African Farming Episode 1 : Koos and Clifford Mthimkulu are building a family legacy (Full Episode)

African Farming Episode 2 – Palesa Moahlodi never gave up! (Full Episode)

African Farming Episode 3: Cocky Mokoka is a shepherd of the soil (Full episode)

African Farming Episode 4: Duncan Serapelwane rediscovers his love of farming (Full Episode)

African Farming Episode 5: It’s a family affair for Jimmy and Lerato Botha (Full Episode)

African Farming Episode 6: Former pilot Kobela Mokgohloa grounded by love of farming (Full Episode)

African Farming Episode 7: Kleinjan Gasekoma’s long walk to farming success (Full Episode)

African Farming Episode 8: Obakeng Mfikwe – from hospital rounds to breeding champion cattle (Full Episode)

African Farming Episode 9: Ntsiki Biyela – From Domestic Worker to Acclaimed Winemaker (Full Episode)

African Farming Episode 10: Theo van Rooyen – The Partnership That Made a Dream Come True (Full Episode)

African Farming Episode 11: Tshilidzi Matshidzula – A Farming Legend at 31! (Full Episode)

African Farming Episode 12: Sinelizwe Fakade – Planting 1000HA Of Maize at 29! (Full Episode)

African Farming Episode 13: Bheki Mhlane – A sugar farmer’s bittersweet victory (Full Episode)

Tony has a wealth of knowledge about business, current affairs, news, and sports. He has interviewed top local and international politicians, leaders and sportsmen and has a firm grasp of Mzansi’s major issues. But he also understands the issues our farmers face specifically, and how those challenges ultimately impact the consumer.

As we kick off another season of meeting farmers from across Mzansi, learning about their operations and the business of agriculture, we wanted to get to know Tony to find out what makes him tick, what connections he has to farming, and what he hopes to learn from this journey.

Tell us a bit about your background – where were you born, what did you study and how did you get into broadcasting?

I was born in a place called Wedza, about a hundred kilometres from Harare. I studied advertising, marketing, and PR. I was a copywriter for a long time. I now have my own businesses but early on in my career I did mainly advertising and marketing.

How did you make the leap to broadcasting?

I got into radio through a friend of mine who was doing radio at the time, and I was just tagging along with him. After they heard my voice and liked it, I was given a chance and ended up doing Radio Bop, Khaya FM, 5FM, 94.7 for a couple of years. So, it was all purely by chance.

With TV, I think I was at 94.7 at that point, I was working the 9am to 1pm slot, after Jeremy Mansfield. SuperSport asked me if I would be interested in doing some rugby. I was like, ‘Yah, cool.’ I love the sport, and I played it to a certain level. Then they just put me on air one day, and that’s how it started. Literally, it was one of those things where they go: ‘Fantastic, here’s your mic, here’s your kit, let’s go for it’.

I’ve always been interested in farming. It’s a daunting thing, but if I had lived another life, I would have been a farmer and lived off the land.

 

Now with African Farming – what do you want to get out of this experience, meeting farmers as the new presenter on the show?

I’ve always been interested in farming. It’s a daunting thing, but if I had lived another life, I would have been a farmer and lived off the land. I think there must be incredible satisfaction in being able to plant something, nurture and watch it grow and then to be able to say this is the end-product of something I started three to six months ago.

As a businessman, do you think business skills are important for farmers?

Definitely. You’ve got to have business sense. You may know your soil and everything else involved in crop production, but at the end of the day you should know why you are in it. Farming is a business. It is one thing to produce products, on whichever scale, but it is quite another to be able to sell it. Farmers should be able to understand the basics about markets and prices, and why it’s important to diversify.

Was farming part of how you grew up?

My father had a medium-scale farming operation. You could say he was a semi-commercial farmer. Before going to school and during school holidays I was in the field at 5 o’clock in the morning or herding cattle. You’re going to school and then during holidays you’re grafting. We grew up in that set up. It was the reality of my life. It teaches you to work hard. You’re not afraid of hard work by the end of that.

 

By Lionesses of Africa Operations Department

So much of our membership is B2C that we tend to concentrate all of our attention on that, and assume that new ways of doing things, all really great ‘touch points’ and omni-channels for customers are driven by the B2C customer wants. Yet this is not so it would appear…B2B uses many of the same touch points as B2C but with differing needs these touch points, or as some call them ‘Omni-channels’, are often used with different emphasis. For our many members in B2B, this weekend we turn to you!

