Inside the Business of Afrobeats: International Festivals, Culture & Global Influence with Adesegun Adeosun (SMADE)

[00:00:00] You're listening to the Unlocking Africa Podcast. The inspiration came from being born in Lagos State, Nigeria. Understanding my identity and culture, everything I am is the inspiration. Music has brought more life, more hope to generations. It's given business opportunities, it's created jobs for people.

[00:00:21] Now sprinkling is sign of belief to business people, to fellow promoters, showcasing our talents and giving them space to become headliners. Being a part of Bonaboy's success, to see its value today, seven years later, is the power of investment. Stay tuned as we bring you inspiring people who are unlocking Africa's economic potential.

[00:00:47] You're listening to the Unlocking Africa Podcast with your host, Teza Adamu. Welcome to the Unlocking Africa Podcast, where we find inspirational people who are doing inspirational things to unlock Africa's economic potential. Today, we have Ade Shegun Adeosun, also known as SMADE, who is founder at SMADE Group, co-founder at AfroNation,

[00:01:14] a world-winning entrepreneur for the last 20 years and has been promoting Afrobeat culture and community to the world. Welcome, welcome, welcome to the podcast, SMADE. How are you? Thank you so much. Thank you so much. I really appreciate you for having me on your podcast. And I'm very excited to have you on the podcast. It's an interview I've been wanting to have or a conversation I've been wanting to have for a while. So it's an absolute pleasure to have you on the podcast.

[00:01:44] Thank you for what you're doing, what you're doing for the business world, you know, and how you are the voice of the culture, the community. And thank you for having me. I can't thank you enough and your team as well. You've been doing amazing. I'm a fan of your podcast. Amazing. Thank you. Thank you. So I'm going to go straight into it and just start in terms of, you know, you've been instrumental in bringing Afrobeat to the world stage.

[00:02:12] So I just wanted to know what was the inspiration behind starting to organize Afrobeat events in the UK and Europe? Well, I would say it's my calling. I would say understanding my gift. I would say I always put God first in everything. And God has navigated the journey thus far.

[00:02:36] You know, I never knew this is what I would end up becoming, but I just worked hard and I left everything to God. The inspiration came from being born in Lagos State, Nigeria, understanding my identity and culture and being a traditional man as well. Everything I am is the inspiration. The inspiration is my father, my mother, Africa.

[00:03:02] The inspiration is empowering and rewriting our story for the better. The inspiration is music, fashion, food, business, creating partnerships, you know, moving Africa, showcasing Africa. The inspiration goes beyond me. It's generational. When you see the culture, the community, the business and the charity and even the festivals, everybody know me to be.

[00:03:31] It's beyond that. This is a story is beyond all of that. So I'm glad to be inspired by my father. He taught me everything that I am from a young age. Growing up, I used to go work for my father in his office and I used to understand the importance of education. Education was always a key at the start to everything, you know, and we have to always go back to educating people so that we can continue to reinvest in a brighter future.

[00:04:00] You mentioned something quite interesting there in terms of you never knew this is what you'd be doing. But did you ever see it becoming such a global movement? I just let God guide me, you know, and every time I complete a dream, I always dream bigger. And that's what gives me the hope. It's what gives me the joy in feeling like I've delivered.

[00:04:26] You know, it's what gives me the hope that we can do even better and bigger. You know, at the end of every dream, you know, you can always double up your dream. I'm just being so consistent at my deliveries that each time I finish one, I always know that there's definitely room in the market space. There's always something that you can do that can be better than what you have just achieved.

[00:04:55] That has always been my mindset. You know, watching my father growing up with his challenges, with all the trials and fighting to put food on the table for so many of us. You know, not just his own children, but his extended family. You know, I know the neighbors and all that trying to make sure the community eats. You know, that's been, once again, part of my inspiration.

