Stay Small Enough, Long Enough...
I recently came across this profound quote: “If you stay small enough long enough, God will make you big enough soon enough.” It’s been echoing in my mind, particularly when I reflect on the realities of building and sustaining businesses across the African continent.
There’s a company I deeply admired- one that raised millions in funding and seemed poised for greatness. Yet, within just a year or two, it shut its doors. Curious about what went wrong, I dug deeper. The lesson was sobering: despite their impressive fundraising success, they made critical missteps. They hired expensive international talent, signed hefty contracts in foreign currency, but their revenues were anchored in local currency. And as many of us know, currency devaluation and currency depreciation are ever-present challenges in African markets.
This isn’t just a cautionary tale- it’s a reminder. In a world obsessed with rapid scaling and headline-grabbing investment rounds, the true mark of resilience is building lean, staying disciplined, and focusing on long-term sustainability. Build products and services that solve real problems and stand the test of time. And when you do, you’ll naturally have greater negotiating power with investors- not because you raised millions overnight, but because you’ve built something that lasts.
So stay small enough, long enough. Trust the process. God will make you big enough, soon enough. And on that note, what sacrifices or disciplines have you had to embrace to keep your business or personal goals sustainable?
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