030 Ahmed "Eddie" Ibrahim––Unitiing farming and technology!

Leaders are people who see something that needs doing and they do it. And that's certainly the case with Ahmed "Eddy" Ibrahim, the founder of FreshPro. And that's who we're talking to in this episode of Walking the Walk.

Inspire, empower, and guide people to their very best. These are the people who are Walking the Walk. Your host, the original Sensei Leader, Jim Bouchard.

Ahmed Ibrahim started the FreshPro company to fill a need to connect farmers in Kenya with markets for fresh produce. He's an engineer by trade, but he saw a need and he designed a solution. And in the process, he's living our ideals of human-centric leadership in dealing with his customers and the people he serves as leader of FreshPro. So Eddie, that's why I wanted to hear your story. Let's talk about how you got started on this adventure.

Yeah, thanks, thanks, Jim, for having me. FreshPro started about 3 years ago, and we came here We wanted to give farmers a waste management solution. We designed an anaerobic digester which was smart, and we wanted to see how we can be able to give this farmer a solution. The area we chose, it's about 10-kilometer radius. It's an area called Kidunguri sub-county. It's in Kembo County, and this area is very famous for milk. And the solution that we wanted to give them is actually a waste management solution because it has one of the highest animal concentration in sub-Saharan Africa within a small radius. So we, we, we, we hit the road and wanted to give them a solution. By the time we visited and surveyed some 1,000 farmers, we came to realize that that is not the immediate need. We came to realize that the number one major problem was actually lack of access, lack of market access to their farm produce. Because all of them were farmers, all of them were farming, and this is a problem that you needed to visit a large number of farmers to come to realize, yes, waste management solution is a problem. But besides that, the only other way solution is to create an agricultural revolution so that they can be able to better use this waste and to utilize it for economical gains. So at the end of the research phase, we developed Freshwood. That is how Freshwood came about. It was a research— it was a result of a research of visiting over 1,400 farmers. And you can believe it, Jim, we were visiting farmers after farmers who had produce. Rotting in their farms.

You know, that's one of the most fascinating parts of your story is that, you know, so many people start with an idea and sometimes they're good ideas, you know, I'm not diminishing that at all, but too often people will run with that idea without really getting on the ground, right, and understanding what the human needs are. But that's what you did. I mean, you visited over 1,000 folks, right?

Yeah, yeah. And we came to realize that the immediate, uh, immediate problem was actually because all of them had— they had farms, right? All of them, they had access to water. All of them had, you know, time. They were farmers. They had over 37 years on average, 20 years of experience in farming. So there was a problem, and we had to tackle that problem. The only way we could tackle that problem is to come up with a solution, uh, uh, uh, to come up with a solution that is going to, uh, create sort of like a smart farm, uh, on one end, uh, utilizing the waste, uh, by using it as manure for to farm, uh, produce, and at the same time creating a market, uh, that is timely managed that is well organized in terms of the needs for the market. And that's how Freshwork came.

That's it.

So we again, we had to research again for the market. Right, right. Because now we had to give this term as a solution for the market. So again, we went again to research on the markets and we found out that the Kenyan agriculture sector has never changed for 50, 60 years. We still rely on brokers to go and buy things from the farmers. So it was a complete nightmare. Complete nightmare.

Well, it sounds like you're solving it. And you know, one of the other interesting factors here is, and this is part of the reason that I'm so excited about, you know, our upcoming trip to Kenya. I think we have so much to learn from Kenyan entrepreneurs. You know, in much of the world, especially in the United States, we've become so dependent on technology. That it's actually creating distance, you know what I mean? We're allowing it to become a barrier to one another. And yet it seems like right now the entrepreneur in Kenya is really embracing this technology. And you're bringing a lot of— of course there's a lot of distance between the farms and the markets. There's a lot of technological challenges. And you seem to be really, really embracing the idea that you can use this technology to bring these folks together and connect them with their markets. And their customers.

