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Working With a Partner: Advice for U.S. Women Entrepreneurs Launching a Business in Africa

Starting a business in Africa is an exciting but challenging prospect for women entrepreneurs from the U.S. and beyond. For this reason, and as an entrepreneur who has launched her own business ventures in Africa, I strongly advise finding a local partner to work with. In this post, I outline why women entrepreneurs should consider a local partnership in their country of interest, and share advice on how to find a reliable and worthwhile partner.

Why Work with a Strong Local Partner?

●      They Bring Local Knowledge: As an outsider, it is easy to misunderstand a culture, but this can be disastrous for a business, not only in terms of political, linguistic, and social knowledge, but also with regard to market trends and cultural mores. It will be in a strong partner’s best interest to set you straight, and given that they are likely to have many years of experience in your given industry, it is certainly wise to heed their advice.

●      They Can Share Their Networks: Your chosen partner company will be able to introduce you to their local network, including key contacts. The right partner will also know who to trust. Relationships are at the heart of any strong business, and as a woman entrepreneur doing business in Africa, you will need support from other women in business, as well as from men who like to do business with women. Likewise, a strong partner will be able to direct you toward key events, such as trade shows and conferences that will prove fruitful.

●      They Can Help Facilitate Sales: Becoming profitable will be one of your key concerns as you launch your business in Africa. A strong partner can help facilitate sales for your business, and, if your company is woman-led, might also introduce you to women who value female business in what is often a male-dominated sphere.

●      They Can Offer Skills Transfer: When launching a business in an African country, you will need to develop new skills, which a local partner will already have—and of course, they can benefit from your unique skills too. Plus, they can help open up employment opportunities in the local community for your venture.

How to Find a Suitable Local Partner

 Finding a suitable business partner demands time and effort. It is wise to seek out a company that has undertaken joint ventures before and whose previous collaborators were happy with the arrangement. For this reason, references are always a good idea, particularly when they come from women and woman-led ventures. Also, while direct contact with potential partners is important, so is due diligence. Do not just go on your gut feelings. Instead, use your instincts as a guide to direct your further research. Resources that can be helpful for U.S. entrepreneurs seeking overseas partners include The U.S. International Trade Administration, which offers business matchmaking with suitable companies abroad, not to mention trade shows in your area, which you can research at the M&A ExpoDatabase.

—Chimuka Moore
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