Assuming that B2C is hip and cool and B2B less so, more stuck in the mud, more traipsing into offices or driving up and down main roads to many meetings each day, turns out to be wrong. B2B as an essential part of what makes the world move is also adapting fast into the 21st century, and with this pace the options for businesses to purchase through multiple suppliers or easily change to new suppliers is growing. Indeed there are some major names upping their already large investment in B2B, such as, Amazon; Alibaba; IndiaMART; Walmart and Mercateo so there must be something in it!

But does this increased attention by these giants mean that B2B will just be a rush to the bottom as they outspend to buy market share and “pile ‘em high to sell ‘em low?” Will there be no room left for those B2B Lionesses who offer personalized service, knowledge of their customers, deep understanding of their products including all the technicals and the ability to suggest and provide interesting solutions based on their decades of experience with the industry and customer?

Alibaba says that B2C is ‘relatable’, whereas B2B ‘reliable’. To a certain extent this is correct. They suggest you think of B2C as Facebook, Instagram, where you can ‘relate’ with the customer (and without doubt these are good touch points for B2C), whereas B2B has to be ‘reliable’, especially these days with all the supply chain problems in the world. If your customer needs a particular paint, or adhesive or silicon and you can’t supply it one month, in spite of having all the connections with major manufacturers (who often will only supply a small number of distributors and even then will control the pricing), then your customer may have to stop production. The knock-on effect of that in lost production, lost jobs, etc., can be huge, even more so if your customer’s ‘widget’ is central to the production of an even larger production line in another company.

But B2B is not ‘just reliable’. If it were ‘just reliable’ then these giants would wipe the floor with all of us in the B2B market. The B2B market relies far more on the personal touch than they would have us believe. The understanding of our customers and a deep knowledge of our products and how this can be brought together to solve issues and deliver solutions to our customers still has a central place in the modern world of instant gratification. That does not mean that in-person will remain forever and so we have to be aware of the changes going on and adapt with them, but currently this is still a central part, albeit only a part. This is shown by the changes over the past 7 years in the differing number of ‘touch points’ or ‘omni-channels’ that B2B uses…

In answer to a large survey by McKinsey (here), with the following questions – How do you research new suppliers, evaluate suppliers, order and reorder? A few points stick out in the answers as to how life has changed (or not) since 2016 for the B2B world. One is that there has been a marked increase in the number of channels used since 2016, from 5 to now 10. ‘E-mail’ is the number one route and has been since 2016. The other is that ‘in-person’ and ‘phone’ have remained the number two and three respectively throughout. ‘Trade Shows’ make a brief appearance in 2019, but then Covid-19 killed them off – it is doubtful that they will ever return in their original form since many have learnt that saving a flight and expensive hotel room by logging in via a web based portal is now entirely possible for all but the most in need of a personal experience. Who knows, perhaps this will be an opportunity for the Metaverse once it is past its trial and explanation phase?

But what is not in doubt is that the more touch points offered (on the condition that they are professionally provided of course) the higher the results. That does not mean that we should rush round trying to be all things to all people, just because one customer wishes to send you messages by Carrier Pigeon does not mean we should overnight rush to buy in bird feed and create a (small) landing strip on your roof. However we do need to keep abreast of the changes happening around us otherwise we shall start to lose customers to more nimble competition. In case you think McKinsey just concentrates on surveying the USA and other western countries, they do point out that in India B2B purchasers now enjoy 11 active channels through which they can supply their business, so they are ahead of the pack!

In this ever changing world what is that makes a customer leave us, or to put it another way, what is important to both keep old and attract new customers?

Mckinsey have found there is a top tier of 5 ‘must haves’.

1. Performance Guarantee (full refund). No real change there over the years – but you must have a way of checking that the product really is faulty and that the customer has not simply fed their machine wrong….

2. Product availability shown online – time to hook up your warehouse – now we are really going to test your stock counts! In fact most systems allow for a minimum quantity beyond which it will say either ‘Sold Out’ or ‘Call To Check’. That avoids the really embarrassing situation of having 10 of a product, selling those and then having to search through the most dark and dusty parts of your warehouse for the 10 and only finding 8… That is a serious no-no.

3. Ability to purchase from any channel. Think ‘Whatsapp’ is a no-go for sales? Remember such a message can always have a fail-safe in the form of ‘No order accepted unless confirmed via email’ kind of small print, although in reality customers will expect more as time goes on.

4. Real Time (always on) customer service (you can see why it is so expensive for the SME world to compete with the big names such as Amazon).

