What I wish I had when I was Starting out
Those of us who travel frequently around the African continent have discovered that doing business here is not for “sissies”. While there is much to enjoy, there are also many “hardships” that people accustomed to the niceties offered in more developed countries, would gladly do without. (Depending obviously on how deep into the “bundus”[efn_note]”Bundus is a South African colloquialism meaning the same thing as ‘the sticks’ or ‘the bush’, i.e. extremely rural, maybe even ‘sparsley-inhabited’ or overgrown.[/efn_note] you venture). What is undeniable, however, is that there are business opportunities aplenty across the continent. (Which is why no matter where you go, you will find Lebanese nationals and Chinese nationals everywhere. (To name just a few).
The Rich “Unknown”
The combination of rich natural resources, coupled with a low economic base [in many places] and relative infrastructural underdevelopment, means that there is a huge potential to reap the rewards of the early bird. When I first made the decision to quit employment and seek the uncertain, but surely greener 🤔(?), pastures of entrepreneurship (in my case West Africa from South Africa), I was petrified. Mainly because there was always a “nay-sayer” nearby to recount a story of a friend of theirs who had ventured “into Africa” and lost all their money. I wished then that I could have access to a site, like we have decided to create here, to help me:
distinguish the “real” risks from the “perceived” risks
avoid some of the “school-fees” that accompany venturing into neighbouring (or not-so-neighbouring) African countries;
find out whether what I was going through was normal or not;
learn from the stories and experiences of other entrepreneurs; and
connect to reliable businesses and service providers
So, lucky you (if you are yet to take the plunge)! We are about to save you A LOT of money and hardship. We are sharing our experiences, anecdotes, etc and… it’s free! (Lesson number one, ALWAYS BEWARE when you see that four letter word). 😂
No more “Fake news”
The other ancillary (but equally important) purpose of this site is to debunk some/many of the rumours and much of the “fake news” that surround(s) our beautiful continent. As many major media outlets with large viewerships are largely “west-owned”, there is a tendency to exaggerate the negative and downplay the positive. (Again, if it’s all so terrible here, why is everyone here?)
As a result, for many people, the first picture that comes to mind when thinking about Africa is still: children suffering from kwashiorkor, with flies in their eyes, living in mud-huts (at best). At worst, they picture lions roaming a [dusty] road and gobbling up villagers.
See More than just Poverty
While we won’t deny that there is still a large section of the population that live in untenable conditions due to poverty on this continent, there is SO MUCH MORE to us this place than that: Booming, developing cities, rolling landscapes and smiling and welcoming people.
So basically, this was just easier for us than writing a book 😂… No, seriously, collectively there are enough “articles” and experiences here to fill one – or more – [little] book(s). Besides who still has time to read books anyway, right? (Firstly, what ARE books? Just kidding…). So we hope that you will enjoy the site and feel free to engage us and tell us what information you would like to see more of.
As the site evolves and grows, we will increase “networking” and other opportunities, to improve our readers’ chances of succeeding in their ventures. It’s time to bring prosperity to a continent that has historically benefitted disproportionately little from its own natural resources.
