He once said: “It was a business on the side, ... 2. Christine’s sister Louiza Rademan concocted a nappy rash balm for him and it worked wonders. Fourie believes: “Excellence isn’t a result of one or two good decisions. The story of Idaresit’s success shows how one can grow from graduate to high-profile online marketing company owner. 7 SA Success Stories of Entrepreneurs (Incl 3 from Cape Town) Mobile payment company Yoco is changing the game for small businesses. Ashadu’s brand has spread internationally to London, Paris and the USA, elevating awareness of Nigeria’s beautiful craftsmanship. Shades System is a company that manufactures and exports military and relief tents, branded gazebos, restaurant canopies, car parking shades, marquees, luxury tents, wedding party tents canvas seats and bouncing castles across the region. In the next three years Nshimyumuremyi plans to release a further eight products. Lorna Rutto (28, Kenya) 3. Ashadu uses locally sourced materials including leather, exotic skins and rough cut semi-precious stones. Today, they employ 22 permanent workers and produce indigenous potted plants, fruit trees and other ornamentals for the local horticultural and agricultural industry. She is still in the early stages of her world domination, but that is exactly what she plans to do. Success consists of many ingredients including patience, luck, perseverance, etc. But the lack of capital is not a real “serial killer of business dreams”. This contract allowed Anna to raise capital from ABSA Bank and USAID and buy a 350-hectare farm property. Now Wild Fusion spans three countries and boasts clients like Unilever (Nigeria and Ghana), Vodacom, Diamond Bank, Planned Parenthood and many more African and international clients. A young African businesswoman possesses all the needed entrepreneurial skills she gained during her career in the waste recycling business. In 2011, Iroko Partners received $8-million investment from American hedge fund, Tiger Global. In 2008, Abasiama Idaresit completed the Information Systems and Management course at the London School of Economics. He established close relationships with local film producers and founded a startup, IrokoTV. He used the money he made from flipping houses to invest in some of the city’s finest up-and-coming business and residential organisations. Lucrative business ideas that will trend in Nigeria in 2019. Patrick Ngowi (33, Tanzania) This young entrepreneur believes that if opportunity knocks, answer. “Initially, it was when I was solving my own problem. She sells her handbags via her company’s website and supplies products to a selected number of boutiques. According to the contract, the supplier had to sell 10 pigs per week. READ ALSO: What is entrepreneurship development? Reasons for underdevelopment in Nigeria and possible solutions. 44 episodes. 2018 ‎Arum Galadima is the Founder and Host of the Knowledge Bandits podcast, a weekly podcast where he interviews African entrepreneurs on the Continent and in diaspora. During his gap year, Patrick Ngowi discovered that cell phones in Asia were cheaper to buy than in Tanzania. While many young entrepreneurs trying to start a business turn to banks ended up disappointed, Anna Phosa managed to start her business without a financial help of banks. He wanted the benefits from the properties of these medicinal plants to reach a larger audience. As a result, Nshimyumuremyi created a more versatile and user-friendly product that he could distribute around the country. But because I want to achieve my purpose and make a difference in society, I will stop focusing on the frightful things I see when I take my eyes off my goals and instead fix them there.”, “None of us came from rich families so we had to grow it out of our own pocket and I also had to wait for the business to be big enough to actually pay my salary.”. Idaresit managed to convince the Baby M owner to give him a chance under the money back guarantee if he didn’t give the company a return on investment. Lorna Rutto has contributed immensely towards the saving forests in Kenya. Read into how these black Americans overcame poverty, racial discrimination to become a prominent business leader, amassing fortunes into … Once she returned to work she became aware of an entrepreneurial opportunity to branch into the security services sector. Intelligent quotes about life from the wisest people to you. However, the stories that I’m talking […] He also offers iSureFix, an affordable protection plan for Apple products and uFix, a DIY Apple repair kit. Third, success doesn’t depend only on the business idea but on the businessman himself. Brandon Byrd, Founder of Goodies Frozen Custard & … 5 Inspiring African Entrepreneurs In The Recycling Business Stan Edom May 10, 2019 5 Inspiring African Entrepreneurs In The Recycling Business 2019-05-10T10:04:38+01:00 Inspiration 2 Comments Tweet READ ALSO: Success stories of entrepreneurs in Nigeria. Today, his weFix national chain of stores repair on average 10 000 Apple and Samsung products a month. Start-up story: Christine Buchanan and... Abasiama Idaresit manages being ahead of the curve. They sold out 100 tubs of the nappy rash balm on the first day; they went home, made 100 more and sold all of those on day two. This company would go on to install 6000 rooftop solar systems and branch out into Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. De Fynne nursery now supplies plants to retailers such as Woolworths, Massmart and Spar, as well as landscapers, commercial farmers and