Days 13 - 16

6-20-13

            Today was surprisingly routinely. Spent the morning in class and then went on to our client meeting with Pumeza at Monwood. It’s nice to finally get settled in with the business and start to evaluate everything. Our Supporting Emerging Enterprise (S.E.E.) Model is due on Monday for each of our businesses so from now until then I plan to be staying up late and waking up early in order to generate quality reports. Other than hiking Table Mountain on Saturday, which should be incredible, this weekend will be pretty stressful so I’m really looking forward to it. We were given a slight extension on our second S.E.E. Model for Pumeza since we began working with her late into the program but we hope to turn it in on time so we can get back on track and focus on the deliverables. The good side is that I am starting to believe in the S.E.E. Model. As long as you don't write it with potential deliverables in mind the model can be a complete guide into a business and can highlight fundamental issues severely affecting the success of the business. I can't wait to see what our final S.E.E. Models reveal, and I imagine they will provide us with some insight into quite a lot of issues. Hopefully the days will begin to appear more normal as it becomes much too complicated when things do not go as planned. Our jobs become harder and it is difficult for the client to understand that, so all we can hope for is a forthcoming arrangement with no secrets. So far, so good. I think…

6-21-13

           It seems that today is the last day the bar on campus will be open for a few weeks. I’m not sure how I will survive but I sure hope I do. Just kidding, but a drink every now and then sure does help with the stress. Also, all of the local students go home soon so campus is going to get real quiet so that will also put a slight damper on the next few weeks. I love talking to the local students here because they all care so much about their country. They truly want the foreigners to have a great time here and see all of the amazing things here. They don't want you to have any problems with theft and you can tell they care about you. That's the primary reason the bar is so much fun. All of the locals gather there during the weekends and hang out and it’s so great to go and hang out with them. I’m going to miss that in these coming weeks. Tomorrow is Table Mountain and I’m getting ready for bed now its pretty soon and I couldn't be more excited. We will be hiking for about two hours before we summit the mountain. Then we will hang out on top and then hike back down. I asked around to see if it was possible to mountain bike down the trail but apparently that is too dangerous. I guess ill be the judge of that tomorrow.

            I’m beginning to try and focus on the fun parts of the trip rather than circle around the S.E.E. Model and deliverables as interesting as they are. Don't get me wrong, I do love that part of the trip and I’m learning more than I could have ever imagines, but when you strip away the programming, I’m simply on vacation, and who doesn’t love travelling. I’ve been lucky to see a lot of places in my short time on this planet but Cape Town is extraordinary and I believe the view from the top will be unlike anything I have ever seen. Hopefully I am in good enough shape to represent Boulder and Colorado properly. Otherwise, I will be thoroughly embarrassed that I let down CU.

6-22-13

            Climbing Table Mountain was a lot like this program, or at least I hope it will be. It was an incredibly difficult climb consisting of a steep uphill battle throughout, and once we reached the top, I wished that I had just taken the cable car. Just kidding. Summiting Table Mountain was very rewarding and it created such a great feeling of accomplishment. I hope that completing this program will be as rewarding, if not more, as climbing Table Mountain. The top of the mountain was amazing. The 360-degree view of Cape Town included some of the most beautiful scenery I had ever seen. We decided to celebrate the climb with a little food and wine while we relaxed atop this incredible landmass. All right, lets face it; we had quite a bit of wine over the period of about three hours, at which point, we chose to ride the cable car down to head back to campus. The trip was fantastic. The fun trips planned during the program, though scarce, provide a perfect outlet of stress and help us return to earth after working our butts off on our assignments. Table Mountain accomplished this and more.

            After returning to campus everyone crashed for a few hours after all that wine consumption. We definitely needed some rest before returning downtown for a night on Long Street. We piled into a van and drove to Long Street for some food and drinks and a good time, which is exactly what we found. Long Street is filled with bars and we ended up going to about four of them, all packed with locals and fun people to meet. We ate, drank, and let loose since it might have been the only time to do so on Long Street. Seeing as we were all pretty drunk when we left we were able to convince our taxi driver into stopping at McDonalds on the way home, which tastes exactly the same as at home by the way. We made it worth his while in the form of a cheeseburger too. Apparently Long Street creates some late night fast food cravings. I am hoping to return at some point during this trip since we had such a great time.