5. Consistent service across all Channels. Here is the Brand and professionalism part. Each ‘touch point’ represents you and your company. If you cannot offer what you really want in a particular channel, far better to leave it until you can.

Interestingly given that ‘Free Shipping’ is such a successful winner for B2C sales, this is way down at no.12 for B2B. But the real ‘couldn’t care less’ items were 3-D Virtual product demos (phew – they are very expensive to film!) and loyalty programs earning points/rewards.  

One part to consider is having a log on for your customers whereby they can see all the products they have previously purchased with a helpful ‘Buy Again’ button – how many times have we had a call along the lines of: “You know that piece I bought 4 months ago – I have forgotten the name, can you send me another…”. Yes, we have all been there! Plus items that their industry is purchasing plus some items that you (knowing their business and their industry), you would suggest them trying. Sounds too much? At the end of the day, if there is no way of differentiating you from the Amazon types, then sales will simply over time gravitate to them…

As a recent SalesForce survey of over 6,000 purchasers showed (here): “84% of customers say being treated like a person, not a number, is very important to winning their business.”

Continuing…“Eighty percent of customers say the experience a company provides is as important as its products and services.”

This experience is essential. When it is done well it increases sales, when done badly it not only loses customers, but these customers will talk to others. 

Perhaps Alibaba should have said that B2B customers want suppliers to be ‘reliable’ AND ‘relatable’, both attributes that we can safely say all Lionesses reliably relate to!

Stay safe.

Amena is an adventurous executive with an artist’s heart; she was awarded as a woman champion of change in Egypt 2020 by the joint partnership between Canada and Sweden embassies and was certified by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in “Improvement of Accessibility of Social Inclusion – Barrier Free Environment” in Japan, 2016. She was also awarded the Total Start-Upper of the Year for Helm Consulting in 2016. Today, under Amena’s leadership, Helm stands at the forefront of the disability field, and employs 22 people.

What does your company do?

Helm promotes the full inclusion of persons with disabilities in all aspects of life by removing environmental, technological, and social barriers through comprehensive inclusion services for businesses, professionals, and governments. Helm is the first provider in the region of localized and customized inclusion solutions, awarded multiple times as innovative global best practices and successful business models by Zero project, JICA, Rise Egypt…etc. Helm supports 2,700 persons with disabilities, serving more than 200 entities and acquiring top notch experts from 16 countries.

Our vision is to promote the full participation of persons with disabilities in all aspects of life while creating value to our customers, our people, and our investors. Our mission is to foster societies where persons with disabilities and businesses grow together, empowering all and transcending barriers.

What inspired you to start your company?

About 10 years ago, two friends and two incidents brought them together to make a decision to turn their lives around, as well as a million others’ lives upside down. An ambitious college student on a trip to Germany attended a museum for the visually impaired named “Dialogue in the dark”. After spending an hour blind there, she was shocked at how ignorant she was of the abilities of persons with disabilities. She decided to do something about it back home.

In parallel, another college student sitting in his marketing class was attentive to his fellow colleagues’ presentations. “What is happening now in the classroom?” whispers a colleague to Ramez; he turns his head to respond to his visually impaired colleague. Right then and there, he decided to adapt his own presentation to include audio description for his video project to ensure his friend is included in the classroom. From forgotten to included. Together they decided to start “Helm” working towards the full inclusion of persons with disabilities in all aspects of life.

Why should anyone use your service or product?

Our services support companies to comply with local disability laws regarding disability hiring quotas as well as complying with the Disability Inclusion policy in companies. Helm provides affordable, high quality services and is the sole provider in the region with the top global experts that are customized to the specific needs of each company.

Tell us a little about your team

The qualified team at Helm focuses on maintaining the highest ethical and professional standards and codes of conduct, building and sustaining trusted long-term relationships. Helm is fortunate to have a talented team that is both inclusive and dynamic.

Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And do you come from an entrepreneurial background?

Both myself and Ramez Maher are the co-founders of Helm. Quitting our jobs to be dedicated to Helm full time at the age of 24 to start Helm, was a huge leap of faith. We faced many challenges, whether financial, lack of experience and limitation of resources. This led us to reach out and apply to both local and international accelerator programs, bootstrap and learn to be resourceful in order to kickstart our dream and journey. It also brought about the urge to build a more inclusive world that leaves no one behind and proves it’s not just a good deed but also good for businesses.

We see the entrepreneurship environment in Egypt as highly promising especially for our industry, and there is so much political focus on persons with disabilities and youth development and support. This increased focus is highlighted through public funds, global events such as the World Youth Forum, that brings the youth of the world to Egypt and Helm has been the official accessibility partner for three years in a row right before COVID-19.