wine estates, “My friends saw me and saw I was uniquely dressed at parties, weddings and even at work. “We must inspire our kinsmen to look beyond the now and to see the big picture. Another business plan competition she took part was organized by the Cartier Women’s Initiative. Baby M had a network of sales agents who searched for customers on a daily basis to make ends meet. Top African Success Stories 1. This story sounds like Patrick Ngowi was just lucky to notice easy ways to make money but his journey to success wasn’t an easy one. Today the venture is worth R432 000 and he employs 12 workers. Today, this is the fastest growing network of renewable energy companies in East Africa. “This makes it hard to plan the day. They realised that taking on the world with a niche product requires ingenuity and innovative marketing. After 2 years, Anna Phosa signed one more contract for five years with Pick ‘n Pay to supply 100 pigs per week. The company could hardly make ends meet. Goliath and Jefthas eventually moved their nursery from the backyard to a 0.5 hectare piece of land in 2005. The good news is that there are no reasons to stop this capital flow to rise higher and higher. In this competition, she received a prize award of about $12,000. “It was a business on the side, nothing serious, but I loved the fact that I was making money and I was becoming a bit independent. In 2016, the business won the Seedstars World Competition , beating 63 other startups from 55 countries across the world to win the grand prize of $500,000 in equity investment funding. For Esta van Heerden, founder of iWater Pty Ltd in South Africa, she is passionate about the environment and wants to ensure that all citizens have access to clean water in the future. Everything you do, do it well and the rest will sort itself out.”. “Business is always a struggle. She had to go work with her brother on his farm to keep it afloat and almost lost her house while trying to keep the farm afloat. The company is located in about 130 countries, and is listed both on the London & South African stock exchange. He was chased out of a potential client’s office for his outrageous concept. Read the stories from these 38 black entrepreneurs and discover that there are definitely several pathways onto the entrepreneurship track. As a result of the high influx of tech related customers, the weFix stores now host in-house product lines. Successful startup founders are often hailed as superhuman, but the reality is they’re regular people like you and I. In 2016, Forbes ranked Musk as the 21st in their list of The World’s Most Powerful People. It has brought many challenges. Buchanan and Rademan’s products are now sold internationally and are carried by leading retailers including Woolworths. I learned about profit and loss, about margins, about marketing and hiring the right people– I learned so many things at that stage.”. The result amazed Google so that the company adopted it as an internet marketing case study. After, he returned to Nigeria to start a business. What are the most common reasons making people give up on the very beginning of starting or at the later stages of growing their businesses? Abasiama Idaresit didn’t make any money for the first eight months. 1. Also, she won a grant award of $12,700 from the Enablis Energy Globe-Safaricom Foundation. Below are the short stories of 5 successful African young entrepreneurs whose example can drive a sense of purpose into many young entrepreneurs and motivate to strive for greater achievements. These homegrown businesses have grown from local companies to international brands. Ngowi’s company has installed 6,000 rooftop solar systems. Arum Galadima is the Founder and Host of the Knowledge Bandits podcast, a weekly podcast where he interviews African entrepreneurs on … Many organisations in African countries are willing to support businesses that work towards developing the continent. READ ALSO: Challenges of entrepreneurship in Nigeria. Kim Antoniou (Kafoodle) Over 100 episodes of media content—featuring inspiring stories of young business leaders from East, West, and South Africa—have been recorded. It is hugely popular in Nigeria for its extensive catalog of African ‘Nollywood’ movies. Ahead of that, here are 7 inspiring young African entrepreneurs who you need to watch out for in 2017. Jason Njoku is the co-founder of IrokoTV, a mobile entertainment, and internet TV platform. Some of the biggest investments Lorna Rutto’s business attracted were an equity investment from the Blue Haven Initiative and the Opus Foundation amounting to $500,000. In its seventh year, this annual ranking of the 30 Most Promising Young Entrepreneurs In Africa features some of the most exceptional young innovators and disruptors in African business today. Her brother fell on hard times and she had to sell all her budding enterprises to save him from bankruptcy. You absolutely won’t believe the stories of these twelve African individuals. The truth might surprise you.” 13. The company was simply overwhelmed with orders. These sisters are so successful because they control all aspects of their business. What Njoku told himself: Who is the most successful businessman in Nigeria? If we don’t roll up our sleeves and get dirty, no one else will.”