6-23-13

            Woke up hung-over and worked on the S.E.E. Model all day. Feeling great. 

Days 9 - 12

6-16-13

            I don't really have much to focus on today since I spent most of the day sleeping and reading. It was my first relaxation day of this trip and I suspect I won’t have too many like it so I tried to cherish it. I definitely needed it and I assume I will need them much more down the road. Unfortunately, I likely won’t get them later on so at least I get to say I had one.

6-17-13

            I guess you could say that I finally feel like a consultant and not a student. Even though I spend all morning in classes and almost all afternoon working with my team, something occurred today that helped me realize that I am not here to be a student, but rather, I am here to be a professional consultant for my clients, which they desperately need. Today was supposed to be our first client meeting that we had scheduled with Vuyile that wasn’t previously arranged. Vuyile canceled. He claimed that something cape up with something related to Stellenbosch but who really knows. All I know is that If he wants free consulting for his struggling business then he may have to start looking elsewhere. We met with Dr. Morris so we could inform him of the cancelation and he made it clear to us that we have to set a precedent with our client that he cannot treat us like locals. We do not have all the time in the world to evaluate his business and provide suggestions for how to fix certain aspects and we must work very quickly and diligently. At this point everything is starting to make sense. We really are consultants and not students anymore. It feels pretty interesting working all afternoon as if this is my career since I have never had an experience like this before. I really hope that we are able to convey the importance of our time and our demands to Vuyile tomorrow or else we will be forced to chose a new client. Clients that do not understand they have to be cooperative and forthcoming with everything business related do not understand the demands of consulting and seriously need to rethink their dedication to their business. Especially clients here because most run survival businesses so they go hungry if they don't sell and if they don't want our help, then I’m not sure what they’re thinking.

6-18-13

            Where do I begin? Today was far from normal, although at this point I am not sure if normal days are even possible here. Up until our client meeting with Department of Coffee this afternoon everything was running smoothly. Lets fast forward a bit to after the meeting and we will return to the meeting in just a moment. After our meeting we waited for twenty minutes for the van to pick us up in the middle of Khayelitsha. We then got in the van and drove two other students to their meeting nearby. After dropping them off we started to drive around, seemingly headed towards another teams location to retrieve them. This is where we ran into some trouble. Now, some people might enjoy sitting in a hot van for an hour driving in circles looking at the same scenery over and over again but let me assure you, that is not me. We finally pick up the other team after sitting in the van for an hour and a half and then drive back to where we dropped the previous two students off and at this point, I’m pretty annoyed. The plan was to go back to campus to drop us off before picking them up, but since we had driven around for so long, it just didn't make sense to make the trek twice. I don't particularly mind relaxing in a big van with my own row to lie down in but lets rewind and examine what happened just before we got in the van.

            The client meeting. We get out the van at the meeting only to see our clients sitting down with some other people at which point some questions arise. Who are they? What are they doing? Why are they with our clients? We walk up and introduce ourselves to them and end up finding out quite a lot about them and their connection to our client. Turns out, they own Department of Coffee and they branded the company and they acquired the location and they did all the hard work while Vuyile and his partners just waited to be the operators. These other people seem to have a three-year deal with Vuyile and his partners. In the first year, they finance the whole business and provide him with the tools and knowledge to succeed and they help him all along the way. In the second year, they take a step back and simply monitor their success, and in the third year they back completely away and just watch the company flourish. This means that Vuyile will be the owner in two more years so he doesn't really have the power to ask for our help until he is the outright owner. This whole dilemma ties back into a question I asked earlier. How can a few students successfully consult a business and help it grow? But now the issue is: How can a few students successfully consult a business and help it grow alongside other more qualified consultants? The answer is we can’t, but we didn’t know that yet. After learning all of this information my team and I were pretty frustrated with the lack of communication between Vuyile and us. It is impossible to accurately consult a business when the “claimed” owner is not up front about what is really going on. Fortunately, we conduct the rest of our meeting and still manage to learn quite a lot from Vuyile but the primary issue not yet resolved.