Jim, technology has proven to be really helpful for the development of the human race. Let me just begin with this. We are able today to be able to analyze the consumption trends for over 4,000 customers that we directly serve, and that we are able to come up with a calendar, what we call the growth calendar. To us, we call it a DDA, a data-driven agriculture. That is why we get the information on the consumer trends for our customers and come up with a calendar for producing it. So in literal perspective, we actually grow for our customers. And to be honest with you, that minimizes a lot of waste. Farmers, they never used to get any data. They just wake up one morning and say, you know, today I'm going to grow tomatoes. They never used to test their soils. They never used to know, you know, the current market trends. What are the demand cycles? What are people, you know, ordering more and all that. So we're able, over the last 2 years, we were able to analyze the orders of our customers and we were able to come up with this trend. And it's very weird, you know, human beings never change in taste. That is one thing that we come to realize. So it's becoming more dependable to actually grow for our customers. And that is exactly what we did. We took that data, we went ahead, tested this guy's soils, and we gave them a schedule. And we put them together in groups and they're working together. Now we are using and utilizing their farms as our warehouse. So instead, we don't have zero inventory. We know exactly where we can be able to get carrots for next month, the other month. So we are able to utilize efficiently their firm as our house. You know, that is how we work.

It's so interesting because I'm so often challenged by people because folks will ask me, why am I so focused on on the business sector and on entrepreneurs for this type of leadership model? Why am I not focusing on the political world? And part of the reason is this: I've found that business people and entrepreneurs are the folks that are getting things done. You know, all around the world there's such an inertia and a stagnation sometimes in politics, and I understand that. I mean, it moves slowly. But business people and entrepreneurs are those who are really, really making it happen. Now, one of the things that's happening, of course, technology is joining us together all over the world. It's really fascinating. But also, I know that's one of the challenges that people are talking about in Kenya to me, that you still have some very hard lines, tribalism and divisions of people. And you're bridging that because when you connect these markets like that, right? So it seems, again, it seems like business people are getting it done. Business people are breaking down these traditional barriers. And I think that's one of the things we can learn everywhere, right?

That is absolutely true. For example, the area that we live in is a predominantly Kikuyu area, and it's serving the cosmopolitan Nairobi area. All our 4,000 customers are different, coming from different tribes and all that. And these people are doing it because, and it's only in terms of economic benefits, but Nairobi has been attributed with a lot of poisonous fruits, as in vegetable Produce is grown on the sewer lines. I don't know if you've read that.

No, no.

So they're willing and happy to be able to grow for the people in Nairobi. What that means is bringing people from two different environments and to work for a common goal, and that is to come up with a social economic benefit that is going to create employment and at the end of the day is going to feed the people of Nairobi good health— I mean, good food.

Right.

Good, healthy food.

Exactly. And another thing that's fascinating, and I was listening to a speech by P.L.O. Lumumbo, and he was talking about the use of technology. And it's interesting because again, there's so many, as we work with people in different parts of the world, we see so many more similarities than differences. And he was addressing the proper use of social media, for example, and the improper use. And of course, that's a struggle we always face. Globally, 85% of the workforce is disengaged, and a lot of that has to do with, you know, using social media during work hours and things like that. How are you addressing that as you're putting people online really to do business? Is that an issue, or is that something you've anticipated? You know, how do you get people to keep— when they're using that smartphone to do business, how do we keep them focused on the business?

