Never fear to start when you have a burning desire to do something

The world is filled with aspiring entrepreneurs who believe they have what it takes to launch a company and build it into a profitable business. 

According to the Harvard Business School, while anyone can start a business, not everyone will succeed.

Research undertaken by the school’s professor, Shikhar Ghosh shows that up to 75 per cent of start-ups fail. Uganda ranks 89th globally among countries based on the strength of its start-up ecosystem.

Whereas the US has been variously cited as the bastion of global capitalism and might seem like the world’s most entrepreneurial country, a 2016 survey - which ranked countries in terms of the percentage of the adult population engaged in entrepreneurial activity - showed it is actually Uganda.

Joel Kisuule

Three years ago, 30-year-old Joel Kisuule started taking baby steps towards establishing a business venture. He first learnt from his big brother, Joseph Kisuule and cousin, Andrew Ssekitto who mentored him in hands-on stuff in the line of fixing smartphones. 

Motivation 

Kisuule’s motivation to learn was to be able to earn. He was still in high school and to achieve his dream, he needed to learn by exploring possibilities of acquiring knowledge and creating an achievable dream and focusing on it.

At 17 years of age, in 2007, he started working at his brother’s phone service, the place where customers came to have their smartphone screens fixed, software upgraded, phones flushed and any technical work of the sort.

With his big brother’s assistance, Kisuule was keen to learn, and with time, his brother could afford to go to law school, leavinghim partly in charge of the shop- Apps World- situated on Wilson Street in Kampala, Uganda’s Central Business District (CBD). 

Whenever he got a moment, he also took self-initiative to learn by undertaking online courses related to phone repairs, software and general tech stuff.

How Kisuule started 

In 2017, he felt ready enough to establish his own business venture, in the same line of work. During that time, he saved Shs15m, his seed capital for setting up Fireboxed Service Centre, a sole proprietorship that sells spare parts for different types of phones as well as high end gadgets. 

“My start-up capital was Shs40m. With the money, I got more stock and better machines,” he says. He doesn’t have a fixed price for his services. He charges depending on a client’s needs and time spent on fixing their problem. 

“In my line of work we balance profits per week. So in a good week we can make profits of Shs3m.” The start-up, situated at Ttowa Mall, also provides device support services affordably for the everyday client. 

The core niche of the business is servicing smartphones. His work station is a busy spot as he manages phone updates, motherboard repairs, software development, cyber security expert work, device diagnostics and related repairs.

Dream 

“Our aim is to give the customer the best service possible with genuine products at an affordable price. Our grand dream is to become a leading phone servicing hub in the country and perhaps the region as well,” 30-year-old Kisuule explains.

Background 

He studied at St Anthony Primary School Kitende until Primary Six when his father decided to change his academic journey by switching to an American based home-schooling curriculum. “I studied from home with the help of tutors and the Internet. After obtaining my high school diploma, I enrolled in Aptech computer education which I am juggling with work at the moment,” he explains.

After getting affiliated to the USA curriculum, his parents gave him a structure mirrored in a school setting. He got access to textbooks, tests, teaching guides and schedules. Each year, he did California Achievement Tests (CAT) examinations via correspondence, which he sent back to the US for marking.

And unlike traditional home-schooling where parents work with each child for a period of time on each subject to help teach the lessons and give quizzes, tests and writing assignments, Kisuule’s parents provided him with a tutor to help.

“While home-schooling my father made it mandatory to gain a skill each year. And through that I gained a certificate in automobile repair, computer repair and networking. These skills have later helped me in my line of work,” says Kisuule. He says, somewhat jokingly, that he draws his inspiration from the way the steam engine works and the way its chambers burn the fuel. 

“It has been a learning curve yet fun experience that has exposed me to a different learning schedule and working environment I have had to adapt to since I was young. In a short time, my consistency and openness to learn, earned me favour from my mentors and clients,” he adds.

Money 

His first salary was Shs10,000 per day which largely covered his transport fare to and from Entebbe. Later, his brother increased his daily pay to Shs20,000 which was a good boost in addition to tips and bonuses.

His plan was to make sure he banked the profits he made each day. After every 30 days, he made sure he bought an asset. He adds, “l don’t believe in banking money for a long time. It’s a ‘broke’ man’s mindset.” 

He has so far saved Shs20m. “Good financial management helped me in business to make effective use of resources, fulfil commitments, gain competitive advantage and prepare for long-term financial stability,” he further explains. 

From his initial savings, he was able to buy his first car from his uncle, in instalments. Top on his wish list is to acquire a scooter at about Shs3.5m as well as a van to help ease work. With that, he will be able to reach out to clients who would like to be offered mobile services.

Advice 

His advice to a contemporary or someone looking to establish a start-up, is never fear to start when you have a burning desire to do something. “Always be honest in your work, be diligent because no better blessing will beat recommendations,” he adds.

He is patient. On a busy day, an impatient client will shout and put a lot of pressure on him. Sometimes certain spares will not be available due to logistical delays, and then there are clients who will pre order something and never collect it.

“For orders that are never picked we usually sell them at cost price so that we get back our money,” he adds. On the whole, Kisuule says he upholds business principles which also guide his business acumen, namely having quality products, keeping up to date with what is trending in the industry and prioritising his clients but not competitors.

He also takes pride and concentration from team success at work.  When asked how Covid-19 affect his business, he responds,“There was a high demand for our services during the lockdown. One wanted to fix any single defect there and then.”

He further explains, “Covid-19 was a catalyst in our growth. We managed to get lots of clients through word of mouth. The only issue was the delayed orders through our courier services being that plane services were  suspended. And cargo planes take longer, so we got stock in bits. I ordered for stock but it took longer to arrive.”