Komini by the Fire
A podcast by African founders, for African founders, sharing stories, lessons, and truths about building businesses in Africa. It feels like therapy for entrepreneurs running companies on the continent.
Episodes
Are We Glorifying Things We Shouldn't? | Banter Episode
Hustle. Sacrifice. "Figure it out." We've built a whole culture around admiring these things as founders, but should we? In this episode, we pull apart a few narratives and ask which ones are actually worth keeping.At Komini, we coach founders and their teams to build businesses that survive the hardest “island moments”, and grow beyond them.If you're building with a team, this i
Are We There Yet? | A Map Through the Product-Market Fit Journey
Business is simple, on the surface.Find something meaningful. Build it for someone who cares enough to pay.But the path to that moment, what we call Product-Market Fit, is anything but simple. It’s technical, messy, and most businesses never quite get there.In this episode, we map that journey against our own. Listen in.Pair this with Ken’s PMF doodle:https://bit.ly/4crdteGAt Komini, we coach foun
Is Your Pricing Right? | Our tried & tested pricing formula
Pin this for every time you second-guess your pricing. It’s rarely the market- it’s often an unspoken fear. In this episode, we share the simple formula that’s helped founders stop undercharging and start charging what they’re actually worth!In Komini, we coach and mentor founders and their teams as they build businesses that grow and survive the most difficult "island moments". We here
When Funding Helps... And When It Hurts
Funding can fuel growth or expose what isn’t ready. In this episode of Komini by the Fire, we explore when to raise, when to wait, and how to choose the right kind of capital for the season you’re in.This year, Komini is bringing together the full founder experience, and we’re starting with your teams. Moving them from strong contributors to true rowers who think, decide, and carry the business fo
Vision or Di-vision | For the Partners of Founders
We filmed this episode last year, right after our Partners of Founders fireside chat in November. This conversation sits at the very core of the arrive alive journey. We’ve seen how these moments can either build energy, safety, and clarity, or quietly erode them. We hope the questions shared here help you navigate it with more intention.This year, Komini is bringing together the full founder expe
Precious Pauses | The Quiet Before the Shift
We’ve been away for a while. This episode is a tender return- one that holds space for grief, stillness, and the kind of pause that rearranges you. We share a deeply personal season and the quiet reflections it stirred- because sometimes, the most important work happens when nothing seems to be happening. We built Komini so you never have to walk alone.If you found this conversation meaningful, th
"The Gold in Your Garden" | Are you fully mining the value of your customers?
Sometimes we think growth is way out there—somewhere new, somewhere bigger. But often, the real opportunity is already in your garden... if you're willing to mine it. In this episode, we explore ways you can uncover gold right where you're standing.We built Komini so you never have to walk alone.If you found this conversation meaningful, there’s a lot more where that came from.Join a Komini Cycle
“Painful is memorable” | What no one tells you about driving change
Real change always invites real resistance—from team tension to the urge to fix everything yourself. In this episode, we unpack how to stay the course: restating, reframing, and recommitting to the change your business truly needs.We built Komini so you never have to walk alone.If you found this conversation meaningful, there’s a lot more where that came from.Join a Komini Cycle — a 3-month journe
What Happens When You Share the Numbers? | Transparency, Trust & Team Building
This question came up during one of our Komini sessions—and it’s one we hear often. In this episode, we explore the principle of sharing numbers: why it matters, what it unlocks, and how to do it with wisdom.We built Komini so you never have to walk alone.If you found this conversation meaningful, there’s a lot more where that came from.Join a Komini Cycle — a 3-month journey for founders at infle
"You can't coach and play" | Unpacking operational overwhelm
Somewhere between year 3 and 4 lies Day 1 of truly building your business—the day you step off the pitch and become the coach. Many founders get stuck ‘playing’ the game, leading to overwhelm as the business grows. In this episode, we break down how to make the leap from player to coach—tune in!"We built Komini so you never have to walk alone.If you found this conversation meaningful, there’s a lo
On "Exit" Conversations | Doing the hard thing, the right way
Firing isn’t fun, but avoiding it can cost you more than you think. As you build your dream team, tough exit conversations are inevitable—but we often delay them because they are uncomfortable.In this episode, we break down how to handle these conversations with clarity, kindness, and respect- Tune in!We built Komini so you never have to walk alone.If you found this conversation meaningful, there’
The Loudest NO! | Dear Founder, Focus!