. After spending most of his 20s flitting between various software development gigs, Paris-born Omidyar began working on a simple buyer-to-buyer auction website in 1995, naming it Auction Web and initially using it to sell off his own unwanted personal possessions. This idea is aimed at conservation of forests by replacing timber for alternative materials. “The brand is promoting African fabric and African designs, with my creativity, and developing it for the rest of the world,” says Mbabazi. In 2010, Njoku started on YouTube before he built a successful world-known entertainment empire. As the experience of many billionaires show, lack of capital is to a great extent just a convenient excuse. “I rise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world,” admits Kirubi. Today, Kirubi owns more than 40 commercial and residential properties in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi. In three months Baby M’s revenue grew from USD1000 a month to USD100 000 a month through digital marketing. Start-up story: Abasiama Idaresit started his … “My quest to start and run my own company never dissipated and therefore, even as I was back at work, I started investigating the various opportunities that I could see and think of.”. They quit their senior positions in the property sector to follow their passion for creating products using only natural ingredients. And capital seems not to be the most important thing in achieving the top. Perhaps the most famous entrepreneur from the African continent, Elon Musk’s success is owed to his innovation and will to succeed. In 2011, it was named Nigeria’s best digital agency. Leave your email to receive our newsletter, Get the hottest stories from the largest news site in Nigeria, Drop your mail and be the first to get fresh news. His products filled a need in the market because Rwandans were already using these plants in its raw form. This money was used to purchase the necessary advanced recycling equipment. We'd love to read your stories, whether inspiring or just plain entertaining, in the comments below! Think outside of the box “In a small Italian town, hundreds of years ago, a small business owner owed a large sum of money to a loan-shark. He once said: Businesses with low capital you can start to get high profit in Nigeria. Koos was born in South Africa on December 14th, 1952. Jason Njoku (38, Nigeria) 4. With this little capital, Idaresit managed to increase earnings by 100 percent in three months. There is never an open road, except the wide road that leads to failure. Patrick Ngowi has been featured by Forbes as one of “10 Young African Millionaires to Watch”. As for Tanzania, its electric power grid meets only 10% of the population’s electricity needs. Therefore, he founded Helvetic Solar Contractors, to help his country manage the energy crisis. Buchanan then began selling the balm to other mom’s in her maternity classes and they swarmed to the product. Even dreaming about becoming an entrepreneur was too much of a luxury for Christian Shabalala as he grew up in the grinding poverty of the rural outskirts of Ladysmith. Wild Fusion became Google Adwords’ first certified partner in Nigeria. Knowledge Bandits: Inspiring Stories from African Entrepreneurs on Doing Business in Africa on Apple Podcasts. Africana Entrepreneur is a digital storytelling platform where aspiring entrepreneurs, founders of startups, owners of Small and Medium-scale Enterprises, personal finance experts, and financiers in Africa congregate to tell their stories of running and managing their businesses while seeking partnerships to expand the frontiers of their investments and assets. Ngowi’s non-profit social initiative, Light For Life Foundation, is known to provide free solar power to women living in the villages of Tanzania providing better access to clean renewable energy. Here’s how these South African entrepreneurs have successfully expanded their footprint beyond our … When he was 18, Patrick Ngowi got engaged in trading cell phones as he discovered that cell phones in Asia were cheaper to buy than in Tanzania. Njoku didn't have enough capital, but his friend and business partner, Sebastian Gotter invested £90,000 in his business which boosted the growth of IrokoTV. 10 Inspirational African Entrepreneurs Christine Buchanan and Louiza Rademan let their passion make them a success. This meant that most companies, government agencies and wealthy families depended on electrical generators. Lorna Rutto managed to get financial support from international and local investors and non-governmental organizations. There a few problems. “The biggest lesson I’ve learned is to dream big, but start small.”. Don’t judge people before you truly know them. So the word spread and the demand grew.”. Ngowi realised that this was a new business opportunity that was knocking his door, so he decided to answer. She decided to enter into this sector because of how she, as a customer, experienced the sector. Ndhlukula found that the security sector lacked the professionalism, quality and services that a number of businesses required. Our Inspiringwomen readers have been asking for a round-up of the most successful and famous black entrepreneurs in South Africa.This list of South African entrepreneurs and their success stories will help you to think differently about South African entrepreneurship and what is possible with the right mindset and motivation. The weFix stores also host mobile charging stations called RiCharge. First on our list is Ellen Chilemba, who at the age of 22 is already a force to be reckoned with. For over six years CapeTownMagazine.com has been supporting new businesses by featuring a new place every week. Each of the stories shows that becoming a successful entrepreneur doesn’t come easily. Start with a little, but use the knowledge and the environment that you already have.”