GrowShip

28/02/2022

"People who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do". Steve Jobs

28/02/2022

“If you want to be successful in life, find a human need and reach out to solve it”. [TL Osborne]

25/02/2022

Psalms 37:7
Be still before the LORD
and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.
Psalms 37:35-36
I have seen a wicked and ruthless man
flourishing like a luxuriant native tree,
but he soon passed away and was no more;
though I looked for him, he could not be found.
Psalms 37:23
The LORD makes firm the steps
of the one who delights in him;
“Deep waters run still.” My mother would say, before adding “grass grows faster than trees. Never mind them.”

25/02/2022

"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close the were to success when they gave up". Thomas Edison

25/02/2022

"Stand up straight and realize who you are, that you tower over your circumstances". Maya Angelou

14/12/2021

https://www.smallstarter.com/get-inspired/how-to-make-money-in-africa-by-solving-problems/?fbclid=IwAR3qSIGOoMtYmnULB1kuSpLnS1pI4bVBbJ5U1iS8tYQilFBifnEzZ1K9brE

Want to know how to make money in Africa the 'easy' way? Solve a serious problem! When you look at Africa, what do you see? When most people look at Africa, there are two very strong but opposite images that emerge: Some see a continent that is full of problems

04/12/2021

How you can be an Entrepreneur.

:

“For the times they are a-changing...” [Bob Dylan]

Twenty-five years ago, the idea that a black African could start a company which would grow big enough to operate outside the national borders of the founders was dismissed as crazy! Those of us who believed it was possible spoke about it in whispered tones.

If you went to a village in many parts of Africa and told people that you were an entrepreneur [“businessman or businesswoman”], they would either hide their children, or chase you out. Certainly, they would not have welcomed you!

The idea of a black person actually “investing” in something was considered a bad joke.

I remember arriving at the airport in an African country a few decades ago and being asked why I had come. I answered: “I want to invest.” Within minutes I was bundled off for more intense interrogation!

As far as they were concerned, I was a criminal or worse—a terrorist! I told the leader of that country recently what happened, and we both laughed loudly, before he said, “Seriously, I need you to invest, and help me mobilize investors.”

And, of course, I agreed!

One of the biggest challenges we also faced back in those days, was we were often seen as representing white people—“fronts”—because they believed only white people had the brains to do anything of significance! That is totally gone, except amongst those for whom the trauma of colonial dominance lives on!

Now being sixty, I sometimes chill out with friends from across Africa sharing “war stories” from the early days of Continental Entrepreneurs: Those who dared imagine that they could set up businesses in other African countries.

Today there are now scores of successful companies started by Africans that operate continentally, and many that operate even outside Africa! Africans are now investing well earned money throughout their own home countries, across Africa, and the world.

__People in our countries see entrepreneurs as creators of jobs, and wealth!

“For the times they have changed”… [and are still a-changing!]

Now I want YOU to become “Continental Entrepreneurs, in your thinking, and in your actions” [if you aren't already].

This starts by being welcoming to entrepreneurs from other regions and countries. If you feel resentful towards other Africans for setting up businesses in your country, then why should they ever have to accept you and your own?!

Building Africa's century, together, is already in progress. While there have been a few delays because of the pandemic the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement, for example, was created for people like you on his platform, entrepreneurs and investors looking for markets of... 1.3 billion people, with a combined GDP of 3.4+ trillion!

We owe it to people like "The Arch” who prayed and cried tears and spoke out courageously for decades to see Africans break the chains of oppression and stand tall in the world. Now it's your turn to break lingering chains in your MINDS about how high you can fly and how far Africa can go.

“The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind [ ] of the oppressed,” wrote the late Steve Biko decades ago.

What is your own dream?

Shout it Out!

“It is the appointed hour of the vision...”

Image credit: Chris van Rooyen, Lower Sabi, Kruger National Park, South Africa.

04/12/2021

Be a part of the solution. Entrepreneur it.

: “Don’t look for a leader; you lead!” [My grandmother]

__"I must do something" solves more problems than "Something must be done"...

As I walked around my grandmother’s rural homestead years ago, I was shocked at how dilapidated it looked. I wondered why so many of my relatives from the city, who all had means, simply did not do anything.

“We must do something about this, Grandmother,” I consoled her.

Then she smiled gently and said to me: “That is what you all say. If it is ‘we’ it will not be done. It will be done when you say, ‘I must do something about it’.”

Then she added: “I only put my trust in someone who says, ‘I will do something’. Don’t look for a leader; you lead. The others will follow.”

