Lessons I Have Learned After Five Years Running an International, Africa-focused, Remote-First, Consulting Start Up

Written by Liz Grossman Kitoyi, Co-Founder Baobab Consulting

?Five years ago, I decided to leave the life I built for myself in West Africa for nearly a decade and move to New York, energetic, passionate and with a vision to create a Pan-African, Pan-American company that does business in Africa with respect for human dignity.? Since then, I worked remotely alongside my co-founder and team to scale our impact, becoming thought leaders in subjects like education, entrepreneurship, remote work in Africa, even publishing ebooks, reports,? and policy papers. We have worked with over 50 clients and partners, supporting them to understand their value propositions in their local and global contexts, monetize their assets and find creative, impactful ways to share their stories.? We have worked with hundreds of mission-aligned professionals and provided them with opportunities to learn and grow.?

Tayib and I at the Tostan Training Center in Thies, Senegal for our first Baobab exchange program

All the odds were stacked against my co-founder,Tayib Fall and me when we started Baobab Consulting.? 90% of startups fail in year 1. Naysayers telling us we were too young/inexperienced to have our own consulting company. No external funding. Cultural differences. The struggles of pricing, pitching, proposals and signing deals. Learning the difference between entrepreneurship and business ownership.? Hiring, firing, retaining and engaging a team in a remote world with limited resources. Keeping afloat during a global pandemic which kept our travel-heavy team grounded across 10 different countries. Managing emotions and conflicts. So many more.?

Baobab co-founders retreat 2022- remote from the Catskills and London

The first three years of this journey has taken me all over the world: Ghana, Senegal, Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, Portugal,? Azerbaijan, Malawi, and US cities such as Manhattan (Kansas and New York), St Louis, Boston,? San Francisco and, Washington DC. Now for the past two years as international travel halted, I have managed and built my team from Brooklyn. I am able to rely on our strong remote-first foundation to create a unique culture that leverages technology, localized meetups and profound mission alignment.? This journey has landed me countless opportunities to speak at the world’s leading universities and global development institutions, and even landed me on the Forbes Next 1000 list.?

Serving on the Mauritius delegation at the Baku Forum in 2019, pictured with H.E. Ameenah Gurib Fakim and Rachna Seenauth, at Yanar Dag, a fire which has burned in Azerbaijan for 4000 years

As my team across the globe celebrates Baobab’s fifth year, I have reflected on the top 10 lessons I have learned along this journey so far.

Build diverse networks, share your story, and add value to the growth of the global business ecosystem.?

1. Professional and personal networks are critical to business success. In five years, all of our clients came from our networks, or a referral from someone in our network, which includes colleagues, classmates and business partners, connections made attending high level conferences and events across the world and maintaining relationships through strategic communication and relationship management. S.ending cold pitches without an introduction to a decision maker has largely failed us, costing us thousands of dollars and endless hours in company time. Since people want to like and trust those with whom they work. make sure to develop your friend circle with individuals who can grow your business. ? In our post COVID age, we know networking must be done remotely. Sign up for events, participate in Zoom chats, comment on posts, and send messages.? Keep track of new and emerging platforms and technologies to remain relevant in a digital world. Utilize your alumni networks, volunteer organizations, religious affiliations and professional associations to connect with people.? You can create a network map like mine to give yourself?some structure.

?2. Develop your online footprint. Having exceptional SEO and information about you and your business online is critical, particularly since the pandemic has accelerated the digital marketplace. Post relevant updates on your social media, write articles, post videos and network actively. Share your articles with people who may be interested in your services or hiring you someday. Remember the squeaky wheel gets the oil. It is important to put yourself out there, because you never know who has seen it and who has you on top of mind for an opportunity and outsource where need be. Match the appropriate online platform to your strategy and goals.?

3. Adopt Empathetic Leadership Strategies. Understanding the unique contexts and emotions of your team and clients goes a long way, especially in the remote world where we often feel isolated.? Spend a few minutes every so often checking in on your staff’s mental health and making them feel safe with you.? When your team feels supported, you will see their performance and buy in skyrocket. They will also be first in line to return your compassion when you need it the most.??

With Pumla, Emma and Michael, Baobab's first hires, after SOCAP 2018, hiking and having fun

Learn how to manage time, business operations and people.?

4. Practice "wise generosity" and be mindful with your time. As an impact driven leader, you get a lot of requests for? pro-bono opportunities to support a mission-aligned cause, or for a “friend” who wants to “pick your brain.” Volunteer for a nonprofit you care about that will also put you in front of your target clients, team members or investors (two examples, Resolution Project and Teach for Senegal.) For clients who “scope creep” and ask you to do something outside of your agreed deliverables, you should gauge if your kindness now could potentially land you a deal in the future before going overtime. ? In the first five years of business, I spent a lot of time on unnecessary calls, sending proposals to people who never gave me the courtesy of a response,? attending (and even traveling for) events that were disorganized and mismarketed, speaking engagements “to build my platform’ to the wrong audience, onboarding the wrong people and spending too much energy trying to get them adjusted when there was a cultural mismatch. These experiences did shape me, and now I can more easily identify what will drive ROI and what will waste my time.

