 When I think about poverty and how much I went through poverty, I do not waste any resource that I get as a person. In fact, if a day of a hungry man should be a day of inspiration for him. So that time, I just thought to myself, man, just starting buying fast kwa second kwa third kwa tourist that is coming, we read about you. But it's now learnt that if I do a good job to tourist, not everybody is going to recommend me, but some, most of them will. But at that time I was doing one very important thing. I met every tourist before they left for the national parks, briefed them about their trip, and also met every tourist at the end of their trip and told them about where I've been, where I am, and where I'm going. So that one helped them buy into my vision. They buy into your vision. So we just added studies, buy boat, boat. Then of course after some time, I said okay, let me now go and hire a small house in an estate, a small estate. Then use a garage as my office. So I started taking off now. I was ready now to think about marriage because when I had enough money, I can look after a family. When I get married, of course, my wife, she used to come to me, sit there looking for money. So the company becomes like a very interesting place. So I moved, I moved, I moved to the smallest office on a big block of buildings. So I, I go there and I also somehow had favour of the landlord and the landlady. They were old couple. So I brought about 30% of their tenants, man. Yeah, so they loved me because of that. So after that they gave me the biggest of it on the block at almost no cost, $200 a month. And they said I must always pay $200 until he leaves but I also paid my fee, I could pay in a year. I was making good money now, you know. But then they started teaching me about property. So they tell me when you're young, don't struggle to buy land in the city. Go and buy land 40 square kilometers, you know, around the city. No one cared at that time. When my, I believe me or not, for $2,000, I would buy three acres of land where today is $200,000. So I bought lots of land. I just bought land, bought land, bought land, bought land. Today, the very few young people that very few of my age did similar thinking, had similar thinking at the time. Now at that time, 20, 20, 16 years ago, if I did a trip and tourist paid me $10,000, I would make maybe 10 or 20%, maybe $2,000. I still today, if I charge the clients, I still actually, if I get $10,000 from the client, I get the same amount of money. But the value of $2,000 then could buy me what I would need to save now, very many safaris. But because I made the right decisions then, and I have a lot of value. I don't know where to gather that. So 2006, they advertised for people to be in Chivali National Park. Now, that time there was no Ugandan, I had picked courage to do this kind of thing. So I get a Ugandan friend who was living in Holland, I give him $5,000. And I say, man, write the proposal, call Joseph Miiti. He was very good at, he's still very good at writing proposals. He writes a very good proposal. Now, me, I'm competing with white fellows who have so much experience, but also knowledge. So we write, we got, so they took the top two, to the next stage financial, and financial they open when you bought them. So they take the top two. So we got 72, the second South African camp and got 70. And I go in the room, I'm putting on a jean, ton, dirty. I'm here sitting with the guys and authority at that time. And I'm here, these are Ugandans. And I'm here sitting with two big white Caucasian guys. They start saying, offer this, you offer this. I'm totaling up. I total up and I realize I've won by two dollar difference. I couldn't believe what God had done. Two dollar difference. I hate that. Now everyone is hitting the table. The Ugandans are hitting the table that I've gotten it. They're angry that I've gotten it. The Caucasian guys are angry I've gotten it. I look at these two groups of people and I'm shocked. And I tell both of them guys, I have won. That was 12 January. I got the concession on 12 December. They had refused to give it December there. It took 12 months from the time I'd won for them to give me a paper. Now when they give me a paper they say it's going to fail. And many people say, not everybody but many people say you're going to fail. You can never build a road. This is something Caucasians do. I live in Kampala man. I've been saved up. At that time I'm 35 years old. Explain to my family, I'm supposed to have built a house when I was 35 but now there's an opportunity here. So you're not going to have a home. I build a home when I'm 38. I go and spend time on the ground. I first do an environmental assessment by January 2007 I finished. By August 15th I built a tentad camp. Not top end but it also has a whole story. I can write a book about that tentad camp. I give guys, I go and look for timber somewhere. Give a carpet and put a phone in the streets. The guys sold 180% of the timber man. It's written me on the 20%. I get on a bus to go and look for tents in Kenya because I did a tentad camp. I bought a bus overnight. I arrived in Nairobi. I tried to go and meet guys in Nairobi. You can google it online. I tried to meet the boss. I looked so beaten up. I wanted to see the boss. I wanted to negotiate tents. He looked at me and said things are my thug man. He didn't really treat me nice man. Somehow I met the guy. I told him I'm going to buy tents. He sent me a design. I had to send all the money I had for the tents at that time. I sent all the money the guys were shocked. We actually afforded that money to pay them. I bought the bus. Same day and night I came back to Kampala from Nairobi. Rovernight. I arrived here. I got on the bus straight to Chiba National Park to start construction. So July, September. Now meanwhile these guys had told the guys at the time. Had told these occasion guys that I was going to fail and they would give it to them. I was hosting my first clients on the 15th of August, 2007. 