<h1 style="text-align:center;">Meetings: The Widely Misused Parts of a Company</h1>I will always remember my first day at RENEW. It was Monday morning and after having three weeks of vacation between jobs, I couldn’t wait until I got assigned to my first task. I was excited to start kicking at this new company. However, when I got to work that day, the RENEW team was preparing for their weekly “Legend” meeting. The whole team wrote down their “I musts” for the week and presented them to the team. After some discussion on what should be added and what should be changed, the meeting was dissolved and the team proceeded to address their individual tasks. No one assigned me to any specific task so I was sitting there confused on what just happened and what I should do next. Then came Wednesday, and there was a ‘’Standup” meeting along with the “Active Pipeline” meeting later in the day. Then came the “Week in Review” meeting on Friday. But what was the point of all of these routine meetings?<figure class="image"><img src="/uploads/meetings_0_ee8348f28a.jpg"></figure>Being a legal counsel for different companies, I have first-hand experience on how annoying and unproductive meetings can be. I have visited several government offices, including ministries, authorities, agencies, you name it and the number of times I have returned from these offices without getting anything done, because of all the meetings, are countless. For me, meetings always represented instruments to avoid tasks, and one of the reasons for the public’s dissatisfaction in public services. Coming from this background, I was confused on how a private company, with a great vision like RENEW, wasted this much time on meetings.Then came week 2 and I began to understand the problem, and RENEW’s solution. The problem is not about having a meeting it’s about how you are using it. At RENEW, meetings are tools of execution. Every meeting has a purpose, an outcome and agenda. We take notes and conclude the meeting with a “next step”, or several. Through RENEW, I have come to understand the other side of meetings. It’s true that meetings are expensive; you are pulling people, your most valuable resource, away from their tasks and into a single room to talk. However, I’ve learned that if used correctly, meetings become the compasses of the company: they will help lead you towards the company’s daily, weekly, and yearly goals. Through meetings, you start to understand the bigger picture of the company, what the company is aiming for, where it is currently standing, its vision and how you, as an individual, can contribute to move the company forward. Now, during all our weekly meetings, I don’t expect someone to assign me a task. I already know where we are heading and how I can be of help in driving this ship forward.Image Source: UCR Alumni Blog: <a href="http://alumniblog.ucr.edu/tips-for-running-effective-meetings/">Tips for Running Effective Meetings</a>

How RENEW effectively uses meetings to accomplish goals

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Meetings: The Widely Misused Parts of a Company

<h1 style="text-align:center;">October Roundup: Our Favorite Resources This Month</h1>Over the past month we’ve been compiling a list of our favorite resources. From the secrets of Disneyland, to an article on Innovation and Srirarcha, these resources have it all.<ul><li><a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/40425628/the-secrets-of-disneyland-company-vet-explains-how-the-magic-happens">The Secrets of Disneyland: A Company Vet Explains How the Magic Happens:</a> In a new book, Jody Jean Dreyer shares 30 years of insight into making the Happiest Place on Earth.</li><li><a href="https://www.nirandfar.com/2017/10/confirmation-bias-terrible-life-choices.html">Confirmation Bias: Why You Make Terrible Life Choices:</a>&nbsp;Confirmation bias is the tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms one's belief, which usually results in sub-optimal results.&nbsp;Learning and understanding how confirmation bias works give you the opportunity to compensate for its downsides and begin making more rational decisions.</li><li><a href="http://myemail.constantcontact.com/ARC-Investments--R4-3bln-listing--LBO-France-s-PIEX-deal--Amethis-backs-Sodigaz-for-minority-stake.html?soid=1116486639840&amp;aid=9NanVdumB2U">Africa Capital Digest:</a>&nbsp;If you want to keep track of Africa's key private equity, infrastructure, venture capital deals and industry news then please refer to Africa Capital Digest.</li><li><a href="https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-highly-unusual-company-behind-sriracha-the-world-s-coolest-hot-sauce-463224559">The Highly Unusual Company Behind Sriracha, the World’s Coolest Hot Sauce:</a>&nbsp;Sriracha hot sauce, made by Huy Fong Foods, which Tran founded 33 years ago in Los Angeles, is one of the coolest brands in North America. Here is the story of the iconic brand.</li><li><a href="https://hbr.org/2017/10/data-from-3-5-million-employees-shows-how-innovation-really-works">Data From 3.5 Million Employees Shows How Innovation Really Works:</a>&nbsp;In the Internet era, with the pace of innovation always accelerating, understanding the science of innovation could make all the difference in your ability to compete.</li></ul><figure class="image"><img src="/uploads/1_lpzbi2y_815bal_xmiuvtg_0_7183721c28.png"></figure>Image Source: Nir &amp; Far: <a href="https://www.nirandfar.com/2017/10/confirmation-bias-terrible-life-choices.html">Confirmation Bias: Why You Make Terrible Life Choices</a>

