Diaspora Small Business Or StartUp? Your Continents Need You.

As an entrepreneurial ecosystem builder, designing and implementing creative programmatic models to support #SMEs and #startups from Africa and the UK-US African Diaspora, I wanted to dedicate this edition to a couple of related new books. I'm a big fan of these two books, "Build The Damn Thing!" by Kathryn Finney and "Move To Ghana" by Adwoa Agyemang . This is my gift to anyone thinking of starting a business anywhere and/or moving to Ghana, as I cap of 10 years working in the Black Star Nation learning from and supporting the most extraordinary founders, partners and communities.

I recently attended Adwoa's book launch in London and it was great to see the community she has built around the business possibilities that Ghana has to offer. There are many young #Diasporans seeking out opportunities and connections for Business and Development beyond the partying and festivals. Adwoa relocated to Ghana in 2012 and provides relocation advice, supporting diaspora entrepreneurs who want to explore investment opportunities in Ghana. Her book is available via Amazon and is an easy, practical read from her own experience moving to Ghana from the UK.

After listening to one of my favourite LinkedIn mentors, Kathryn Finney ( haven't met yet but I claim her as my mentor), I was inspired to spread the word to here today. Thanks to The Female Quotient Shelley Zalis and Team for organizing the recent Q&A with Kathryn.

Key takeaways from Kathryn. (Her book, Build The Damn Thing, is available on Amazon) :

1. Really think before you open up your business to external investors. You are married to your equity investors until the end of your company! They will be your bosses.

2. Most businesses are not going to scale up quickly because most small businesses are not startups - and that's ok.

3.There is a special place and a dependence on small business owners in every economy. Starting small and staying sustainable for the community should not be looked down upon. We need to create space for more local small businesses to thrive.

4. Pre-Seed and Seed Fundraising - which 'friends and family' do you have access to if you are not a middle-class or rich white guy? This is pretty much the premise of the book. If you come from an underrepresented community, do your research and apply to specialized local entrepreneurial support programmes.

5. Focus on the product and solution, not just the marketing, the fundraising and the hype.

6. You can hire good people to code. You don't have to know how to code before you set up your startup.

7. Mental Health matters - entrepreneurship is a lonely path. What you do to make sure you are well. If you're not healthy, rejuvenated and happy, you are no use to your company, your staff or your stakeholders

8. Mums the word! Being a Mum diminishes the time available to founders with kids, so be very intentional about your time and your productivity. Kids put things into perspective for founders. They force us to focus and to prioritize. Practice saying no to things that do not add value. Learn to say no (like you mean it!). Saying no can be empowering to founders with kids.

9. New narratives for women in business - We need to reframe the narrative around mums who run businesses. Women are now re-creating on their own terms and making the business world take notice of new ways of doing business.

10. Bonus: Get 'Build The Damn Thing' or buy it for someone who needs it - even if you are a rich white guy! #diversityandinclusion

Whether you are from an underrepresented community in the UK, the USA, somewhere in Africa or anywhere in the world, these books will offer an often overlooked perspective to building your #startups or #smallbusiness. Let's support underrepresented consultants, authors, creators and founders to thrive by respecting intellectual property and creative enterprises.

#entrepreneurship #entrepreneurmindset #blackentrepreneurs #africa #blackwealth #yearofreturn #beyondthereturn #ghana #africandiaspora