[00:05:18] But not that I did not know where I'm going, because you always have to be the visionary. You always have to see the future, what people don't see, because we all are dreamers. Everybody has something that has been given to them to create or to put on or to make the world a better place. So the vision is clearer now, because now people can see. At the beginning, no one believed. It wasn't cool to be African.

[00:05:47] It was a space where we were the underdogs, you know. And just because of music, because of culture, because of the entertainment space and what we are doing now, there's less racism. You know, there's more job opportunities for creatives. There's more unity in the world. There's more peace in the world. And, you know, it doesn't matter where you're from these days. People are willing to work together.

[00:06:15] You know, music has brought more life, more hope to generations. You know, it's given business opportunities. It's created tourism opportunities. It's created jobs for people. When I first moved to this country, I lived through touring parties. And that's me using it to build communities and forge everything you see today in all the festivals.

[00:06:39] Like AfroNation, being the founder of the whole idea, has made me realize that we can even do more. That was just the beginning. There's so much more that AfroNation has now influenced around the world. Yes. You know, and that's the beauty of what we are, of our creation and what we have been creating over the years. And that's how we have spiraled and been the star seed that's now seen as a change in the world right now.

[00:07:08] You talked about vision. So, what was your long-term vision with Smade Entertainment, AfroNation? My long-term vision was to bring the world together. I noticed a gap. I noticed the lack of investment in ourselves. And it decided to be a sacrificial lamb, you know, to take the bullet. Somebody has to do it.

[00:07:35] I knew that it was the first of its kind. No one had ever done it to this level, you know. I was the only one carrying the flag of, you know, AfroBits for a long time. But it was a bigger movement than AfroBits. A lot of people just saw the music, just saw the entertainment side, the talent side, the creative side. But they did not see what was coming with it, you know. They did not see Africa as hidden treasures, you know.

[00:08:04] They did not see, you know, we have now changed the world positively. We want to create, we want to reinvest into everything we're doing right now so that it becomes sustainable. You know, it's a time, it's a call-up time now, which I would challenge you guys on your podcast, you know, to remember, to tell people to reinvest. Yes. And the brand was coming to America. Now it's coming to Africa, you know.

[00:08:34] Every African in the diasporian space has now gotten a grip to think about coming back on. But now it's time to act. It's now time to believe, you know, and now time to trust it. You know, going to Africa is going to change your life. Just the same way we created AfroNation and that festival changed so many people's lives.

[00:08:56] Going to Africa, just taking time to visit Africa could change your life in understanding that it's now time to deliver. You know, it's now time for us to understand the importance of reinvesting. Seven years ago, no one ever believed that it could become something of that magnitude.

[00:09:17] And I can tell you, when I announced AfroNation with my business partners, there was a lot of negativity that I was attacked on social media with. You know, so ability to endure, understand and embrace, you know, your community regardless of what stones are thrown at you. You know, that's what I meant by being a sacrificial lamb, taking all those bullets.

[00:09:45] Because you're taking people to where they never expected or where they never believed. Subsequently going to, first of all, fight, you know, or challenge you for it. You have to stand your ground and make them continue to believe in your dreams and your vision. You know, until we got to the promised land. Now the whole world, I've now seen the beauty in Africa. Now the whole world is moving towards Africa.

[00:10:13] You know, it's very, very sad because it's always a lonely world. I thought that when you show the whole world, then it becomes easier to navigate. But it's always, always a lonely world. You know, you're walking towards finding the destination or taking people somewhere they've never been before. It was like walking against the grain, if you understand what I'm saying.

[00:10:37] And when I started, I was training parties and I was still having to go to school, which I self-funded. Imagine coming out of the clubs at 6 and 7 a.m. and having to go to school at 9, 10 a.m. You know, some of my friends, when I meet them, talking about my school friends that we started together, when I meet them, they're always like, wow, now I understand why you're able to juggle so many lives.

[00:11:06] So it's amazing to see that your foundation is part of your success story. It's who you are becoming. So embrace it. Take it as this is who you are. This is who God is preparing you to be. So if you're overwhelmed that you're doing so much, embrace it. Manage it and prepare for, brace for impact. Because God is about to give you assignments that will relate to your pain right now.

