DANIEL L. LUNANI

Brand has become a catch-all term. We use it interchangeably to refer to brand image (packaging and logos), brand ethos (mission and messaging), and brand-building (community). And while most aspects of building a business – supply chain, logistics, manufacturing, etc. – are becoming commoditized, brand is an increasingly important differentiator for emerging consumer startups. But what is brand, really? And how do you build one?   Jeff Bezos once said “a brand for a company is like a reputation for a person. You earn reputation by doing hard things well.” This description has always resonated with me. You can’t tell people what your brand is; you have to show them. In other words, you have to prove yourself. But I would take it one step further. Brand isn’t just a company’s reputation, it’s a company’s character. And just like a person’s character, it is defined by how one acts when no one is watching. In the words of legendary basketball coach John Wooden, “be more conc...

Only 4% of Africans have a university degree qualification. Image: Unsplash This article was published after a collaboration between  Project Syndicatte and the WEF Africa ca's under-20 population is projected to be the continent’s largest age cohort by 2070. So it's vital that young people are offered the tools to be successful in a digital-first economy, writes the African Development Bank’s Hanan Morsy. Only when Africa can close these education gaps, and set up its society for a digital overhaul, will it reap the benefits of new technologies. Key features of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) – accelerating digitalization, artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, robotics, and 3D printing – have obvious and important implications for education, employment, and the future of work. This is especially true for African countries. Over the past decade, the share of the continent’s under-20 population has expanded by  more than 25% , and is projected to be the continen...

Carol kauffman wrote; its out of nowhere — a contempt attack. Like a panic attack, it arises suddenly and takes over completely. You feel a roil of emotions and an overpowering sense of exasperation: the person you’re working with is wasting your time, undermining your efforts, holding back the team. They’re weak, lazy, willfully misguided. In the grips of the attack, you can no longer focus on the matter at hand. The problem is more fundamental. What troubles you about this person is not so much  what   they’re doing  as  who  they are . Most leaders experience contempt attacks at one time or another, especially during times of crisis, uncertainty, and high stress. Leaders need to be strong and resilient to make it through these periods. Paradoxically, however, those very strengths make leaders vulnerable to these attacks, because in the heat of the moment they forget that not everybody is as strong and resilient as they are. Consider a CEO I’ll call Gwen,...

  When looking at global success companies , it can be difficult to remember that they weren’t always enormous companies. At some point in their past, they were tiny startups trying to get their first customers. A startup is basically a newly established business. Since you’re reading this article, I’m guessing you’re closer to being the latter — a tiny startup — than the former. In that case, I want to remind you of an ancient Chinese proverb: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” While I’m sure the proverb wasn’t directly referencing the work of building startups, the premise is certainly applicable. Successful companies aren’t built overnight. They take years upon years of work. And, more importantly, the work builds on itself. The steps you take in the beginning aren’t going to be the same as the steps you take toward the middle or near the end. Of the many steps you’ll take while building a company, lots of them will relate to your customer acquisitio...

  Most people  usually begin building their first businesses around the same time they’re becoming adults. Since the transition to adulthood is a time when most people aren’t earning high salaries — particularly if they’re entrepreneurs — product costs factor disproportionately into their buying habits. As a result, the value proposition they get onto early in their entrepreneurial careers is “cheapness.” They think selling something cheap is a key strategy for getting someone to buy. But is making something cheap really the best way to win customers? I had an opportunity to meet with a seasoned businessman in Nairobi who shared his journey and view on the same, it all started with a cup of coffee. He started  "Like plenty of entrepreneurs, I had to learn the answer to this question the hard way. Sure, more experienced entrepreneurs tried to tell me the answer, just like I’m trying to tell you here, but I wouldn’t listen. Instead, because I was developing my first compani...

Banks  DON'T fund ideas or startups they fund cash-flows against assets.  That bank loan you want for your business? Well, the bank is going to want a lot before they give it to you. here’s what to expect a bank to ask for when you apply for a commercial loan for your business. There will be occasional exceptions to every rule, of course, but here’s the general rule: 1. Collateral As I explained above, banks do lend money to startups or rarely do.  So your business has to have hard assets it can pledge to back up a business loan. Banks look very carefully at these assets to make sure they reduce the risk. For example, when you pledge Accounts Receivable to support a commercial loan, the bank will check the major receivables accounts to make sure those companies are solvent; and they will accept only a portion, often 50 or sometimes 75%, of receivables to back a loan. When you get an inventory loan, the bank will accept only a percentage of the inventory and they...

  When they say “its just words” i don't agree, a word is dead when it is said ,for me it just begins to live that day. words are free,but how we use them is what costs. Our collective consciousness, creativity, and human connections form the basis of our species. Yet none of these can be fully enjoyed, explained or expressed without the most instrument of civilization, language. Words are seeds that do more than blow around. They land in our hearts and not the ground. Be careful what you plant and careful what you say. You might have to eat what you planted one day. But, there can be no language without words. Religious theorists teach us that at the beginning there was nothing. And then God said, “let there be light”. He  SAID . Words. Words are all we need. Words start wars & create peace, Words build relationships & destroy trust; Words create countries & spread cultures; Words cement community & mentor futures. Words, not thoughts, are the weapons of a gif...