            Back to the van. At this point you should be able to understand the frustration we are all experiencing from the meeting and the mishap with the transportation. Upon arriving on campus about five hours after we left campus with only a two-hour meeting in between, we decide, as a team, that we should tell Dr. Morris the news. We inform him of the situation and he asks us what we believe is the correct next step. We all agreed that the appropriate form of action would be to switch clients as soon as possible. This kind of felt like a quiz and I guess we passed because he agreed as well. We expected him to be a little more upset with the situation but I think he likes us and will probably only reveal his anger to Vuyile when he calls him to let him know he’s been removed from the program. From then on it gets pretty simple; he gave us some new client options; we ended up choosing a preschool in Philippi (another township); and now we have to start all over. That's enough for today but to put it simply, my frustration has nearly hit a pinnacle so lets hope things run a bit more smoothly from here on out.

6-19-13

            Dropping Department of Coffee is starting to seem like a blessing in disguise. In our meeting today I realize that I may have not been the most helpful consultant but I sure had a lot of fun playing with the adorable children at the preschool and taking photos of them. They all had a trick for the camera and they all wanted to see the camera screen in order to see their faces. They swarmed around me and I almost couldn't move. What I was actually supposed to be doing was taking photos of the facilities and the financials, which I did complete, but you can visibly tell in the sequence of photos that I was sufficiently distracted every time I walked outside to take photos of the exterior. Another reason this may turn out to be a better situation is that Pumeza, the owner of Monwood Playgroup, the preschool, has already been a client once before. That means that both of our clients have already participated in this program so the social barriers shouldn't be much of an issue with either of them. Pumeza should prove to be a fun and interesting clients with real world problems that we should be able to help her with.

            I am excited to have the opportunity to work with children. Especially children that require further development because my team and I have the chance to assist in their development. Its going to be very interesting since none of us have ever worked in such a business but we will have to learn quickly or else we will certainly fail, and failure is not an option. Now that everything is settled down and all of the drama is over we can finally get down to business and focus on the days ahead. That is why I came here and that is exactly what my team and I plan on doing. Time to get a little muddy. 

Days 5 - 8

6-12-13

            Juice. Join us in creating excitement. That is what Vuyile Msaku says every morning when he opens Department of Coffee before making his daily delivery runs. That is the proof that Vuyile is not running this business for profit. He is running it for the community that surrounds him and that is why he has so much promise in my eyes. After listening to Vuyile tell us about his incredible dedication to his business I felt even luckier to have him assigned as my teams client. What I felt that was exceptionally powerful was that fact that Vuyile and his partners understand the importance of putting all of the business earnings back into the business even if it meant they would have to go hungry for a night. They realize that if you do not sustain the business then the business has no future. While he does understand that he must eat he has figured out a way to sustain the business and eat enough food to make it to the next day. Vuyile sells coffee products and muffins to the township of Khayelitsha but the problem is that his primary customers do not live in Khayelitsha. My team and I believe that we can help him determine his target market and potentially convince the township residents that they do, fact, need coffee in order to increase coffee sales. We also believe his pricing is much too low since a cup of coffee is only 65 cents and a muffin is only 30 cents, even though both of which are really tasty. I am very excited to begin working on helping Vuyile’s business and watching his business grow because I know that it has to the potential to do so.

6-13-13

            A small note about yesterday, one of my partners had asked Vuyile what was his inspiration for wanting to start his own business. His answer was quite coincidental given the nature of our second client. Vuyile asked us if we had heard of a man by the name of Luvuyo Rani. We obviously had and we told him this but we chose not to tell him that Luvuyo was our second client. If Luvuyo is inspiring people in Khayelitsha to start businesses and completely dedicate themselves to said businesses then I can only imagine what I will learn from him by the end of this program. I'd like to take this time to correct myself of something I previously said. This is actually Luvuyo’s fourth time participating in this program so that means the bar is set extremely high and there is no room for error. Instead of requiring four deliverables like every other client participating on this program our task for Luvuyo only requires two deliverables that will take as much or more time than everyone else’s four deliverables. Luvuyo is currently in the process of determining a viable franchise model for his business so that he can bring his idea to all of South Africa and eventually all of Africa. He also needs to develop a way to measure the social impact his company has on the people that have participated in his computer training courses. Our team’s two deliverables will be to develop a successful franchise model that he can use to expand his business and to determine a way to measure his social impact on society. If you’re wondering how a few college kids from around the world that have never consulted before will possibly help this company then you and I are on the same page. Luckily I really enjoy the people in my group and I am excited to see what we can all bring to the table.