My grandmother died at 106, and she was already in her late eighties when she said that to me. It was such a stinging rebuke because I knew that I was shirking responsibility to act.

So, I went off and began to buy materials, month after month; here a little there a little—until it was done. I was still working as an employee at the time.

Would you be proud to invite me to your village, or would you be embarrassed because you have been waiting for someone else in your family “To do something” or better still “THE GOVERNMENT”?

Guys, as entrepreneurs, let’s get serious about the challenges we see around us. Time is not on our side. And not everything requires you to have a political stance. In this post I am talking about entrepreneurs like us, not politicians!

“Just do something, now.”

Last week one of you here wrote me a comment saying:

“A great man once said, ‘I must do something solves more problems than 'something must be done’. "

This statement has changed me a lot. Anytime I see a situation, I first ask, what can I do about it? Thanks chief for always reaffirming this".

***

This was my reply in case you missed it:

I love this statement so much!

“I MUST DO SOMETHING—solves more problems than—SOMETHING MUST BE DONE”!

It reminds me of a time I came from the funeral of a staff member who had died leaving small children, and his wife was also ill from the same HIV that had killed him:

“Something must be done about those children, otherwise they are lost,” I kept telling people.

“Surely there should be a government program?”

“What about the man’s relatives”?

One day I got into the car and returned with my wife to visit the widow:

“I AM GOING TO LOOK AFTER YOUR CHILDREN, NO MATTER WHAT,” I said then.

I will never forget that woman’s face. And with that we set on the path that would eventually help more than 300,000 orphans and vulnerable children so far. My business was still small at the time, and I often struggled.

__There is no problem that you are seeing that you cannot contribute a solution.

Perhaps others will see what you do and will do something also.

Maybe you can work together, but YOU start. I know some and others on this platform have joined together to try to solve some really big challenges, right where you are. I don’t say it that often, but I am so proud of what you all are doing, in Nigeria and other countries.

In Africa, a lot of problems don’t get solved because we make them look so big in our minds, and we make ourselves as citizens and entrepreneurs so small and insignificant.

There is only one thing worse than, “WE must do something" and that is pointing to someone else and saying "YOU must do something". For action to really begin, try: "I MUST DO SOMETHING!"

I believe each and all of you here have the courage to say, “I MUST DO SOMETHING”.

Image caption and credit: Nigerian entrepreneur Ifedolapo Runsewe saw a problem and since 2020 she's been busy solving it... with innovation and vision. Ms Rusewe's company, Freetown Waste Management Recycle, manufactures another kind of "black gold" than Nigeria is usually known for. In this image, her workers are starting the to recycle used tires, transforming them into floor tiles, paving bricks, children's playground products and other in-demand items. She already has 128 employees! With thanks to Reuters for photo. This story is what I mean by "doing something". Wow.

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/new-type-black-gold-nigeria-used-car-tyres-2021-10-07/

04/12/2021

shine your eye.

: Why investors will get rid of you!

__Listen up, because you need to hear this, and you might not like it

“Money is king, and it is bigger than your idea”. Serious investors will never want to steal your idea, because they need you to run the business… and to run it well!

When you go to a financial investor, you pitch to convince them to invest their hard-earned money, explaining [with numbers] how if they do, your business will GROW their money. Few investors are interested in dividends, they want GROWTH! I have told you this before!

They want to invest say $50,000 and after 5 years sell their shares for at least $250,000. Most don’t want to be receiving small little dividend cheques from profits! [And remember, investors are not donors. This is about making them money!]

Investors wants you to properly manage the business created by their money. If you fail to achieve the agreed growth, then you must step aside! There should be no “Buts” about it!

If you said that the business would be generating so much revenue, and so much growth rate, after Year 1, Year 2, etc., and you achieve it, they are happy. If you come back with half or you lose the money all together, they will oust you right away. You can keep your own shares, but you cannot and must not be allowed to run the business.

If you don’t like this, then you are not INVESTABLE! You’re still a cub in the game and you’re not yet ready. No one will give you money no matter how your business idea looks. Can you manage for growth, using the 3Ps?!

Even if I have 10% in a business, no FINANCIAL investor will want to oust me if I am meeting my projected growth rates. Why? I’m a very good manager of a business. That is all.

And if I find I can’t run a business successfully, no one will ask me to leave… I will leave before they ask me!

Find financial investors and prove to them that you can actually manage and grow a business using their money. Show them you understand that “Money is King, and their money is respected before your ideas”.