. Koos Bekker is the founder and chairman of the African media group, Naspers. Everybody can become a millionaire or multi-millionaire, but it depends on what he or she is ready to do for achieving his goal. Similarly to his founder, the company is quite young, but it has a presence in some other countries including Ghana and Kenya. Soon clients would come knocking on her door, asking for her creations. Their first attempt at selling their product happened at a three-day trade show. These stylish wooden device casings and accessories are branded Houdt. It takes extraordinary people to do extraordinary things. Idaresit approached Baby M, a small business that catered to the needs of new mothers and their babies. Cosmas Maduka – Entrepreneur In the work force since the tender age of four years, Cosmas Maduka has been a hard worker all his life. Once their side job paid more than their actually jobs they decided to create De Fynne nursery. … Short Inspirational stories are powerful reads; The great thing about them is that they’re so easy to digest, and there’s always a moral at the end of the story. Cephas Nshimyumuremyi always wanted to be an entrepreneur but he knew his teaching salary wasn’t going to be enough to fulfil his dreams. Thanks for her efforts, hundreds of jobs were created in Kenya, and 100,000 new positions are expected to be created in the following 15 years. Divine Ndhlukula always had an entrepreneurial passion; she would sell clothing to her colleagues and rent out trucks to construction companies to make a little extra money. It’s a rare thing, but if the product or service is not relevant to the customers they will not spend their money on it. Nicole has completed several courses in writing and online marketing, and continues to hone her skills and expertise in digital media, digital marketing and content creation. The next year, with no external funding, the company had an annual turnover of $6 million. As for today, the business has attracted up to $40 million in investment funding from the local and foreign investors. Startup Story. Inc. helps entrepreneurs change the world. At the moment, the farm rears around 5,000 pigs employing about 20 staff. The most successful young African entrepreneurs. Similar to many other businessmen, her career journey wasn’t that easy as at the beginning she struggled to raise capital to start and grow the business. 1. In 2010, she quit her job in the bank to start a waste recycling business. 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Christine Mbabazi’s journey began when she decided to make her own clothes so she could look unique and interesting. He founded Helvetic Solar Contractors, to help Tanzania manage its energy crisis. Ashadu produces her luxury handbags out of a workshop where her team is able to benefit from traditional techniques passed down through generations, by a community of local artisans. Attracting investments is a great way to grow a business. 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The business was immediately overwhelmed with orders. Digital marketing was almost unheard of in Nigeria at the time. It boosted a huge increase in African economic development. The problem is that the lack of electricity makes a negative impact on most companies, government agencies and wealthy families that depend on electrical generators. This was kind of a breakthrough, and soon the request grew to 20 pigs per week. He also founded similar companies in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi. ELATED: 3 Ways to Manage Your Business Effectively He started out with a clever profit making scheme and investment strategy, but now he is an icon of the Kenyan property industry. Three years later they needed additional space to keep up with growing demand and to host 600 000 plants, so they moved once more to a 1.5 hectare property. The problem is that too many unqualified businessmen ask banks for loans. What Ngowi was doing when selling low-cost cell phones and traveling back and forth from China to Tanzania was learning about solar panels and renewable energy. After the unsuccessful attempts at YouTube business in the United Kingdom in 2010, Jason returned to Nigeria. Every single person on the planet has a story. Baby M gave him N40 000(roughly USD250) as payment in advance so that Idaresit could work his magic. Jason Chukwuma Njoku is one of Nigeria’s top celebrities in the world of e-commerce. This is actually not the best option. It has a clientele of stable companies such as Pepsi, Unilever, Diamond Bank, and Vodafone. Moreover, capital is not the most necessary element of success. This short list of successful African entrepreneurs is going to change your way of thinking and possibly your business. Inspiring journey to business success. Capital is even abundant in the present day world. Currently, Njoku is planning to transform the entertainment company into a $100-million conglomerate within the following few years. South African entrepreneurs share their success stories Date: Thursday, May 12, 2016 ... Mbali shared her story with representatives attending the programme’s annual Steering Committee Meeting, who came to see her at her shop. The point is that banks mostly tend to focus on more or less mature businesses. Eric Kinoti is a 30-year-old Kenyan entrepreneur who founded Shades System, East Africa which is located in the capital city of Kenya, Nairobi. Here are 5 South African Women Entrepreneurs’ Success