6-14-13

            Now that I can say I have officially been into the heart of Cape Town, although some may consider the townships the true heart, I can surely agree that Cape Town is a wonderful place. Even though the waterfront was built for and is sustained by tourism it was still cool to finally go into the city. This was the first time that I had brought my camera out and I am so glad that I did. I handled it carefully as too much sure no one could yank it out of my hands while somehow racking up over 200 photos. Hopefully I will be able to post some of them soon. When I initially decided to come on this program I knew that time for fun would be scarce but having been here for almost a week, I believe this scarcity will help me cherish it so much more. It is so great to let loose at the end of the week and really get to know our teammates and everyone else on the program. From sitting in class to meeting with clients to working with our team it’s almost impossible to squeeze in some time to be with one another and learn about each other. Having spent more time with different people tonight I believe that the people on this program are some of the youths brightest and I know will all do great things in their lives moving forward.

Now let me explain just what the waterfront is for those of you who have never been here. It’s an American mall. Well, sort of. It's a mall but it is surrounded by some of the most incredible scenery in the world. On one side you have the gorgeous ocean looking out onto Robben Island and other parts of South Africa and on the other side you have Table Mountain towering over you. Its pretty impressive and the ocean and mountains can lie directly next to one another. I don't believe I have ever been to such an amazing place. Even though there is little time to soak it in, I am somewhat optimistic that I will be returning here a few more times. And if I am unable to, then at least I went tonight. If you have never been here then I definitely recommend planning your next vacation to Cape Town as soon as possible. Hint Hint, Mom and Dad.

6-15-13

             Well today was nothing short of exceptional. Visiting Robben Island is probably one of the coolest experiences I have ever had and is a definitely a top five museum I have been to. I had the opportunity to see the maximum security cell where Nelson Mandela had been kept for 18 years as a political prisoner, where rapists, murderers, and other criminals were kept in a medium security prison because they were seen as less dangerous than political prisoners, and where prison wards babies were born while prisoners were not allowed to see there children till they were 18. I am not sure how to fully put in words the impact of this experience but what I do know is that while there has been an incredible amount of progress since the end of apartheid in terms of equality there is still a lot of work to be done. That is where we come in. Obviously we will not be able to change Cape Town, but progress is done in increments, and this program is definitely a solid increment. From reading about the history of Cape Town and Nelson Mandela, then seeing his cell and reading more about his effect of this country, I must say that it is humbling to have this opportunity to further assist in Mandela’s dream for complete equality.

"Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another…" he said during his inaugural address in 1994. This quote struck home with me because everywhere I look I may not see oppression, but I definitely see huge traces of apartheid through the horrific poverty. While apartheid is officially over, the effects of the past are amazingly visible now and will be for a long time. That is why it is hard to grasp the fact that apartheid is “over” with so much work still to be done. This country will be rebuilding from the past for a long time and I don't believe a complete recovery may ever happen. The entrepreneur in me says that it is possible but the logic in me struggles with this idea.

I wonder everyday how a few Americans are supposed to come to South Africa and supposedly make some sort of impact on the people here. I realize that we do make a large impact on our clients and it is wonderful that we have this chance to help them but it is tough to walk through Khayelitsha and not want to offer everyone help. If only I had the time and resources in order to do so, which I obviously do not. It is a beautiful thing there are so many other people with this same belief that do have the time and resources to create businesses that primarily focus on township development and programs like the one I currently participate on.

Days 1 - 4

6-8-13

         As I peer out of my 747 window onto the beautiful city of Cape Town, I must say that I feel pretty damn lucky knowing what is ahead of me, although; I honestly have no idea what the next six weeks will bring. From what I’ve heard I have just begun the toughest six weeks of my life and for some reason, I could not be more excited. Everyone warned me to be very careful with my possessions when I go out in public since theft rates are extremely high here, yet, I find it hard to believe since Cape Town is so appealing to the eye. I did not realize the magnitude of the beauty and I cannot wait to become immersed in the equally beautiful culture. I hope that this experience will increase my knowledge of a world outside of my own and of a world of business that I have never known. As I waited to drive to the airport in Boulder, Colorado, the impact of the journey that I was about to embark on had not fully kicked in yet and I didn't really feel much of anything. But now, as I sit on this flight, I must say that I am incredibly nervous. The images that I have created in my head from past students stories have made me wonder if I will make it out of EESA with my dignity it hand. Lets just say that should I complete this program I will be immensely proud of myself and ready to take on any challenge.