5 articles that we found useful and interesting this past month

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October Roundup: Our Favorite Resources This Month

<h1 style="text-align:center;">Resources for Startups</h1>This month, we looked at resources for companies and entrepreneurs in the startup phase. Included in this list is how to raise a seed round for your company and articles outlining why startups often fail (and what you can do to prevent that from happening). Lastly, startup or not, it’s always good to acquire skills that other top-performing executives use. Blinklist allows users to read key lessons from over 2000 books so you can stay up-to-date on the latest information.<ul><li><a href="https://medium.com/marketing-and-entrepreneurship/dear-entrepreneurs-this-is-how-to-ace-your-seed-round-d30056c4463e">Dear Entrepreneurs: This Is How To Ace The New Seed Round:</a> A few practical tips on raising a seed round by a Principal at Founder Collective, a seed-stage VC fund that has backed hundreds of startups — including Buzzfeed, the Trade Desk, Makerbot, and Periscope.</li><li><a href="https://www.cbinsights.com/research/startup-failure-reasons-top/?utm_source=CB+Insights+Newsletter&amp;utm_campaign=9f01ba24fd-TuesNL_10_31_2017&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=0_9dc0513989-9f01ba24fd-89425349">Top 20 Reasons for Why Startups Fail:</a> Sometimes failure is a good teacher to avoid expensive mistakes in a startup. CB Insights shared the major reasons for startup failure after analyzing 101 startup failures.</li><li><a href="https://www.cbinsights.com/research/startup-failure-post-mortem/?utm_source=CB+Insights+Newsletter&amp;utm_campaign=9f01ba24fd-TuesNL_10_31_2017&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=0_9dc0513989-9f01ba24fd-89425349">242 Startups Failure Post-Mortems by Founders and Investors:</a>&nbsp;Another CB Insights article on why so many startups flame out. These reasons, coming from founders, investors, and journalists, offer plenty of clues on business strategy and costly mistakes to avoid.</li><li><a href="https://www.blinkist.com/">Blinkist:</a> Read a book in 15 minutes of fewer. High performing executives read a lot. Blinkist allows a user to read the key lessons from 2000+ nonfiction books through a paid subscription. However, as a free user, you can read a pre-selected book a day.</li></ul><figure class="image image_resized" style="width:93.1%;"><img src="/uploads/screen_shot_2017_11_30_at_11_30_57_am_38eb50d832.png"></figure>Applications are now being accepted for the second offering of the CFO 100 Program which starts in February 2018. Visit the <a href="https://www.renewcapital.com/companies">CFO 100 Program</a> page on our website to learn more.Image Source: Techpreneur: <a href="http://www.techprenuer.com/entrepreneur/how-to-setup-strong-foundation-for-your-startup/">How to Setup Strong Foundation for Your Startup</a>

4 articles that are geared towards entrepreneurs and startups.

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Resources for Startups

<h1 style="text-align:center;">July’s Resource Blog</h1>This month, we've collected a great list of articles about raising funds and common mistakes made by start-ups. Take a read through the below three resources for a deeper dive into the topic:<ul><li><a href="https://bothsidesofthetable.com/how-much-should-you-raise-in-your-vc-round-and-what-is-a-vc-looking-at-in-your-model-3b79ff436b63">How Much Should You Raise in Your VC Round? And What is a VC Looking at in Your Model?</a>: Mark Suster provides a litmus test about a conversation any early-stage VC will have with the founder. The test describes how a VC would assess an entrepreneur's elevator pitch.</li><li><a href="https://www.cbinsights.com/research/team-blog/startup-ceo-screwups/?utm_source=CB+Insights+Newsletter&amp;utm_campaign=525aa86047-TuesNL_05_29_2018&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=0_9dc0513989-525aa86047-89425349">54 Mistakes of a Startup CEO</a>: CB Insights CEO describes a running list of 54 mistakes a startup CEO might make involving all facets of building a company – everything from HR to culture to product to sales to operations to admin.</li><li><a href="https://medium.com/techstars/how-raising-a-2-m-seed-round-really-actually-went-b1c53ff9096a">How raising a $2+M Seed Round really, actually went</a>: Here is a real story (involving real humans and human emotions) of closing a seed round.</li></ul>Interested in learning more? Be sure to email us at <a href="mailto:renew@renewcapital.com">renew@renewcapital.com</a> if you are interested in attending one of RENEW’s private equity seminars in Addis Ababa.<figure class="image"><img src="/uploads/julyresource_3eb024c21e.png"></figure>Image Source: 5NBC: <a href="http://5nbusinessconsultants.com/stake_dilution_a_dilemma_for_start_ups_raising_funds">Stake dilution a dilemma for start-ups raising funds</a>

