Latest / Earn Your Leisure / Entrepreneurial Journeys in Africa: Insights from John Burns

Transcript

Entrepreneurial Journeys in Africa: Insights from John Burns · Earn Your Leisure

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: Earners.
• 0:01
  Speaker 2: What's up.
• 0:02
  Speaker 3: You ever walk into a small business and everything just
• 0:04
  Speaker 3: works like The checkout is fast, the receipts are digital,
• 0:08
  Speaker 3: tipping is a breeze, and you're out the door before
• 0:11
  Speaker 3: the line even builds. Odds are they're using Square. We
• 0:15
  Speaker 3: love supporting businesses that run on Square because it just
• 0:18
  Speaker 3: feels seamless. Whether it's a local coffee shop, a vendor
• 0:21
  Speaker 3: at a pop up market, or even one of our
• 0:23
  Speaker 3: merch partners, Square makes it easy for them to take payments,
• 0:27
  Speaker 3: manage inventory, and run their business with confidence, all from
• 0:31
  Speaker 3: one simple system. If you're a business owner or even
• 0:35
  Speaker 3: just thinking about launching something soon, Square is hands down
• 0:38
  Speaker 3: one of the best tools out there to help you start, run,
• 0:41
  Speaker 3: and grow. It's not just about payments, it's about giving
• 0:45
  Speaker 3: you time back so you can focus on what matters
• 0:47
  Speaker 3: most Ready. To see how Square can transform your business,
• 0:51
  Speaker 3: visit Square dot com backslash go backslash eyl to learn
• 0:56
  Speaker 3: more that Square dot com backslash, go backslash eyl. Don't wait,
• 1:01
  Speaker 3: don't hesitate. Let's Square handle the back end so you
• 1:04
  Speaker 3: can keep pushing your vision forward. This episode is brought
• 1:10
  Speaker 3: to you by P and C Bank, a lot of
• 1:12
  Speaker 3: people think podcasts about work are boring, and sure they
• 1:16
  Speaker 3: definitely can be, but understanding of professional's routine shows us
• 1:20
  Speaker 3: how they achieve their success little by little, day after day.
• 1:24
  Speaker 3: It's like banking with P and C Bank. It might
• 1:27
  Speaker 3: seem boring to save, plan and make calculated decisions with
• 1:30
  Speaker 3: your bank, but keeping your money boring is what helps
• 1:33
  Speaker 3: you live or more happily fulfilled life. P and C
• 1:36
  Speaker 3: Bank Brilliantly Boring since eighteen sixty five. Brilliantly Boring since
• 1:41
  Speaker 3: eighteen sixty five is a service mark of the PNC
• 1:44
  Speaker 3: Financial Service Group, Inc. P and C Bank National Association
• 1:48
  Speaker 3: Member FDIC.
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: We always talk about in our space as entrepreneurs, taking
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: that imperfect action before you made that decision. One of
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: the things you're contemplaying is it do I have to
• 2:01
  Speaker 2: hit this financial globe before I do it? Or I've
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: done enough to put myself in a position where if
• 2:06
  Speaker 2: I want to take this leap and say this is
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: where my values is, this is where my purpose is,
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: I can go. What was that moment like for you
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: as you're processing it?
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: No, really good question. I think that moment was you know,
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: obviously a very difficult decision, right I think everybody's telling you, man,
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: it's the unknowns or tons of unknowns, the world's and chaos.
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: But I had a mentor told me one time, if
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: you have a fallback, you fall back. And I think
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: at that moment in time, we were so purposeful and
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: we were so passionate about the work that we were
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: going to do, and we really felt we could change circumstances,
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: we could change the world, and so the challenge from
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: a decision making standpoint wasn't as overwhelming because we believed
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: it was divine, it was our God's calling, and so
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: from a decision making standpoint, it wasn't that hard. And
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: we always knew I always could go back to law right,
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: I could always be a lawyer. I could always go
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: back to that law from environment. But I said, there's
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: a few moments in your life that you can really
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: take a leap and believe in yourself. And that was
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: that moment.
• 3:04
  Speaker 4: So let's talk about Africa. And you said, you've done
• 3:06
  Speaker 4: a lot of work in Africa, and that's something that
• 3:09
  Speaker 4: you know, I think a lot of people are interested in.
• 3:11
  Speaker 4: We went to Africa, we went to Egypt, went to Nigeria,
• 3:14
  Speaker 4: but specifically Ghana, went to gone On two times this
• 3:17
  Speaker 4: year and we are working on some business out there.
