We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Fatuma Khalif. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Fatuma below.

Fatuma, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you scale up? What were the strategies, tactics, meaningful moments, twists/turns, obstacles, mistakes along the way? The world needs to hear more realistic, actionable stories about this critical part of the business building journey. Tell us your scaling up story – bring us along so we can understand what it was like making the decisions you had, implementing the strategies/tactics etc.

my business has scaled over the years, we got partnerships from different parts of the world and we took every step possible to push and achieve what we have today, it could not have been possible without my amazing team and partners. i got extremely great team behind me who propelled the business and got us as many partners as possible. our clientele are mostly distributors, who buy in bulk, either distribute to retails in respective countries or have their own chain of retail and they resell in smaller quantities. my business is four different businesses in one, because they all share the same foundations and goals, our export business is very much vibrant and we are exporters fresh produce ,cut flowers ,coffee,tea and spices from Kenya to the rest of the world, we also invite our customers back to the country for coffee,tea tastings and safaris, we also have a safari company which gives our customers tours around the country. The safari business was launched after we say a demand from out export customers wanting to travel once in the country and we capitalized on it. we work with small scale farmers, and we noted fresh produce have a very short shelf life and most farmers loss a lot of money and time due to that, through our partner company from Texas, USA, we were able to launch a new agritech packaging that gives fresh produce longer shelf life using a new technology called Ca films, CA FILMS® membrane technology is one of the few commercial solutions for fresh produce that incorporates a designed selectivity ratio. we are excited to roll it out in Kenya and the rest of the worlds, our packaging are biodegradable and eco friendly, our technology uses Artificial Intelligent application to analyze the produce in the packaging and send data to a blockchain ledger which will show the origin of the produce all the way down the supply chain. From exporting, agritech ,safari tour, we also in the real estate, we sell magnificent ranch properties, agricultural farms, factories and holiday homes. we also have a foundation that empowers women and youth on education, advocates for human rights and environment. 1% profit from our chain of businesses goes to the foundation and we will love to expand in near future.

Fatuma, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m in the industries of export ,real estate, travel and tours. i knew from a young age that i was going to be an entrepreneur, i was passionate about healing , food and travelling. I remember when i was in my A-levels, i had done, pure mathematics and two sciences knowing i wanted to go to medical school and be a doctor, but once i stepped into the real world and finished school, i knew i wanted to work for myself and help the less fortunate in the society. i became a mum in my twenties and as i was raising my kids, i read business books, watched business videos and learnt a lot of how to start business and my passion for agriculture was re- born, and i founded Almurid exporters, where by we export fresh produce ,cut flowers, coffee,tea and spices. my company works with small scale farmers, all our export produce are sourced from small scale farmers in Kenya and we work with them in improving farming methods into more sustainable methods to increase the yield. we have a large clientele and we are still growing, we recently launched a new agritech for fresh produce, which uses Artificial intelligent to send data to a blockchain leger about the produce in the packaging, showing the origin of the produce and how long it can remain fresh. our real estate company sells magnificent homes in Kenya and we love showing our clients from ranches to farm houses, villas, penthouses and beautiful cottage houses overlooking tea plantations. our tours company is very vibrant and active, our clients come to Kenya for breathtaking safaris, relaxing beach holidays and many more, we have been vey fortunate to have great team and collogues. we are different in the business, because most of our export customers are the ones that refer us clients for travel and we are unique in that aspect. I’m proud I’m raising my kids as I’m building my business, creating positive change and also the businesses fund a foundation that empowers kids, youth and women in education called woman foundation.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Having a strong website and having paid adverts has helped us source for first time clients, but most of our clients are referral clients from previously served clients and it has really shaped our business and the reputation of the business. My team have been the ones doing tremendous great and I’m grateful to have them.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

The books that have shaped my entrepreneur mind and propelled me to be a successful business woman are: 4 hour work week by Timothy Ferriss, my favorite quote from the book that made me to keep going is: A person’s success in life can usually be measured by the number of uncomfortable conversations he or she is willing to have.” ― Timothy Ferriss. The other books are: Think and grow rich by Napoleon Hill, science of success by Charles Koch , Economics in one lesson and Lean startup by Eric Ries. This books have helped me to understand the dynamics of business and the dedication and mindset of it. The books and the business podcasts have made me to recognize opportunities, take calculated risks, and turn ideas into reality.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/umumohammadalfateh?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fatmazahra-adan-232b29155

Image Credits
Not applicable