[00:11:36] So it's about embracing your pain and understanding how to manage the situation. But one thing I always share to answer this final part is for all of us to continue to be nice to one another. People, you know, we're too serious. We need to chill. We need to relax. We need to be nice to one another. And that's what made me, you know, who I am. Being able to juggle different lifestyles.

[00:12:04] You know, being able to relate with people from different walks of life. You know, on a presidential level, executive level. And in a community, grassroots level. From a student to a professor. You know, you would see me having relationships. From a local street guy to an executive banker on the high street. Or to any entrepreneur on the high street. I have those relationships. Being able to network.

[00:12:33] Because they say your network is your network. You know, so if you understand that, you understand that the contacts you have on your phone. And not just contacts to call when you need them. But to understand that. The importance of understanding the talents that you have. The investments that God has instilled in you to come and bless the world with. If you look through those contacts, you will see how to make money for yourself.

[00:13:01] But first, you must understand how to serve with your talents. You must understand how to serve with those talents that God has blessed you with. That would align with one of those contacts on your phone. So it's time for all of us to wake up. It's time for us to connect one another. I am not perfect. I'm still looking for, you know, investments. A lot of investments, in fact. Because we have a lot of projects we're working on.

[00:13:28] We have a lot of ideas to change the narrative and to uplift Africans in the diaspora space. And also return that whole thing back home. The whole, you know, movement back home. Which is the Coming to Africa brand. You know, to continue to reinvest in what has made and shaped you. You know, because that's the future. Fantastic. So you mentioned your long-term vision was to bring the world together.

[00:13:56] But if we look at the business side of it in terms of what are the key business principles that have guided you and made this a reality? I would say, first of all, the identity, who we are. Understanding that together we move. Understanding that I could serve. I could make people. I could connect people. You know, I could invest in myself. And invest in my community.

[00:14:25] And invest in the beauty of the culture. And give opportunities to people that are younger. Give hope to people. And this goes to say, when I first came here, I said earlier, it wasn't cool to be African. There was a lot of challenges. There was a lot of negative impression about Africans. You know, it was about 419. It was about scamming. It was about being African is bad.

[00:14:52] But now it's very, very, very cool to be African. Through everything I have created in the last 21 years in the UK. Because all I have done was champion from the Globe Knights, through the community, through the culture, through food, through the partnerships that I have created. Through the concerts that I have done multiple times. I've done over 300 concerts in the last 15 years.

[00:15:19] That's how much we have invested into this culture, the whole game. And now making it a tourism attraction. You know, we're taking it around the world. We're taking it to Portugal. We're taking it to Puerto Rico, Ghana, Miami, Detroit, and all these other places. Now sprinkling a sign of belief to business people. To fellow promoters. To fellow artists. Showcasing our talents.

[00:15:49] I'm giving them space to become headliners. You know, and these are spaces around the world that's never, ever been touched. Now, when we leave, think about what we go there with. Think about the tourism. How we impact all the business spaces. I'm talking about from the flight alone. To the hospitality. You know, I'm talking about to hotels. To restaurants. To every single industry in that space. From the business industry.

[00:16:18] To the creative industry. To the hospitality industry. To the political industry. To the security industry. Everybody is winning and everybody is enjoying. Now think about what it does for the belief of the community and the people. That is the impact that AfroNation has had over the last seven years. So the dream has always been to unite the world. To give opportunities to us Africans. But now the dream is bigger.

[00:16:47] You would never think it could happen. But that's where we're going. We're about to bring the world together. Africa is about to change the world. Amen. So it's clear that partnerships are key to what you do. As you've highlighted, you know, your network is your net worth. And together we serve. But how would you go about choosing the right collaborators and partners to push the business forward? Well, you just have to take your risk.

