How Has COVID Shifted Business in Africa? We Asked Nabou Fall, CEO of Vizeo, a Leading Communications Strategy Agency on Africa’s Ivory Coast
Our CEO Michele Rhudy recently connected with her friend Nabou Fall, who runs a shop similar to Rhudy & Co. in Africa. Nabou is passionate about Africa, women’s leadership, entrepreneurship, and the power of personal story. We asked her how things are going and were not at all surprised to hear she continues to thrive in the ongoing disruptive unknown.
1. Tell me about your business.
I have been working in Africa for the last 25 years. For the last 15 years, I have been running my own company, first based in Democratic Republic of Congo in Kinshasa, but I moved to Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) three years ago. My company Vizeo provides PR, branding, marketing and advertising services. Our aim goal is to transform the negative narrative of Africa into a positive one. Putting our clients in the spotlight contributes to the positive storytelling of the continent through an African lens. I am also a coach helping high-profile individuals rewrite their story with a better knowledge of themselves and a strong personal brand.
I also do a lot of public speaking on African Women’s Leadership, knowledge of self and entrepreneurship in Africa. I am the co-founder of an incubator in Côte d'Ivoire helping young entrepreneurs to develop sustainable business models.
I am also a writer, a blessed mother of two boys and involved in women’s empowerment in my community and in Africa at large.
2. How has your business adjusted as a result of the chaos of COVID-19?
It has been hard on the public speaking side, as that requires a bit of traveling. As with the majority of the corporate world, I had to shift to full remote working. And I found ways to create revenue-generating niches through the internet. I advise my clients from a distance – and so far, so good – but I still miss the human interaction.
3. How has COVID-19 affected how you work and connect with employees and customers?
Covid-19 taught us as work partners to be more human, have more empathy toward each other and cultivate resilience. It is emotionally and financially hard for many, so that requires a lot of relationship building, listening and communicating in more empathic and positive ways.
4. What’s your professional outlook for 2021? (e.g. do you anticipate things returning to normal or do you think the disruptions will continue longer?)
We have been disrupted without expecting it. In my case, I am harnessing the opportunities digital has created for me. I am able to cater to clients worldwide and shift my business model through digital transformation. This year I will go back to traveling for public speaking. Our offices are now open, but I admit that I enjoy the remote work.
5. Do you have any communication and management advice for leaders during the pandemic?
Yes. I have used this time for introspection, reconnecting with myself to better connect with others. I believe it's a time to ponder on which direction we want to take once we have reassessed our purpose in life and in our work.
Being online is an opportunity, once we have clarity, to build our personal brand, leverage from our various networks and create wealth differently.
This period is teaching us to be more resilient and more grateful, and to focus on what matters. What we took for granted has become a luxury, so let's accept what is and think about ways to leverage this gift of time and also family to rethink our priorities.
Increasing one's influence and authority is the best advice I can give. Go out there on platforms of your choice and show up to your potential customers. You will surely reap in 2021 the fruits of the seeds sowed in 2020.
This has been emotionally challenging, and it’s up to each one of us to get back up and make the necessary moves to truly live instead of merely surviving.
**Michele Rhudy and Nabou Fall met at the 2013 Harvard Business School Women’s Leadership Forum, which formed a cohort of global female leaders who remain connected today.