In this episode we unpack the philosophy of ruthless prioritisation even as we gain momentum into the year. Tune in to hear us banter on the things we must say NO to this year!We built Komini so you never have to walk alone.If you found this conversation meaningful, there’s a lot more where that came from.Join a Komini Cycle — a 3-month journey for founders at inflection.Walk with others. Build yo
“It doesn’t go wrong, it starts wrong…” || Starting 2025 right
Happy new year to all our fireplace friends! This year we’ve spent time defining and setting in place the habits that will anchor us through the year. Tune in to hear us banter on the things we’re doing to start 2025 right! We built Komini so you never have to walk alone.If you found this conversation meaningful, there’s a lot more where that came from.Join a Komini Cycle — a 3-month journey for f
Walking through the wilderness | Your toughest seasons as a founder
Kui says, “When you start a business, it’s you and burnout at the starting line—and only one will win.” In this episode, we’re unpacking the wilderness, a state that drains your time and energy as you navigate that relentless race.We built Komini so you never have to walk alone.If you found this conversation meaningful, there’s a lot more where that came from.Join a Komini Cycle — a 3-month journe
Success within your Superpower 2.0 | …what we’ve learnt a year later
Since our first episode on finding your superpower last year, we’ve guided several founders on this journey and discovered it unfolds in 2 major steps: finding, accepting/naming, then tooling your superpower. Tune in to learn more! We built Komini so you never have to walk alone.If you found this conversation meaningful, there’s a lot more where that came from.Join a Komini Cycle — a 3-month journ
What are you learning in this season? | The extended pulse check
In this week’s episode we’re simply checking in with each other and reflecting on the lessons from the last few months. Tune in to hear what we’ve been learning and we’d love to hear what you’re learning as well! We built Komini so you never have to walk alone.If you found this conversation meaningful, there’s a lot more where that came from.Join a Komini Cycle — a 3-month journey for founders at
Is the customer you're building for, the customer you love?
We learn that the customer is king, and while that is true, did you know you get to choose which king to serve? Listen in as we banter on designing your business around a chosen customer .We built Komini so you never have to walk alone.If you found this conversation meaningful, there’s a lot more where that came from.Join a Komini Cycle — a 3-month journey for founders at inflection.Walk with othe
Can your business afford you? || On money today and wealth tomorrow
As a founder, your default setting is always to give to the business and never to take. In this episode we unpack how that might be hindering growth for your business. Plug in and enjoy!!We built Komini so you never have to walk alone.If you found this conversation meaningful, there’s a lot more where that came from.Join a Komini Cycle — a 3-month journey for founders at inflection.Walk with other
"How can I get my business to stand on its own two feet" | Solve Episode
In today's Solve episode, we tackle a dilemna on how long your business can be dependent on you as the founder, and finally have it standing on its own feet.We built Komini so you never have to walk alone.If you found this conversation meaningful, there’s a lot more where that came from.Join a Komini Cycle — a 3-month journey for founders at inflection.Walk with others. Build your team. Grow towar
Why is my team underperforming? | What YOU can change to get the best out of your team
In this episode we unpack what “underperforming” really is and the ways in which you as a leader are enabling it! We built Komini so you never have to walk alone.If you found this conversation meaningful, there’s a lot more where that came from.Join a Komini Cycle — a 3-month journey for founders at inflection.Walk with others. Build your team. Grow toward mission — and do it without burning out.👉
"I need to take a sabbatical from my business!" | Solve Episode
In this new segment we dive into a dilemma from the audience. This week we're unpacking the concept of Sabbaticals- when you need to take them and what you must do to ensure they are a growth opportunity for the business. We built Komini so you never have to walk alone.If you found this conversation meaningful, there’s a lot more where that came from.Join a Komini Cycle — a 3-month journey for fou
"You don't build great things alone" | Solo-founder vs Solo-mindset
Building is a team sport. We've been having an on-going debate on the dangers of building alone and the traps you can fall into that foster a solo mindset. We built Komini so you never have to walk alone.If you found this conversation meaningful, there’s a lot more where that came from.Join a Komini Cycle — a 3-month journey for founders at inflection.Walk with others. Build your team. Grow toward
"Competition is validation" | Healthy philosophies & how to truly stand out!