[00:17:15] Most times you have to believe in people. You have to be willing to serve. Like I said earlier. You know, you have to be willing to understand the space that you need to connect with the next person. Understand the strengths and weaknesses. Understand the spaces in the market. I'll give you an example. A lot of people are stuck with AfroNation right now because that's something that no one has ever seen before. No one ever imagined it.

[00:17:43] But this project was created by myself. I'm a business partner. But it has been a journey and a dream of mine for over 20 years. You know, so creating this project is beyond the festival. The festival space is a space where thousands of years ago, our ancestors were sold, were shipped, you know, to different parts of the world.

[00:18:08] It came from Ghana, it came from Lagos, it came from all parts of Africa to be put on the ports in Algarve, Portugal, and sold around the rest of the world. Now today we are celebrating in the same space to see the reconnection, to understand what we all have to do when we come together. Now we have over 180 countries coming to that same space to celebrate.

[00:18:34] It's the beauty of showcasing what we have as ending up uniting us with the rest of the world, creating different opportunities, merging cultures, displaying fashion, food, and, you know, who we are. Thank you for that. So as you mentioned, AthroNation is hosted in different countries, with it expanding into different global markets.

[00:19:00] Do you have to adapt what you do to cater for those markets, or can you still stay authentic and true to the vision and mission of the concept of AthroNation? I'll tell you what, different audiences, different AthroNation festivals. Like I said, we've done different continents. We've done Ghana, we've done the USA, Detroit, and Miami. We've done Detroit twice.

[00:19:28] We've done Puerto Rico, Portugal. This is going to be the fifth year. And to answer your question, it's just understanding to leave it, to leave the culture, to leave with the community, to understand the communities in those specific grounds. You know, to understand what's needed, you know, in partnerships. Recently, I'll give you an example.

[00:19:52] I've traveled the world, you know, been to Canada, been to the U.S., different states, been to Africa, been to Europe, you know, and recently I was in the UAE. Understanding the opportunities that we need to be able to move to this destination, you know, is something that is key. So when you go to these audiences, you understand their culture, their vision. You understand how they live.

[00:20:19] You trust them and you believe in them to be able to deliver what we are bringing to them, to be able to merge in cultures, to be able to partner, to be able to understand what we both have and how we both can invest in one another. To understand that we're not here to take or to give. And that's the power of everything we've created. And that's beyond our nation. It's the movement.

[00:20:46] It's understanding who we are, because there's a lot of us in great positions, but we don't really know how to use the positions to influence key people moving and shaking the culture and the community for the greater purpose of the community. Thank you for that. So to achieve this, I know from previous experience, it requires a lot of financial investment. Investment.

[00:21:12] So what are some of the biggest challenges or hurdles that you have to face with regards to investing or financially being able to put on events of this size? I think I mentioned earlier, it's a very, very challenging space because you have to be the believer. You have to be the dreamer. It's very, very hard to make people believe initially.

[00:21:38] I think I mentioned earlier on in the podcast that it's a lonely space. You know, you have to be the first investor in your dreams. It's when you invest in yourself that other people will now believe it and trust it and be able to invest in it.

[00:21:56] So the challenges was being the first to do so many things in the industry, first to bring WizKids show to a club in London, you know, and taking it to a concert and to the level and the stage of a stadium. You know, being able to have been a part of Bonaboy's success. You know, I remember booking him for the first time in 2019. I can remember how much I booked him for.

[00:22:26] To see his value today, seven years later, is the power of investment. You know, to also understand that local businesses, the community, the culture, people can understand the power of influence. There are different types of investments. There's financial investments. There's the people. There's different partnerships and different services to be able to achieve the goals, to be able to achieve the dreams.

[00:22:54] You know, investment is a key part to getting us to the promised land. Let me put it that way. Fantastic. You mentioned something important earlier, which is that the entertainment industry is highly competitive. So how do you go about making sure that Affronation is different and remains relevant year on year? Yeah, I think Affronation is everyone's focus. And I want us to think beyond Affronation.

