I will never forget the time I spent abroad with my fellow Aggies. It was awesome to see how we went from a group of random students to close friends in a matter of two and a half weeks. The trip allowed us to attempt to understand the difficulties and struggles faced when doing business in South Africa. However, at the same time, we witnessed the creativity and success that can come from celebrating and embracing South Africa’s troubled history. Each business meeting and conversation provided an avenue for us to further understand the culture and context of business in the country. The change in my perspective from the first day to leaving was in my understanding of the mental hurdles that African business people face. The culture of the townships and communities appears to promote a more relaxed lifestyle, one not conducive to entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship is more of a rarity than in the United States. They also have to overcome the perceived barriers that remain from the apartheid era. This was something that I had not realized going into the trip on day one. The trip also provided the experience to meet with entrepreneurs such as the founder of the Veldskoen, a traditionally styled African dress shoe. The meeting was one of my favorite business meetings, as the story and mentality of the founder were fascinating. The company has become internationally recognized in a matter of years. The founder also viewed his responsibility as celebrating the history of Africa while prepping the company to be taken over by the next generation. The CEO had a very people-orientated mindset instead of a profit one. In addition, the founder was open and welcoming to competitors, even those using the same name, as he wanted to expand the market size of the African shoe style instead of taking all of a smaller market. His ideals were unique and different, something that I found intriguing and something that could be applied to businesses here in the United States.
