We all have a story to tell whether big or small. There is power in storytelling. It helps connect people, create brand loyalty, influence, teach and inspire.
Back in high school, I remember having alumni invited by our then principal to come and share their journey after high school. The progression to campus life but most importantly career wise. From young women to older women they came and gave us talks. Our principal didn’t shy away from inviting the ladies as many as they could come. To me this formed a good reminder to myself of the dreams I had growing up. Hearing the stories of women getting started to pursue their passion, dreams, and talent was all I needed to propel me to keep my eyes on the price. These stories and so much more have guided me on my transitions from high school to campus until now as a young career woman.
In my entrepreneurship journey, I’ve had some of the most amazing opportunities I ever dreamed of. I have interacted and networked with amazing women from all over Africa. From my network, I have interviewed five amazing young women from different East African countries namely: Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Uganda. I asked the same 5 questions to all of them and this is their story. This is their beginner’s journey. May is mental health awareness month. With that I had to incorporate the impact of mental health on their start up journey.
Feven from Ethiopia
1. Introduce yourself
Feven and Rahwa Gebremeskel are two driven sisters that wake up every day inspired by the potential of the creative fashion sector to amplify authentic Ethiopian and African stories. This passion is reinforced by an impressive set of brand building, commercial application, operational management and creative thinking skills and credentials that support them as the cofounders of WAWI.
2. When did you begin?
Our entrepreneurial family have always been patriotic Pan-Africans. They were diligent in teaching us about our rich culture, while the international media focused on Ethiopia’s drought, poverty, and instability. Our family influenced us in a way that it would be our responsibility to shift the world’s perception of our country. We co-created WAWI in 2018 from this lesson to create modern, artisan-inspired fashion that weaves together the many stories of Ethiopia and connects them to the world.
Today we are empowered by our previous work experience in business, brand management, creative industry and inspired by our identities to nurture and grow the WAWI brand.
3. What was the biggest challenge you faced?
4. How did you overcome that challenge?
Many young entrepreneurs have ideas that can make our community and environment better. What makes such leaders stand out is their ability to see solutions where others see problems and mobilize resources to make their envisioned solutions a reality. It’s about keeping sane when everyone around you think you are insane.
My sister and I dreamt of big things growing up. We wanted to become prominent international business women. Inspired by our mother’s traditional cloth business, the fashion industry sparked our interest. Channelling our educational, work experiences and international exposure, we were able to envision a commercially scalable and fashion-focused solution to many of our countries challenges.
However, turning this idea into a reality required us to believe in its potential and mobilize scarce resources. Access to capital was a key barrier in an industry (fashion) that was rather capital intensive. To solve the capital challenge, we decided to capitalize on our previous work experiences and set up a Brand Strategy and Research Company called UNBOX. UNBOX currently works with several clients including Euromonitor international, Goethe Institute, Deborah Foundation, Social enterprise Ethiopia, Oromia Construction Cooperation and etc. The money generated from this company is reinvested back to build the WAWI brand.
5. What impact did starting a company have on your mental health?
Starting our own business helped us grow as a person, our experience and journey of life. Business is hard, and it is beautiful, as an entrepreneur this roller coaster is the ride of our life. Things happen to us that cause us ‘good stress’ or ‘bad stress’. The business world is a perplexing ecosystem of people and everyone has their own story, some hide it, others are more open. The more you take control of the life you want to lead and the business career you feel works for you, the better your chances of a sustainable and successful business life. Taking care of our mind, not just our finances and roles in life helped us to create a strong business.
Annick from Rwanda
1. Introduce yourself
My name is Annick Umutibagirana, -Rwandese women entrepreneur. I am the C.E.O and Co-founder at KASO BRAND
2. When did you start your business?
We Started since 2015.
3. What challenges did you face starting up?
Our business like any other faced start up challenges. They included: limited technology (getting efficient machinery), lack of local skilled labour, the pandemic (decreased our sales capacity and limited market), limited Access to packaging (importing packaging take time and increased our cost of production)
4. How did you overcome those challenges?
Over time, we had to find ways to overcome our challenges. We are currently re-investing in the company to purchase efficient machinery. We are improving our skills on waste management as a company. To improve on skilled labour; we offer trainings to graduates and hire the best performers and we offer trainings to local farmers to get standardized raw materials. To address limited access to packaging we are recycling waste from one product to make another. The result has been reduced cost of production and improved delivery time line.
5. What impact did starting a company have on your mental health?
My childhood background wasn’t an easy one. I grew up searching for freedom, supporting my family and changing people’s lives. I later came to realize that the only way to achieve all that was to be financially independent. I therefore started my business. This made me feel important and focusing on my job improved my mind and changed my perception on certain issues I had.
I would say having a goal in life and working to achieve it is key to mental health.
Winnie from Uganda
1. Introduce yourself
My name is Winnie Ainembaabazi, age 26 from Uganda. I hold a bachelor’s degree in Entrepreneurship and Project Planning from Uganda Christian University. I am the founder and team leader at Girl Power Foundation Uganda. (A community based organization focusing on women and Girl empowerment)
2. When did you start?
I started the organization in 2017.
3. What was the biggest challenge you faced starting out?
Growing up, life seemed so easy and comfortable for me until my parents’ separation when I was 8 years old. This led to many changes which included me moving back to stay with my grandparents in the village. So many things came with village life and living away from my biological parents but the most outstanding moment was when one relative arranged for me to get married when I was 16.
4. How did you overcome those challenges?
I had just completed my senior four and there was no hope for my further studies since I had failed a chemistry exam and could no longer achieve the dream of being a nurse as my mother had planned. Having escaped this forced marriage and due to the increased girls' school dropout rates, teenage pregnancies and child marriages in my community; I decided to challenge the status quo by starting Girl Power Foundation Uganda.
I am passionate about girl empowerment. I envision a world where every girl lives to her full potential. I believe every girl has a unique potential and once it is realized and utilized, girls can make the world a better place. The organization has given me a sense of fulfilment and I find joy in seeing it grow as different young girls and women are being touched.
5. What impact did starting your company have on your mental health?
This foundation has changed my perception about family and I have learnt that I have the power to be all I can regardless of my background.
I have met girls with worse family issues and in talking to them and encouraging them to reach for their goals, I find relief in my situation.
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