Notes
Everything I've written so far.
Notes / 0912 min read
The founder should eventually become unnecessary.
If everything stops when the founder steps away, you have built dependence, not an institution. The real test of leadership is whether the organization can eventually carry the vision without requiring your presence in every decision.
Read noteNotes / 0811 min read
Build from Africa. Compete with the world.
Being built in Africa should explain where we come from, not place a ceiling on where we can go. The standard should be global, even when the starting point is local.
Read noteNotes / 0711 min read
Africa is not one market.
Africa can be one ambition without being one market. Building for the continent begins with respecting the differences between its countries, cities, cultures, economies and people.
Read noteNotes / 0610 min read
Build for permanence, not applause.
I am less interested in building companies that look impressive today than in building institutions that will still matter when nobody remembers the excitement surrounding their beginning.
Read noteNotes / 0510 min read
Not every idea deserves a company.
Ambition creates possibilities. Discipline decides which ones deserve to become real. One of the hardest responsibilities of a builder is knowing what to build now, what to build later, and what not to build at all.
Read noteNotes / 0410 min read
Build the rails. Let the businesses ride.
A group of companies becomes more powerful when every new business does not have to start from zero. Build the foundations once, strengthen them continuously, and let every company that follows inherit the advantage.
Read noteNotes / 039 min read
Structure before scale.
Growth can make a company bigger. Structure determines whether it can carry the weight of becoming bigger.
Read noteNotes / 028 min read
Africa doesn't need more apps. It needs infrastructure.
The next generation of African technology will not be defined only by what people can download. It will also be defined by the systems that allow businesses, products and people to work better together.
Read noteNotes / 015 min read
Why I'm building an ecosystem, not a collection of companies.
Starting companies is not the goal. Building companies that become more valuable because they exist together is.
Read note