African Start-up Founders & Their Morning Habits: GetFundedAfrica (GFA) Alumni Reveal Theirs.
Having morning activities or stillness helps rejuvenate, reset, and refocus for the day ahead.
Many successful founders and professionals swear by daily habits (routines) to get off to a positive start, and prepare themselves mentally and physically to tackle whatever challenges and surprises may arise with it.
Be it meditating, exercising, reading, or journalling, these individuals cultivate daily habits because they understand the benefits of being structured, dedicated, intentional, and consistent.
African start-up founders are not exempt from this practice. Flutterwave founder, Olugbenga “GB” Agboola, begins his day by looking at his company’s bottom line. Upon waking up, the co-founder/COO of PiggyWest, Odunayo Eweniyi, writes her to-do list to structure her tasks. Musty Mustapha, Kuda’s co-founder & CTO, starts his day with prayers and a light workout.
Healthy daily habits promote self-care, lower stress levels, increase energy and ground people in changing times. Besides affording individuals a much-needed me-time, turning these into full-blown routines can translate into better overall health and increased productivity in the long run.
With the pace and unique space of the continent’s start-up ecosystem, African founders should invest as much in the benefits of healthy daily habits to maintain stability and wellness internally as they do in their businesses.
We asked some African start-up founders, alumni of GetFundedAfrica’s cohort programmes, about their morning habits. Interestingly, the responses fell into three distinct categories.
Meditation. This comes as no surprise. Africa is a deeply religious continent. It is commonplace for prayers to kick start most of its citizens’ days and accompany them into the workplace to herald all the tasks awaiting to be done.
‘I normally start my business with a simple prayer.’ – Elvis Kadhama, Essymart Africa
‘Spend time with God.’ – Jonathan Melody, Lazycom
‘I pray and strategize.’ – Dayo Adegoke, Payskul
‘I pray.’ – Samson Olubayo, Sanwopay
‘I take a walk and observe morning prayer rituals.’ – Taiwo Oladeji, My Campus Chat Mobile
‘I pray.’ – Caleb Ezekiel Gidado, Aduba Community Empowerment Foundation
‘The first thing I do before starting my daily activities is pray.’ – Nsikak Effiong Okon, Austin-Natural Exports & Imports (ANEXIMPS) LTD
‘I pray.’ – Nonofo Kebaise, Enviro Drive Proprietary Ltd
‘I pray or meditate and appraise our progress.’ – Muyi’ Olaitan, Groshoppa
‘I say a prayer.’ – Joey Miguda, Alila Industries
‘I pray and wait for instructions.’ – Nyaradzo Nyabunze, Dirt Metals Commodities Ltd
Business-minded. While some African start-up founders are communing with a higher deity, others are thinking of their businesses 24/7, their heads buzzing with the things needed to be accomplished. Consequently, they awake each morning with their companies top of mind.
‘I go through what was done the day before.’ – Thamar V. Afedu-Annan, FemFarmlife
‘I write what needs to be accomplished that day, starting with the most urgent ones.’ – Edwin Lubanga, Snark Health
‘I check my business mail.’ – Zaineb Saddallah, epharmacy
‘I write my to-do list.’ – Taiwo Adedokun, OneWorQ
‘I review the previous day’s to-do list and create a new one for the day.’ – Precious Iyeritufu, Renamarket
‘I attend to all pending messages.’ – Awolaja Sodiq Oladimeji, Gugumedia
Fortifying Beverage. Rumour has it that some individuals among us are unable to function effectively as human beings until after a cup (or several) of the pick-me-up caffeine (coffee) in the morning. The following and last GFA founders polled represent that group.
‘Coffee. Black. No sugar.’ – Quadri Oridedi, Vitalyti Africa
‘I take a cup of coffee.’ – Ike Mary-Cynthia Ifunanya, Polkadot Events
For GFA’s African founders, it’s different strokes for different folks to kick start every new day. While some find strength and direction in activities, others discover it in morning drinks. To each his own. What about you? What healthy habit jump-starts your day?
About GetFundedAfrica
GetFundedAfrica is a cloud-based technology platform specializing in developing software that helps businesses to fundraise, grow, and tell their stories. Whether you want to raise funds ranging from $100k to $50m, scale your business or share your entrepreneurial journey, sign up for free at www.getfundedafrica.com
