Mentoring is not common in francophone Africa and at the same time, it is not easy to find the right information for wannabe entrepreneurs. I have seen a lot of people coming to me thinking they have a marketing problem when in fact they fell in love with their product and forgot to focus on the market’s needs.
As a mentor and as a certified coach, my main focus is to ask the right question that will lead entrepreneurs to the right answers for them and come up with their own conclusions.
I have enjoyed working with the cultural and creative industries as I believe we have a lot of untapped resources and I also find that those who are already active in that sector tend to be so focused on their craft that tend to forget the business side of it.
I find that a practical and hands-on approach is a necessity to support entrepreneurs. A lot of social networks guru try and always find new secrets on how to succeed in entrepreneurship. It’s important that more experienced entrepreneurs debunk most of these myths and share a clear and proven path to succeeding in defined areas of entrepreneurship.
Access to a mentor is often time access to a network of professionals that can help reduce the risk for entrepreneurs.
Last but not least I strongly believe that Africa’s greatest asset is it’s youth but only if we make sure access to good education and resources is made available.