When the river meets the wall
Building something from scratch always requires a higher purpose. It doesn’t have to be lofty, but it should be enough to say “this is why”. And enough to keep going before the profits start trickling in.
In marketing, we call this a brand story, and listening to several founders and stakeholders speak of theirs during discovery calls made me realise why Famasi Africa has been different from day 0.
It's this simple:
Adeola and Faruq experienced a problem and thought "there has to be a better way to do this". It's evident in conversations they have and also informs all our processes.
But when you start a company or join a startup, the question is often how much you believe in the vision. Why? Because the fastest way to grow professional grey hairs is a startup.
On many days, it’s bleaker than the soot in Port Harcourt. And on many nights, there are more fires to put off before realising how they're not even your fault. Yet, Famasi feels like the right place to be and I honestly didn’t know anyone else could notice till I got this text when chatting with a newfound friend.
It took a while to reach the thoughts you’re reading now but I now know why Famasi feels like the place for me.
The Founders: The perfect adjectives fail me at the moment but maybe that’s because Famasi didn’t start as this “perfect” idea. We’ve gotten where we are — 17 states and 9 countries outside Nigeria, 1500+ orders of which 75% are refills — through experiments. Having founders you don’t have to spend nights begging to approve experiments can’t be understated. It’s not the norm. Most days I don’t run ideas by them before we execute. They’re the real definition of hiring people and trusting them to do their job. Before it starts sounding like I want to enter their relationship, this and more is why they’re the right fit for the vision we all share for Famasi Africa.
The Team: I remember saying in one of my 1-on-1 with Faruq that learning from the team members has been a good part of my Famasi experience. It’s like watching Arya go from timid to killer in GOT — the character growth has been amazing to watch. We have folks who’ve gone from not asking for help to recognising it’s necessary and people who’ve gone from always trying to keep the peace to knowing when to turn things up for desired results.
The Customers: Let me just start by saying customers can be bad people. We’ve had our unfair share of dealing with headaches but the experiences have shaped many of our processes. Often, there’s the question of how X could’ve been prevented and how to ensure customers involved get out of the occurrence with satisfaction. But, more than the bad experiences, there’s been a bunch of grace-givers — customers who’ve been understanding, appreciative and above all, committed to their health just like we are. It’s been a swell time hearing how they’ve progressed and seeing the fruits of all our labour.
When I was trying to decide on what course to study at Uni, one of the questions before me was which would I be able to help people with the most. I settled for Law, silly me, but as naive as that question may seem, it’s why I enjoy what I do now.
I wake up knowing my presence is making or has made the life of someone easier and it seems like no higher purpose can beat this. Sure, your money is important — the research behind all the content you see was fueled by subscribing to MTN, FiberOne and Tizetti, which isn’t free — but beyond that, there’s no way you can read feedback like the one below and not feel good about your presence.
@FamasiAfrica appreciation post
— Designs by Esther (@blvck_essy) August 2, 2022
When I started this year, I was basically living on my inhaler. I would wake up gasping for breath and sleep with my inhaler in my hand. I was using my inhaler up to 7 or 8 times a day and buying a new inhaler every other week. Found out about a
Here’s to doing more good stuff in 2023. And becoming more of a household name. But for now, I'm off to get some shawarma because I haven't exhausted my yearly quota.
Cheers!