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Canvas Rebel – Meet Maxwell Adew
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We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Maxwell Adew.
We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Maxwell below.
Hi Maxwell, thanks for joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
I worked in the non-profit sector previously. I was passionate about global problems and challenges and how we can address them. During that period I was privileged to have visited over 30 African countries and each time I travelled to any African country, friends, family, and colleagues always asked me to buy them something like African prints, shea butter, black soap, African honey, and the rest. Everybody always wants something from Africa.
On this particular trip, we went to Morocco and visited a village in Marrakech where local women produced argan oil. When we got there, I realized that the women producing the oil with their bare hands were manual labour and not even in a small or medium-sized factory. Argan oil holds great cultural significance in Morocco, where it is often referred to as “liquid gold.”
Traditionally, it has been used by Moroccan women for centuries for its cosmetic and culinary benefits. The production of argan oil not only supports the local economy but also preserves an important aspect of Moroccan heritage, as the techniques and knowledge are passed down through generations of women.
I asked one of the local women why they were using their hands and how much they made from the oil they produced. She said we just work here so that we can afford bread to feed ourselves and our family. I was deeply touched to hear that local women are doing manual labour for argan oil which is sold very expensive only to afford bread. I was unable to sleep that night. I started thinking about what we can do because I spotted a problem somewhere that is affecting small businesses both formal and informal and the problem is access to the market.
We need to create proven access to the market for both the formal and informal sectors so that they can sell their product directly to those who will buy instead of the middlemen taking advantage of them.
In 2018 we launched Kuueza as the gateway for SMEs globally and most especially African SMEs to have access to retailers and consumers who will buy directly from them.
We believe several retailers and wholesalers are looking to buy African products from the source while empowering local economies and directly impacting the lives of the producers. That is our mission!
Maxwell, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My name is Maxwell Adew I am a tech entrepreneur, educator and innovator, with a demonstrated history of working in the non-profit organization management industry. I love solving problems with technology.
Over the years, we observed entrepreneurs running small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Africa that tried to obtain access to markets but were faced with restrictions from traditional regulatory ecosystems of trade. Many regulations are far too complex for locals to understand or navigate around. People must fend for themselves, contend with the unprecedented challenges of trying to access new markets, be insecure about connecting with organizations and people whom they are not familiar with, and be stuck with informal channels that are often unreliable.
At Kuueza, our goal is to be the innovative solution for SMEs throughout Africa to bypass borders, and establish working relationships on a single digital platform, enabling the informal and formal sectors to integrate to build a strong economic system
I am proud to say that we have been able to successfully create sustainable access to the market for over 100,000 SMEs in 17 countries since we launched. My happiest moments are when these SMEs sell their product on our platform and receive their payment. That is when I can finally say we delivered on our promises.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
I remember when we launched our mobile app on the 29th of October 2020. It took us about 2 years to design and build the app. We spent over $50,000 and we thought it was going to be a game changer. After the app was released into the market we had a huge download. 6 months later we realized the app was actually not what the customer wanted. We lost our revenue and for over 9 months we did not generate even 1$. We had to pivot and come up with a solution that was tailor-made to our customers’ needs and that was the game changer.
We’d love to hear your thoughts about selling platforms like Amazon/Etsy vs selling on your own site.
We build a marketplace for buyers and sellers to connect and sell their products. So we do not sell on any of these platforms. We have our own platform where we sell and connect with global buyers, retailers, and consumers. Selling on another platform is good depending on your type of business, audience, location and what you are selling. In our case, it is a B2B marketplace for SMEs from both formal and informal sectors to connect with global buyers. E-commerce as a tool is very important for businesses especially small businesses but at the same time, a business must use a platform that can cater for their needs not just looking for where to sell their product.
Source: Canvas Rebel
kuueza
Africa's leading B2B marketplace. Connecting African businesses to the global market. Facilitating cross border trade within Africa and globally.
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