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Leadership in a startup is a challenging and dynamic role. Startup founders are the face of the company and its culture, as well as the responsibility to move the business forward. It’s your responsibility to set your organization’s vision and ensure your team is working towards the same goals. Even if that means adapting the original vision to fit your employees’ ideas.
that’s part of the reason i made the conversation Duca Founder and CEO, Victor Maina, was very upbeat and spoke candidly but sharply about his role. He shared his wisdom with anyone with a desire to launch their own startup, including how to survive the mental and emotional toll such an endeavor can create. In discussing his leadership experience, he describes not only his efforts to lead his team to success, but also the very important ways he relies on them.
“Leadership is not mine,” says Maina. “It’s about how I empower people around me.”
Based in Nairobi and launching in early 2021, Duhqa seeks to address logistical pain points for manufacturers, expedite inventory distribution, and increase sales for retailers. Duhqa’s mission is to make SMB logistics easy, allowing companies to focus on growing their business. The ultimate beneficiary, Mina says, is the consumer.
“The problem we are trying to solve is mass market availability of the product,” says Maina. “Up to 490 million Africans live on less than $2 a day. Making it leaner and easier saves money for the people who matter and those who need it: the retailers who can pass it on to the consumer.”
Maina combines 13 years of experience in logistics with 8 years of executive experience to lead Duhqa into the unpredictable world of startups. He says the most successful trait of startup founders is developing their employees.
“It’s a way to empower those around you,” says Maina. “It’s less about who I am and more about who they are. And I said to them, ‘What do you think?
For Mina, humility is one of the most valuable traits of a leader. Developing a start-up into a successful venture supporting local businesses is not a one-person job. Critical to moving the company’s vision forward is the creation of his team of supporting, coaching, and mentoring teams.
Additionally, Mina believes it’s very important for startup founders to consider mental health during the difficult building phase of their company. , Myna is helpful when surrounded by a team she can trust.
“I’ve learned to rely on a team of talented people around me,” says Maina. “
Read the entire series of interviews with Victor, Microsoft for Startups YouTube Channel.
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