Beyond Charity: How a Pre-School Mom Connects African Talent with the Global Marketplace

Meet Valerie Bowden, a young mother who after living in Ethiopia for eight years returned to the U.S. with her family and founded a business that connects African talent to entrepreneurs in the U.S. and Canada.Charity and aid in Africa often do more harm than good, creating an inequitable relationship. Business partnerships offer a win-win model for fairer relationships.When I asked Valerie if she ever doubted herself when creating Crdle she said “No.  It was a burning inside me that I couldn’t NOT do.”  Too many Africans on the continent were telling her fair business relationships was what they needed, not “aid.” So she turned that social work ethic, including that of listening to people and supporting their leadership, to becoming an entrepreneur herself and a partner with small businesses and entrepreneurs in Africa. On this episode of Mother Tree Network, Valerie joins us to talk about her organization Crdle, which connects African entrepreneurs and skilled individuals with partners in the global marketplace. Valerie shares cultural differences between Ethiopian and US work culture and how building relationships can enhance productivity. Valerie and I talked about the Ethiopian cultural differences that could benefit American work culture, including:Centering relationshipMaking people more important than timeMoving at the rate of trustValerie has a five-month old baby and when I asked how she manages a start up and her young family, she said that she prioritizes self-care.  She gets up at 4:30am every morning and begins her day with three hours of quiet, movement, journaling, and coffee.  She also gets 7-8 hours of sleep every night because her body breaks down without that minimum.  How does she do all of this and run a business?Partnerships.She has a Ugandhan partner who handles a lot of the back-end business aspects so that she can focus on spending her days promoting African talent and match-making.Sustainably paid African partners can benefit both entrepreneurs seeking to expand their operations and those looking to start a side hustle. Paying a fair wage helps to reset  the balance towards more fair relationships and business endeavors. Valerie challenges stereotypes about people from different cultures and encourages trying new things to learn and grow. She has worked with non-profits in African communities and realized that many charities do not make a real impact, and some actually cause damage. By adopting a business approach, Valerie creates win-win partnerships where both parties benefit and there is a more fair and balanced relationship.Valerie shares how African businesses can offer unique and cool products that aren't found in the US. She cites an example of how entrepreneurs can source white label products from Africa instead of going to platforms like Alibaba for generic products. Additionally, she mentions how small startups and businesses can find affordable talent in African countries with a lower cost of living, thereby creating more cost-effective business solutions.The podcast shares how everyone can play a vital role in helping Africa's growth and development, aligning their values with financial investments through Crdle. Valerie emphasizes that ethics and values from the helping professions can be creatively applied to make an impact in various fields, including business.If you want to Regenerate your Racial Justice, please join our Soul Journey to the Summer Solstice.  We go beyond self-care.  We're going to reawaken your ancestral and earth connections so that you can Regenerate and Roar with LSupport the showMother tree Network Podcast--Where  Earth Wisdom Meets Racial Justice and Women's Leadership. Want to become your unlimited self and evolve the planet?Go here to get the Mother Tree podcast + Show Notes sent to your inboxhttps://www.dramandakemp.com/podcast