We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Mike Sehzue a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Mike, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea
The process of going from idea to execution was an intense exercise in creativity. After recognizing the opportunity to bring a unique product to market in 2010, I had to determine if I could actually make it happen. I didn’t know much about small business development when I began, and I knew even less about the production of rum. Fortunately for me, I do have an engineering background and I knew that if I could create an operational framework to map out everything that I knew with a vision of where I wanted to go, I could fill in the identify the gaps and determine if it could be done. The framework that I used was the People, Process, and Tools (PPT) framework. My theory was if I had good people in place that could an execute an efficient process with the tools required for the job, then the business would have a reasonable chance of success.
The first step was evaluating the people that I could work with to form a team on this effort. I couldn’t live in Liberia full-time, so I had to form a team that I could trust to execute the needed steps when I wasn’t around. Although the people that I would work with were my extended family in Liberia, I needed a method to determine who, specifically, would be a good addition to the team. As most business owners know, working with family can create it’s own unique set of challenges. Over a six month period, I evaluated how capable some potential candidates were and how well I could communicate with them. Two gentlemen showed they had what it took to push this initiative forward, Mr. Bartuah Gbor and Mr. Lawrence Dahn. The last person that I had to determine the capability of was the person in the mirror, me. I had a young family at the time, and didn’t know much about bringing a business to life. I had to find out whether or not I had the skill and will to perform the necessary tasks for this business to grow. I immediately found that I didn’t know enough about rum production to effectively market and sell it globally. After attending various workshops on the distilled spirits industry, I shared my aspirations with others within the economic development community and I was connected to Erik and Karin Vonk of Richland Rum in Georgia. Erik and Karin have been gracious mentors from the first day of connecting with them. With the guidance and support from Erik and Karin, along with business education in marketing, operations, etc that I attained through use of the GI Bill, I acquired enough to begin on the journey to turning my vision into a reality.
The process of making a product that can be sold on the global market is challenging enough within resource rich countries. Doing the same within low-resource communities adds a level of complexity that many aspiring entrepreneurs would smartly choose to stay away from. With the guidance from Erik and Karin along with the historical knowledge of my extended family in Liberia, our team was able to create a sustainable process of production for Sangar Rum that included locally fabricated equipment. Creating the production process was less complex than planning for the packaging operations required to compete in the market. Like many businesses in developing countries, our business faced difficulties in sourcing the required packaging materials (glass bottles, closures, and labels) to completely enter the market. We had to be selective on which markets we would choose to enter due to the supply chain challenges of producing in West Africa. Even after selling within the U.S. and other markets in West Africa, we still have to be creative to make sure that our process for production and market entry runs as smoothly as possible.
For us, the challenges in the production process are not made easier by the availability of advanced tools to do the job. Operating in advanced economies provides privileges that many businesses in developing countries could only hope to experience. Having 24/7 access to electricity and potable water is a luxury that many take for granted. Not having consistent utility level power and water creates obstacles to production for all business owners within that environment namely the use of advanced tools to convert our available resources to finished products. We had to use the energy sources available us to add as much value to our end products as possible before sending to other locations for finishing and packaging. Setting up the distillery was a long process that included shipping in some equipment and tools while fabricating some equipment on site. It is our goal to build a top-notch facility on our own land. For now, we will continue to grow steadily until we reach that goal.
We were able to reach the market officially in 2015 after some fits and starts due to the pandemic in West Africa. There were many challenges between the idea phase and launch that our team was able to overcome, but we all know that the perseverance that it took to launch will be required to grow into the future.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am an army veteran, international development professional, and #girldad that passionately believes in the power of entrepreneurship in solving some of the world’s most entrenched economic development challenges. I launched my business for the purpose of economic growth, and not because I simply enjoy good rum. I’d like to grow my business to be an example for others that are looking to develop global enterprises in developing countries. I readily offer my insights to those on similar journeys whether operating in Africa or other places in the Global South. I’m most proud of the opportunities that my business has provided to subsistence farmers in Liberia to sell their produce and use the proceeds to support their families. What sets my rum product apart from others is not only the uniqueness of the rum when produced directly from West African sugarcane juice, but also the impact story that can be told simply by buying a bottle or enjoying a cocktail made from our rum.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
In 2015, when we were planning our first promotional event for Sangar Rum, our team had six days to produce a batch of rum, travel across Liberia, and setup the venue for the tasting event. We spent the first day purchasing sugarcane from farmers as the farmers, in most cases, carried bundles of sugarcane over half a mile to arrive at the distillery. We ground roughly a ton of sugarcane after purchase to collect the sugarcane juice, and we began the fermentation process. The fermentation process lasted five days as we did everything in our power to keep the fermentation vats cool within a tropical environment with no air conditioning available. On the evening of the fifth day of fermentation, we began the distillation process. Creating distilled spirits is a slow, painstaking process especially without access to electricity or gas utilities. We utilized our two custom-made stills to distill the rum throughout the night. We managed to complete the distillation of 20 gallons of handcrafted rum just as the sun was coming up. After distilling and filtering all night, we had to fill containers and make our way across Liberia in time for the event that was scheduled for the evening. Unfortunately, it began to rain heavily just before leaving the distillery. There was so much rain that the roads began to become impassable by car. In order to arrive to venue on time, we utilized a combination of riding on motorbikes and sometimes walking through flood waters to make it to Monrovia. Thankfully, we arrived in Monrovia about two hours before the start time of the event. The tasting event occured without a hitch even though my business partner and I were exhausted from the production process and the long journey to the venue. My partner and I both know that it will take uncommon effort to reach our goals. I’m glad that we are both resilient (or stubborn) enough to do what it takes.
We’d love to hear about you met your business partner.
I met my cofounders in 2010, during my first trip to my father’s home country of Liberia. My father hadn’t been back to Liberia in over 25 years, and he was glad to reconnect with family that had experienced many difficulties throughout the time that he was gone. Liberia went through a prolonged and brutal civil war that created significant hardships for a generation of Liberians. My co-founders, Bartuah Gbor, Lawrence Dahn and I connected over shared discussions of war. I had returned four years prior from serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom as an Army officer. My co-founders told me stories of their struggles to survive during Liberia’s civil war. We all recognized our family’s history of rum making as an opportunity to support the region’s growth economically. Tragically, we lost Bartuah Gbor in late 2013 due to an illness that I suppose would have been treated easily had Bartuah been born American. Lawrence and I decided to carry the mantle of the business with renewed dedication. We both saw the growth of the business as a means to secure the resources required to meet our families’ needs as well as provide the necessary funds for medical care when needed.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.sangarrum.com
- Instagram: @sangarrum
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SangarRum
- Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mikesehzue