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A podcast featuring African startup entrepreneurs sharing their journeys to inspire, inform and give insights into their business and how they started.
Please introduce yourselves to us.
- Patience – I am a marketing professional with huge interests in technology, marketing, and start-ups. Through my passions and skills; I work with a company that is automating global customer support centers; Besides this, I lead a marketing firm that is creating tools to help businesses get their products into local markets; and I’m also a co-host of a podcast that features African Startup entrepreneurs.
- Laure: I am a creative with a background in business management and technology. I am currently working as a junior market analyst and pursuing my MBA. I am passionate about entrepreneurship and economic development.
Share your podcasting story. How did the Let’s Start Now Podcast come to life?
The idea of the podcast started in 2019, we both had an interest in entrepreneurship and technology. We noticed a gap in the media coverage of Start-ups and entrepreneurs in Rwanda and Africa in general and decided to do something about it. We started this podcast as a platform where African start-ups and entrepreneurs can share their story and are celebrated. We could say that the podcast was a product of curiosity, passion and we were both interested in podcasting and noticed that there was a lack of entrepreneurship/Startup stories at home, this later turned into Africa.
Why did you choose podcasting as your preferred platform for delivering content?
We are both big fans of podcasts and as the hosts, we are also learning about entrepreneurship and one of our core values as a podcast is to inspire, inform and educate our listeners through the different conversations we have with entrepreneurs on the podcast. It was important for us that deliver the content in the simplest form that is easily accessible. Podcasts in general are easier and cheaper to produce and distribute than most other platform and so seemed like the perfect platform start with.
What are some of the challenges you faced as podcasters starting out?
Just like any venture, podcasting has its challenges. Starting out, we made a lot of rookie mistakes. The challenges we faced were related to getting guests for the podcast, especially since both of us had very little network in the business space, however it got easier with time. Another constant struggle is quality audio, having the right equipment is of essence in the podcast world, as the clearer the audio, the clear the message. This is still a challenge for us, as most of the conversations we have are conducted virtually.
What are some of the themes you have explored with founders on your podcast?
On the podcast we have a sequence of 5 episodes per country. So far, we have conversated with 20 entrepreneurs in 4 countries, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda and Zambia. These entrepreneurs vary in their business ideas, age and their journey. Each episode is different, as different entrepreneurs have different journeys and stories. However, we are constantly exploring themes related to development stage and financials of a business, as well as deep dive in to the entrepreneur’s journey; the good and the bad.
Why do you believe sharing and understanding founder journeys in Africa is so important for Africans and the world?
Sharing founder journey in Africa is very important especially for the youth. There are not enough positive stories of African founders that are been told and we need to change that. We need to tell these stories to inspire other Africans to start businesses and create solutions for communities. We also need to celebrate the African founders that are doing great work on the continent, as form of motivating them and affirming them as we know entrepreneurship is not an easy journey, especially in Africa.
What is next for the Let’s Start Now Podcast?
We are currently looking at innovative ways to contribute and communicate information on African start-ups and founders’ stories and the African Startup ecosystem in general. We want to create more content that are in line with our core values to inspire, inform and educate. We are also looking at partnerships that could help us contribute into the growth of entrepreneurs, in terms of either networking, entrepreneurship trainings.