Image credit:

04/12/2021

The new, current and old gold. Agricultural Entrepreneurship.

Products from the most important entrepreneurs on earth!
__Time to shine, and help others shine, too

Last month I gave a to a few professions I admire most. Many of you added to my list, including one of the most important jobs on earth -- so important that not one of us would be alive today without these entrepreneurs…

The women and men who grow our food! And I don’t just mean our millions of smallholder farmers [mostly women] who help feed the African continent through their daily toil. I mean the emerging array of innovators in agritech, agbiotech, “Novel Farm Systems” and many many applications of fintech and AI designed to increase productivity, market links, capital access, and profitability in this critical industry.

With the rich land on our continent, there's just no reason why our governments should have to import tens of billions of dollars of food each year, [even though the balance of trade in at least a few countries is better than it used to be]. You all know by now that there’s a trillion+ dollar opportunity in Africa’s agrifood industry.

__But who's going to profit?

Our own agrifood Afripreneurs, innovators and industrious workers ... or others? Will jobs be created or lost with these new technologies? It’s really up to us to decide.

So! I have a little project for some of you. First, let me introduce you to this year’s GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Top 14. These seven men and seven women agrifood entrepreneurs (ages 18-35) are going to compete online on Wednesday, 8 September at the AGRF Summit to win two prizes of $50k and four others of $2,500. Big congratulations to these innovators for getting this far, out of about 3,300+ registered applicants who started the process!

# Emanuel N. Kungu, Afri-EcoFeeds, Tanzania, https://bit.ly/TOP26-AfriEcoFeeds

Recycles waste from the food processing industry such as food peels and trimmings into low cost animal feed for poultry, pigs and dairy cows (M)

# Costantine Edward Herman, Agrilife, Tanzania, https://bit.ly/TOP26-AgriLife

Introduced pioneering waste-to-nutrient insect technology using black soldier fly larvae to up-cycle organic waste into eco-friendly protein for animal feed (M)

# Michael Ogundare, Crop2Cash, Nigeria, https://bit.ly/TOP26-Crop2Cash

Proprietary technology enables smallholder farmers to receive digital payments and build their financial identity while also making credit accessible (M)

# Baraka Jeremiah Chijenga, Kilimofresh Foods Africa Limited, Tanzania, https://bit.ly/TOP26-KilimoFresh

Trades and markets all types of foods, grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, reducing post-harvest losses via cold storage while powering all activities with renewable energy (M)

# Nana Yaw Antwi-Boasiako, ProSect Feed Ltd, Ghana, https://bit.ly/TOP26-ProSectFeed

Researches, farms, processes, and markets carefully selected insects as a sustainable and affordable source of protein to feed poultry (M)

# Gabriel Eze, Rural Farmers Hub, Nigeria, https://bit.ly/TOP26-RuralFarm

Provides agricultural services with a core product called Capture™ which uses a proprietary algorithm and big data to assess crop and soil health, then generates near to real-time farming insights and advice (M)

# Nshimiyimana Alexandre, Sanit Wing Ltd, Rwanda, https://www.sanitwing.net/
With 90% of his suppliers being local women farmers, Sanit Wing processes and manufactures locally sourced, pesticide-free avocados into high-value oils, cosmetics and soaps (M)

# Fily Keita, Agrowomen, Mali, https://bit.ly/TOP26-AgroWomen

Adds value to local cereals and oilseeds by processing sesame seeds and producing cold press and natural sesame oil, snacks, and tasteful rice, working with women farmers’ cooperatives as key partners (F)

# Tracy Kimathi, Tree_Sea Mals/Baridi, Kenya, http://baridi.co.ke/

Developed and introduced Baridi - innovative solar-powered cold rooms and IoT remote access, with vision to reduce post slaughter loss throughout East Africa's livestock value chain (F)

# Sepenica Darko, FarmerTribe Company Limited, Ghana, https://bit.ly/TOP26-FarmerTribe

A one stop shop for smallholder farmers in last mile communities to access quality and improved seed, agrochemicals and fertilizer, agronomic training, extension services and market linkages (F)

# Diana Orembe, NovFeed, Tanzania, https://bit.ly/TOP26-NovFeed

Uses a proprietary technology to up-cycle organic waste into high-protein fish feed and organic fertilizer using bacteria and the black soldier fly, while providing data to fish farmers to help them improve their yield (F)

# Evangelista Chekera, Passion Poultry, Zimbabwe, https://bit.ly/TOP26-PassionPoultry

Designed and now manufacture and distribute innovative proprietary poultry equipment for small scale urban farmers (F)

