Exactly two years ago, I ended one of the most magical weeks I had ever experienced in my life.
I had been invited to Mozambique by Claremont McKenna College to be a mentor and advisor for an outstanding group of global social entrepreneurs. These social entrepreneurs were part of a Moonshot Program and I – as an Echoing Green Fellow – was one of the mentors tasked with helping them improve, rethink and re-structure their social enterprises in order to sharpen their focus and help attract more support and funding.
I was excited for the opportunity; it meant one week away from the madness of work, in a new country with a wonderful group of peers. But my Impostor Syndrome (the relentless bastard) was in overdrive and I kept doubting myself, my abilities and my knowledge.
One of the toughest things I struggle with is being an entrepreneur with no formal academic education beyond 1st semester. There’s a constant and incredibly annoying feeling that there’s just… something missing, and no amount of real-world experience has taken that away.
It doesn’t help that I’m almost always in the same room with well-educated, Ivy-league, Masters-wielding, PhD-holding business superstars. And then there’s me, the man from Ayomlony village in Northern Uganda brandishing his A’ level UACE certifcate.
Don’t get me wrong, this lack of academic qualifications doesn’t stop me from getting sh*t done, but sometimes it very nearly succeeds. Like when consultancy opportunities come up and the bare minimum requirement is a degree of some sort, or – like at this particular time – when I’m asked to be a mentor for some of the world’s brightest social entrepreneurs.
But, eventually, sanity won, and I accepted the invitation. And boy was I glad! It was an absolutely magical experience. First of all, we stayed at Colina Verde in Machangulo Peninsula in Mozambique. The pictures do not do it justice. At all.
Secondly, what I treasured most was the people I met and connected with (including other Echoing Green fellows). The sheer amount of collective knowledge and wisdom from that group of social entrepreneurs rejuvenated and refueled me for years.
Also, the sharing, learning and bonding during that week was incomparable, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything else.
And then… I got a little Red Notebook as part of my Moonshot swag. The notebook has not left my side in the two years since. Everything I have learnt in the two years since, on leadership, fundraising, strategy, teamwork, etc. is in this Red Notebook. (Incidentally, it got “finished” this month.)
Because of how much learning little Red Notebook has, and how much it has taught me, I want to spend some time over the next few weeks sharing it with you. Some may find it useful, others may find it pedestrian, but I’m hoping that for someone out there, it will add value.
The value I want to bring is the real-world experience of running a social enterprise (Fundi Bots) and the challenges and failures from my other businesses. While academic theory has some usefulness, it pales in comparison to the street-level hustle, tears, failure and success. And I hope that I can share the little I have learnt in the last two years, which have seen tremendous personal and business growth alongside a very painful end to several dreams.
Hopefully, the Little Red Notebook series can be a guide, a mentor and advisor for you. So, as always, I’ll be sharing this series to my different social media channels, primarily YouTube. Do take a minute to subscribe, like and follow!
Solomon King Benge
Founder, Fundi Bots & Curator, The Red Notebook.
