“The first step for me was finding what you’re passionate about,” said Keshav Bhatt. “People tell you to start by following your passion, but many people don’t start out knowing what that is.” Bhatt was one of many young entrepreneurs who spoke to a crowd of Sudanese professionals at the Entrepreneur’s Forum, which took place on 17 September at the Young Businessmen’s Association After traveling for some time, Bhatt pioneered a company called Revolution Hive that works in secondary schools in Britain to teach young people values, encouraging them to think critically about the media and social issues. He noted to the crowd that while entrepreneurial projects are risky for young people, one way to reduce that risk while remaining effective is to utilize the internet, and think as a “mediaprenuer,” using consistent internet use to build a following and through it a customer base. This forum was meant to reach out to Sudanese youth and the Sudanese business community as part of Mashrouy, in which Sudanese young people with their own business ideas receive training in entrepreneurial skills while competing on a television series. Speakers from the forum, including Bhatt, Ketan Makwana, Sarah Duarte, Anthony Silver and Jordan Schlipf who were brought from the UK as part of Mashrouy exchange visit to support young Sudanese entrepreneurs. They led training sessions with Mashrouy participants throughout the week, teaching them how to approach issues that ranged from start-up, operations, financing, and business construction. In doing so, Mashrouy participants learned not only that they should follow their dreams, but how to make them a reality. This event opened up Mashrouy to a broader public, allowing the trainers to tell their personal stories and provide inspiration to others just learning of the program. “We’ve got to have the resilience to believe in ourselves,” said Ocici, an entrepreneur from Uganda, whose speech on the need for innovation in Africa was met by applause from the excited crowd. So too was the speech by Mayson Matter, who pioneered the startup company Fandoura the previous year with the help of Mashrouy. For participants, this forum, and Mashrouy itself, has given not only inspiration, practical approaches to starting a business. “Mashrouy is more than great. I have learned more than just passion. I think about business now with clear steps on what I should do,” said Mohamed Yahia Mahjoub, who intends to start a series of comics set in ancient Sudan that put forward Sudanese values. “I am filling the gaps in my idea with what I learn here.” “Mashrouy is just what we need to fly beyond our dreams,” commented Sohiel Sayed, who attended the entrepreneurial trainings and will later train others in Sudan. I can see a future for young people eager to do things here in Sudan.” The program not only encourages passion, but helps direct it, giving aspiring entrepreneurs the skills they need to succeed. “Businesses aren’t only about the finance, they’re about the skills,” agreed Rowida Matar, a lecturer at Ahfad University for Women in Management Studies. This programme was important, she said, because it emphasized skills that carry over into all business ventures. She hopes to use these skills to start her own business in the coming years. “This programme was quite unique,” remarked Zeinab Abdel Fatah, a master’s student in banking and finance, who attended the evening’s forum. “Many people here have their own habits and don’t want to change, but here, we want change. I learned that even if I start my project, I might fail, but that shouldn’t stop me.” Israa Hadi Mohammed, a student at Ribat University, also thought so. She explained that she was inspired by the forum—that she learned to pursue her ideas and see if they were possible. This was particularly important to her and will follow her in her studies of science. Walked out of the doors of the forum, chatting excitedly with her friends about her ideas, she seemed energized like so many in the crowd.
Posted on: Tue, 21 Oct 2014 06:48:15 +0000
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