The fifth Startup Huddle

The 5th chapter of the monthly startup huddle was held on the 17th of March,2023. 

Two entrepreneurs were invited to grace the occasion and they were Fanta Jawara of KJ Cupcakes and Babucarr Gaye of Substantia farms.

The duo spoke about their businesses in matters like; when it came into existence, how it was formed, challenges they faced etc. 

During the session,Babucarr Gaye gave a brief discussion of how he established the business in 2013. He explained that he runs the farm with his family and it is totally self-funded. He mentioned that Substantia farms is a farm that deals with the growing of fruit and vegetable crops and also deals with poultry. He mentioned how he provides spaces for women in Abuko to use his farm and do their gardening for free.He also encouraged the startup entrepreneurs to start small and then grow, “Just because someone starts big doesn’t mean you start big”.

Fanta Jawara mentioned that she’s a lawyer and also the owner of KJ cupcakes. She mentioned how she started the business in high school as a side hustle and didn’t expect it to grow into a big business. When she was asked how she is able to juggle her work and doing the cake business she mentioned that she has a great team. She initially did it alone but overtime she learned to trust people and allowed them to join her business. She said she started it with her househelp who is now the chief baker in her business. She also encouraged the startups to be consistent and not give up when it gets hard.