# Chidinma Eriobu, Phronesis Foods Nigeria Limited, Nigeria, https://bit.ly/TOP26-PhronesisFoods

Organically processes and packages local Ukwa (breadfruit) for sale in both local and global markets (F)

# Jolenta Joseph, Sanavita Company Limited, Tanzania, https://sanavita.co.tz/about-us/

Produces and processes orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, Pro Vitamin A maize, and high iron and zinc beans as well as runs awareness campaigns and nutrition education programs (F)

Now &JuniorClass, this is what I want you to do:

This is the real deal and next year it could be some of you! I have been talking to you for years about what investors look for, and have shared lots of information about how to pitch. I have told you about the 3Ps and Drucker's most important equation... [you know which one I mean].

Now it’s your turn. Let’s build each other up, but also be candid. Take a look at the 3-minute pitches with the criteria the Generation Africa GoGettaz Prize judges will use:

# Innovation

# Business model

# Social and/or environmental impact

# Market potential and traction

# Founder and management team

I will NOT be a judge myself but will be announcing the male winner, and my friend Svein Tore Holsether of Yara International [one of the co-founders with me] will announce the female winner. The four social impact award winners will be announced by my dear friend, Dr Agnes Kalibata who’s now both President of AGRA and the Special Envoy for the UN Food Systems Summit.

Here's a chance to apply your learning. A lot of people will be studying your comments. Time to shine, and to help fellow shine, too.

Let’s talk.

Image caption: From seed to table... without our frontline farmers and the whole supply chain to feed our world, where would we be? Here’s the link to see this year's 14 GoGettaz’ agripreneurs intro videos: https://genafrica.org/meet-the-top-14-finalists/

The 3-minute final pitches will be 1 - 2:30 pm CAT on Wednesday 8 September. Keep an eye out on Sasai and here for more info!

The AGRF Summit this year runs 7-10 September and I'll be taking part in a few sessions. You can register here to find out more... and also watch online: https://agrf.summit.tc/

04/12/2021

is not yet over.

Flashback #1: We're not there yet...

__And failure is not an option!

I mentioned to you already that the White House invited me to speak about the pandemic at an urgent Summit this week [which I will do online]. I am also going to be contributing at the UN Food Systems Summit on the situation as it impacts agriculture now and feeding our people in the decades ahead. In preparation, one of my team shared with me something I wrote to you here on the platform back during the week of 22 January 2020.

Take note everyone. You’ll see here, I was wrong. It's actually even much worse than I had warned you about back then.

I wrote,

News! (January 2020)
Take the outbreak of the Coronavirus seriously!

You should by now be aware that there has been a major outbreak of a new disease called the Coronavirus in China, and it is spreading rapidly around the world.

This is a disease that has the potential to kill tens of thousands, particularly if it enters highly populated cities with poor or weak health care systems.

Don’t take the attitude of some who say to themselves: “If I don’t know about it, or don’t think about it, it will go away!”

Without creating a panic, read up on it, and take caution. If you are in public health, stay on top of the developments, and prepare to protect the nation because that is your job!

One more thing: Don’t shun Chinese people, because that would be racism of the worst kind. This could have happened anywhere, and it is now a world problem.

And most important of all: LET’S PRAY WITHOUT CEASING!

***

You can see here that back some 20 months ago, I warned you the situation was bad and to stay on your toes, but I wrong about the numbers... I wrote that I thought "tens of thousands" could die across the world. We're now at about 4,55 million. Please do your own part, my dear friends, and by now... you should know what that is!

While I've spent the last year+ working with colleagues to fight for the health of our continent's people as my first priority, I don't just want to see our Africa and its economies start healing and growing again, I want the whole world to put this pandemic behind us. And we will... but WE HAVE TO DO THIS TOGETHER: all of humanity -- north, south, east, west. Everyone.

And I mean everyone. Every last one of us, wherever in the world we are, is either part of the problem or part of the . It's just the way it is. Especially in a situation like this, we're each called to be our neighbour's keepers.

Please do not say I didn't warn you: I don't want each of you just to be great entrepreneurs... I want to keep you and your families alive!

A huge to those of you here and in your communities already doing so much to help; I know who many of you are, but please let's our heroes. Some of them [and you] have been tirelessly working on for a very long time now.