There is increased attention from Ministers and governmental officials pertaining to serious ideas and issues. Even though we had no personal connections with Ministers, when the impact of our work started to show promise, we had both the Minister of Social Solidarity and the Minister of Communication and Information Technology support us to give awards to the first 30 companies that made their workplaces and marketplaces more accessible. Egypt has several entrepreneurial events and conferences targeting companies, such as Rise Up for example, which has been described as one of the largest gatherings of entrepreneurs in the region.

What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?

Helm has won numerous awards and competitions making all our efforts and tiring nights worth every second and with all that Helm has achieved, I believe that this is only the beginning. In five years, we strive for Helm to be identified as the HUB for disability services and inclusion in the region and beyond. Helm is building an online platform for its Business Network, an Online Career Portal for persons with disabilities, and will upgrade Helm’s platform to connect the Helm community.

We hope to build partnerships and connections in the countries in the MENA region and the Arab world where we are intending to expand. We also want to learn from best practices and how to create an impact transfer model for our own organization that fits us best.

Our strategy to expand and grow our impact is through targeting more than 64 million people with disabilities in the Arab region as well as thousands of companies who seek to have effective recruitment and retention strategies for people with disabilities and so we’re going to do that through having on the ground support from DPOs, NGOs and subject matter experts who already have access to persons with disabilities and the market in Egypt and the other targeted countries. That will enable us to grow faster as well as develop better strategies to tackle the issues that each country faces.

We will also use new technologies and platforms to tackle the issue of Covid-19 because it had a tremendous impact that hit us all and we intend to go beyond the Covid-19 situation by developing solutions that enable us through technology and online platforms to do so effectively and to be cost efficient as well.

What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?

Striving to make this world a more inclusive place; fuelled by the belief that understanding and embracing differences leads to a better life. “The greater the struggle, the more glorious the triumph.” said Nick Vuijicic, an Australian-American born without arms or legs who has become a world-renowned speaker, New York Times best-selling author and an emblem of real determination.

Building a start-up especially in a developing country, makes it inevitable for entrepreneurs, especially female entrepreneurs to face endless struggles. Nevertheless, the satisfaction that one gets once you take one step closer to reach your goals, constant demand for innovation to find ways to overcome them, gives me great satisfaction.

It is at times of constant struggle that one is truly challenged as an entrepreneur to feel satisfied and motivated to power through. Here is when the greatest source of satisfaction comes in; impact. The struggle is a reminder of the kind of choices that we take as entrepreneurs to bring innovation to this world. At these times, I feel blessed to have been given the chance to contribute to bring new solutions to this world that makes people I am directly and people i may never meet have a better life.

It is not only the impact that I make in my own organization, but rather the ripple effect that cannot be measured in influencing others to take risks, to make decisions, to see opportunity, to follow and build on the impact that we have already done.

What’s the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?

Surround yourself with people who believe in you and your dreams; stay away from the ones who doubt your capabilities. Remember that there are a lot of challenges that you pass through that most people will not understand as a female entrepreneur; especially when you start getting busy chasing that dream of yours. They will try to “protect you” from that risk – that is when you need to remember that doing something that no one else did, requires you to do what most people are not willing to do.

Most people do not know that the body reacts to fear and excitement exactly the same way so always turn your fears to excitement. Remember to always be comfortable by being uncomfortable in order to continue growing. If you are comfortable, it means you stopped learning.

A lot of entrepreneurs think money is the problem. Money is never the problem. Focus on building a great team that is driven by passion and strive to learn; remember that they come first because they are the engine and they always need to be fueled. People invest their time and money in people, not just a good idea- everybody has ideas of great businesses or impact they want to do. Your passion, your determination, your will power to overcome constant obstacles is what will be the magnet that will attract people to join you on your journey to build and innovate to make this world a better place.

Fortify your mission with leaders and experts- “Stand on the shoulders of giants”; you will not believe how many people out there want to help and are just waiting for you to ask for it! Always listen to people who have taken action, who have experience in doing rather than only theory. It is people who have done real work on the ground, even if in a different industry, who will be able to give you advice you can really use. Above all, each start-up is different because you boot-strap with what you have got! So, keep your eyes open to opportunity, yet always learn when to say “no” – because that is the hard part. Do not worry, you will get the hang of it.

To find out more about the work of Helm, contact Amena via email: amena@helmegypt.org or visit the Helm website and social media platforms:

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