• 3:19
  Speaker 4: So the opportunities is endless. But a lot of people
• 3:21
  Speaker 4: don't know where to start. So talk about can you
• 3:24
  Speaker 4: walk us through your journey on the continent, Like where
• 3:27
  Speaker 4: did you start, how were you able to scale, what
• 3:29
  Speaker 4: challenges did you have, and what do you see the
• 3:32
  Speaker 4: future of entrepreneurship?
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: Yeah? No, So number one the power of partnership. Right,
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: you can't do anything from a business entrepreneur standpoint without partnerships.
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: And so I mentioned my brother was the cof of
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: Fortune five hundred company proorst launching the Burns Brothers. That
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: company happen to be a company called Conduit, and Conduit's
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: the largest call center company in the world. My brother
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: had thirty eight thousand employees across sixteen countries. But them
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: we're in Africa, and so these are his real relationships.
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: We got into Africa through a partner he had known
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: and took us to South Africa about ten years ago
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: and said, hey, I want you to meet these guys
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: are doing great work. And the work wasn't necessarily call
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: center per se. It was call center, but the work
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: was providing opportunities for black people. I don't know if
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: you all know, and those general vs. Gentlemen probably know,
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: the unemployment rate across the kind of Africa for skilled
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: Africans is outrageous. And these are young, talented, hard working
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: people that just have done all the right things. They've
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: gone to school, they got the degrees, but no opportunity
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: comes to them. And so we thought, what could we do,
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: not thinking of it from like a business standpoint, but
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: from a human being standpoint, what can we do could
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: change those circumstances. And so we became partners in that
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: organization with the premise that we had American company relationships
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: that we could drive business that would create jobs and opportunity.
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: And so look at a lens of advocacy, a lens
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: of like cultural change and impact was ultimately was the
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: driving force. But then obviously from a business standpoint, through
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: that we were able to build more busines, this relationships,
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: and then through that we built war business relationships and
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: grew the company across the continent. And visa that company,
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: we're able to now open our membership club HQ in Nairobi,
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: Kenya in four months. And so God is great, the
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: blessings are abundant, but I think it's always leading with
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: the lens of advocacy first and impact and then the
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: entrepreneurship kind of second.
• 5:23
  Speaker 4: What are some of the challenges that you face out there,
• 5:25
  Speaker 4: Because we were out there, we saw a tremendous opportunity,
• 5:28
  Speaker 4: but there are challenges, like even in Ghana they lost
• 5:31
  Speaker 4: power for two weeks, and that's something that we can't
• 5:34
  Speaker 4: even imagine something like that happening in America. But what
• 5:37
  Speaker 4: are some of the challenges that you've been facing as
• 5:39
  Speaker 4: an entrepreneur in Africa?
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I think technologies one. Infrastructure is one for sure.
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: I think I don't know, cans up how many people
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: in the room of bench of the continent? Okay, so
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: a few people. I think that's one. I think sometimes
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: just the level of liaising across the whole New side
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: of the world from like an employee standpoint can be
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: challenging too. One thing that's oftentimes I thought it was
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: going to be a challenge but it's really not is
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: the level of understanding of American culture across the kind
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: of Africa. It's it's unbelievable. And so that was a
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: pleasant surprise how much they embrace American culture. And there's
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: so knowledgeable American culture. I think too, in some parts
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: of Africa, there are specific things that change, just like
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: the United States, with whatever administration is in office and right.
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: So I think that can be a challenge to making
• 6:31
  Speaker 1: sure you navigate the political landscape. But I think those
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: are evolving and I think those are changing for the better.
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: And I'll say, and I've said that for years now,
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: Africa is not the future, Africa as the present. And
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: I think from an entrepreneurship standpoint, you think about black
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: people in this country, if you're not focused on what
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: that connectivity looks like from an entrepreneurship standpoint, from the
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: outreach standpoint, with the kind of Africa, you're doing yourself
• 6:54
  Speaker 1: a disservice and you're doing the business of the disservice.
