This morning at 7.30am the Kenya ICT Board (www.ict.go.ke held an open forum for the Kenya BPO & Contact Centre Society an umbrella organisation for all things outsourcing. I was to make a short presentation on some of the work we are doing on their portal, but I arrived a few minutes late so I wasn't slotted in, even though I was disappointed having worked on the powerpoint the previous night I opted to stay and hear what was to be said.
Several presentations and a Q&A session later the forum was over and the opportunity to network was given to all attendees. In my view the networking opportunities presented at such functions far outweighs the content of the presentations, for a small business or an entrepreneur this cannot be overstated. Many times in my discussions with techies I take the time to point out the fact that successful businesses, partnerships and deals are made at such forums, one must take advantage of them fully. Case in point, out of the interactions I got today I was able to secure about 4 prospective clients, these are clients I would not have had the chance to meet at the same place at the same time.
Entrepreneurs in Kenya (technology entrepreneurs specifically) need to understand that business isn't all about coding and hardware, the two activities only require training, the challenge is to walk out there , represent your business effectively, network with industry players and seize business opportunities that present themselves. The entrepreneur needs to seek out networking opportunities with decision makers and not decision takers.
To learn more about this author, visit John Wesonga's Website.
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John Wesonga
(Visit John's Website)
Born in Nairobi, Kenya, John Wesonga is a
partner and the Technology Director of Mul
tiple Choices, a communications
company that builds web 2.0 applications
for the Internet and provides strategic
advice on Online Brands. His interests
include: web development, blogging, mobile
technology, Africa, and Kenya. His blog,
Afropreneur, is one of the most
popular online resources for news
regarding business and technology in
Africa. He is also currently a student at
Strathmore University, where he is
pursuing a degree in Business Information
Technology.
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