Stories. Then it was when I posted my first CapeAds ad and my phone rang 15 times on the first day. The company gave Idaresit USD 250 as payment in advance so that Idaresit could do his job. Patrick Ngowi is Tanzanian business celebrity who started as an entrepreneur at the tender age of 15. Fourie exports both product lines into 12 African countries. It’s not easy being a female entrepreneur, but that didn’t stop this list of great women from going above and beyond in order to reach their goals. And as the years go by, African entrepreneurs become more and more confident. He founded Wild Fusion, a Nigeria-based digital marketing agency. Related: Entrepreneur Stories of Struggle and Success: 7 Founders Tell All Soon after, he made a landmark sale of $17,000 to Georgia Tech University, and in … This will give him a total of 12 products and make him a profit of R834 000, this may not seem a lot in rand but in Rwandan Francs it’s roughly Rwf45 million. Idaresit’s first client was Baby M, a small company that produced goods for new mothers and their babies. Every winner has scars.”, Chris Kirubi decided to make extra money by purchasing and selling houses. These UK-based entrepreneurs are inspiring for a variety of reasons – whether that’s pushing boundaries, creating groundbreaking products, or doing their bit to save the world. He got his bachelors degrees from Stellenbosch University in Law and Literature, and Wits University in Law. As the co-founder of Iroko Partners and IrokoTV, Jason Njoku’s principle is simple: "I am trying to make people happy”. To keep up with the constantly growing demand they had to move to a commercial-grade 22-hectare site. At the time, Tanzania’s national power grid met about 10% of the population’s electricity needs. … Top African Social Entrepreneurs. What effect does corruption have on Nigeria? Ellen Chilemba. 4. Zainab Ashadu started a sustainable luxury handbag company, which specialises in handcrafted leather pieces. Fourie’s entrepreneurial journey started when he wanted to fix his iPod. Finally, he found a client. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Idaresit said that he had always loved the Internet and wanted to see it change Africa. Lionesses of Africa saw eight of its most inspirational women entrepreneurs and their companies from across the African continent making it into the final publication. A bunch of above-average decisions will culminate over time. So, here are 5 of the most exciting success stories of young African entrepreneurs who built their businesses from scratch! Second, sometimes happens that the business idea itself is not worth the capital. Eventually, his friends started coming to him for help with the same problems he’d experienced and soon he was repairing devices out of his dorm room in Stellenbosch. Anna Phosa is often called a ‘celebrity pig farmer’ as she is one of Africa’s most successful pig farmers. USA Today . They might be the following: How many types of business are there? Anish Shivdasani and Shafin Anwarsha are the entrepreneurs behind Giraffe, a South African startup business that provides low-cost automated recruitment solutions, based on a mobile app. As for today, Iroko Partners is known to be the world’s largest companies that distribute African entertainment around the world. If he is forced to run a business, afraid to do that or faces any other difficulties, becoming successful might be a problem. Ngowi’s little start-up went on to become the Helvetic Group. 2) … As he realised the potential demand for seemingly useless products, though, the site … Although she didn’t have a passion for security, she had a passion for business. Dustin Clendenen on March 16, 2020. Every day as he walked the many dusty kilometres back home from the farm school, gathering the family's few cows along the way, his most audacious dream was of having a job as an agricultural … Many startup founders might ask why or disagree. They worked through the night to make 100 more for the third day where they sold out again. If all these young people could find capital in Africa, you can do it as well. Today, Njoku is a venture capitalist who is obsessed with funding local entrepreneurs. In many African countries, there are lots of billionaires who were able to build their businesses from scratch with not wealthy but very poor beginnings. In this post today, I will be sharing with you inspiring success stories of top 5 African entrepreneurs. In the same year, an annual revenue of Iroko TV was $1.3 million and, as Njoku claims, the current earnings are surpassing the figures of the passing year. Nshimyumuremyi decided to use his science background and his knowledge of Rwanda’s local plants to create his company, Uburanga Products to create herbal smearing jellies and soaps out of local medicinal plants. Every great success is always achieved with fight. Jacky Goliath and Elton Jefthas’ story begins when they spotted a business opportunity in selling fynbos. They are all juggernauts in nurturing nascent businesses into maturity on the African … We decided to take a closer look at these social entrepreneurs and share with you our list of the top social entrepreneurs from Africa. This coupled with his leadership and management skills have led him to be incredibly popular among the youth as well. It was an R25 million deal (this amount equaled $1.9 million). Baby M’s revenue grew from USD 1,000 to USD 100,000 a month through the implementation of the internet marketing technologies to grow the presence of this business.