6-9-13

         Day one didn't really make me feel any less nervous to be here. If anything I am even more concerned that the workload is going to kick my butt and I will be leaving South Africa having spent every second working and not seeing any of the country. Classes are definitely going to be hard to get through since they are quite rigorous but I have no choice, and even if I did, I would chose to be here. The supposed reward should prove that all of this upcoming hard work is well worth it. I was definitely getting nervous when Dr. Morris started calling out people at random to answer questions in class but thankfully, today was not my day. I have a feeling tomorrow might be. One thing I do enjoy is the material. At least we are studying something that we all share a common desire in: entrepreneurship. That should make everything worth it as well.

            Tonight we spent dinner at a former clients restaurant in the township of Langa. It was absolutely incredible. The owner and her family had managed to create such a beautiful restaurant out of literally nothing. I definitely did not expect to enter such a wonderful place in the middle of such a struggling town. The food was delicious and the band played beautifully. Her story of survival was inspirational and I believe that it is the stories like hers that prove we are here for the good of the community. I feel blessed to have this opportunity to create real joy through business. It is the clientele that makes me want to work harder and put forth more time just so that I can say I helped even a little bit. I only hope that I can provide for my clients what past students have provided for her.

6-10-13

            I don't think I have ever spent so much time in one classroom in one day learning about the same thing. Well, I guess I didn't learn one thing. I learned many things in one overarching topic. There’s not much else to say other than that I am incredibly tired from listening to lectures all day and then meeting with my team for the first time. Luckily this team meeting went very well and we feel that we are a bit ahead of the game by getting our Letters of Agreement for our clients done this week. I spent so much time working that I ended up not even eating dinner, which is not a method that I can sustain. I know I will figure out a way to eat even after all of the places on campus have closed… I hope.

6-11-13

         Today made me feel pretty lucky for being assigned the clients that I was. I got to meet my first client this morning as he came to speak to our entire program about his journey and dedication to his technology business. It makes me feel honored yet humbled to have the opportunity to work with Luvuyo Rani who has inspired my professor Dr. Morris to become what he is now. I am honestly quite nervous since I have no idea how I will be able to help a man who has already created 23 stores in Cape Town teaching computer classes and selling computers. He seems to have his head on right but I trust that Dr. Morris knows he still needs a little help. I am excited to interact with him and see how he will view us since he has already participated in this program once before. I was completely shocked when I found out that I would be visiting my second client’s coffee shop during our tour of Kayelitsha (which I will get to in a second). Vuyile Msaku owns such a beautiful little coffee shop and I cannot wait to learn more about his past and his vision for the future. His coffee and muffins were delicious and I am excited to have more when I return for our first meeting tomorrow. My team and I have apparently been assigned two of the most interesting clients that are participating on the program. I am not sure why we have been chosen to help these people but I hope Dr. Morris sees something that I do not. We are also the only group to have already met our clients, which makes me feel like we sort of have a head start, but I doubt I will feel the same way once we settle in and start to evaluate their businesses.

            The second part of my day was quite the eye-opening experience. We were taken on a tour of the township of Kayelitsha. This tour started at a lookout point in the middle of this township that looked over the entire area that is home to millions of people. Let me be clear that this area is not small by any means, but I was still surprised at how many people could live there. I haven’t brought my camera anywhere since I am a little nervous of it being stolen off my back. Therefore, I have no pictures thus far but I plan on bringing it places from now on. I need mementos of these beautiful places and I must take risks in order to capture them. From the lookout we then went to the coffee shop, which lies in the business district of Kayelitsha. This district is very small but much nicer than I had imagined. It looks put together and well kept which is quite surprising due to the absolute turmoil surrounding it. We then drove to an inspirational orphanage in the Township. The children were absolutely beautiful and it made me so happy to see them smile and thrilled to see us. Their youth is beautiful and leads me to believe that there is hope for the future. I really hope one day that I can return to South Africa and bring my children to places like these so they can experience the love within the hearts of these people as I have.