Image credit: Just because [you think] you can fly, doesn't mean you don't have to keep your eyes open! Take all precautions necessary to stay safe and keep others safe, too. https://www.chefpaulrifkin.com.au/

04/12/2021

Entrepreneur it.
BE a part of the solution not the problem.

BREAKING NEWS!
“Identify a human need, and reach out to solve it, as an entrepreneur”

__How about Climate Change?

As an entrepreneur who's planning to build a big, big business, you need to understand that you can rarely do it on your own; you'll likely need partners. It's my job to find the right partners. It's also one of the hardest jobs that my team and I do. Even after more than 30 years in business, I'm still mastering this important skill.

This week I’m excited to tell you about an important partnership between Alphabet’s X [used to be Google X] and Econet’s solar renewable energy company, Distributed Power Africa - dpa. Wow! Congratulations to everyone on both our teams!

As an entrepreneur, the first question you have to ask about partners is: Why do we need partners in business? There are many different kinds of partners:

# Partners who can provide capital;

# Partners who can provide technical expertise [or specialized knowledge] that you don’t have;

# Partners who can provide access to markets and opportunities;

# Partners who can provide services to your business.

You’ll need partners to undertake things you cannot do alone, and partners to share risk.

It can be very good to have partners. Even Bill Gates has partners, and continues to start new ventures and investments with partners. You just have to learn to find the right ones, and how to manage relationships with them.

Here’s one key law of partnership of any kind:

__ "Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you."

Most of you know this as the “Golden Rule.” As a partner, you do not want to be mistreated or cheated by your partners. So don't enter relationships with an ulterior motive. Don't do anything that creates mistrust between you and your partners.

The spirit of an agreement is more important than the letter; never break either. Don't act in bad faith towards your partners.

There are many excellent reasons to work in partnership, and also many bad ones that will lead to heartbreak. For a start these are key questions:

# Do we share core values?

# Do we trust and respect each other?

# Do we agree on the goals and vision to take the business forward?

# Do we agree on how we’ll use the money raised and how the profits will be distributed?

You must want to see your partners prosper because of what you’re doing together. I know this sounds obvious, but there are people who don't want to see their partners also prospering and getting rich! If my partners are happy and prospering, I feel really good.

***

Some of you will recognize I talked about this in a post I wrote years ago and recently as well. That’s because it's a very important lesson for you to learn, and I also see some of you are new to the page.

For your homework this week, I want you to read this Partnership announcement: https://www.itweb.co.za/content/4r1ly7Rb3Po7pmda

Then I want you to jot a few comments on what you learn from it — as an [or potential one], reflecting on things I have taught you:

The partnership between DPA Africa and X is important news not just for Econet, but for Africa and the whole Earth.

Access to clean, reliable, and affordable power must be an URGENT front burner priority for and everywhere... not just to help tackle climate change, but so people everywhere have power to light their schools, take care of their families, and run their businesses efficiently and profitably!

3Ps plus ...

What have you learned today?

Hint: Choosing the right partners is critical.

Let’s talk.

Image credit: One innovator in action! Photographer unknown, image found in article: http://www.takepart.com/article/2016/12/08/africa-goes-grid-bring-power-rural-villages/ (old article but interesting)

04/12/2021

Climate Change Is Real.
What do you do as Entrepreneurs.

: The sea is rising...
__Make yourself relevant in this world, by being part of its concerns.

Each one of us has challenges but we are also part of a local community that has challenges, and a city that has challenges, and a country that has challenges, and a continent that has challenges, and a global community that has challenges.

Whilst being super focused on our own personal and business challenges is important, we must never do so at the expense of, or in lack of interest to, those other challenges—local community, our cities, our country, our continent, and the global community.

Expand your horizons, and capacities to be able to be engaged at all these levels, even as you struggle with your own personal and business challenges. This week the world is focused on the greatest challenge we have ever faced as a global community!

That certain human activity leads to a warming of the planet is a scientific fact, except for those who either cannot understand or refuse to understand basic physics.

__The true battle is how we solve the problem.

Don’t assume that you are too insignificant and unimportant to be part of the solution. After all, we entrepreneurs will probably solve it—as we always do; but even we cannot do it alone.

yourself part of the debate, and from there, make yourself part of the solution. You can start by taking note of the conversations taking place in Glasgow from 31 October till 12 November.

Some entrepreneurs are having early success taking citizens to space [where the new astronauts saw and noted just how fragile our earth's atmosphere appears]...

But make no mistake: there is no Planet B.

Find ways to make your own voices heard. Find ways to do your part.



Image credit and caption: . North Atlantic Ocean, Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland. Go ahead and give this photo a title...

