 Welcome back to why in the morning if it's Tuesday, you know, it's entrepreneurship Tuesday at Y254 channel So you can find us across all our social media handles that Michel as she raised or you can find me across all my social So as always in this particular session we dive into an interview that looks at the untapped business opportunities That are actually out here and young guys can tap into in studio. I'm joined by none other than Tim O'Rourke Chicago and He's part of the youth in business Africa. It's an organization that he'll be talking as taking us through what he did deals with and The services there are for opportunities that actually on that particular platform for you guys So kindly introduce yourself trim. I've left out anything on your on your bio. This is the right time you go That tell us more about who to me first of all, thank you so much for having me here You're very much welcome. It's a pleasure My name is team like you said Tim O'Rourke Chicago I'm an I'm an entrepreneur. I'm very passionate about entrepreneurship and I'm one of the directors of you think business Africa you think business Africa is a trade support institution. We are membership based We are devolved in all counties As the name suggests you think business Africa. We are hoping to move into other countries within the continent. We started with We're moving into Uganda in Tanzania Before the close of the year and hopefully into more countries as the years go by Currently we are looking at we're having a membership over a thousand and two hundred youth led businesses and our organization and we're hoping to grow the number to around five to ten thousand before the year ends So yeah in a nutshell, that's really what we do Rather really what we are And before we get into details on matters pertaining a youth in business Africa, let's take take us through What was your life growing up? Where did your entrepreneurial entrepreneurial? Spirit come from but in the morning Well, I grew up in the traditional setting My parents when I was born in Mombasa My dad used to move a lot because of transfers job transfers. So we really never had a set base where we lived until This was 97 98 when moved now to Tagila So my my background in business Actually was inspired by my father because he was real entrepreneur in his own in his own right even in in the rural area used to Set up where he started in a great business. So my my understanding of business was really geared towards a great business But after school and seeing all the opportunities that out there. I was introduced to other business sectors. I Have a background in finance. I started with I started with in quotes fashion because I used to I Used to I used to get orders and go to tailors and you know make outfits And then I moved from Concentrating on a business And then now into other different businesses Let me also just say that most of these businesses that I did I faced challenges and we had to close down So the motivation now what led me now to you know, get into youth in rather start youth in business Africa Which was by then transform youth was The notion that the challenges that I faced I wanted to address to anyone who probably wanted to start business and Give my guidance on how to avoid them just to you know Just to pave the way for the guys who wanted to get into a different ocean Very nice and I you've mentioned something very important whereby that you into fashion You into design and you and you moved from that You into a great business, but you ended up closing this particular business at what particular point does one? Recognize that this is not working for me. This particular idea is not working for me and it's time for me to transition Well, there are number of factors that come into play, but for me I'd probably say you know that the main reason is that a business is to make money Yes, so when you're facing challenges when it comes to making the money Then and then suddenly does not mean that you're not making any money But then you have a set goal in terms of what amounts you want to make So if you find yourself in a position where you're not hitting your goals time and again Then it you find yourself that if you You find a self in a position where you have to choose between you know trying out something different For me, I think most of the businesses that I closed I had no passion in them So, you know the notion of and this is something that I see many young people Go through is that when you're starting a business that the whole idea of making money being the first Will probably be the one that you know Let the business go down the train because if you're concentrating so much on making the money Then when you start facing challenges, then, you know, you're not innovative in your way You're not creative because then this puts a stopper on on how you push your business. So for me Yes, so for me, I I was jumping through all these businesses not because of the money, but really just to find out what I Really was good at rather what I had passion, you know Because for me, I thought my passion was in making the money But you find that after after a while being in business That's why you'd find even in employment that people are employed and they're getting good salaries But then they get to a point where you know, you've seen the stories in in even in newspapers in the media Social social media print media where you've seen pilot leaves job and goes into into farming You know because at the end of the day, you know how we are how we are set up as humans We have a purpose why we're here So if you're going away from your purpose, you'd find that, you know, you'd you'd be doing something and you'd be getting the results out of it, but then your your whole Me whole mechanism of how you set up you'd find that you're not satisfied. I think that's That's actually the biggest in the satisfaction of the the fulfillment Once that's lacking then you'd find that your concentration level probably on whatever you're doing beat work or beat business Goes down. Yeah, and what is when it comes