Africa, where Anu Adasolum works as the founder and CEO at Sabi, a company that is helping informal merchants and businesses reach new heights. For too long, the tens of thousands of small, local merchants in Africa have operated without much help, credit, or access to technology. But while they have stayed the course, the world has moved forward toward a more digitally-focused future. To succeed long-term — in Africa and everywhere else — all businesses need access to opportunities to build credit, digitize their operations, and connect with suppliers and buyers everywhere. On this episode of Up Next in Commerce, Anu explains how Sabi provides those opportunities. She also discusses how B2B companies should be thinking about helping their clients succeed by focusing only on a narrow set of goals. Plus, she dives into what it takes to navigate through scaling a company. Enjoy this episode!

Main Takeaways:

• The Pain Point is Access: For too long no one was doing the work of helping small businesses in Africa gain access. Small, local merchants were out on their own, and no banks or other creditors were even trying to lend to them, which has stunted their growth. By granting access to these merchants, they have an opportunity they never had access to before.
• It’s Not Just About Digitization: Sabi is really about understanding the network of traders, building profiles, and then helping small businesses establish themselves and build trust in a way that allows them to succeed. Small businesses and informal traders have often been seen as a risk for investors, and in order for them to grow, a middle party is needed to de-risk the opportunity to build up these businesses.
• Focus On What Matters: When you think about how you can improve sales and reduce costs for your customers, then you start to eliminate the tendency to force users into apps or channels or to use tools that don’t serve them. When you avoid that pitfall, you create a much better experience for your customers and you force yourself to focus only on what will help your company grow.

For an in-depth look at this episode, check out the full transcript below. Quotes have been edited for clarity and length.

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For a full transcript of this interview, click here.