The Art of Surfing...
- addisfutureslab
- Sep 17
- 2 min read
Updated: Oct 1
in the Ethiopian Market
After more than a decade working in Ethiopia, I’ve come to see entrepreneurship here as an art —the art of surfing. You’re constantly managing speed, balance, and direction all while navigating a steady barrage of “rough waves”: resource gaps in talent, funding, infrastructure, random taxation, unpredictable power and water supplies, and more. But this ocean of challenges also presents an ocean of possibilities. The scale of the Ethiopian and wider African market forces you to think big, move fast, and build resiliently.
Through Addis Futures Lab,I’ve started R&D / build projects at the intersection of fintech, beauty and consumer goods, media, SAAS and AI-enabled intelligence — rapidly prototyping ventures to see what works, discarding what doesn’t, in order to minimize risk and maximize learnings.
🏄🏾♀️What Surfing this African Market Has Taught Me
Speed is survival: Progress compounds when you keep moving, even through volatility, momentum matters more than perfection!
Balance is non-negotiable: You must align your values with your business style and goals. Mine are culture, sustainability, innovation.
Resilience is your secret power: The rocky waves of Africa's business landscape can be relentless so build systems that can absorb shocks and adapt quickly.
I stopped waiting for perfect conditions and started designing ventures that thrive in turbulence.
This surfing metaphor helped me to shift my entire approach to building. I stopped waiting for the perfect conditions and started designing ventures that thrive in turbulence.
Ultimately, building in Africa means markets that never sit still. The advantage will go to those who design ventures that float, adapt, and move with the current until they can catch the right wave. 🌊
🙋🏾♀️Question for You:
If you’ve built in turbulent markets, how did you transform volatility into a feature, instead of a flaw?
This article first appeared on Frontier Notes (Substack), subscribe for more community engagement and access.
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