You know, when we were forming this kind of business and we were working on a model, We had to work on a model that is going to drive a solution. And for somebody here in Kenya to come in and to download your application and to order and to sign up and to wait for 24 hours for them to access, you know, the fresh produce, there has to be a phenomenal change. There has to be a huge problem to be solved. So you're focusing a lot on how we can be able to make our product better. And we had 3 goals. One is our price. So we are able to eliminate all the middlemen in the middle, and our prices are far much less than any other price in terms of the same commodities that we're selling in Nairobi. The second one is the quality. So we came with what we call the traceability. We were able to trace 100% of all the things that we're able to sell to our clients, that this is something that has been grown by this farmer under this certain conditions. So that gives a benefit of that to our customers that they can be able to trace any single commodity. And you can compare, for example, the normal chain in terms of agriculture chain in Kenya is the produce is harvested today, it's taken to a market. By the time it reaches the market, it's about 8 hours. By the time it reaches again to the stores, it's about another 8 hours. So you have that gap of about 14 to 24 hours before it reaches to you, to your doorstep. And that is actually on the most efficient food chains. Others are 48 hours on average. But for us is we harvest in the morning, within 4 to 6 hours you have it on your door, on your doorstep, it's that fresh. So the quality, you cannot compare in terms of quality with others. So the second point, in terms of quality, we had to come up with a better quality. And the third is customer experience, how we were able to, you know, make your customer come back again and to rely and take FreshPro as part and parcel of their daily routine life, you had to give them a customer experience. And this, we had to analyze our customers very, in great detail. And, you know, we as entrepreneurs, is one thing that we normally don't take into great consideration. Which is the comments of our customers.

All right.

So we had to go back. The entire FreshFlow business model has been built around comments. The things that if you go to application, I can name them more than 10 different things that we had to change was as a comment from our customers. They said, okay, if you could do this, things could be better. So our customer needs, our customer experiences are completely different. And that is how we're able to maintain our customers.

It's fascinating how many companies still ignore that when you have instant response. That's market research that, gosh, used to cost thousands of dollars to produce, and we've got it instantly just in the comments. You can't do any of this by yourself as a leader. It's fascinating. We've been talking to a lot of folks. Let's turn inside because this company scaled up very quickly, right? You went from zero to 200.

Let me tell you, Jim.

Go ahead.

Let me tell you, Jim. The true definition of a company are the people who are working in that company.

Right.

Without them, there's nothing. You can't define Tesla without Elon Musk. That is the true people behind it. So I'm really blessed to have a 26-member team that are really, really strong in terms of the core management team. And it really took me a lot of time in terms of getting the team together. But thank God, I really have a really good sporting team and we do things really quite fast and we try to look for solutions every day and then how we can be able to make our service better, how we can be able to make our products better.

I'm always fascinated to ask business leaders this question, how do you keep this, team together and how important is the mindset and attitude to the success of your company? And, you know, do you feel it's important to support the mindset and attitude of the individuals in order to make that team strong?

Definitely. Sometimes you might have a dream and as you share that dream with people, they tend to own it. And that is one of the most important things. For me personally, how I maintain my team is two things: through delegation and let them own ideas, that they come up with ideas, let them feel that they're part and parcel in terms of management of the company. And you'll find that at the end of the day, things are going to be much, much more easier if things are done that way.

It's critical, isn't it? You keep mentioning this idea that you want people to contribute. And I think it was Dan Pink that did the global— again, it was a global survey to ask what motivated people. I don't like the word motivation because I think inspiration is a much more powerful theme, right? You can motivate somebody just by scaring them. But at any rate, when he talked about that and he did that survey, you know, the three that consistently come up— and I think he's done this several times now— are autonomy. And you said that, you know, people have to be able to come up with the ideas on their own. Mastery, which is that sense of, you giving people the opportunity to learn and grow and make themselves better and purpose.

And make mistakes and actually come up with corrections. And you'll find that they will be much more better. If I tell you my immediate partner, we formed the company together. We met 6, 7 years ago and we had formed different other partnerships. And the only thing that brings us together and work in such a good team is actually, I know what is great in, and he knows what I'm great at, and that gives us a boundary that we can be able to coordinate, as in I can't go in what he can do because I know very well he can do it better.

All right, yeah.

And he has a sense of reliability and a sense of purpose that he is the only person who can be able to do that better. With that, he's able to take that with more responsibility and greater accountability. At the end of the day, you'll find that they're able to deliver more.

