The Afropreneur

Dear Entrepreneur,

Failure is part of your Entrepreneurial Journey because it is risky and has no-assured guarantee of success.

Sometimes it feels like all the odds are against you and every step takes you some steps backwards rather than forward.

It is worthy of note that every successful entrepreneur has failed at one point one time or the other. You can listen to our episode with Yusufa and Mommar to hear them describe how they found a way to succeed even in the face of adversity.

Here are some of the key points from this episode:

* Be prepared to fail

* Don’t feel defeated, accept the pain and move on.

* Take responsibility but don’t drown in self pity.

* Plan plan plan!

* Take note of all the lessons

* Get a strong team and be accountable to someone.

* Be innovative with the process not just the product.

* Make changes, downsize if you have to, pivot if your services or products arent doing well in the market

* Don’t be afraid to start again

* Whatever you do, thou shall not quit.

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A lot of people want to become freelancers because they don’t want to be bogged by the regular 9-5 cycle but they fail to realize that freelancing isn’t easy, you can’t just sit at home and expect work to come to you.

Freelancing doesn’t start when you quit your job, it starts immediately you decide to be a freelancer.

Initially freelancing can be very challenging and would require all the resolve you’ve got.

We spoke to Eromo Egbejule on his life as a freelancer and all you require to be a successful freelancer.

Below are points taken from the podcast:

* Network!!!!!

* Work and build your personal brand! You are your brand.

* Don’t be afraid to contact everyone. Literally everyone!

* Plan, plan, plan. Do not undervalue the time taken to plan

* Take note of your competition, do better than them.

* Build a memorable brand because whether you agree or not, you are an entrepreneur and it is your strong brand that will improve your reputation and your quality.

Ask Ask Ask, but prepare, because Preparation meets Opportunity

If You Enjoyed the Show

You can subscribe to The Afropreneur Podcast on iTunes and Stitcher. Please also leave an honest review on iTunes and Stitcher. If you want to hear more news from The Afropreneur Podcast including and beyond the podcasts, join the enewsletter mailing list.

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Dear Afropreneurs,

Doing business in Africa can be tough, more so when you have big competitors operating in your industry. In a recent survey conducted by smartcompany, it was discovered that 61% of SME owners said small businesses failed because of an inability to manage costs, 50% said inexperienced management, 50% said poorly designed business models or no business plan, 49% said insufficient capital, 37% said poor or insufficient marketing, and 35% said insufficient time managing the books.

SMEs do not necessarily fail because of the monopoly of the market caused by big competitors, they fail because they fail to compete smartly. Below are ways your business can survive the competition:

* Cut your costs by being more efficient in your processes. Instead of travelling for business meetings, consider skyping or calling. Instead of spending so much money on printing documents and invoices, invest in digitizing your processes.

* Focus on retaining customers. Use loyalty schemes, small discounts and regular communications.

* Work on delivering outstanding customer service.

* Target your marketing appropriately.

* Use your online platforms efficiently

* Trim down your offerings, concentrate on what will sell

* Keep your staff happy

We would love to hear from you, do share your thoughts in the comment section or drop a comment on our Facebook or Twitter.

If You Enjoyed the Show

You can subscribe to The Afropreneur Podcast on iTunes and Stitcher. Please also leave an honest review on iTunes and Stitcher. Be the first to know what The Afropreneur is up to, join the enewsletter mailing list.

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Dear Afropreneurs,

Risk is a part of human existence, so why do we tend to run away from it?

The decision to be an entrepreneur or business owner is a risk you took, and for some this has started bearing fruits.

We spoke to an Amazing African Entrepreneur now making waves in Denmark, Yusufa Sey. Yusufa is the CEO of AthGene , regarded as one of the most innovative startups in Denmark.

Yusufa shared his insight on the topic “Taking risks to get ahead”

Here are key takeaways from our conversation:

* Embrace risks, because they form a part of our existence

* Leverage on others to reduce risk

* Build a strong team

* Test your assumptions, take your idea to the market and test them

* Stay lean

* there are more points in the audio file below

 

“Just do it, keep pushing, it’s going to hurt but it will be worth it in the end”

If You Enjoyed the Show

You can subscribe to The Afropreneur Podcast on iTunes and Stitcher. Please also leave an honest review on iTunes and Stitcher. If you want to hear more news from The Afropreneur Podcast including and beyond the podcasts, join the enewsletter mailing list.

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Hello Afropreneurs,

As entrepreneurs we have all encountered difficult clients at one time or the other, if you haven’t you will soon. How do you then handle them?

Is the Customer always right? Should you always bend to the needs of the customer/clients?