to youth in business Africa, which we believe you're focusing is right now Take us through in details what you guys actually do and also the problem you're solving in the market So for you think business Like I said, you know, we are a trend support institution So I suggest we support trade is a portrait. So we we We offer a number of benefits to our members One of it being access to market because we see that this is a very big problem. We have people who have Beat from products to services exemplary in their own right people are doing very People are innovative in their own way But you find that whatever the beat products that they're producing they have no market for that even in every business You'd find that people plant they you know, they get their produce, but they don't know where to sell Oh, yes, and then the issue of middlemen. Yes, the issue of middlemen, which is a very big thing Big issue. So you find that what we are doing is within the organization is we are offering access to market Why we're calling it in business Africa is we're just not offering offering Sorry market to the local to the locale. Yeah, we are we are offering market to the international On the international level. So what happens from now moving from access to market to now advocacy is We sit down with agencies that support like we we just got into an ammo with Kent raid which Which is the the agency that that deals with the exportation and importation and you want to see how to you know smoothen the the process of guys exporting Within our within our organization and guys importing so you have people in ports who export their products We have guys within because we are devolved in all business sectors So we have people even in the fashion industry who you know will probably do their outfits and what they want them out there We have people who want to bring in fabric probably from Ghana from the West African countries So just to smoothen the process of you know moving your products out or moving raw materials, whatever products inside So we we now move from access to market to advocacy And then we move to funding because now we understand. Okay. So before funding we do enterprise development So we look at your business where it is do you need acceleration in any way? How can we Structure it in a way that your business can grow So we we love me on coaching. Yeah, not yet development and coaching Just that's just one of the aspects and the other aspect aspect now is funding when I receive you probably need injection in your business and so we We link you up with the with the with funders of people who probably who are interested in your innovation your business Let me just put this out there that we Necessarily don't find ideas we found because we've had an issue with with people Rather with people coming to us with ideas They're not committed enough to you know see it through so you have young guys coming with brilliant ideas And then you found them and then a year down the line the business has gone down the losses to both side You lose on both sides So what we're really concentrating on our businesses that have been in the market so that we can see a trend You know we can see that you've moved from this point from point A to point B And now we want to see how we can move it from point B to point C or point D I know yes, so it's eligible to be part of Youth in business Africa as a member Well for us as the name suggests is youth for organization we time I use as 18 to 35 But we are open to because we we necessarily not necessarily just work with you We also work with women and people with disability And for us we have even within within organization we have people who have joined us as individuals We have a young guy in in Bougoum actually who's 16 years and doing amazing work You know and and obviously within our policies He does not fall as a youth, but we support such kinds of engagements with young people or even older people Yeah, okay, so I don't you mentioned that when it comes to investing into you don't invest in ideas Yes, but probably an actual business so at a particular point or for someone who's watching this conversation and they They would like to be funded in their business What criteria do you go through to decide that person a gets to be funded and person B doesn't get to be funded? Well For us as an organization, okay Let me speak for me personally. Yeah, what what I would look at and to advise my decision to either Support someone to be funded or not is one I look at someone who's failed You know because I have I have failed in my business as before so I know what works and what does not work So you probably don't find Book entrepreneurs, you know someone would come with a business plan and say this is how the market is this how it's going to Make my money we work with people who and it's controversial But for me, I'd probably probably you know equate maybe entrepreneurship to something like swimming, you know Where you know you can read many books about swimming But that day that you got if you've not gone to the water and tried swimming, you know, you probably So for me, I'd probably you know, I'll trust someone who's been in the water and so on because entrepreneurship is more or less like You really have to practice it You really have to be in the market you really have to all these business books are helpful, but just as material, you know So, yeah, so please continue. Yeah, so That's the first thing that that that advises my decision. You know someone who's been in it Someone will tell me this I've tried this this has not worked And now I'm looking at other options, but as an organization what we really look at are Just the basic things, you know, are you registered with the basic are you are you legally operating as a business? but then to qualify for funding we have to see Your projections, you know, this is where you are at. This is where you're going so that we can see how How are we going to help you? We have people who come We had we had someone before the year ended who wanted to buy a farm in Kittangela that was