Positive Changes...Better Living

[sunfunder]

Kerosene is the collective arch nemesis of many development efforts around the world; just think of the growing number of programs and collaborations that exist to end the use of kerosene lamps, including those started by our solar partners. To name a few, there’s Sustainable Energy...

[sunfunder]

Initially, we wanted to write a long, descriptive explanation about the disadvantages of kerosene lanterns and advantages of solar lights with revealing numbers and fancy graphs to tell you why solar is a winner. But why do that when Brave Mhonie from SunnyMoney can tell it much more...

[m-abokede]

Definitely healthier and safer....

[karenpoilee]

Geoff Yang, founding partner of Redpoint Ventures, shared his perspective on what makes someone a successful entrepreneur at Stanford ETL’s talk today. His talk was jammed with great bite-sized insights, so I present them to you in a series of bullet points:

Build a foundation.

Learn (and make mistakes) on someone else’s nickel.

Expand your network. This will pay dividends for you when you start your own company and hire people you know, rely on and can trust.

Do your homework. 

Think huge. Have a driving passion to change the world and make it a better place.

Recognize patterns where others see chaos.

Have conviction and clearly articulate it (along with your company’s strategy and purpose). 

Turn your idea into a company. Once you decide to go, do it and move quickly.

Be genetically paranoid.

Recognize and support your own weaknesses. Get more help than you think you need.

Solicit advice and listen, but make your own decisions and take responsibility.

Make decisions on incomplete information, and fix the bad ones quickly along the way.

Sweat the details. 

Lead by example. 

Recognize that you win as a team.

Never give up, but adapt to opportunities along the way.

Hire the right people. Hire after growth.

Raise what you need to get to the next milestone.

Stay lean and mean. 

Maximize the pie, not just your slice. 

Choose your investor as you would a true business partner.

Don’t focus on dilution, focus on outcome.

[m-abokede]

Good advice we can all use.....

[m-abokede]

My New Journey

Sometime last week, I got a jolt when I noticed that I could not receive any more calls on my unlimited monthly T-Mobile plan that just expired (Surprising because you can always receive calls for at least 90 days even without a mobile plan in Nigeria where I have lived most of my life :). The day before, I had just reloaded my unlimited monthly metro-card which i use to commute daily on New York's subways and buses. These two events reminded me that I had spent a full month in New York City, where I have been undergoing a two-month training as an Acumen Fund Global Fellow with nine other colleagues, in preparation for nine further months working on the field with a Social Enterprise. 

These past four weeks have been really inspiring, intense and exciting. I finally met up with the other nine fellows with which I will share this journey. Amazing people from eight different countries with varying backgrounds whom I have shared mail exchanges and possibly anxiety with in the past few months, while waiting to hear the location and company where the field placement portion of the fellowship would be. It has been four weeks of scavenger hunts, leadership retreats, business modelling, financial and operational skills seminars and so much more to come.

For me, this is a new journey as I have transited from my regular job as a business advisory professional in the private sector fully into the world of Social Enterprise and patient capital, where my skills are actually relevant and will be of use. Also, I have been very passionate about the use of renewable energy in Nigeria, especially solar home systems, and my field placement will be with d.light design, a company which manufactures solar lighting products for consumers at the bottom of the pyramid - A good match i must say. In addition, I have always blogged about things I am passionate about and never about myself. I have decided to tell my stories on this new journey, as I will come across some images, ideas and activities not often seen.

I look forward to great times ahead and invite you to join me on this journey. Definitely, there is so much to see, learn and feel while trying to make the world a much better place for everyone. Stay tuned and will surely stick around.