The African Fireplace by PANI: Recent Episodes
The African Fireplace
Welcome to The African Fireplace podcast. We gather around this campfire to learn from the stories of African founders building businesses in Africa. It takes a little extra to win on this continent and we share the truths about that journey. As PANI we build, share and invest in those stories because it takes a village to win.
Link to our Medium Page: https://medium.com/the-fireplace
Interact with us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/paniafrica
Building is a team sport. We've been having an on-going debate on the dangers of building alone and the traps you can fall into that foster a solo mindset.
Life and business are competitive sports, so we should always expect competition. There are a few things that set you apart that cannot be copied, and we're sharing 3 of those philosophies in this episode
Investors are a critical part of your village as a founder. In this episode we're diving into 5 lessons from our journey of finding, walking with and being investors ourselves.
(00:00) Pulse check & introduction(03:30) Go into the ring healthy(12:06) Due diligence your investors as well(15:41) Choose your investors for the war-time, not the peace-time (19:35) Learn to tell your story well
(22:30) Don't skimp on the important stuff - get your team right
As a leader you need to spend as much time thinking rather doing. We always recommend leaders to take a thinking day- that's a whole day no meetings, just time to zoom out and connect the dots. Here are the 4 questions you should always go back to...
Rome wasn't built in a day, but they laid a brick every hour. In this episode we unpack the simple things you could do every day to build towards your picture of success!
"Progress debt" is the distance between your expectations and reality. At different points in the journey there are markers that could make you feel behind on some things and ahead on some things. How do you ensure that when it occurs, that debt is paid?
Hiring can sometimes feel like navigating a jungle! But fear not, there are steps you can take as a leader before expanding your team that will set you up for success. Tune in as we discuss the 5 crucial questions you should answer to ensure you show up as your best self for your growing team.
"Creating" and "Capturing" wealth are two different games- each has its own art and its own rules. In this episode, we're exploring some of the counter-intuitive mindsets that would allow us as Africans to build and retain wealth on the continent.
Pruning is an important yet sometimes painful part of the growth process. In this episode we're unpacking some of the perspectives that help you extract the most value from the pruning process whether you are pruning to thrive or pruning to survive.
Behind every great business is a great product and we define a product as anything you put in front of a customer. Listen in as we banter and pick Ken's brain on what makes great products!
We're at the point of the year where there is strong messaging to "finish strong"! In this episode we're un-packing an alternative experience... getting to the end of the year and feeling like you're not making as much progress as you'd like. The feeling of stuck-ness... How do you get un-stuck?
In this exclusive episode we unpack our 3 key insights on why the east african tech ecosystem hasn't had a billion dollar exit yet and what we need to do more of to ensure we enrich our ecosystem to support that big milestone.
At different points of your journey it is important to do a growth check. To stop, reflect and take stock of how much you have grown and how you would like to grow into the future. This is a 5-part guide on how to think about growth when you do stop and reflect!
Uncomfortable conversations are often the ones we avoid yet are super important when building or navigating growth. Here are a few things we've learnt about how to navigate these uncomfortable conversations:
(00:00) The pulse check & our first uncomfortable conversation as PANI (04:05) There is always a human on the other end of the conversation...(09:26) Taking time to zoom out before the conversation(15:31) How the trust equation shows up...(21:28) Vulnerability in high-value conversations(24:44)Practical ways to prep for your conversation
We're closing out the season with a special dedication to african founders. Here's what we find truly special about these Lion Riders....
What is the thing you often do better than most people in a room? What do your teams remember you for? What part of your work flows most naturally? That is your superpower... so how do you organize your work and life to win at it? Listen in...
(00:05) Introduction (pulse check) (02:49) What is a super power? What are ours as Team PANI? (09:45) Why does it matter to know your superpower? (13:00) How do you find your superpower? (17:23) What you must do about it now? Define it, Refine it, Use it, Hire around it
Stories are always a powerful tool to guide, inspire and communicate what is often intangible. We've found so much value in storytelling throughout the business-building journey. Whether it is sharing the dream or pricing for customers this often subtle art can be the difference between good and great!
In line with the conversation on hard times, this week we're laying out the battle plan. Once you have done the work to build strength as a leader, you must go to war and in this episode, we unpack 4 things to keep your eye on as you dig up and out of a hard time. Remember you are the calvary you are waiting for!
Hard times can be extremely isolating for a leader. Everyone is looking to you and following your cue on how to navigate the challenges. But where does a founder go during the hard time? What work must happen within for you to lead better in the hard times... How do you stand up under it?
"The only thing worse than going through a hard time is not learning from it..." We can probably all agree that the last few months have been a season of strain, of stretch. Whether you experience that through the cost of living and fuel prices or big tech scaling back resources, or the collapse of a bank, we know that hard times are just part of the journey and we are bound to run into them. So what must we learn to ensure we don't waste them? In this episode, we banter on the 6 nuggets you should pick as you walk along that path...
As we come to the end of season 1, we’re reflecting on our highlights from the past 7 episodes. What better way to do so than to share some of our favourite guiding phrases from the episodes and some others we have picked up along the way… From “when in doubt, raise the bar” to “give missions-not JDs” we unpack 6 powerful philosophies which apply not just to business growth but to personal growth as well.
Navigating growth and the different inflection points that come with it can be difficult, and in those seasons it is normal for there to be more questions than answers. We’ve found that sometimes tweaking the questions we ask can be powerful and realigning because the right questions create clarity. In this episode, we share 4 “trap questions” and the alternative questions you should be asking more often.
You've probably heard the saying, “Money makes the world go round”… but what is the role of money for you? We all have different money personalities and philosophies which inform how big and far we dream, how we think about the tough times, how we build our businesses, how we invest for the future and so on. Tune in to hear us banter on how your relationship with money reflects your personality.
If there is one thing we know about building businesses it is that they don't just survive! There are some rhythms that keep your business alive... Tune in to hear us banter on the most powerful management philosophy we've come across!
Co-Founder partnerships are really like a marriage. You must take your time to find the right match, ensure you align on your fundamental values, vision and skill, then you do the work to build trust and alignment everyday. In this episode we share our journey of becoming co-founders and the lessons we've learnt from walking that journey in different ways...
The last few years have featured a series of starts and ends for many of us. Whether you are starting a business, a new career, or simply a new phase of your journey this episode is for you!
If you read Ken's jumping off the Lion article a year ago tune in to hear what was happening behind the scenes as we put that important piece together! In this episode, we explore the context, the emotion, the banter and the truths that anchor this piece and our work at PANI. Welcome to our fireplace!