You just hit a big theme because— I'm sorry, I don't remember the author that coined this word, but the idea has been around for a long time, that idea of followership. One of our key strategies here at the Sensei Leader Movement is the idea that in order to be a strong leader, you have to be a good follower as well, right? And there's times when you have to step aside and not just let— I mean, that's a horrible word— but encourage and empower people to step up and take the reins, right?

To be honest with you, human beings, you know, there are things we take for granted. You know, this issue about CEOs, entrepreneurship, who are— who have this much ego that they can be able to solve all the problems, and they need people to come in and ask for every single permission. For us, every single person has a duty at the end of the day. We are here to serve our customers. If you can be able to have one solution to be able to do that better, go for it.

Yeah, you know, we have a name now for those CEOs that are clinging to that command and control type of leadership now. We're usually calling them failures. It's only a matter of when that's right. Every time we see that track, the sad thing is sometimes, you know, like a fish doesn't know it's in water. They, you know, these folks sometimes don't know they're on a downward trajectory, yet we can see it. We can really almost plot the exact date of their demise. Either they're going to be asked to leave, they're going to be replaced, or the company itself is going to fail. And we see that, that idea of command and control leadership is just dying. Do you agree, or are you seeing it a different way? I mean, you have to make decisions. We need that. But that idea that, you know, like you said, person has to have all the answers. You know, I've learned in my life, and again, you can agree or disagree, but if you have all the answers, you probably don't have any, right?

No, no, no.

I can agree and disagree with the conversation because at times there are different risks that only the CEO and the top management can be able to take, especially the founders, CEO founders, people who actually founded the company. There are special things that they can be able to do. They have that inner motivation that they can be able to do to to be able to take the company to the next level. They'll put their 101%, they'll do everything possible, they'll sell their house, they'll mortgage again, they'll refinance their home. Those are the kind of people. In terms of risk factor, I think the things that they need to manage directly or indirectly, and because at the end of the day, if a company fails, it will not be pinpointed to the team, it will be the CEO, you know.

Right, it's a whole responsibility factor more than— right, exactly.

With that responsibility comes with a measure of control. Now the trick is how you're able to balance, right? Uh, uh, that, that's basically the trick. If you can be able to balance, uh, the autonomy, being an autonomous CEO in terms of delegation, and be able to give people to be able to work in the different perspective fields, and be able to balance in terms of expectation that they need to work on the risk factors and all these issues combined, it's how well you balance them.

And that takes a lot of looking in the mirror and it sounds like that's what you do. That requires a lot of reflection, right?

100%.

Yeah.

It requires a lot of reflection. That's true. A lot, Jim. For you to be able to see your company 10 years down the line and to have a projection of where you wanted to be, to have a sense of responsibility on your shoulders that, you know, it's highly dependent on how you, you know, manage the company. It comes up with a huge responsibility, and that's something people, most CEOs don't realize that, you know, people look up to them Definitely yes for in terms of leadership, but beyond that in terms of vision, be able to take your company forward and dream and take and share those dreams and make them, you know, own it.

You just hit again two such strong— I want to reinforce what you just said. The idea of vision, I do believe the vision, it doesn't always need to, you know, come from the top down, but it usually does. It's the founder that starts the thing. People contribute and evolve that over time. That's kind of cool. But it is that responsibility. And the other thing, the word that you mentioned, and I want to hit this because to me this, you know, when I'm challenged to sum up leadership in just a few words, I always lean on this one. I say leadership is sharing. A leader shares. And you're continuing, you said it directly just a minute ago.

And you know, throughout the conversation, you know, a leader, one of the great responsibilities for a leader is actually to teach and learn.

Right.

And to be honest with you, smart leaders actually don't know, or rather they know what they don't know. They actually know their weaknesses, they know exactly where they're strong in and they're weak at. So they're able to assimilate all these efforts to be able to come up with one phenomenal forte, if I can, if I can, if I can add, to be able to not only motivate but also have the vision of the company and to also listen to the people, strike a balance, you know, and be able to say, okay, this is my vision. What else do you think we can be able to add on? You know, thereby you're giving them room to own the dream and be able to move forward with you.

