Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Lynda Aphing-Kouassi, Founder of Cabinet International Kaizene, located in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Kaizene is a capacity-building firm specializing in training and coaching, SME development, and conference organization. We offer a range of training for the board of directors, the executive committee, team leaders, and teams. We believe that Africa can strive with its SMEs, enhancing their competencies and raising enough capital to appropriately answer the needs of our countries, hence the SME development as part of our activities, which include boot camps, training, and SME breakfasts for masterclasses.
Conference organization and moderation represent for us a way to put our clients' portfolios to use by ensuring people effectively network to find solutions to the economic development of Africa with partners from all over the world. Our clients are governments, SMEs, institutions, and private companies.
Tell us about yourself
I started the business with the aim of adding value to my roots, my country, and my continents. I saw a training need, adapted the methods to our needs and ecosystem, and made it work. I am passionate and driven, rigorous, and extremely confident; those qualities came as I grew in my faith. I started to believe more in myself and my services, and here are the results (laughter): I have kids, and they believe that we are who we see. I, therefore, want them to know that they can do anything in life if they work hard, respect the values that they are taught, and aim to positively impact society.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Surviving Covid time was, for me, the hardest stress test of any company in this century. I believe all our challenges are necessary steps to keep growing; therefore, I keep doing them every day, and I embrace challenges in a way that allows me to carry on. We always learn, no matter what the most important thing is to do.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
I believe the hardest things today are linked to finding competencies and teams that also share your vision, hence the need for us to maximize our sessions around a sense of responsibilities, company culture, and, most of all, adequately sharing the vision with all the team members to push the company towards achieving their goals. But also retaining talents and having the ability to adequately pitch our projects.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Know your market.
- Be disciplined.
- Be Flexible.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.kaizene.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kaizene.conseil/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Kaizene_Conseil
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/kaizene/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynda-aphing-kouassi-a7a97634/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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