Life and business are competitive sports, so we should always expect competition. There are a few things that set you apart that cannot be copied, and we're sharing 3 of those philosophies in this episodeWe built Komini so you never have to walk alone.If you found this conversation meaningful, there’s a lot more where that came from.Join a Komini Cycle — a 3-month journey for founders at inflectio
"Go into the ring healthy" | Lessons from raising $100M+ of capital
Investors are a critical part of your village as a founder. In this episode we're diving into 5 lessons from our journey of finding, walking with and being investors ourselves. (00:00) Pulse check & introduction(03:30) Go into the ring healthy(12:06) Due diligence your investors as well(15:41) Choose your investors for the war-time, not the peace-time (19:35) Learn to tell your story well (22:30)
"Take a thinking day..." | The 4 questions to reflect on
As a leader you need to spend as much time thinking rather doing. We always recommend leaders to take a thinking day- that's a whole day no meetings, just time to zoom out and connect the dots. Here are the 4 questions you should always go back to...We built Komini so you never have to walk alone.If you found this conversation meaningful, there’s a lot more where that came from.Join a Komini Cycle
"Rome wasn't built in a day... " | The simple habits with exceptional results
Rome wasn't built in a day, but they laid a brick every hour. In this episode we unpack the simple things you could do every day to build towards your picture of success!We built Komini so you never have to walk alone.If you found this conversation meaningful, there’s a lot more where that came from.Join a Komini Cycle — a 3-month journey for founders at inflection.Walk with others. Build your tea
"Time happens to us all..." | On progress debt
"Progress debt" is the distance between your expectations and reality. At different points in the journey there are markers that could make you feel behind on some things and ahead on some things. How do you ensure that when it occurs, that debt is paid? We built Komini so you never have to walk alone.If you found this conversation meaningful, there’s a lot more where that came from.Join a Komini
Stop! Before you hire... | The conversation to have so you show up whole
Hiring can sometimes feel like navigating a jungle! But fear not, there are steps you can take as a leader before expanding your team that will set you up for success. Tune in as we discuss the 5 crucial questions you should answer to ensure you show up as your best self for your growing team.We built Komini so you never have to walk alone.If you found this conversation meaningful, there’s a lot m
"You cannot save your way to wealth..." | The mindsets that will build wealth for Africa
"Creating" and "Capturing" wealth are two different games- each has its own art and its own rules. In this episode, we're exploring some of the counter-intuitive mindsets that would allow us as Africans to build and retain wealth on the continent. We built Komini so you never have to walk alone.If you found this conversation meaningful, there’s a lot more where that came from.Join a Komini Cycle —
Prune to thrive-Prune to survive
Pruning is an important yet sometimes painful part of the growth process. In this episode we're unpacking some of the perspectives that help you extract the most value from the pruning process whether you are pruning to thrive or pruning to survive. We built Komini so you never have to walk alone.If you found this conversation meaningful, there’s a lot more where that came from.Join a Komini Cycle
What I know now about building products
Behind every great business is a great product and we define a product as anything you put in front of a customer. Listen in as we banter and pick Ken's brain on what makes great products!We built Komini so you never have to walk alone.If you found this conversation meaningful, there’s a lot more where that came from.Join a Komini Cycle — a 3-month journey for founders at inflection.Walk with othe
Are you running in honey?
We're at the point of the year where there is strong messaging to "finish strong"! In this episode we're un-packing an alternative experience... getting to the end of the year and feeling like you're not making as much progress as you'd like. The feeling of stuck-ness... How do you get un-stuck? We built Komini so you never have to walk alone.If you found this conversation meaningful, there’s a lo
The elusive billion-dollar headline...
In this exclusive episode we unpack our 3 key insights on why the east african tech ecosystem hasn't had a billion dollar exit yet and what we need to do more of to ensure we enrich our ecosystem to support that big milestone.We built Komini so you never have to walk alone.If you found this conversation meaningful, there’s a lot more where that came from.Join a Komini Cycle — a 3-month journey for
Reflecting on your growth journey - A Komini Guide
At different points of your journey it is important to do a growth check. To stop, reflect and take stock of how much you have grown and how you would like to grow into the future. This is a 5-part guide on how to think about growth when you do stop and reflect!We built Komini so you never have to walk alone.If you found this conversation meaningful, there’s a lot more where that came from.Join a
What I know now about uncomfortable conversations...