[00:23:24] I want us to think bigger than Affronation. Affronation was created to showcase Africans. It was created to showcase us. The vision was our identity, who we are. Now we are there. You know, now we are to the world. You know, the campaign was Affrobates to the world. Africa to the world. We are there now. It's time to move. We cannot be stuck at celebrating the greatness and the success of Housegetting here.

[00:23:54] It's just the beginning. There's so much greatness beyond Affronation. Affronation has now, over time, not just given us pride, but given us hope. Giving birth to so many more businesses, so many more festivals, giving people opportunities, giving local businesses opportunities, giving artists, our artists, showcasing our artists to the rest of the world.

[00:24:22] You know, our artists are now taking over all the stages. I'm talking about over the last two years, what our A-list superstar artists have done in the space of seven years of creating Affronation. You know, we are now the headliners at the World Cup. We are now the headliners at the NBA finals. We are now the headliners at all the major sports events, all the major fashion events. That wasn't the case seven years ago.

[00:24:50] It was because of what Affronation has done. But Affronation is just the start. We need to wake up, we need to rise up, and we need to continue to create opportunities to unite ourselves through business, through culture, through community, through all the things that God has blessed us with. Entertainment, food, lifestyle, family, you know, community, all of these things.

[00:25:16] We need to wake up and understand the importance that Affronation is just a start. Yeah, you mentioned that Affronation is just a start, the beginning. So are there any upcoming projects or goals for SMAID that you can share with us? Yes, to continue to reinvest, to continue to find new talents, to continue to invest in the creative industry, just like we have done.

[00:25:42] What made SMAID was SMAID being able to identify the market space and being able to take people to spaces like Manchester, Birmingham, you know, Liverpool, Dublin, you know, at a time when no one believed.

[00:26:01] You know, so to continue to do that, to continue to find talent, to continue to promote the African movement, to continue to empower ourselves, create opportunities for us, you know, being the directory of community. And also understand what we have in SMAID, in the entertainment space, in the clubs, in the parties, you know, that the students love, that the communities love.

[00:26:30] Creating concerts through comedy shows, through live music, through tours, you know, and then the festivals. Continuing to use the influence to amplify Africans and the whole world together, you know. So it's beyond the African dream. It's now a global movement. Fantastic. Thank you for that. As you mentioned, one of your strengths is identifying new talents. So how do you go about identifying artists that have that potential to grow?

[00:27:00] It's a gift. It's a gift that you have to embrace. You know, like I said from the start of the podcast, God has just given me the sight to be able to see the talents, see the future in them.

[00:27:15] You know, true, you know, true deliverables, true even how they cannot deliver, true understanding the strengths and the weaknesses the talent has and be able to forge it and merge it and give it everything that needs the engine to run and run fast like a Ferrari. You know, so understanding all of those things and not just in talent, but also in business.

[00:27:40] At a very young age, when I was a school prefect in secondary school back in Nigeria. My school son is now today one of the biggest DJs in the world. And it's just by me identifying his gift and his talents in socials and, you know, for him to be able to create opportunities for socials and gatherings, which has now made him the biggest DJ in the world today.

[00:28:07] So understanding how you can use your influence to amplify other people in business, in communities, in creativity, which obviously you would understand by influence with all the artists I have worked with, you know, in the last 15 years, especially, you know, since my journey in the UK. I, um, Whiskey, DeVido, Bonaboy, Tiwa Savage, Adekunny Gold, Simi, you know, the list is endless.

[00:28:36] In the Amma Piano, the list is endless from the start to the end. In the, in the Ghanaian community, you know, I've worked with everybody. Shatawali, you know, Stoneboy, Black Sheriff. There's so many. Oliver, Olive the Boy, and Guy Key. Then in the Francophone music industry as well. So understand that that's now the next emerging market and using your influence to help support and channel them to where we are all going.

[00:29:06] You know, like I said, it's a movement. Understanding all the impacts of Afro Nation to the music industry and being able to use it to create platforms that would drive success amongst us. Look at what he's doing for the Afro Bits right now. Look at what he's doing for the Amma Piano right now. Look at what he's doing for Francophone music right now.