Exactly, exactly. And how are you, you know, your company is growing so rapidly. How do you continue to embed that culture right to the front lines as you scale up? Because that's a challenge that a lot of entrepreneurs face right now.

Big challenge. It's a big challenge, and mostly here in Kenya, in terms of talent, in terms of qualification, it's a big challenge, but we will definitely get there. What are we looking at is actually training people, training all, you know, the core team members and how we can be able to scale up. At the same time, hiring, you know, a bigger team and coming up with, you know, the same quality standard in terms of management and all that. So it's a big challenge, specifically in Africa. It's a very, very big challenge. I can tell you that, Jim.

Oh yeah, you know, it's funny when people say especially and then fill in the blank because we hear this from everywhere. It's so fascinating. Yeah, again, you know, right? Yes, I believe the world is so, so similar and it's getting smaller every day, you know, especially with technology.

Let me tell you, right now I'm facing 17 companies who are trying to poach my top 5 managers, to be honest. You know, again, in this, in Kenya, we don't nurture and grow talent. We look at the best way and how we can be able to steal and rob, you know, talent from different other companies. And that's prevalent in this country. For me, I definitely would like to have a graduate Give them an opportunity and a space to grow. And then let them learn, let them come up with their own solution. At the end of the day, you'll find that they will be really, really great responsible leaders in their different spectrum.

Right, and if someone's gonna leave under conditions like that too, I mean, really what can you do about it? It's probably better all the way around if they leave, right? They may not be fully vested at that point anyway.

So far I haven't gotten any person to leave.

There you go.

Jim Bouchard, it's really important. Jim is really important. It's important for your team members to realize the vision. It's really, really important. They need to see themselves 5 years with this company. They need to see themselves 10 years, you know. They need to look and see what, in terms of change we're putting out there, what kind of things we're impacting. That has to be phenomenal. At the end of the day, if you have 1,300 farmers that every day you're paying, every single day, there's a chain, there's a phenomenal chain people can go to. They can pay for their school fees and this, the team can be able to see that. They can be able to see that change. It's definitely going to impact a lot.

Oh, that's powerful. You know, we're almost out of time. I can't believe this has gone by so quick, but something struck me the other day. I was driving by a farmer's market here and I thought, wow, this, you know, they need Eddie's software here. They need his process here. Are you thinking about Right, to connect, that would be amazing. Are you thinking about expanding globally?

To be honest with you, we— expanding globally, definitely yes. But we need to take a step at a time because my heart is in Africa. Before going ahead and giving people solutions around the world, I would definitely want to alleviate the poverty standards in Africa. The agriculture sector in Kenya is 40% of the GDP of this country. So if I'm able to assist people and radically reorganize the agriculture sector, can be able to assist over 40% of the country's population that is directly or indirectly dependent on agriculture. So personally, on my side, I think the solution can work globally, but it's better needed in Africa, more than any other place.

So Eddie, if people want to learn more about FreshPro, how should they do that?

People can visit our website. We have our application on iOS. We also have a similar application on Android. We also have a web-based application. It's actually app.freshpro.co.ke. People can also visit us on www.freshpro.co.ke.

Great. And I know we watched several YouTube videos from some of your television interviews there, so we'll put those up as well so people can learn more about it. Hey, thank you so much for being with us, and I really hope that we can meet in person very soon when we get to Kenya. No problem.

No problem, most welcome. I'll definitely need to take you around and see one of our processing centers and the farmers, the people who we are here working with them and the lives we're changing. It will be a pleasure.

Absolutely. When I was a kid, you know, my grandfather and my father, they all grew up as farmers and I helped around the farm. We had a small— so I'll chip right in. I'd love it. I'm ready to go to work. All right.

No problem. Okay, thank you.

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