Unveiling the downfall of Root Café. Advice for African entrepreneurs
Around me, the question has been raised several times. What happened to Root Café? For those who know that I was intimately involved in the project, handling branding, interior design, communication, marketing… Those who know that sweat and blood had to be shed to bring forth this beautiful baby still ask me over a cup of coffee… But where is Root Café? After several years of turning a deaf ear, I reveal to close associates the reason for Root’s downfall, but more importantly, I will use this platform to share advice with entrepreneurs and other brand managers operating in our Afro-centric environments. Autopsy.
Steve Tchoumba and the ambitious Root Café project
It all started with a simple idea. Steve Tchoumba, my boss at Activspaces and a longtime friend, was looking for an investment idea. A cool idea. At the same time, my young intern who was finishing his graphic design classes with me was working on the end-of-internship project I entrusted to him. The branding of a concept store, which he had to develop from A to Z. The initial elements took shape, and the opportunity was too good to pass up. Steve decided to bring this project to life and gather the necessary funds for the launch.
The challenge of originality at all levels
Honestly, public engagement was good but, more importantly, fast. There were often some public figures, regulars, but above all, a desire to never fall into a routine. We organized speed dating, after parties, art dedication sessions, stand-up comedy shows, including the very first presentation by Stephan Dipita, with Julien Eboko. In short, it was one of the 1000 places to see before you die.
In terms of branding, it was one of the jobs I enjoyed the most setting up. Lots of positive feedback and, above all, a brand experience that aligned exactly with what was expected. Warm, inclusive, cozy, and above all, authentic.
Branding and communication, OK
Honestly, public engagement was good but, more importantly, fast. There were often some public figures, regulars, but above all, a desire to never fall into a routine. We organized speed dating, after parties, art dedication sessions, stand-up comedy shows, including the very first presentation by Stephan Dipita, with Julien Eboko. In short, it was one of the 1000 places to see before you die.
In terms of branding, it was one of the jobs I enjoyed the most setting up. Lots of positive feedback and, above all, a brand experience that aligned exactly with what was expected. Warm, inclusive, cozy, and above all, authentic.
Failure of staff
Unfortunately, having a correct branding and well-oiled communication is not always enough. The quality of personnel in service industries is a crucial element. Trained in service, yes. Trained in managing the establishment, yes. Everything was there. But feeling like an integral part of the organization is another thing. Work ethic, respect for the establishment, the desire to see the structure grow and grow with it, even if only for a year, today it’s asking too much of a young person given a chance. It pilfers from the cash register, tinkers with the numbers, deals with suppliers, and ultimately leads to a decline in customer service management.
The key solution
If something went wrong, it clearly does not fall within the realm of the quality of products, branding, or aspects of marketing and communication. No. When you start a business, you must have a reliable team you can rely on, not just in terms of skills. This is a critical aspect. The onboarding process is an important step to align the staff with the vision and ethics, to the point of making it a corporate culture that can spontaneously replicate as teams renew.
To have an effective and long-lasting staff, beyond technical aspects, identify three soft skills in your recruits during the test/recruitment phase:
- Relational intelligence
- Problem-solving
- Metacognition or simply the ability to learn from oneself to adapt.
These basic skills are necessary to have individuals who progress by advancing the organization.
This last piece of advice, some will go to MBA programs at Stanford, Berkeley, or HEC to learn this. And they will be right. Others, like us, will learn it through experience, in the field, at the cost of sometimes bitter failures. But this experience is priceless, and I will always be happy to share it with you here.”