doing like chicken farm here, so The the layers were you know were producing I think Quantity whatever quantity of eggs that were there and the guy, you know came and say this is a good business But he's not tried that business, you know, so it seemed like a good opportunity But you know for us, you know, we told him do this. Have you tried selling eggs before? No So you do this you sell those eggs iterate once you've Once you've got into a certain number in the market then come back to us and say listen I got this business. I've sold eggs to even the local shop now and to move into, you know something different So for us, it's it's more or less about projections where you've been and where you're going Listen to you. There's an arm all smiling It's because the same concept is from a well-known serial entrepreneur and also a motivational speaker from South Africa who's in the choir and he speaks the same and also is the same The same theory of if you have a couple of cooking books and you're never going to the kitchen clearly you have to You know do it practical So in this particular space, I'm so sure you've interacted to interact with so many young entrepreneurs We're a couple of businesses that Require minimal capital in tests in times and they and in that particular space. It has not been, you know tapped couple of opportunities in that space Well, let me just say this broadly, you know, the the the main reason we're going to business like I said is to make money and And There's something that there's a study of topology, which is really just studying the That gaps in the industry So if you if you come in and identify a gap in any sector, it can be, you know, like like you said what business here You know, you can go to South Sudan and just sell water because that's what's needed in a certain section, right? And then you can you can go to work to Somalia. It's hot or something So really there they know I really can't advise brought up on specific businesses because specific businesses have different market niche So you'd find that what works in Nairobi probably doesn't work in Macha cause or you know Interacted like I said our organization is devolved in all counties. So the same tell us then what to look out for when looking for Anish in a particular environment geographical area that you can start up a business. So before starting any business you do probably, you know Find a problem. That's just exactly it, you know, I didn't fire problem And once if I didn't find the solution to the problem doing business because at the end of the day What what clients buy what a entrepreneurship is clients buy solutions So if your thirsty the solution is water you buy water from a vendor if If you want education, you probably pay for school So building a school of Is a business in itself because you've identified a place where there are no schools and people probably need education Fashion same thing that people will probably need clothes. So What most entrepreneurs should know when they're getting into business is identify the problem Come up with a solution always iterate the solution because at the end of the day, you find that why? Business a will grow in business be wouldn't grow is because of the services or the The more easier or accessible the solutions are so you'd find why probably Equity grew grew at a very steady state as compared to probably Buckley's that now is absent it's because you know, they went to the machinani and As compared to maybe Buckley's which was set up in township areas. So people are to travel there. So as a solution Equity, so let us go to where the masses are Okay, and when it comes to back to the business the youth in business Africa and what you guys are offering spoke about market a Marketing platform. Yes, but you you guys offer an in on a larger scale, which is internationally Yes, so how does that work? Well, we have a virtual assistant called market design base market design When you go to the website, it has 5,000 market places. There's over a hundred thousand products here within the platform all categories into a 60 product categories So what happens is we? We offer access to those markets so we understand that you know if if you're if you're In agribusiness and you you're in food. So you you you know your produce is probably what chili? You'd want markets where to sell it not local just not just locally so you can Exhaust the local market and go into the international market if you're in maybe the fashion industry You'd probably want fabric to make, you know, your own outfits for your clients We make it easier for you to access the people who sell the fabrics. So you'd find that If you if you know if you see the if you see the ornaments or the dresses or even the mosaic culture you've noticed that most Most European countries. Yeah, let me just move to the European side Would would want the ornaments and all that and the access is is a bit difficult So what we do is we we smoothen and and and give them access to such kinds of To the end to the end producer So if if I want certain ornaments or outfits I can get through to you at the end, you know, just to not necessarily to cut down on the middleman, but just to Dedicate the whole process, you know, you're dealing with the end producer of the end buy Yes, and who how can people register on this particular platform? Is there subscription fee? Yeah, well, we're membership based so our annual membership fees a thousand shillings for an individual the fee goes up if you're a company It's three thousand if you're a BMO if you're a group goes to five thousand if you want to be a patron, it's twenty thousand They're different. They're different premium. They're people different rates. You can find that on our website It's www.youthinbusinessafrica.com But then as you join them there those necessities that will probably ask you The normal, you know, what's your name? If you have a business the business certificate your location what you're looking at because you also want to understand Why are you joining us? You know, what are you looking at what