Uncomfortable conversations are often the ones we avoid yet are super important when building or navigating growth. Here are a few things we've learnt about how to navigate these uncomfortable conversations:We built Komini so you never have to walk alone.If you found this conversation meaningful, there’s a lot more where that came from.Join a Komini Cycle — a 3-month journey for founders at inflec
Dear African Founder,
We're closing out the season with a special dedication to african founders. Here's what we find truly special about these Lion Riders....We built Komini so you never have to walk alone.If you found this conversation meaningful, there’s a lot more where that came from.Join a Komini Cycle — a 3-month journey for founders at inflection.Walk with others. Build your team. Grow toward mission — and do i
Success within your super power...
What is the thing you often do better than most people in a room? What do your teams remember you for? What part of your work flows most naturally? That is your superpower... so how do you organize your work and life to win at it? Listen in...We built Komini so you never have to walk alone.If you found this conversation meaningful, there’s a lot more where that came from.Join a Komini Cycle — a 3-
The Power of a Simple Story
Stories are always a powerful tool to guide, inspire and communicate what is often intangible. We've found so much value in storytelling throughout the business-building journey. Whether it is sharing the dream or pricing for customers this often subtle art can be the difference between good and great! (00:00) Introduction(03:38) What is a Story?(05:22) What a Story is Not...(10:17) Our Fave Simpl
The Battle Plan-Digging yourself out of a hole...
In line with the conversation on hard times, this week we're laying out the battle plan. Once you have done the work to build strength as a leader, you must go to war and in this episode, we unpack 4 things to keep your eye on as you dig up and out of a hard time. Remember you are the calvary you are waiting for!We built Komini so you never have to walk alone.If you found this conversation meaning
Dear Founder, this is where you meet the real you...
Hard times can be extremely isolating for a leader. Everyone is looking to you and following your cue on how to navigate the challenges. But where does a founder go during the hard time? What work must happen within for you to lead better in the hard times... How do you stand up under it?We built Komini so you never have to walk alone.If you found this conversation meaningful, there’s a lot more w
What we must learn from the hard times...
"The only thing worse than going through a hard time is not learning from it..." We can probably all agree that the last few months have been a season of strain, of stretch. Whether you experience that through the cost of living and fuel prices or big tech scaling back resources, or the collapse of a bank, we know that hard times are just part of the journey and we are bound to run into them. So w
Our Favourite Guiding Phrases
As we come to the end of season 1, we’re reflecting on our highlights from the past 7 episodes. What better way to do so than to share some of our favourite guiding phrases from the episodes and some others we have picked up along the way… From “when in doubt, raise the bar” to “give missions-not JDs” we unpack 6 powerful philosophies which apply not just to business growth but to personal growth
Are you Asking the right Question?
Navigating growth and the different inflection points that come with it can be difficult, and in those seasons it is normal for there to be more questions than answers. We’ve found that sometimes tweaking the questions we ask can be powerful and realigning because the right questions create clarity. In this episode, we share 4 “trap questions” and the alternative questions you should be asking mor
The You in Money...
You've probably heard the saying, “Money makes the world go round”… but what is the role of money for you? We all have different money personalities and philosophies which inform how big and far we dream, how we think about the tough times, how we build our businesses, how we invest for the future and so on. Tune in to hear us banter on how your relationship with money reflects your personality.We
The Heartbeat of Your Business
If there is one thing we know about building businesses it is that they don't just survive! There are some rhythms that keep your business alive... Tune in to hear us banter on the most powerful management philosophy we've come across!We built Komini so you never have to walk alone.If you found this conversation meaningful, there’s a lot more where that came from.Join a Komini Cycle — a 3-month jo
On Co-founder Dynamics
Co-Founder partnerships are really like a marriage. You must take your time to find the right match, ensure you align on your fundamental values, vision and skill, then you do the work to build trust and alignment everyday. In this episode we share our journey of becoming co-founders and the lessons we've learnt from walking that journey in different ways...We built Komini so you never have to wal
The Art of Starting
The last few years have featured a series of starts and ends for many of us. Whether you are starting a business, a new career, or simply a new phase of your journey this episode is for you!(00:27) Introduction(02:11) Our experience with starts...(12:24) The 4 components of starting well(15:48) First- The fundamental questions to ask (19:24) Second- Creating opportunities to pause and reflect (23:
Jumping off the Lion
If you read Ken's jumping off the Lion article a year ago tune in to hear what was happening behind the scenes as we put that important piece together! In this episode, we explore the context, the emotion, the banter and the truths that anchor this piece and our work at PANI. Welcome to our fireplace!(00:15) Welcome to our Fireplace!(02:32) Background of writing "Jumping Off the Lion" (13:01) Buil
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