{"product_id":"failing-to-win-hard-earned-lessons-from-a-purpose-driven-startup-9781990956447","title":"Failing To Win: Hard Earned Lessons From A Purpose-Driven Startup","description":"\u003cp\u003e • Author(s): Mike Quinn\u003cbr\u003e • Publisher: Mike Quinn\u003cbr\u003e • Publisher Imprint: Mike Quinn\u003cbr\u003e • BISAC: Corporate Finance - Venture Capital\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 2009, Canadian entrepreneur Mike Quinn packed his backpack and moved to Lusaka, Zambia on a mission to find African entrepreneurs building scalable, high-impact businesses. There he stumbled across two South African brothers who had founded a business to help unbanked smallholder farmers receive mobile payments in a market where cash was king. After convincing his retired parents to mortgage their house and lend him $100,000, Mike joined as a co-founder of Zoona and became CEO for nine of the next ten years.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith his partners, Mike built a network of more than 3,000 entrepreneur agents across Zambia and Malawi that enabled millions of unbanked consumers to send and receive $2.5-billion in money transfers and remittances. Headquartered in Cape Town, South Africa, Zoona raised over $35-million of venture investment and operated on the leading edge of Africa's emerging fintech ecosystem.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMike's remarkable story gives a rare and honest glimpse into the workings of a pioneering African startup through the lens of a purpose-driven entrepreneur who went \"all in\". Zoona faced tremendous adversity along the way: currency crises, investment round collapses, ruthless pushback from the major mobile network operators, and a continuous internal struggle to discover and execute a growth strategy that matched the company's billion-dollar ambition. It was by failing to win that Mike learned what entrepreneurship is all about, and it was what motivated him to double down and try again.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"This raw, honest account is a must-read for anyone thinking about starting a company and for every entrepreneur who feels alone in the journey.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e- Elizabeth Yin, Co-Founder \u0026amp; General Partner of Hustle Fund\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Startups are hard. Most people understand this. However, most people don't understand why. Mike's story is a rare glimpse into how challenges present themselves - and ultimately how to overcome.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e- Matt Flannery, Co-Founder of Kiva \u0026amp; Branch\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"In a rare look behind the scenes, Mike shares a vivid picture of the other side of leadership we don't talk about enough. As he aptly describes 'founding, failing and winning', this book highlights the risk of taking that all-important first step, embracing failure and ensuring you learn the transformative lessons critical to success as an entrepreneurial leader.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e- Fred Swaniker, Founder of African Leadership Group\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"This story is a gift for entrepreneurs and indeed anyone wanting to learn about the first generation of African fintechs that paved the way for future companies to thrive.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e- Katlego Maphai, Co-Founder \u0026amp; CEO of Yoco\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Mike's humility, resilience and depth of knowledge of how to build a pan-African business are unique, and his testimony of experience is an important short history of the fintech boom on the continent.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e- Elizabeth Rossiello, Founder \u0026amp; CEO of AZA\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"\u003cem\u003eFailing To Win\u003c\/em\u003e is a captivating account of an incredibly talented and unusually forthright entrepreneur who built an ambitious purpose-led company that started in Zambia. At Oxford I have taught the Zoona case study to countless MBA students to show how fundamental principles of entrepreneurship can be meaningfully applied in a novel context. It just takes courageous and smart individuals who are not afraid of failing (in order) to win.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e- Thomas Hellmann, DP World Professor of Entrepreneurship \u0026amp; Innovation at Oxford's Saïd Business School\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mike Quinn","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":45414373097623,"sku":"9781990956447","price":1702.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0666\/3471\/1191\/files\/9781990956447.webp?v=1767920127","url":"https:\/\/atlanticbooks.com\/products\/failing-to-win-hard-earned-lessons-from-a-purpose-driven-startup-9781990956447","provider":"Atlantic Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}