Dear Entrepreneurs O. Akomolafe & C. Nwaogu

It's Episode 8 of Dear Entrepreneurs, and we've got the amazing Ropafadzo Musvaire talking to us about her experience working for two early-stage startups (one bad startup and one good startup) immediately after finishing her first-degree program in Economics and Finance from the University of Cape Town. So if there's anyone who knows the difference between a good startup and a bad startup, it's Ropah.

Ropah spoke about the importance of planning in the growth of a startup, especially while still in the learning phase. She spoke on how it felt to walk into a startup she worked for and discover they have hired 10 new people, and then walk in the next day, only to discover they have fired all 10 people. "I left the startup because I realized they had no direction, and I wasn't growing. They lacked proper structure and planning, which made me skeptical about startups initially," Ropah says. 

Okay, enough of the long talk, enjoy!

It's Episode 7 of Dear Entrepreneurs, and we've got Esther Njogu jumping on our podcast to talk about how she felt out of place keeping a 9-to-5 job in Kenya, and how she had to apply to MEST Africa thrice before getting in and flying for the first time out of Kenya, to Ghana, in pursuit for an entrepreneurial lifestyle.  

Esther talked about her experiences learning to code for the first time, what she did differently in each attempt to get a MEST scholarship, and the challenges she has faced trying to leave her footprints in a male-dominated field. Okay, enough of the long talk, enjoy!

It's Episode 6 of Dear Entrepreneurs, and we've got Bekithemba Mahluli Ngulube jumping on our podcast to talk about his transition from the corporate world into entrepreneurship.

There have been questions about the importance of keeping a 9-to-5 job before getting started as an entrepreneur, and if a 9-to-5 job can enhance your performance and discipline on becoming an entrepreneur.

In response to these questions, Beki talked about his life in Corporate South Africa. From consultancy to logistics to retail. He spoke on how keeping a 9-to-5 job has and will continue to help him in his new adventure into entrepreneurship.

It's Episode 5 of Dear Entrepreneurs already! Funny how time flies when you're doing what you love. In this episode, Olamide and Chidi spoke to the amazing Yannick Amatcha, an Entrepreneur-in-Training at MEST Africa, who recently attended the MIT Innovation Bootcamp in Tokyo, Japan. Yannick spoke on his journey from MEST to MIT.

Yannick narrated how he got to hear about the bootcamp, how the application process was, how he raised over US$11,000 through crowdfunding to attend the bootcamp, what he learnt at MIT, the power connections he made while in Tokyo, and many more. This is almost US$12,000 worth of education in a single podcast, so listen carefully!

It's Episode 4 of Dear Entrepreneurs, and we've got something great waiting for you all! In this 45-minutes episode, Olamide and Chidi spoke on the importance of having a "why" behind everything we do, including a why behind our business(es) as entrepreneurs. Even the "Dear Entrepreneurs" podcast has a why, and which is "to talk about our experiences as entrepreneurs, the good and the bad, in order to encourage other entrepreneurs going through tough times."

There are over "a million and one" businesses you can set up, so why did you choose to set up your current business and not one of the other one million businesses? Your "why" will be the driving force for you as an entrepreneur when everything is going wrong, and nothing is working out as planned. Also, your "why" will help your potential customers understand that there is a human factor behind your business and that it isn't just a moneymaker for you. Your "why" makes your business stand forward from your competition, and get your customers to believe that you have their best interest at heart.

Hello, it's episode 3, and Chidi is back! In this episode, Olamide and Chidi talked about how to gain traction for your business, especially if you're bootstrapping, and have very little capital. We spoke on the difference between a 'must-have' and a 'good-to-have' product or service, and why it's best to spend a lot of time in the ideation phase in order to develop a 'must-have' solution that will sell itself. 

We also argued if it's better to start up a business as a single founder or a co-founder. And if you're starting a business with someone else, what you should look out for when choosing the right co-founder for your business. This is an episode filled with honest opinions about why many founding team members split and go their separate ways, and how to avoid it.