2008 now I was thinking maybe I would fail to pay my grand rent per person because I have to pay grand rent every year. So whether I make money or not it's about $10,000. If you come and sleep in private lodge every night I'll pay about $26. But I was very prompt with my figures up to today. They cannot say this is a Caucasian an Asian guy who pays them before me. No. I pay my fees for the last so many years. It gives me a voice. It's like taxes. You have to pay your taxes. It gives you a voice. When you are arguing with people you are arguing from a very self-space. So anyway 2008 I was awarding the best performers. And I was one of them. Only Uganda. So I started getting awards. How many lodges have you built since then? So by first was primary. Second one was Simba Safari Camp. Must have seen the budget one. Innovate them and make a... So this is the first block that Amos built in here. Of course it is the first block. Before all these... It was this one. It was the first block. Wow. Third was Elephant Plains. Donge Akoloj. Just put one in Tanzania. But Amos is not just in tourism alone now. Because of COVID we put up a fact with me and a friend. It's worth 4.5 million dollars. That we process about 18 types of grains. Now we having a contract signing up a contract with Diageo to supply corn starch supply sogam supply bali That's what we're doing. What really drives you guys? What really drives you? I think for me one is poverty. When I think about it it doesn't matter whether it's 2 a.m. or 2 a.m. I used to work 18 hours every day. 18 hours every day. If someone tells you hard work doesn't work then he doesn't understand what they're talking about. I worked 18 hours a day. I had to pay a price for it. I had to make a name for it. Now when I started growing I remembered my dreams my desire. When I went to fluke the wedding and I ate a lot of meat and I thought about meat so at one point I have 100,000 dollars on my account but I'm struggling with food like I'm struggling to eat food I'm struggling to eat meat I don't even like it you know what I'm talking about I said asking myself why was this so like this. I started struggling with myself and I think many people struggle at that stage that's when they start buying latest cars putting so many things is because that stage everybody goes through it like in the mindset you go through it but I started discovering that if the purpose to life is beyond what you put on what car you drive how many clothes you know this kind of stuff which phone you carry then you start discovering now that my papa is for life today is when I wake up and I know these people are paid on time there's no single employee of great lakes of iris or Uganda Lord is it it can say was paid beyond the 26th of every month none even during covid whoever was paid was paid you know to that display is the papa so when I build a place I look at the young people building the lodge I look at the people working there and I see they are able to support their families that's what brings satisfaction how many people have been employed so far we are many every factories and whatever we are doing we are many the impact is even larger when you run accommodations the impacts are larger than we all see because you have suppliers onions I remember during covid I meet I meet a lawyer and he tells me I had never seen how you are valuable to me until covid happened I said so how he tells me I met my aunt in Fort Porto I realized my auntie was not able to ask for money from him because she supplies us tomatoes but because I was covid she could not supply us so it is covid that made him realize that without primate lodge working he also can't work so you don't know this impact sometimes it takes situations for you to understand but just that we also had so many young people that have left the business of selling down businesses prospering it's a good thing at the same time at one point we have young people training which makes a lot of sense what has been the mega challenge throughout this whole journey well I think every season has had its own cha type of challenge covid has been covid was such a test and those tests on two fronts one that 3 years almost 3 years without business was extremely tough but also it reminded me of the habits of saving that without those habits would have probably gone down but also we used it to train of course during that time but 2020 we had been booked man had counted my eggs as so how much we were going to make that time it taught me a lesson even now by the way from June we are really really looking very good but I no longer think in that direction because anything can happen with life we are not in charge I think covid was one of the toughest of lessons I read on the internet people were complaining about the car you drive people were complaining about the way you dress have you seen those things but you see what many people don't understand is that I am breaking a chain of poverty when you are the one breaking a chain of poverty your responsibility is different from my child I have to be very careful what I do with what I have but also they look as a person a car is just something that moves me from place A to place B it doesn't mean that I don't like brand new cars I sit in my friends brand new cars and by the way I've saved 3 times one day I sat in a friend's car and I started saying I saved particular for everything I want I save even I don't go to the company and get money and buy but when I went something like that I saved $150,000 I went to her to touch a brand new Land Cruiser GX and I thought to myself kid from Rwakaka this is not for me man I left one week later I don't know that you know the internet but you don't this is a good restaurant I am the landlord but I the land next door came out for buying and I paid $160,000 that's the money I should have so it was $160,000 that land the last I was offered was $1.3 million yeah then I saved up again saved saved I went to Toyota again 3 times man I went to Toyota touched the cart was grand looking so cool man brand new I walked out again I walked out again it was just I think the second week someone tells me there's 158 acres for buying 6 to 7 kilometers from my town I went and bought but it's not that I don't like it we all wake up and want to have the latest things but I don't think I'm defined by what I dress I'm the type of guy who will put on sometimes must see me in a picture with the same pair of shoes from Monday to weekend I say yeah it's true I only have one so that doesn't take up my mind really I can enter a place I know I can pay my bills I sign a cheque and even here when you come no one cares whether I'm here or not really at the office everyone just calls me by my name no one calls me both that's not important I've seen you've got a lot of tourist bands land cruises and stuff for the tourists how many you got so far I don't know I think over 20 but we've got some others in the national parks would you agree with me that you started your company with a zero dollar no how much did you start your company with I started with knowledge I had 200 dollars between me and Pokati do you need more money to set up a company no I think this is where we go wrong have you seen people who have inherited lots of money and become poor in have you seen politicians in Africa even Uganda a guy has been earning 50 thousand dollars a month and when he is thrown out thrown out of parliament