A list of articles about raising funds and common mistakes made by start-ups.

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July’s Resource Blog

<h1 style="text-align:center;">January Resource Blog: Annual Planning Articles and Tools</h1>It’s that time of year again where we finish planning for the year ahead. Here are a few resources to help you:<ul><li>Strategic planning is typically an annual process focused on individual business units, however the way executives actually make important strategic decisions, is often quite different. Companies can fix the process if they attack its root problems. A small number of forward-looking companies have thrown out the normal planning processes and replaced them with continuous, issues-focused decision making. <a href="https://hbr.org/2006/01/stop-making-plans-start-making-decisions">Read about how some companies moved from strategic planning to strategic decisions</a>. (From Harvard Business Review)</li><li>Annual planning is an important part of a company’s goals and strategy generation. These goals are the organizations compass to execute the year. Annual plans are a living document that need to be constantly updated. Don’t know where to start? <a href="https://www.business2community.com/b2b-marketing/importance-annual-plan-01701855">Use this article</a> to help identify the main framework for your company’s plan. (From B to C)</li><li>Interested to read RENEW’s recommended annual management planning process? Here’s a tool you can use to go through the process. Annual planning can feel like an overwhelming task, and it’s easy to get caught up in “firefighting” tasks rather than carving out precious time to plan do the hard, but impactful work of planning. Start somewhere! Here’s to a successful 2018! (From RENEW)</li></ul><figure class="image image_resized" style="width:96.72%;"><img src="/uploads/screen_shot_2018_01_03_at_12_31_18_pm_0_b15c88beaf.png"></figure>Applications are now being accepted for the second offering of the <a href="https://www.renewcapital.com/companies">CFO 100 Program </a>which starts in February 2018. Visit the <a href="https://www.renewcapital.com/companies">CFO 100 Program</a> page on our website to learn more.Image Source: Business2Community: <a href="https://www.business2community.com/b2b-marketing/importance-annual-plan-01701855">The Importance of the Annual Plan</a>&nbsp;

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January Resource Blog: Annual Planning Articles and Tools

<h1 style="text-align:center;">Resources for Success</h1>Have you ever wondered what they keys to success are? We’re always on the lookout for articles to help us define this. Below are four articles that we think will help you become more successful:<ul><li>If success is a catalyst for failure because it leads to the “undisciplined pursuit of more,” then one simple antidote is the <a href="https://hbr.org/2012/08/the-disciplined-pursuit-of-less">disciplined pursuit of less</a>. (Harvard Business Review)</li><li>The ability to communicate a message, sell an idea, or paint a vision is a critical skill for an entrepreneur who wants to have an impact on the world. And even in the age of emojis, animated GIFs, and Snapchat filters,&nbsp;<a href="https://betterhumans.coach.me/how-to-dramatically-improve-your-public-speaking-skills-cd26b7d08a96">public speaking is still the most effective way&nbsp;to move, persuade, and inspire</a>. (Better Humans)</li><li>Charlie Munger&nbsp;(Vice Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway) thinks that the correct path for everybody else is to specialize and get very good at something that society rewards, and then to get very efficient at doing it. But even if you do that, I think you should spend&nbsp;10 to 20% of <a href="https://www.fs.blog/2017/11/generalized-specialist/">your time</a>&nbsp;trying to know all the big ideas in all the other disciplines. (Farnam Street)</li><li>When you google how to be successful, you often come up with a list that is paradoxical. That’s because most wildly successful people are complex – so complex that many of their defining qualities contradict each other. Rather than an "either/or" set of static characteristics, they're more likely to demonstrate both. This is a key to their success. This article displays several <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/8-paradoxical-habits-of-the-most-successful-people-2018-1">paradoxical characteristics of most successful people</a>. (Business Insider)</li></ul><figure class="image"><img src="/uploads/success_0_403910289c.jpg"></figure>Image Source: Entrepreneur: <a href="https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/249536">A 3-Step Formula to Success -- Really</a>

