Nohemie & Co.

Nohemie

5.0 (1)
Business

Nohémie & Co. podcast is about me engaging in conversations with founders and investors in the African continent. As a daughter of the Congo who moved back to the motherland, the African continent, I’m fascinated by learning from folks making things happen and hopefully that inspires you to launch your own venture.Give me a follow on IG/TT: @nandcopod | YT: @nohemieco

1d ago

Why I'm Leaving Kenya

🔗 Subscribe to my Substack for unfiltered field notes: LINK📘 Get the Congo Business Starter Kit – your practical guide to navigating DRC's market: LINK I've been in Kenya on and off for the last four to six months. And I really thought this would be the place I'd stay. But it's not. In this episode of The Diaspora Playbook, I get honest about why I'm leaving Kenya and moving back to DRC — and what Kenya taught me along the way. In this video, I break down three reasons: 1. Kenya is a trading hub. DRC is a building ground. In Kenya, the essential businesses are already taken. The cement factories. The logistics. The energy. The margins in lifestyle businesses are thin. In DRC, everything has to be built. It's high risk, high reward. And that's where I want to be. 2. The middle class is a myth, and the margins are too thin. We hear about Kenya's growing middle class. But the reality is different. The informal economy is where the money is. And in DRC, because it's less regulated, the margins are higher. 3. The cultural misfit. In Kenya, there's a dynamic that I found uncomfortable — a legacy of colonization where white people are put on a pedestal. As a Black African woman, I felt like I was in someone else's land. In DRC, the culture is more direct. What you see is what you get. And that works for me. Plus: What Kenya taught me that I'm taking with me. The importance of systems The value of a capitalistic mindset The importance of pride in culture I'm not leaving Kenya forever. I'll use it as my trading hub — to source supplies, access finance, and connect with investors. But my building ground is DRC. If you've ever had to make a tough decision about where to build — or if you're trying to understand the difference between these two markets — this episode is for you.
1d ago

Why I'm Leaving Kenya

🔗 Subscribe to my Substack for unfiltered field notes: LINK 📘 Get the Congo Business Starter Kit – your practical guide to navigating DRC's market: LINK I've been in Kenya on and off for the last four to six months. And I really thought this would be the place I'd stay. But it's not. In this episode of The Diaspora Playbook, I get honest about why I'm leaving Kenya and moving back to DRC — and what Kenya taught me along the way. In this video, I break down three reasons: 1. Kenya is a trading hub. DRC is a building ground. In Kenya, the essential businesses are already taken. The cement factories. The logistics. The energy. The margins in lifestyle businesses are thin. In DRC, everything has to be built. It's high risk, high reward. And that's where I want to be. 2. The middle class is a myth, and the margins are too thin. We hear about Kenya's growing middle class. But the reality is different. The informal economy is where the money is. And in DRC, because it's less regulated, the margins are higher. 3. The cultural misfit. In Kenya, there's a dynamic that I found uncomfortable — a legacy of colonization where white people are put on a pedestal. As a Black African woman, I felt like I was in someone else's land. In DRC, the culture is more direct. What you see is what you get. And that works for me. Plus: What Kenya taught me that I'm taking with me. The importance of systems The value of a capitalistic mindset The importance of pride in culture I'm not leaving Kenya forever. I'll use it as my trading hub — to source supplies, access finance, and connect with investors. But my building ground is DRC. If you've ever had to make a tough decision about where to build — or if you're trying to understand the difference between these two markets — this episode is for you.
Sep 2

Extraction vs Reconstruction, Why Rebuilding Africa Is Harder Than Exploiting It

🔗 Subscribe to my Substack for unfiltered field notes: https://nohemieco.substack.com/?utm_campaign=pub&utm_medium=web📘 Get the Congo Business Starter Kit – your practical guide to navigating DRC's market: https://nohemie.gumroad.com/l/sdhjhdExtraction is easy. Reconstruction is hard. In this episode of The Diaspora Playbook, I break down why Africa's resources keep leaving while its countries stay poor—and what it takes to actually build something that lasts.Listen now on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@nohemieco/podcasts
Aug 26

Why You Can't Build Africa From Abroad

🔗 Subscribe to my Substack for unfiltered field notes: https://nohemieco.substack.com/?utm_campaign=pub&utm_medium=web📘 Get the Congo Business Starter Kit – your practical guide to navigating DRC's market: https://nohemie.gumroad.com/l/sdhjhdI built production before demand. I built relationships from a distance. I tried to rush the market. It cost me years and hundreds of thousands of dollars. In this episode of The Diaspora Playbook, I break down why you cannot build Africa from abroad—and what I finally learned about doing it differently.Listen now on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@nohemieco/podcasts
Aug 19

