I have a man crush, honestly speaking. I know this will come as a shock to most because I am a man and men are not allowed to have crushes on other men. If they do they are certainly supposed to keep it to themselves and most importantly I love women – a little too much
It Monday so who cares? I first saw my crush on YouTube I was searching for videos on African entrepreneurship for an event I was putting together called ‘Start a company: the leap to entrepreneurship’.
He walked in the room, he was bald, clean shaven, with those arms that make the rest of us look lazy that can’t be bothered with a gym (I do have gym membership by the way, and I do let my Cousin go on my behalf occasionally).
With all the reasons able, they are unfortunately not the reason for my crush. It was his mind. You see when opened his mouth and spoke in the one minute I listened. I am very sure my pupils took a heart shape. I breathed a sign that made me sure beyond a doubt – I was in love.
The title of his talk that day was ‘the big lie of small business’ he went on to argue that most small business do almost that same thing as big business do but the mindset of the founders was they reason they stayed small. He went on to give examples juxtaposing a nkatemba and shoprite, a stokvel (or ichilimba as they are called in Zambia) and a bank, small fast food place and listed franchises.
I had been studying entrepreneurship and it was so easy to find information and talks about American startups but here was a man who was raised in an African setup, he had travelled across Africa, understood the business landscape in Africa. He spoke with authority about it and argued that we really had no excuse as African entrepreneurs. That it was possible to rise to the occasion, to build a better Africa for the next generation as long as can shift our mindset and build for philosophy and not lifestyle. To put off our gratification and build business much bigger than the entrepreneurs in them.
Even more striking was the way he communicated. With passion, poise, vigor and eloquence things I had not seen before in am African speaker. In just 17 minutes this man had managed not only to communicate great ideas but to change my life (as cliche as that sounds),
After that day I have search YouTube downloaded every talk I could lay my hands, I downloaded soundcloud to follow his radio interviews. Told everyone who was willing to listen about this beautiful man.
His name is Vusi Themkayo and almost every morning I listen to his good news. I will leave you with his talk.
The Big Lie of Small Business | Vusi Thembekwayo …:
