The Female Founder Effect w/Desiree Brouwer

Female Founder Name:

Desiree Brouwer

Business Name:

Nonzēro Africa

Industry:

Venture Building

Instagram Handle:

@desireebrouwer

What inspired you to start your business?

I am an entrepreneur at heart. While born and raised in the Netherlands, for the past 15 years I have lived and worked in multiple emerging market contexts – from Asia to Southeast Europe, the Middle East and Africa– mainly focused on new business development. There is nothing I love more than cold market entry, being planted somewhere in the world with the mission to build a network and raise funds to launch a new project or business.

These experiences instilled in me a passion for nation branding and changing the perception of emerging countries and companies. It also made me experience hands-on how much money is consistently being misspent, both by big business as well as government. I made a promise to myself back then, that one day I would find a way to redistribute those funds in a more meaningful way, with less focus on satisfying ego’s and more on making a tangible impact.

Fast forward to 2021, I’m based in Johannesburg applying my knowledge and network to run Nonzēro Africa an impact driven agency focused on helping SMEs and entrepreneurs in Africa grow. We are venture builders and apply a Robin Hood model of redistribution, leveraging our access to network, resources, training, and funding, and making this available to empower African home grown small and growing businesses.

When did you start?

My business partner Tania (Habimana) and I met in in 2016 and started working together on a TV show about entrepreneurship in Africa called Tailored Business. This led us to travel the continent together and made us realize that by working together, we can accomplish so much more. We launched our first flagship program (an accelerator for entrepreneurs in fashion in 2017 called Threads stitched by Standard Bank) and we have been building Nonzēro Africa, out of a shared passion for the socio-economic development of the continent ever since.

Why this specific industry

As entrepreneurs ourselves, we strongly believe in the power of SMEs to create the jobs Africa needs. There’s a lot of exciting work happening in the space, however also a lot of policy, politics and talk with too little action. By multiplying our can-do-mentality, sharing in our entrepreneurial experience, and leveraging our global networks we can make a tangible difference.

What obstacles did you face starting up, and how did you overcome them?

Like many small businesses, managing and maintaining a healthy cashflow is challenging when you start up. As much as we are fully self-funded and have ensured a strong client base to drive our growth from day one, we have experienced moments of distress because of clients paying late – especially when it’s a large sponsorship and it’s 6 months late! The biggest learning we took from this experience is to diversify our client base and ensure multiple revenue streams from different types of sources at all times.

What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned since starting your business?

Building a sustainable business is not a one-man show. It is essential to build a team of people that believe in what you believe in and bring complimentary skills. I’m super lucky to be in the perfect business marriage. Myself and my business partner Tania started this entrepreneurial journey together not out of friendship, but out of trust and admiration for the other person’s expertise.

Why work for yourself when there’s stability in working for others?

It is true that not everyone is meant to be an entrepreneur – and their own boss. There is a unique amount of risk, uncertainty, and insecurity but that is exactly where I thrive. I would rather oversee my own destiny and create my own securities, then rely on an employer.

What is the one characteristic that you possess that has helped make you so successful?

I love to connect with people and connect people. This has always helped me understand new places or industries at the speed of light, whether setting up a company in a new country, establishing partnerships and doing deals but also in ensuring smooth implementation of projects.

What’s your guiding business philosophy?

I have 3 guiding principles in life that apply to business too ;)

What you allow is what will continue

For every toxic client there are 3 amazing ones that align with your beliefs and values. No matter how small you are, you don’t need any client. It’s a matter of strategically going out there to find those right clients.

What’s meant for you will always be yours

You can’t win them all. Whenever something doesn’t work out, trust the Universe that there’s something bigger and better and out there for you. Just keep it moving. Every NO brings you closer to a YES.

Create a life you don’t need a holiday from

No money can buy happiness neither should work keep you from living the life of your dreams.

At what moment did this venture become real for you?