[00:29:30] The Francophone, you know, community has now become one of our deepest and most interesting audiences because they are so much in love with Afro Nation. You know, so, and Afro Nation being central, a central location, you know, to Europe has also helped it to navigate all the audiences. We have over 180 countries coming to Afro Nation. But like I said, the conversation is beyond Afro Nation.

[00:29:58] We're thinking bigger now. You know, we're thinking how to get Africa to the rest of the world. Brilliant. Brilliant. So I guess with that in mind, what role do you believe the platforms that you provide play in breaking new artists?

[00:30:13] It plays a lot of roles, you know, identifying these artists, giving them platforms, creating and merging collaborations, you know, being a platform that has contacts around the world globally. You know, we're now looking at connecting and creating partnerships in Asia, in places like India, places like Japan. You know, I mentioned the UAE earlier.

[00:30:43] So what we have been able to do to the WizKids, to the Davidos is what we can do to any new Imagine Artists. All we need is investment opportunities. You know, I'm talking about from labels, financial institutions to understand the importance of entertainment in every single culture and community and how that can improve tourism.

[00:31:08] You know, so doing this creates business opportunities, creates job opportunities, gives hope to young people. And, you know, the rest is history. We're creating a future of creative talents that can now become a new income stream for the rest of the world. So looking to the future, where do you see yourself made entertainment in five years time?

[00:31:33] What role will you be playing, whether it's in the African music space or if you expand further out? Each time I make plans is like the bigger things to achieve than the plans I make. You know, but for me to share my plan with you, I'll be lying there if I had any plan. But I can tell you right now, very openly, the opportunities are there, are lying there. And you and I can't even discuss it.

[00:32:01] You know, creating a music label, you know, to find talent. Going back to Africa, you know, to create a talent hunt to showcase those naturally creative talents that we have in Africa. Africa is blessed with natural talent from birth.

[00:32:21] You know, the opportunities that Africans have to witness, you know, festivals, you know, either rain festivals or drum festivals or any festivals happening in Africa, culturally or traditionally where they're from. It's so powerful that we don't get that in the West. So opportunity to identify how to find those germs. Those are the talents. Those are the gold mines.

[00:32:50] Those are the investment opportunities that the world is now becoming to open up to. You know, I got inspired at the age of three by going to the village to watch a festival, a masquerade festival. And that got me into so much in bringing the world together, understanding who I am, understanding my gifts and my talents.

[00:33:14] So you can imagine those that were born in those villages actively being involved in that tradition. That is real organic talent. To be able to do this is my prayers to bring more opportunities to the continent. Recently, I have been to Kenya. I have been to Rwanda to showcase those East African countries.

[00:33:34] And the possibilities and opportunities that they have, you know, and to be able to merge partnerships from where I am to where I was to where I'm going. Point A to B to C. And to also to able to trigger an awakening in everybody in the diaspora space to understand that it is time to come back to Africa. It is time to reinvest in what has created us. Fantastic.

[00:34:01] So if we look specifically at Africa, where do you see the African live music space scene in the next five years? What will it look like for you? Okay, now I'll take you back to what we have created in the last seven years. You know, I'll take you back to how we have achieved so much in the last 10 years.

[00:34:23] So now with the new age of social media, you know, how active black people are in the rest of the world and now we are happy to embrace the rest of the world. I think in the next five years, we're going to double what we've achieved in the last 10 years. So that's for us to identify the importance of investing and working and painting ourselves around the world. There is this time to invest in this vision, in this dream.