4 articles to help you become more successful

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Resources for Success

<h1 style="text-align:center;">February's Resource Blog</h1>This month, we've collected a great list of articles to help you in every aspect of your business. From time management, to running meetings and the importance of good management, this month's articles have it all.<ul><li><a href="https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-magic-of-doing-one-thing-at-a-time-767421070">The Magic of Doing One Thing at a Time</a>: It's not just the number of hours we're working, but also the fact that we spend too many continuous hours juggling too many things at the same time. Technology as a single principle lies at the heart of all these suggestions. When you're engaged at work, fully engage, for defined periods of time. When you're renewing, truly renew. Make waves. (Harvard Business Review)</li><li><a href="https://getpocket.com/explore/item/my-management-lessons-from-three-failed-startups-google-apple-dropbox-and-twitter-856889483">My Management Lessons from Three Failed Startups, Google, Apple, Dropbox and Twitter</a>: Kim Scott shares management lessons from her leadership roles at some of the biggest and influential tech companies in the world. Most recently, she advised Dropbox and Twitter. (First Round Review)</li><li><a href="https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-condensed-guide-to-running-meetings-973666280">The Condensed Guide to Running Meetings</a>: There is a lot of data out there that shows how much time we're all wasting in meetings. But you don't need research to prove what you intuitively know. Next time you need to bring a group together, do the best you can to make it a good use of everyone's time-including your own. (Harvard Business Review)</li><li><a href="http://www.bain.com/publications/articles/when-the-finance-department-becomes-a-companys-secret-weapon-brief.aspx">When the Finance Department Becomes a Company's Secret Weapon</a>: With the finance department gaining strategic importance, Bain interviewed nearly 100 CFOs about their roles and challenges, and how they spend their time. (Bain &amp; Company).</li></ul>Image Source: The Brooks Group: <a href="https://brooksgroup.com/sales-training-blog/time-management-tips-for-salespeople">7 Must-Have Time Management Tips for Salespeople</a>

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February's Resource Blog

<h1 style="text-align:center;">AGRF Summit - Agribusiness Pitch Event Summary</h1>The <a href="https://agrf.org/">2021 African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) Summit</a> is taking place this week (September 6-10) through a virtual conference and deal room platform. The theme of the Summit is “pathways to recovery and resilient food systems”. This past Monday (September 6),&nbsp; <a href="https://agra.org/">AGRA</a> and RENEW co-hosted a session as part of the Summit and in support of the ARISE program.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="/uploads/Screen_Shot_2021_09_08_at_9_07_13_AM_71435c2ce0.png"></figure>The session, titled Women Agri-Enterprises and RESILIENCE – Experiences from ARISE Women and Investment Readiness Initiative (or “Agribusiness Pitch Event” for short), highlighted the experiences, insights and lessons learned from the activities and trainings and a participant conducted under the <a href="https://latest-api.renewcapital.com/uploads/RENEW_LLC_Arise_Program_96e66c3ca6.pdf">African Resilience &amp; Investment Series for Women Entrepreneurs (ARISE)</a> program. As background, the ARISE program was launched by AGRA in March 2021 in partnership with RENEW. The ARISE program is a continental project aimed at assisting women-owned and women-led agribusinesses recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic through capacity training and strengthening access to finance and investments. So far more than 1,000 women from 27 countries have participated.&nbsp;The Agribusiness Pitch Event represented almost six months of training and support provided to hundreds of women agribusiness owners and managers. The session was hosted by Sabdiyo Dido (Head, Gender &amp; Inclusiveness of AGRA), Laura Davis (Managing Partner of RENEW) and Matt Davis (Managing Partner &amp; CEO of RENEW).<figure class="image"><img src="/uploads/21_2_b65a0cc0cc.jpg"></figure>The highlight of the session was, of course, the live pitch portion, during which three leading women entrepreneurs who were trained as part of the ARISE program pitched to a panel of investors, including eight members of the Impact Angel Network and gender-lens investing experts <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicaespinozat">Jessica Espinoza</a> (Vice President of DEG/KfW; Chair of the 2XChallenge / 2XCollaborative) and <a href="http://www.cosustainconsulting.com/who-we-are/">Chintal Barot</a> (Founder of CoSustain). Overall, the panel of investors were impressed with the quality of the pitches, as demonstrated by their high-level of engagement during the pitch Q&amp;A and feedback collected during and after the pitches. We are extremely proud of the women who represented their fellow trainees at the event, demonstrated their capacity for resilience and recovery through compelling pitches, and took their first steps on their journeys towards growth and scalability.&nbsp;The following three women/companies who pitched were selected by their peers and the ARISE project team:<ol><li>Ady’s Food Mart: An agro-processing company that provides hygienically processed food ingredients and spices to a wide clientele in Nigeria and the world where African dishes are appreciated.<ol><li>Website - <a href="http://adysfoodmart.com/">http://adysfoodmart.com/</a></li><li>Social Media - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/adysfoodmart">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/adysfoodmart">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/adysfoodmart/">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCouEmEEqQST0GIL0xRIJWwA">YouTube</a></li></ol></li><li>Kuanijom: A supply chain company that is involved in the fruit and vegetable value chain. Their clients include hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, institutions, wholesalers and retailers.<ol><li>Website - <a href="https://kuanijom.com/">https://kuanijom.com/</a></li><li>Social Media - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/kuanijom">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kuanijom/">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/kuanijom/about/">LinkedIn</a></li></ol></li><li>JAM - The Coconut Food Company: An integrated coconut processing company. They have developed over 10 unique popular products made from coconut, such as premium coconut oil, coconut flakes, coconut cinnamon balls and more.<ol><li>Social Media - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jamthecoconutfoodcompany/">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/jamcoconutfoods?lang=en">Twitter,</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jamcoconutfoods/?hl=en">Instagram</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</li></ol></li></ol>Parting thoughts of the session were that participants and the broader investment and development communities will need to continue to play a critical role in Africa’s agriculture industry’s recovery from COVID-19 and resilience against future external shocks. The result of these actions will hopefully contribute towards the continent’s overall food security and food system transformation.&nbsp;The ARISE project team is proud of the women who pitched during the session and is looking forward to continuing to support them and other participants in the ARISE program. . . Stay tuned for more!Disclaimer:&nbsp; RENEW is not promoting or recommending an investment in any of the companies profiled herein. Nothing in this blog is intended to constitute an investment recommendation or advice, or an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any security.&nbsp; &nbsp;