Serving on the WASH Gala Host Committee to raise money for FACE Africa’s water programs in Liberia has helped me grow personally, professionally and philanthropically.

5. Company culture does not equal office culture. ? Having physical offices is not required to build a company culture. After five years of running Baobab remotely, we have been able to build a unique, cohesive company culture rooted in our vision and mission. Our team connects in the virtual world on a daily basis through activities such as All Hands Meetings, CEO Office Hours, WhatsApp,? zoom yoga and virtual game nights.? These bonds are reinforced through quarterly, in person meetups in different cities around the world where we dress in vibrant, green matching African prints. This remote culture has allowed us to hire an international team that is Africa focused, a big comparative advantage to other firms.??

Baobab team in matching fabrics during our events at the UN General Assembly 2021

6. Educate yourself and invest in business systems. I did not begin my entrepreneurial journey with a desire to start a business, but with a motivation to solve an important problem. I realized very quickly I needed to learn the fundamentals of business. I signed up for programs like Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women which provided me with basic education on actually running a business. Furthermore, I invested in professional services including a lawyer, an accountant and a business coach (Nekpen Osuan Wilson- highly recommended!)? to help me build systems for scaling, and I also pay to attend certain high level events where I know I will meet people of influence for my business.

My mentor Gwen Young invited me to watch her ring the Closing Bell at the NYSE. I still have a lot to learn about business, but one day I'll ring the bell!

7. Source Mission Aligned Clients: Finding the clients whose work style, values, visions and budget align with where you are heading is the ultimate goal. This takes a lot of trial and error, causes stress and many late nights along the way. It takes fortitude to decline certain business opportunities, but the quicker you identify your target clients, your value proposition and your service offerings, the better, as you will spend less time on unnecessary proposals that lead nowhere. To retain a great client, set clear deliverables, respect timelines, communicate frequently, and demonstrate your ability to move mountains for them.?

Exhausted but overjoyed at the airport in Blantyre Malawi accompanying H.E Dr Joyce Banda as her Comms Director, landing home to a hero's welcome after 4 years away in April 2018.

Know Yourself and take care of your well being?

8)? Humble Yourself and Put Ego Aside. Everyone can call themselves a CEO. While you may have an impressive background and a solid business model, in the first five years you are still new in the game.? Having your own business does NOT mean getting to dictate your own rules, especially at the beginning. Respect those who have walked before you, accept your shortcomings, cut costs and work exceptionally hard for early-adopting clients who give you the chance to grow. This may mean less than ideal working conditions, such as late hours, early mornings and low pay to begin to build your portfolio. Understanding your expertise, knowing your worth (and charging for it), and setting boundaries is a constant process, especially for women, and comes after significant trial and error.??

Taking the subway to early morning meetings, working late nights, while answering calls on the go!

9. Invest in your physical and mental well being. Understand yourself, what causes you stress, what brings you joy, how your own personality traits and flaws manifest in your business and how to deal with them. For me, this requires allowing myself to rest, reflect, unplug, and say no sometimes. I build in breaks for me and my team, like giving everyone off between Christmas and New Years.? Find an organizational system that works for you, in my case Bullet Journal.? I do affirmations,? listen to inspirational podcasts, do yoga, dance, and try to remind myself that I am truly living a life beyond my wildest dreams. Entrepreneurship doesn’t get “easier,” the struggles just evolve as you grow with more responsibility and success, so make sure to spare no investment for your physical and mental well-being.

I started 2022 with a retreat with my fellow entrepreneur (and official photographer) Sam Popp to rejuvenate and set up systems to get our year started off on the right foot.

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10. Find the right support system and build your tribe of allies? The people who surround you will make or break your business success. Find a co-founder who complements your skillset, shares the same values, yet challenges you to grow. Seek mentorship, either formal through organizations like SCORE NYC (special shoutout to my mentor Mark Handsman), and informally through carefully curated conversations with the intention of finding an intergenerational tribe of like-minded, values-driven people. Build an advisory board. Since remote work can get lonely,? join a coworking space like Impact Hub or another entrepreneur network to meet fellow business owners with whom to share resources.? Finally, your family, spouse, partner, friends, spirit sisters, adopted family, and the company you keep will be critical to your success, as business ownership is an emotional, time consuming career. Create a support system with a balanced mix of people you can trust to give you the hard truth, a shoulder to cry on, and allow you to let loose and enjoy life.?

With friends and family in matching prints for our wedding October 7, 2018 in Brooklyn

Entrepreneurship, business ownership and having an impact driven career and life takes a village. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to my growth as a leader and business owner over the past five years, and looking forward working and building to the next five and beyond!