services or what benefits do you want to get from joining us? There people come to us for networking. The people want to join us for funding The people want to join us. We have people join us as advisors So people just come in and say I have made it in this sector. So I mean the legal industry have made it in it So I want to advise anyone who will be in our sector and you know mentor them so that people will join us under the mentorship program So we have all these Benefits that are highlighted In in our websites. Okay. All right. So we've looked at it on the on the angle of Someone who is into business and is looking for the market out there. Let's look at the potential clientele How do you reach out to potential clientele? Um Well for us our clients are the business people. Yes now. I'm speaking about for now. You are okay So that there's the business guy. Okay, let's put it as I am the business person here I may be in fashion coming to you in order to reach out to the market, which is on a global scale How are you? Yeah for me now. So how am I going to get my potential clients on that global? Okay, so for us. Okay, so for us we have our company structure. We have we have the marketing team Actually came with the marketing lead. She's here What happens is we look at you know, how your company structure we look at what your target audience is and then we are set out to now Create systems to see how to reach out to the to the local or rather to the international markets most of the most of the Ways that people use this is just social media outreach. That's exactly probably what we also do But we but we also capitalize on the fact that we are a youth Enterprise that that that's a network of youth entrepreneurs here. So if I mean fashion and this In the someone who's holding a fashion event, maybe in South Africa, we have members who are from South Africa So the invitation comes through the power members who are in South Africa So it's really just so it's really just a network of youth entrepreneurs who want to help each other Yeah, so probably now we will tell us the the guys that you're working with in terms of membership like in terms of countries. Yeah, yeah well we We have we have members from probably all countries, but for for us I think the the highest number of what we have we do I can say like Ethiopia I can just mention to only that's why we want to really get into we really want to set up offices in these Countries so that they can just see the benefit of joining our organization But the highest number of membership we have is in Kenya obviously because that's where we started and that's where our national office is We're hoping to get into other countries And hopefully the numbers will grow once people now see our physical presence and how we can like I said, you know the market How the market how the business market is set up in Kenya is not the same way it set up in Nigeria or South Africa So what we're doing right now is we're spending so much time doing Doing our own research for all these countries that you want to get in so that we know once you get in what value are we giving The members will be joining our organization. All right, so From your background which is you've tried out a couple of businesses What would you say that is a key or couple of tips when it comes to running a business? Especially a startup because most of them don't make it to five years Yes, that will retain them for more for longer years and actually prevent them From dying so what are a couple of tips that you from your journey for me? Why why we actually got into Into funding was because we understood, you know, people talk about like Facebook here What people don't talk about is the years That it took before Facebook was Facebook. It took more than seven years, you know, so The notion that the idea that we've been that has been sold to us that whatever business you start Has to grow to a certain Certain level within a period of time. I think it's what's wrong So we have people so you've been sold the notion first this notion of do small starts more So we have all these people coming from and we have guys who come to us everyone with the same idea I want to buy clothes in Uganda. I want to sell here or wherever So if you want to sell clothes, we have people who want to open salons and want to get into beauty We want people who we have people who you know and to you know, even in fashion But the whole idea of business That we are trying to introduce is we can go you can grow big we want to you know, we're seeing Throw research you've seen that the next 10 to 20 years Africa's combined GDP will be among the fastest growing in the world And the only way we'll get there is if we Producing more in terms of manufacturing You know, not just service services, but something that comes from Africa, you know So if it's you know, and we have all these raw materials have the resources if it's gold we have it's oil We have you know, you remember when we were growing up I think Kenya was known for pirate pirate Ram and all these other you know and right now No one can say where it is. So we want to see how to revive I'm still known for tea though. Yeah, I'm still known for tea. Yeah You know, but all these things that you know size all Want to go back and see how can we revive? Things that are natural and and to our to a larger scale in the national scale. So for organization We're not just looking at small businesses. So for me, you know growing up I think the biggest challenge that businesses would probably face The mindset fast, you know, we have to change our mindset as young guys that We should be innovative in our own way When it comes to the people who fund because we have I've encountered, you know, these are family funds And and and the biggest issue is, you know, people would fund you once and when the business starts going down They stop funding you but like I said, you know, like Facebook, we if you read the story You know, we have people who funded so they like that series as we have a series a funding series B So you find you get to a