There are many moments, especially as it still gets more “real” every year. Let me share the first and the last.. The first moment it got real was when we launched Threads in 2017 with our partners Standard Bank and Mercedes Benz. The launch event brought together the ‘who is who’ of Johannesburg at the Standard Bank Incubator. That’s when we realized that the program had become so much bigger and impactful then we ever dreamed. And the last, more recent moment, was when we started recruiting and hiring new talent – some of whom are more qualified and specialized than we are. This is both humbling and exactly what we need for our next phase of growth.

What is the most challenging part about being an entrepreneur?

Keeping a work - life balance and truly switch off. My mind is always finding new opportunities and cooking up new projects. I try to force myself to not work and not think of work one full day a week.

What makes it all worth it?

EVERYTHING. Building an organization rooted in my guiding principles and beliefs, doing work that I love (most of the time ;) and positively impacting the lives of many every day.

What advice do you have for someone just starting out?

Be honest with yourself. As mentioned above, not everyone is meant to be an entrepreneur and that is ok.

How do you define success?

For myself?

Constantly growing and evolving in an attempt to live up to my purpose. Accepting who I am and who I am not.

For the business?

The amount of sustainable business we support on their growth journey (i.e., revenue growth, expansion, employees hired) The talent we have nurtured and supported on their professional journey by working with us.

What do you do differently from the rest of us?

I don’t attach much to things or supposed securities like a house, car and walk-in closet. Don’t get me wrong -- I love nice things in life! But for me it’s about financial freedom and being location independent which allows me to spend time with the people I love and in the places I love whenever I want.

What do you believe is the female founder effect?

It is the magic that happens when women work together. It is an innate desire for collaboration and building a culture based on principles of nurturing and kindness (which actually brings out the best in people) as opposed to a culture where the biggest ego thrives.

What do you believe is the most impactful and immediate action society needs to move closer to Gender Equality goals?

Let’s be more aware and try correcting ourselves whenever we use gender stereotypes in everyday life. I cringe when I hear people judge someone’s behavior as very “ masculine “ or “ feminine “. We’re all human and we’re all different that doesn’t mean certain traits are more acceptable depending on your gender. This starts by parents and teachers, treating boys and girls as equal and removing the sentence “that is for boys not for girls “ from their vocabulary.

Which woman has positively impacted you in your career/business? And what is the one lesson she taught you?

Multiple women inspire me every day. The powerful women on the continent, thriving in their day jobs then coming home to a patriarchal household and taking on a more submissive role, knowing that change is gradual, and it needs time.

The women that we’ve partnered with over the years. A typical female response when we would reach out for support, is hardly ever “ What is in it for me ?“. Rather, it is “How can we work together and help each other succeed? “

The women that are carving out their seats at the table and taking other women with. Not fighting the system, but subtly maneuvering using their superpower to humbly get to the top and pay it forward.

What is your superpower?

Connecting the dots. Bringing seemingly unrelated businesses, organizations, projects, and individuals together to strengthen one another seamlessly.

What centres you?

Travel, meditation, reading, sports, my friends J

What is your next adventure?

We recently partnered with an incredible social enterprise called Blossom Care. Blossom Care has the mission to ensure access to sanitary dignity for all women. We’re setting up small-scale sanitary pad manufacturing facilities all over South Africa. The facilities will be run and managed by currently jobless women in the adjacent communities. We’re supporting Blossom to scale the project successfully, developing a framework to recruit and train the young women as well as build local ecosystems and bring in strategic (global) partnerships.

Why we are so excited about this adventure? To date, the impact investing sector has followed mainstream investment logic and this is not necessarily well suited to the needs of social entrepreneurs. With Blossom Care, we are part of a disruptive model that is commercially viable and thus sustainable – one that builds township economies, starting from the needs of the local communities and ensuring they stand to benefit most.

Best advice for female founders

Focus on skills and expertise you have and amplify those, do not worry about what is lacking.

Don’t try to please everyone. Do you and find partners and clients that believe in what you believe in.

THINK BIG!! Always shoot for the moon, so you land amongst the stars.