Victor's Open Letter To You

A year ago, this wasn't possible.

Jali Originals.

A year ago, this wasn't possible.

This time last year, the newsletter you're reading didn't exist. 

Just over 9 months ago, I left my noisy room to get on a phone call with a few friends to share how we could collaborate to launch an idea that would 'change the narrative of African businesses forever.'

Very modest ambitions indeed. 

My plan was simple; use storytelling and communication strategies to scale really promising African brands.

Africa is witnessing a turning point generation. 

We are seeing a ridiculous amount of young people venturing into entrepreneurship with the dream to scale their ideas for global relevance and I believe we can help these audacious entrepreneurs scale their brands by showing them how to use effective communication strategies and stories-centric content to take brands to the next level. The best part? This isn't wishful thinking. 

I have proof. 

Several brands have done it. Several brands are currently doing it. Several brands will still do it. The only problem I detected was the percentage of these brands that were African. 

It wasn't looking good. 

The quick phone call turned to a few meetings  over the next 3 weeks and on the 26th of March, 2022, the newsletter was live.

9 months ago, the goal was to provide a reliable resource that would teach young African entrepreneurs and storytellers how to use storytelling and communication strategies to scale their brands.

Why the heck did I think I was qualified to do this?

- because I had done it for myself. 

- I had studied the art of storytelling and applied it and proved that it wasn't a fluke; that there's an actual formula to growing a business with the right brand communication strategy. 

Has anything changed? 

Yes and No. 

No, in the sense that our passion remains the same. I think it's stronger than it's ever been because I have had the privilege of taking out time to reflect on what exactly we were doing, how best we can help you and how we can put structures to ensure consistency. 

See ehn, we want you to feel like you just finished a productive communication strategy session every time you read our articles. We want you to learn something new that can transform your business. We want you to finally learn how to use content as a tool to change your story.

However, in some ways we have changed. We have made some changes on how we go about serving you.

Don't worry, it's much better. 

■ In 2022, we didn't interact with you enough. The communal feeling of being a subscriber to this newsletter wasn't there and we know why.

■ In 2022 , we couldn't stay consistent with our uploads because of burnout and overwhelm. 

■ In 2022,  we definitely weren't this vulnerable with you. 

This year, we have a resolve to do better and we have a more defined plan to do that. 

Here's what to expect: 

1. Our articles and publications are going to be simple, yet filled with depth as always. 

2. We would have a  bi-weekly structure for uploading our newsletter content 

3. We are set to launch a new publication called "Story time with Victor" where I share relatable stories of my career that can help fellow professionals in the brand and Marketing communications space. 

Our goal for this year is simple; to ensure we give you so much knowledge for free that you feel a little guilty you're not paying for such knowledge. 

To amazing stories,

To more knowledge,

To you, the reason this even exists,

cheers. 

Victor

( founder, Jali Africa)