he has been spoiled within one year so that's the mistake as African thing that we need the cash I always tell people if you want to be progressive you want to succeed continuously the first thing you look for in life is a skill be good at something like Wadi Maya for example you're good at YouTube you're good at understanding people you're good at showcasing things Wadi Maya as a politician was nothing to offer Wadi Maya everything you have can go away and you'll start afresh and you'll still be Wadi Maya in the next 20 years so the skill is number one number two and very very important is networks so it doesn't matter how skilled you are if you're not good at making good networks you're going to go nowhere number three money will come in number four will be the obvious influence when you have a skill you have networks you have a bit of money then they interview you Wadi Maya comes and interviews you that's the bottom line but then also when you want to create wealth in the second stage is you find something to do so you've gotten a skill, you've got the networks and you find something to do when you find something to do in the first stage save as much as you can we do that that's why we've not been indebted as a business save as much as you can you ever took loan? no, we don't use loans the only loan we've done was for the factory we've done and only for trading not for capital investment so we like now we have about 3 million kilograms of maize that came from a loan but it's there in value we didn't really say we have a loan so we save we went to Simba's fire camp and went to Elephant Plains Simba's fire camp I saved 10 years to be able to build a next lodge I think long term that's very important for us to know so the second stage is up front to explain it so you get an income when you get an income the second stage is save as much as you can the third stage is invest as well as possible because you see if you had 250,000 shillings you cannot shillings 12 years ago was equivalent to $100 15 years ago was about $100 today that money is less than $70 so you've lost value so saving is good now you must invest as well as you can but for you to invest as well as you can depends on who you hang out with right it fits many people it's lifestyle so it doesn't matter how skilled you are how well networked you are how much you save how much you invest for as long as your lifestyle is wrong manu will elude you say you are making african product pure 100% but with lots of context from local people support me East African support me Caucasian support me it's because of the context so you I personally believe in the notion that there's a man who is self-made I can't say that you've come here how many people are we here you've seen them working in all the lodges people are working you have garage people are working these are the guys that make me without them I'm nothing I have so many young Africans that watch my videos I think that makes sense both young and old if you have a message for them in terms of how to run a successful business what would that message be I think running a business is not impossible is a lot of people especially educated people unfortunately for us Africans I think running a business is not impossible is a lot of people especially educated people especially for us Africans a lot of educated people will see 10 ways in which a business can work and one way in which it can't work they will nest that one way in which it can't work and actually stops them from trying out now of course people like me were not very class educated have an advantage me I cannot be employed by anyone I don't have a CV to take to anybody I don't have it in all this building I'm the only guy without a university degree from the receptionist I'm the only guy without a university degree most of them up to 2-3 2 degrees that's how it is so I have to work twice as hard as would like admire to just or 3 times for me to try and be at your level so for me I have no excuse and if you're educated and have an advantage you actually can do a lot better than a person that is not as educated in many ways because I know for sure that the contacts have made all over the world even here locally I've not exploited even 5% why? because much as I'm fairly eloquent, fairly engaging I am limited I have like you saw I have no diary, I've never kept a diary in my life if I didn't have a friend of mine called Simon Kahero who forced me to get a personal assistant in african-american actions the reason why she is is because she understands the mindset of my clients so you have to surround yourself you're as good as who you surround yourself with because she understands the mindset of my clients she's been my personal assistant for the last 7 years unfortunate for her she's going slightly higher in the company which means I have to still get another person but it just improves your life it does that if you had a chance to change one thing in africa what would you change? I think it's the mindset because the resources are there if you look if you look at africa we have between 50% and 60% of the world's arable land we still import food worth over $4 billion a year in fact if you look at countries not like germany like Nigeria if they never imported rice from thailand the thailand economy would struggle even us were still importing certain things yet Uganda has 49% of East Africa's arable land you just imagine this you've seen here you'll never eat a pineapple anywhere in the world mangos are sweet everything you eat the fruits are real nice they are tasty, they are fresh but why are we poor? we've got the lakes, we've got the longest river in the world there's powerful waterfalls in the world you've got a big portion of the world the largest fresh water lake the tropics you've got mountains, rivers, lakes, tropical rainforest why are we poor? it's our mindset it is our mindset it is important if you are in Africa, trauma because for me I have travelled across Europe I have driven I've gone to Yosami I've gone to the Grand Canyon I've done all these things but when you see these guys exploiting some of the things that you will never take seriously I went to Australia one time and I was taken to a tour on the Calypters Street you know Calypters, find over here Maharaja shook my hand and there were many of us buses of us going to the Calypters they were everywhere I was shocked I paid $100 and thousands of us were paying $100 I came back and I thought what about the tripkoreen forest we've got here it's just our mindset we're not exposed to knowledge thank you so much for talking to me I appreciate your time and I hope and believe that your story will inspire many Africans thank you kwa see you in Ghana man