certain level it looks rather fun as you find to get to a certain level So that's exactly what you're doing. So you have people who have innovative ideas who come to us We find the little we can we get them to a certain level. We don't stop funding them We look for other people to put inject more money to push them to a tour to the next level get more money Get more people to so we really just need people who can have a little faith in us as young guys you know as you are getting into our own endeavors and so for for for guys want to get entrepreneurship just change the mindset and Just iterate, you know, you can start small and you know Grow towards the vision that you have very true. Very true. A couple of achievements that looking back You're really proud that you're embarked on this journey Well, the achievements that I What really what I really pride myself in is when you sit down with your members So you've seen seeing people grow. Actually, that's that's the biggest achievement that that we as an organization I'll take pride in so, you know, you you have someone who's joined us at a certain level As a business so we have people actually join us with a business name No officer or nothing, you know, and then two or three years down the line or even even shorter period of six months or a year You find that they have offices. They have employed two or three four guys. There's totally growth. Yes Yes, so just in the growth of someone who came to you with a vision and using the vision through that We really take pride in that. Okay couple of challenges that you're facing as a business Couple of challenges we're facing is one bureaucracy. We You know, there's people like politicizing everything. So we probably approach government entities and look at it as What are you guys trying to do? You know, the the the biggest challenges we also face are From the entrepreneurs so we have guys who Who probably want who wants to join up want to get into entrepreneurship But one don't have the passion to don't have just have like I said that people have not tried out anything So, you know, we let them back to the market rather to the to the field and tell them try this if it was come back To us if it doesn't still come back to us and see let us see what went wrong So we have the perception of you know, people who want to listen fed and I think that the biggest challenge you have is People thinking that they really need capital to start businesses and we have so many people. It's so great ideas But their mindset is fixed on I need to get someone to find me so that I can start this business And and yet they can start small, you know, like me before I started my business like I told you I was in fashion I was not in it because of the passion this early But I knew I have to make some money to get into what I wanted to do. So, you know, just Sell something sell something get a bit of money and then invest in in your ideas So that's the biggest challenge you have that people were innovative and creative, but are not pushing Towards a vision because they feel like they need help from you next tunnel All right. All right interesting there. So give us the vision. How does the vision look like when it comes to? You think business Africa don't give you a particular time for so Well, our vision is our vision is very big. I think what we're looking at So a bit of background on before I got into youth in business I used to work for Kenyan national chambers of commerce is to head the youth chapter The whole idea of youth in business is we just like the name suggests here We want to be a network of youth business people in Africa So the vision is to connect each and every entrepreneur Be it formally or informally within the continent so that we can Market within ourselves so we can we can have our own let me put it in in course We can have our own economy. So if you ever need anything if you want to buy a phone you buy it from someone who's Who's dealing with funds who's an entrepreneur within the platform? Anything that you want from your from your earrings to your shoes for men from the source, too So just supporting each other if you want to buy food you buy food from someone who set up a food Business who's a youth. So that's what we are actually looking at and not just within the country, but within the whole continent Yes, that's understandable. So if someone who has been following up a conversation And they would like to you know get in touch with you and keep the conversation going. How can they reach out to you? Well, we're all social platforms Instagram Facebook Twitter as youth in business Africa Our website is youthinbusinessafrica.com Yeah, that's that's how you can reach us We are setting up an office. We used to be at Norwich Union, but we closed up obviously after last year You know those, you know, everyone was hit hard, but we're opening offices right now in upper hill once that's done Then we can have a physical location now where people can come and and visitors, but you can reach out to us. We have We have counted representatives in all counties 47 of them So if you're youth in which ever county and you want guidance and to see how or rather to see how you can benefit from joining us We have counted representatives in your area You can reach out to us you can connect you to them and then you can you know last with them and see how to benefit from joining us All right Thank you very much team for creating time to be with us and talking to us about Untapped opportunities for young people and also matters pertaining youth in business Africa. Thank you so much It was lovely being here. Thank you very much Welcome as well. So that is team Orao Chicago. He's the director of the youth youth in business Africa We were talking about and top business opportunities that are out there for young people and they can get it in too So at Y244 channel is we can find us across all our social media handles that Michelle Sheerah is where you can find me across all my social so make sure to stay tuned We have so much coming your way that you don't wind them on