Here is a conundrum: You wake up one morning and decide that starting at that very hour, you will buy only from African businesses, consult only with African professionals, and wear African brands from head to toe. You further decide that you will only eat food organically grown by your mothers, fathers, brothers, uncles, and sisters, who produce the food on small farms using limited resources. However, a day into your new suit, at some beautiful wedding somewhere, your suit’s collar bubbles. On the same day, you get news that you have cancer and that you need professional care. And the fruits and vegetables you have started buying aren’t even fresh. What do you do?
Like I said, it is a conundrum. However, my view is that it takes practice to excel. Therefore, we need to give our people a chance to practice and learn through us. The issue of tired vegetables and fruits will be solved when we begin to make a habit of buying them frequently from small traders, thereby helping the merchandise move quicker. That’s the only way we’ll be able to solve this conundrum. While holding our businessmen and women accountable, of course.
Luckily, the service we get from our people is getting better. What used to send us all running to our experienced white brothers and sisters is now being replaced by transformative innovation as well as excellence in product manufacturing and service delivery across Africa.
The internet is brimming with success stories. Such as the story of Maxwell Chikumbutso from Zimbabwe, who invented a self-powered television that does not require electricity or solar power to work.
Africans have undoubtedly chosen to triumph and deliver exceptional service, even when working with limited resources. Tireless feet, dexterous hands, multanimous minds, and the unrelenting spirit we are so well known for are beginning to pay off.
Excited by what they see, Africans standing on the front lines, like Dr. Sifiso Falala, founder of the African Genius Awards (AGA), have decided to blow the horn on these achievements. Through the AGA Awards, Dr Falala hopes to shine the spotlight on these unsung heroes and provide them with the recognition they deserve.
He is not alone, there are many standing alongside Dr. Falala. My internet search yielded names like Tonye Rex Idaminabo, founder of the African Achievers Award, and Chude Jideonwo and Adebola Williams, who founded The Future Awards.
Still, in the social media corridors, an entrepreneur wrote that she would never again accept an award that does’nt come with a cash prize. Her view was that a trophy or certificate alone provided no assistance or value to her business. Another commented against this statement, citing the importance of awards in building personal and professional brands.
I was enthused. We are truly forging ahead. Like our business-minded mothers and fathers before, we are showing up in numbers, sleeves rolled up to our biceps, attacking the threat of poverty and doom and growing Africa from all directions – we are even debating the right and wrong of doing business and better ways we can be assisted or rewarded. I had to join this debate.
I believe that nearly all African initiatives urgently need financial support, and yes, a business or an entrepreneur cannot afford to waste a precious resource like time on non-profitable ventures. However, though it may not seem like it, non-monetary awards are profitable. Therefore, entrepreneurs should grab as many as they can get their hands on and run.
Clover.com agrees (https://blog.clover.com/4-reasons-why-winning-awards-is-important-for-your-business/). Their article, 4 Reasons Why Winning an Award is Important for Your Business, is compelling. In a nutshell, the article says that awards grow your business’s income as follows:
- They help customers sieve through countless brand messages, helping them gain trust in the brand and then single it out as a brand to trust and buy from.
- They help prospective partners and sponsors sieve through scores of applicants.
- They provide a shortcut for customers to decide on the best, reputable, and trustworthy brand.
- They build a reputation and therefore attract more customers, as the award assures customers that they are dealing with a reliable company.
- They boost employee morale and confidence, thus helping to increase sales.
August Recognition, on LinkedIn, urges businesses to thrive for continuous recognition. Their article states that recent awards will be more beneficial, as customers may question why a company has not won an award since 2016.
What’s your take?
Sithembile Masia
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
JAMBO AFRICA ONLINE
and
Chief Executive Officer
Brandhill Africa Media Holdings/Eight Red Apples
Mobile: +27 (76) 562-9393
Email: eightredapples@outlook.com and sithembile.masia@brandhillafrica.com
Website: www.brandhillafrica.com and www.eightredapples.co.za