Facilitator Economy – Africa's Most Underrated Business Opportunity

🔗 Subscribe to my Substack for unfiltered field notes: https://nohemieco.substack.com/?utm_campaign=pub&utm_medium=web📘 Get the Congo Business Starter Kit – your practical guide to navigating DRC's market: https://nohemie.gumroad.com/l/sdhjhdIn most African markets, the formal system doesn't work. To get things done, you need someone who knows how the system actually works. That's a facilitator. And facilitation is one of the most underrated businesses in Africa. In this episode, I break down why most facilitators don't formalize, why that's a massive missed opportunity, and how you can build a business around it.Watch now on Youtube: ,https://www.youtube.com/@nohemieco/podcasts
May 4

Leverage in Africa – Stop Selling, Start Controlling

🔗 Subscribe to my Substack for unfiltered field notes: LINK📘 Get the Congo Business Starter Kit: LINK Most entrepreneurs think leverage is having a good idea and selling it to the right person. That's not leverage. That's begging dressed up as pitching. In this episode, I break down what leverage actually means in Africa – the DRC energy license example, three types of leverage (relationship, capital, asset/control), and why most diaspora businesses will never build wealth. If you're tired of pitching and ready to start controlling, listen now. #LeverageInAfrica #DiasporaEntrepreneur #NohemieAndCo #Africa #Business
Apr 19

5 Harsh Lessons from Starting Agriculture in Africa

🔗 Subscribe to my Substack for unfiltered field notes: LINK 📘 Get the Congo Business Starter Kit: LINK In this episode of The Diaspora Playbook, I get brutally honest about the five lessons I learned the hard way building honey and palm oil businesses in Congo and Kenya. After five years, 120 hives that produced 40 liters instead of a promised ton, and a palm oil plantation still years from maturity, I’m sharing what I wish someone had told me before I started. We cover: Why production-level agriculture is a “poor man’s sport” – and where the real value actually liesThe trap of relying on independent producers (and why they will eventually turn on you)Why agriculture is cash‑intensive from day one – and how to design a business that doesn’t need millionsThe scale paradox: why small‑scale farming doesn’t work economicallyThe funding gap no one talks about – and what investors actually need to understandIf you’re thinking about starting an agriculture business in Africa – or already in the trenches – this episode will save you time, money, and heartache. Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and everywhere you get your podcasts. 🎧 Subscribe to The Nohémie & Co. podcast Diaspora Playbook for more real‑talk about building in Africa. Watch podcast: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVAJz0U6f5kFxewSV_HjI4EJaNqT5pt1r Give us a follow on TT & IG: @nandcopod #NandCopod #Podcast #Africa #Business #FounderStory #Congo
Apr 12

Why Westerners Fail in DRC & Kenya – And What They Refuse to Learn

🔗 Subscribe to my Substack for unfiltered field notes: LINK 📘 Get the Congo Business Starter Kit: LINK An American reached out to me recently. He’s based in Kenya, runs a business there, and wanted to expand into DRC. He called Congo “opaque” like China, asked for an introduction to a major grocery chain, and was ready for the transaction with his price points. I told him no. Not because I’m unhelpful – because I knew he was going to fail. And he didn’t even know it yet. Surprise surprise, the Congolese retailor rejected his pricing. In this episode of The Diaspora Playbook, I break down why Westerners (Americans, Europeans) consistently fail in markets like DRC and parts of Kenya – and what they refuse to learn from the Lebanese, Indians, and even the Chinese. We cover: The cultural blindness that keeps them outsiders (and why learning Lingala or Swahili matters)The transaction trap: why contracts don’t work without trustThe corruption debate – reframed as the “cost of doing business”What the Lebanese understand about integration that Westerners don’tHow the Indians built community infrastructure that outlasts any single investorA pragmatic framework for anyone who wants to actually succeedIf you’re investing in Africa, or thinking about it – this episode is essential listening. Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and everywhere you get your podcasts. 🎧 Subscribe to The Nohémie & Co. podcast (Diaspora Playbook) for more real‑talk about building in Africa. Watch podcast: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVAJz0U6f5kFxewSV_HjI4EJaNqT5pt1r Give us a follow on TT & IG: @nandcopod #NandCopod #Podcast #Africa #Business #FounderStory #Congo

Nohémie & Co. podcast is about me engaging in conversations with founders and investors in the African continent. As a daughter of the Congo who moved back to the motherland, the African continent, I’m fascinated by learning from folks making things happen and hopefully that inspires you to launch your own venture.Give me a follow on IG/TT: @nandcopod | YT: @nohemieco

Creator

Nohemie
Years Active

2025 - 2026
Episodes

27
Rating

Explicit
Copyright

© Nohemie
Show Website

Nohemie & Co.