• 6:56
  Speaker 2: It's interesting, you know, you got the hqg See house
• 7:01
  Speaker 2: and most of us, you know, who travel and been
• 7:03
  Speaker 2: to places, we've seen these type of houses. We've seen
• 7:05
  Speaker 2: solo house. So I think it's brilliant that we have
• 7:08
  Speaker 2: one that's ours that we can call our own. From
• 7:10
  Speaker 2: a membership side, but I want to talk about the
• 7:12
  Speaker 2: intentionality and maybe it was done very intentional. Right, you
• 7:17
  Speaker 2: had it in DC you could have done it in
• 7:19
  Speaker 2: New York, maybe Miami, Houston, Chicago, but you chose Notiroby
• 7:25
  Speaker 2: talk about that because when we think Nairobi, and most
• 7:27
  Speaker 2: people if they've watched like The Avengers, they've seen Nairobi
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: in a film. But the tech center that has become
• 7:35
  Speaker 2: the hub that it's become for East Africa, what was
• 7:37
  Speaker 2: the intentionality in choosing specifically that place.
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: Yeah, a number of different factors went into that. So
• 7:43
  Speaker 1: number one, as my brother mentioned, it's an economic hub
• 7:46
  Speaker 1: brief East Africa, and it's actually the only African country
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: that has a strategic partnership with the US. So from
• 7:54
  Speaker 1: like a connectivity standpoint with the US, that was important, right,
• 7:59
  Speaker 1: And we knew that trajectory of Kenya specifically and specifically Nairobi.
• 8:03
  Speaker 1: I'm based upon just being there so much, knowing the government,
• 8:07
  Speaker 1: knowing their focus, and I'm understand the vision of the
• 8:10
  Speaker 1: US partnership too, and just the way that it's being
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: kind of placed as a singapore of Africa. So from
• 8:16
  Speaker 1: like a trade and economic hub, all that made perfect sense.
• 8:20
  Speaker 1: And then me and my brother, we've always been focused
• 8:22
  Speaker 1: on Africa and like we wanted to be those conveners,
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: those conduits connecting African Americans in this country to Africans
• 8:28
  Speaker 1: on the continent, because we believe that we can never
• 8:32
  Speaker 1: really realize our true potential if we're not connected with
• 8:36
  Speaker 1: all the amazing people across the continent. So those were
• 8:39
  Speaker 1: two things, and then the third thing was we wanted
• 8:42
  Speaker 1: to think outside the box. It's easy to go to
• 8:45
  Speaker 1: uspace like you know, Detroit, or go to New York,
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: or go to Atlanta. It's not easy, but it's easier,
• 8:52
  Speaker 1: and I don't think the impact would have been as large.
• 8:55
  Speaker 1: And I think for us, we're all about impact. And
• 8:58
  Speaker 1: I think doing something and now creating what you brothers
• 9:02
  Speaker 1: are doing too, you're creating opportunity and you're facilitating communities
• 9:05
  Speaker 1: that people could never be a part of unless you
• 9:07
  Speaker 1: were all were providing that facilitation. And so now us
• 9:11
  Speaker 1: opening the membership club in Nairobi, not only can our
• 9:14
  Speaker 1: members probably experience something that can never have dreamed of experiencing,
• 9:17
  Speaker 1: but now we can introduce Nairobians to our members. And
• 9:21
  Speaker 1: it's just a beautiful thing to be able to create
• 9:23
  Speaker 1: a space and facilitate community that you're actually not only
• 9:26
  Speaker 1: driving change, you're driving pure impact.
• 9:29
  Speaker 5: An illegal alien from Guatemala charged with raping a child
• 9:33
  Speaker 5: in Massachusetts. An MS thirteen gang member from Al Salvador
• 9:37
  Speaker 5: accused of murdering a Texas man of Venezuelan charged with
• 9:41
  Speaker 5: filming and selling child pornography in Michigan. These are just
• 9:45
  Speaker 5: some of the heinous migrant criminals caught because of President
• 9:49
  Speaker 5: Donald J. Trump's leadership. I'm Christinem, the United States Secretary
• 9:53
  Speaker 5: of Homeland Security. Under President Trump, attempted illegal border crossings
• 9:58
  Speaker 5: are at the lowest levels ever recorded, and over one
• 10:01
  Speaker 5: hundred thousand illegal aliens have been arrested. If you are
• 10:04
  Speaker 5: here illegally, your next you will be fine nearly one
• 10:08
  Speaker 5: thousand dollars a day, imprisoned and deported, you will never return.
• 10:13
  Speaker 5: But if you register using our CBP home app and
• 10:16
  Speaker 5: leave now, you could be allowed to return legally. Do
• 10:20
  Speaker 5: what's right. Leave now. Under President Trump, America's laws, border
• 10:25
  Speaker 5: and families will be protected.
• 10:27
  Speaker 4: Sponsored by the United States Department of Homeland Security,