04/09/2021

From the book built to sell by john warrillow.

TED’S TIP #5
Once you’ve standardized your service, charge up front or use progress billing to create a positive cash flow cycle.

02/09/2021

From the book built to sell by John Warrillow

TED’S TIP #4
Make the business less dependent on you so you can reduce or avoid an earn out.

27/08/2021

From the book Built To Sell.

TED’S TIP #1
Being a generalist forces you to hire generalist employees and your offering will be average at best. If you specialize, you can hire specialists and improve the quality of your work.

TED’S TIP #2
Make sure that no one client makes up more than 15 percent of your revenue.

TED’S TIP #3
Pitching a process you own puts you in control.

21/08/2021

Two books on persuasion that will make you persuade anybody and as well make you rich. For Entrepreneurs.

2. Pre-suasion by Robert Cialdini do not click this link to buy https://bit.ly/3yZO46J
1. Influence: the psychology of persuasion. by Robert Cialdini. do not click this link to buy https://bit.ly/3mjNyx1

19/08/2021

junior class, senior class, and master class. Where do you belong Entrepreneurs?

Introducing the
__"Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision". Peter Drucker

Over the years I have spoken to you about the and the entrepreneur. But a week ago, when Richard Branson went into space on his venture Virgin Galactic, I started to talk about the entrepreneur. These are the guys who don’t just play the game [of entrepreneurship] very well, but they have the ability to change the game completely!

Most entrepreneurs spend their lives simply trying to join and beat the pack in their industry. You hear them they say things like: “I want to be the best hotel” or “I want to be the best mobile network” or “I want to be the best palm oil producer”… But entrepreneurs in the MasterClass, they want to rip up the whole game and play by a different set of rules.

When I saw that rocket plan, I knew that the game of aviation and its related hospitality services had just been uprooted!

# What is “space tourism”?

# How many people will go up there?

We don’t know! What I do know is that it will start out expensive, but the cost will become more accessible over time, just like commercial air travel has over time [in many places, not everywhere]. And it will create a lot of other opportunities and jobs along the way.

I remember when I would tell people that one day they will all one use mobile phones, or that they would use Mobile Money. Most people back then did not how much consumers would love all the products and services made possible by these innovations! Did you?

To become MasterClass, there are no shortcuts; you must master the basics of Junior Class, followed by Senior Class; then comes MasterClass!

How will you know when you have done it?

MasterClass is not like MasterChef where you win a competition. You must be able to build a multi-billion dollar business from scratch! Most great businesses out there began with a MasterClass entrepreneur.

The MasterClass entrepreneur is not only someone who has the visionary ideas to start something, or even the ability to scale through 3Ps. There is something else you must have which is rarely ever mentioned, but which everyone knows is the decisive quality: !

Richard Branson knew that if anything had gone wrong, he would have lost his life, his legacy, and so much more. Some would have said to him: “Richard, you are over 70 years old; you have kids and grandkids. You have nothing to prove anymore.”

!

If you are a person who is afraid to fail, or you are always worried about what others might think if you fail, this is really, really not for you. Just know there is a !

That Virgin Galactic Unity22 spaceflight which lasted about an hour was 17+ years in the making. Those of you who have listened to Business Wars now know that this is the type of dedication it took to build some of the greatest companies. As an entrepreneur myself, I only shudder to think about what it really took.

Tomorrow [Tuesday 20 July], Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, will also go up into space on his own rocketship called Blue Origin. There is another Business War brewing which includes Elon Musk and several others you have not even heard of.

On the historic flight tomorrow, sitting with Bezos and his brother will be an 82-year-old aviator who's spent six decades of her life trying to reach space! She never gave up on her dream!

Are you asking yourself: Why Space? [Believe me, I have heard a lot of people ask that question lately!]

There is no limit to the wealth that is up there! Don’t get caught up in the media hype that space is just “billionaire vs billionaire”… Even the JuniorClass should be able to see the flaws in that simplistic analysis.

I think you all know by now that Jeff Bezos' first job, at age 16, was serving as a cook at McDonald's, frying eggs and burgers back in the kitchen! It was there under the famous "golden arches" as a teenager that Bezos said he first learned about the importance of customer service. He may be a billionaire now but look where he started!

Every lion was once a... yes, you know the answer.

What about you? What are you learning right where you are that you can apply to your entrepreneurial journey ahead?

Is the sky the limit anymore? Was it ever?

End.

Image credit: Dan Galati . Serengeti, Tanzania.