The July session of the Startup Huddle was held on the 28th July 2023. The event gathers together entrepreneurs to discuss, share ideas, challenges and the way forward. Two founders that took us through their business journeys and shared motivational words to the audience were : Fady Hocheimy , Managing director MFH group & founder FH Bites Fatima Bella Bojang, Founder of Jannah Clothing .
The event was moderated by Basiru Drammeh , the manager of The Hub and an entrepreneur himself.
Beran Dondeh Gillen, Ceo and Co-founder of the Hub gave a brief opening address, She mentioned how startups struggle to start and maintain their businesses due to lack of support and information from institutions and seasoned individuals in the sector, thus the need for such gatherings.
Fady Hocheimy is the first Gambian businessman to have planted cocoa and made chocolates out of it. He was given a small cocoa plant which he planted in his house and being curious and passionate, he decided to engage in extensive research on the cocoa tree and resulting chocolates . He started selling chocolate bars in different flavors and eventually got high demand from customers. He explains how passion helps drive one in becoming successful with a business Fady stressed on timeliness being a key component in achieving success and adopting a system that you and your employees can adhere to .He advised the startups to set their goals first in whatever situation they find themselves in. “Everyone needs money to start a business” Hocheimy said, but the goal is to succeed in the business and that makes money the TOOL. ‘Don't do the minimum, aim for excellence’, said Fady while advising startups to not always give in by saying they have tried; instead they should work until they achieve success.
Fatima Bella Bojang is the Founder of Jannah Clothing. Her business was borne from wanting a product that no one was able to provide for her, Modest Suits for Hijaabis. She explained how she was discouraged multiple times. Her drive grew more when she finished high school and couldn’t find a designer or tailor to fit her a modest suit.
Fatima started by saving money and quitting most of her social activities to be able to get herself sewing machines. She started by researching how to design and sew suits and received a lot of criticism in the process. She said her continuous posting on social media got her the first customer who tasked her to sew a suit for his company and gradually she started getting recognized. She advised her fellow startups to take risks when they want something and also find mentors to help guide them through their entrepreneurial journey .
The session ended with a lively networking session. The event was attended by entrepreneurs across the sectors in fashion and agro business.
The Standard news paper were in attendance and filed this report: https://standard.gm/hub-ltd-moves-to-strengthen-entrepreneurship-in-ecosystem/ The next huddle is scheduled for the 25th August 2023. Stay tuned to find out what we have in store for you.
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