Here are key points from our conversation:

* Always document the agreements between you and your clients

* Learn to give regular updates

* There are times you will have to say ‘No’ to your clients

* Be patient and communicate wisely

Listen to more of what we had to say in the audio file below:

Do you have business insights you will want to share based on experience or knowledge? Please send your articles to [email protected]

Be thankful for clients who complain, you still have the opportunity to make them happy

If You Enjoyed the Show

You can subscribe to The Afropreneur Podcast on iTunes and Stitcher. Please also leave an honest review on iTunes and Stitcher. If you want to hear more news from The Afropreneur Podcast including and beyond the podcasts, join the enewsletter mailing list.

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Hello Afroprenuers,

As a sequel to our last week’s discussion on ‘Creating Opportunites‘ we had a lovely conversation with Victoria Mbabazi, you can read all about her here.

There were a lot of learning points from our discussions with Victoria that we decided to record this episode differently. This podcast will be more of Victoria speaking and less of us.

Dear Afropreneur,

Opportunities abound! Yes, all around you!

Do not fall into the circle of blaming others, the Government and your environment for not beginning that business, launching that idea or making a success of your entrepreneurial endeavors.

Below are some points from our discussion:

* Document your ideas, and fine tune with time

* Go out and network, gather feedback

* Stop making excuses, look for ways to get around your challenges

* Had a goal in mind, and walk backward to creating the avenues to making the goal possible

* Learn to see the possibilities in impossibilities.

If the opportunity doesn’t come, build a door

We would love to hear from you, do share your thoughts in the comment section or drop a comment on our Facebook or Twitter.

If You Enjoyed the Show

You can subscribe to The Afropreneur Podcast on iTunes and Stitcher. Please also leave an honest review on iTunes and Stitcher. Be the first to know what The Afropreneur is up to, join the enewsletter mailing list.

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Statistics shows that 10 percent of people remember what they read; 20 percent what they hear; 30 percent what they see; and remember 50 percent of what they see and hear.

Everyone involved in business should ensure that the Visuals portraying their business, products or service must be of good quality.

We also had Anny Roberts (@BeardedCoquet), who is an amazing photographer, talk to us about his business, photography and how important it is to get your Visuals right.

Here are key takeaways from this episode:

* Good visuals shape customer perception.

* Visuals are more than just the pictures, get your fonts and colours right.

* Ensure that your visuals are relatable to your target market.

* The quality of your visuals cannot be over emphasized

We would love to hear from you, do share your thoughts in the comment section or drop a comment on our Facebook or Twitter.

If You Enjoyed the Show

You can subscribe to The Afropreneur Podcast on iTunes and Stitcher. Please also leave an honest review on iTunes and Stitcher. If you want to hear more news from The Afropreneur Podcast including and beyond the podcasts, join the enewsletter mailing list.

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Have you ever tried to purchase a product or service but you got turned off because the customer service personnel didn’t quite understand your needs? or were too robotic?

No matter the size of your business, or how excellent your product is, good customer service should be at the heart of your business model if you wish to succeed. It is important to provide exceptional customer service to all cadres of your customers, from the potential, to the new and existing customers.

African businesses need to step up their game as this is one aspect of business they lag behind in.

The customer service channels have also increased over the years and businesses need to learn how to utilize the appropriate channels for their business.

Here are key takeaways from today’s podcast:

* It is easier to retain satisfied customers than acquire new ones.

* Good customer service sets your business apart from others.

* Every staff is a brand ambassador and as such much take customer service seriously.

* Customer service starts from the top, the CEO or Manager.

* Know/understand your customers.

We would love to hear from you, do share your thoughts in the comment section or drop a comment on our Facebook or Twitter.

A satisfied customer is your greatest ally

 

If You Enjoyed the Show

You can subscribe to The Afropreneur Podcast on iTunes and Stitcher. Please also leave an honest review on iTunes and Stitcher. If you want to hear more news from The Afropreneur Podcast including and beyond the podcasts, join the enewsletter mailing list.

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Dear Afropreneurs,

This week has been a really busy week but Afropreneurs do not quit or make excuses do they?

We had to make out time and record the interview with our Guest, Herbert Nderezina, in the car!

Here’s a short profile on Herbert, Click here to read about him.

Today’s topic is centered around ‘Pitching’. Pitching is the attempt to convince a potential investor or customer that your idea/business is worth investing in.

Why do we think learning how to Pitch is important to ALL African entrepreneurs? Its simple, if you can’t sell the value in your business idea/ product / services, the chances of you succeeding are rather slim. What is an idea/business without investors or customers? Nothing!

Herbert talked about his experience pitching his idea to people and shared tips on how to improve your pitches.

It is important to note that Pitching is a skill, you have to develop it over time.

We would love to hear from you, do share your thoughts in the comment section or drop a comment on our Facebook or Twitter.

“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand in well enough”

Resource:

Brand Persona Design Process Infographic

Credit: Einsteinette.com

If You Enjoyed the Show

You can subscribe to The Afropreneur Podcast on iTunes and Stitcher. Please also leave an honest review on iTunes and Stitcher. If you want to hear more news from The Afropreneur Podcast including and beyond the podcasts, join the enewsletter mailing list.

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