In partnership with the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), RENEW launched the African Resilience Investment Series for Women Entrepreneurs (ARISE). ARISE supports resilience for women in agriculture to recover from the impacts of COVID-19. The program aims to reach more than 2,000 women in agriculture-focused SMEs across sub-Saharan Africa and will provide managerial capacity building, coaching on investment readiness and how to pitch to investors among other elements of support.



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ARISE

Highlighting the experiences, insights and lessons learned through the ARISE Program. 

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AGRF Summit - Agribusiness Pitch Event Summary

<h1 style="text-align:center;">September Resource Blog</h1>This month, we've collected a list of articles about customer experiences and engagement tips from successful companies. Take a read through the three resources below for a deeper dive into the topic.<a href="https://zandercutt.com/2018/08/23/the-approval-economy/">How To Propel Employee Engagement To Sky-Rocketing Levels</a>: Pepsi was the first company in history to market itself by promoting the image of the consumer that drank it, as opposed to the product itself — and that was only 50 years ago. Since then, consumers, aided by social media, have become far more conscious of who they are in the context of the products they use than even Pepsi could’ve imagined. In this society of ultra-conscious consumers, successful brands will be those that make consumers feel the way they want to feel about themselves. (Zander Nethercutt)<a href="https://www.comstocksmag.com/longreads/cover-worlds-fastest-man">Profile of CC Myers Construction company</a>: C.C. Myers, who, for more than two decades, has been California’s go-to guy when roads are ravaged by acts of God or the toll of time. The New York Times once called him the “Miracle Worker Highway Man.” His current company, Myers &amp; Sons (which he runs with son Clinton), juggles more than 25 active projects across six states. They finish jobs early again and again. (Comstock’s)<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/operations/our-insights/the-ceo-guide-to-customer-experience">The CEO Guide to Consumer Experience</a>: Delighting customers by mastering the concept and execution of an exceptionally good customer experience is a challenge. But it is an essential requirement for leading in an environment where customers wield growing power. (McKinsey and Company)<figure class="image"><img src="/uploads/screen_shot_2018_09_05_at_1_23_43_pm_0_2d70043d14.png"><figcaption>Image Source: Zander Nethercutt: <a href="https://zandercutt.com/2018/08/23/the-approval-economy/">How To Propel Employee Engagement To Sky-Rocketing Levels</a></figcaption></figure>

A Look at Customer Experience and Engagement.

Business Resources