Foreword

By Edward Njoroge, Founder & CEO, Track & Trace

 

Having an idea is easy; turning it into a business is the hard part. In my business life I’ve come across people who talk of ideas they had, but which never transitioned into business. I’ve also seen people who jumped in with an idea without giving it proper testing—before burning their money.  Both of these tendencies leave a lot of regret and pain in life, not to mention the material losses such can cost those who are close to us.

 

Whereas there are many books and resources on how to manage businesses, there are few that help the entrepreneur get to build a business to a level that would require that management. Many entrepreneurs, who are starting out, grope in the dark, with a lot of trial and error, some succeed but a majority never succeed.  Those who fail either quit their entrepreneurial endeavors altogether or imagine that all they need is to make another try to succeed. That is a tragedy many entrepreneurship courses have not addressed.

 

This book is a focused attempt at providing a structure into entrepreneurship endeavors for new businesses and even for existing ones seeking to venture into new areas.  Successful entrepreneurs, just like successful people in other aspects of life, don’t come in one colour, size or shape, but there are a few things you will find common in them regardless of their education level, life exposure or work experience: they follow simple processes that deliver the results needed.

 

Reading through this book one finds a process that any person can follow and turn his or her idea into a business.  There are tools one can use to assess how good their idea is as well as an easy-to-follow process to plan the business—which the writer calls business design.  This is a process that I wish I had access to in my early days in entrepreneurship. I would have saved myself many days and money.

 

I believe in reading. I read widely on all aspects of business.  When you have read many books it becomes harder and harder to come across a book that stands out. The book Sam has written is one of the outstanding ones. It is heavy in business wisdom, but very easy read.  The business novel approach is refreshingly new, especially for Africa.  If you are a busy person struggling to find time to read complex materials that could transform your life, this book is it!

 

Appropriately titled The Man Who Fired His Boss, you will find in it interesting phrases that make the understanding of complex ideas easy. You may not pass a business exam if you adopt some of Sam’s fascinating definitions, but you will pass the exam of success in the real entrepreneurial world—which is that place he calls the businesses trenches.

 

Sam is the right person to write this book. I say so because my company has engaged Sam as a business growth consultant and trainer for the last two years and every shilling we have paid for his services has paid back many times over. Unlike other consultants, he is willing to be held accountable for results. I believe he does the same with the concepts shared in this book.

At whatever stage you are in the entrepreneurial journey – aspiring, practicing or veteran – you will find this book worth your money and time.

 

Edward Njoroge
Founder & CEO
Track & Trace