Rather than be beaten by being a refugee, Elijah Abdalla used it to pursue his fascination with electronics.
What’s your story?
I fled from the Sudan war and entered Kenya in 2015, joined high school and did project management. I achieved more than 10 entrepreneur courses from inspiring organizations in the camp which gave me power in identifying opportunities. As a skilled entrepreneur, I identified the critical gap of electronic waste based on mobile phone and computer repair and maintenance. Refugees had demands and I had to grab opportunities. That’s when I decided to open my project.
What excites you most about your industry?
What excites me about this industry is the innovation within the initiative. I identified a new idea of transforming various electronic items to home telephones you can use at office, business places, and the wonder is that it can be used internationally, which was very innovative unlike office telephones which require specific networks and are needed by refugees. We also made some fans which use 5V—you just connect to your laptop and get fresh air. That’s something I was really excited about and felt like I could make easily.
What drives you in your career to push beyond what other people consider normal?
I chose this over other careers because I had talent in anything to do with electronics or technology. I love inventions and I agree with complex solutions. I remember the first miracle I did was a device I repaired when I was 7 years old—I wasn’t even at school yet! So that was a bell for what I could do in the future, that confirmed what my interest is all about.
What have been the most useful skills you have learnt and applied in your journey?
The most important skills I have learned were entrepreneur skills and computer skills.
What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?
I received the 3 best pieces of advice from my mentor who advised me on:
- Taking risks and being persistent in whatever I initiate
- Do not rush to launch without a plan
- Get advice from professional successful personnel
Who inspires you?
I have more than one person who actually inspires me—my entrepreneur mentor who trained me for 6 months during the beginning of my activity. He trained me on how to do strategic saving plans to make activities run. This changed me from overspending to focusing on goals.
What have you learnt recently that blew you away?
The industry I have started hasn’t notified people that there’s creativity within this project, and I am heading to invent something that will help people technologically. I have learned that real hardwork skills can change life more than relying on job applications. You can earn thousands being your own boss, and that’s everyone’s dream.
If you had your time again, what would you do differently?
I would create more unique opportunities to inspire refugees to create employment to deal with hunger in the camp.
How do you unwind?
I unwind by playing solo guitar melodies, watching comics and action movies.
What is a major mindset change, belief shift or ‘aha’ moment that you’ve experienced in relation to your career?
Before, I used to believe that entrepreneurs are the smallest person in terms of finance, and ignored. But after going through entrepreneur studies, I came to learn and saw that entrepreneurs are the cause of economic development in every country. And most entrepreneurs possess hand skills—they are self-driven.
Everyone in business should read this book:
Hey, I have 2 important books that go together by International Labor Organization (ILO):
GYBI—that’s Generate Your Business Idea SIYB—Start and Improve Your Business
Maybe check the books from this website: https://www.ilo.org/siyb. However, I have the hard copies of them.
These training manual books are resourceful tools to make your business successful.
Shameless plug for your business or career:
WOW! That’s exactly what happened to my business. I have initially been advertising my phones and laptop products through direct face-to-face with local customers, explaining the benefits of products. It’s really tiresome and shameless—I must struggle to convince and reach more customers with what I was offering, especially in remote areas.
How can people connect with you?
People can connect with me through LinkedIn, Facebook, emails and WhatsApp/direct calls.
Social Media Links?
https://www.facebook.com/share/1CC2sNW1Un/?mibextid=wwXIfr
https://www.facebook.com/share/15zCebpbEP/?mibextid=wwXIfr
This interview is part of the CallumConnects series.