[00:34:53] It is time to come back home and reignite what we have so that it can be sustainable. Today, hip-hop is not selling because there is no authenticity. There is no originality, you know. So why not go back to where everything comes from? Why not go back to the source? Like I mentioned in my previous answer, you know, like in the last three years,

[00:35:19] Reema has been on, you know, Ballon d'Or ceremony. Thames, and he's also been in India, mind you. You know, Thames, Reema, Bonaboy, they did the 2023 NBA All-Star Weekend. Bonaboy, in 2023, he performed at the UEFA Champions League. That was a dream come true. That was something we never thought would happen in this time. DeVito, in 2022, World Cup closing ceremony.

[00:35:48] Stoneboy, in 2022, World Cup fan festival. So this is now becoming a norm. It's to show you the importance of reinvesting into this. But I'm also using this opportunity to tell all of us, including all the creatives, all the investors, all the billionaires, all the millionaires, everybody doing great in all their different positions in life. It is time to reinvest in Africa.

[00:36:16] There are different opportunities, there are different platforms, the different organisations you can go back home to reinvest in. It is how we can be stronger and move together. As people, we often have, whether it's quotes, proverbs, or affirmations that keep us going when times are challenging or when times are good. Do you have one that you kind of live by that you can share with us? Yes. Yes.

[00:36:45] I have a couple I can share with you. God, family and business. At every time when, you know, you face challenges, because we fail to prepare for the challenges. We fail to prepare for the breakdown, the outbreaks, the competitions, and how it affects us. You know, so God, family and business is what shapes me, you know, inspires me,

[00:37:13] gives me the drive that I need and gives me the energy to recoil. So it's God, you know, praying, you know, and understanding who I am, my gift, you know, and referring into that. And family, being there for my family is something that has always been key for me, you know, and that's how I built from a small space of within and to build communities to becoming a global entity.

[00:37:43] Business is what drives me. I never stop doing business. You know, most importantly, before I go, I like to drop the five Ds. These are the most important key things that I use every day. The five Ds. First, the number one is dream. You must always have a dream. We are all dreamers. We're all here to invest in the world. The second one is drive. You do everything you need to drive that dream,

[00:38:13] from education to networking to working hard to getting all the condiments, all the indigrants that you need for that dream to come to life. That's the drive. The third one is determination. I spoke earlier about the challenges, the trials, the unexpected heartbreaks, you know, and the unexpected failures that we don't see. Also in determination, you would find competition.

[00:38:42] You know, you find lack of belief around people around you. So which goes to say, always be careful the kind of people around you, the circle you keep, the kind of people you're working with. Choose your partners wisely. Beware of sharks. You know, beware of people that are here to take from you rather than give and share with you. So determination, discipline is a fourth one.

[00:39:09] You know, you must always be disciplined, you know, on course. You must always know your weaknesses. You must always know your strengths. You must not always know your poison, what you're not supposed to do and what you should not do. So there are so many things around discipline. You know, you know who you are. You know what you're doing. You know your powers. You know what kills the fire of your power. So the ability to stay disciplined,

[00:39:38] you know, to be able to deliver that dream is also key. The last one is delivery. To deliver takes a lot of guts, a lot of, you know, ups and downs, rollercoaster. Remember, dream, drive, determination, discipline, delivery. Thank you very much. A nice and concise way to end today's conversation. Thank you for that.

[00:40:06] I've really enjoyed today's conversation. So thank you for joining us today. Smeid, it's been an absolute pleasure. As I mentioned, this is a conversation that I've been wanting to have. I just want to say thank you so much for what you're doing. I hope this podcast gives people the urge to start something, to create something and to believe in themselves. And I just want to say thank you to you guys. Absolute pleasure. Thank you. I couldn't have thought of a better way to end today's conversation.

[00:40:36] So it's an absolute pleasure, Smeid. And all the best. I know you've got some big activities, events, festivals coming soon. Yes. Pretty busy. So I absolutely appreciate you putting the time outside to have a conversation with us. Thank you. Thank you to everyone who has listened and stayed tuned to the podcast. If you've enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share or tell a friend about it.

[00:41:02] You can also rate, review us in Apple Podcasts or wherever you download your podcast. Thank you and see you next week for the Unlocking Africa podcast.