For My Dad

Before I left for Uganda, my dad bought two new soccer balls and an air pump for me to give away at my liking. It turns out that about quarter-of-a-mile down the road from our Mary's Milk store sits Luzira Secondary School. For the first week or so I passed by the school and noticed the soccer team playing with balls that looked like they were the first soccer balls ever invented and shooting on goals without nets. It also looked as if their was a competition between the soccer team and the local goat population for control of the field. 

In an effort to support the community that has been gracious in welcoming Light of the Lord Global Missions, Uganda to their neighborhood, I decided that Luzira SS was very much deserving of the new soccer balls. I approached the Athletic Director, Kavuma George, and presented him with the balls. Kavuma was ecstatic and thankful for the surprise. He then demanded that I take a picture with him and some of his players as you see above.  All smiles now, but they may not be so happy to see me when I come back and put the team through some CrossFit work outs!

Dad - your new mission is to find some soccer nets for me to bring back for the next go-around!

Victim of the Nile River

I've snowboarded the Rockies, canyoneered the Swiss Alps, and surfed the perfectly blue waters of Costa Rica. Now I have had the ultimate thrill of rafting the ferocious Nile River. It took me 30 of the 31 kilometers of the adventure to actually get over my astonishment of being in the Nile.


To me, the Nile River was a mysterious place learned about in history and geography classes growing up. The closest I ever imagined coming to the river was watching the Discovery and History channels on TV. Who hasn't seen a special on killer crocs and hippos of the Nile?


Rafting the Nile is on the top ten list of every travel guide in East Africa, and for great reason. The day consisted of 31 kilometers (or roughly 20 miles) of Class 5 rapids. Class 5 rapids are the biggest commercially ridable rapids in the world. Anything above Class 5 is illegal for rafting companies to take their rafters through. Aside from the thrill, I was also fortunate to ride with an awesome group of people.  My raft could literally represent the United Nations -  we were all from South Africa, Tanzania, England, Australia, Finland, Germany, Uganda, and the U.S.  


I highly recommend rafting the Nile River to any adrenaline junky out there. If you like to get wet, I guarantee that you will get tossed from your raft. I promise the experience will not let you down. Watch out for the crocs!

Hilarious sequence of me getting bashed by the Nile...

My raft completely submerged in a Class 5. Where am I?

See the bright red helmet in the middle of the raft? That's me. Wait...

See that leg sticking out of the top of the wave? Guess who...

My raft looking for me. I literally flipped backwards out of the raft and had to be fished out of the water by a rescue kayak. I am such a wuss. 

Not my group, but look how the rafters are hanging on for their lives like it's the sinking Titanic...so awesome

Aba's Dream Comes True - Finish Line Crossed!

Pastor Aba riling up the crowd!

Aba's daughter singing - his family drove 150 miles from Soroti for the day

Modest crowd for the first Sunday

Welcome to Sunday service at Light of the Lord Global Missions, Uganda. The first Sunday could not have gone any better and I give all the credit in the world to Aba for pulling it off. With Mary’s Milk consuming every working moment and our limited funds quickly depleting, I instructed Aba to make a bare bones budget and gather exactly what he needed in order to have a service that matched his vision.

On Saturday, I was on my own rafting the Nile River and was unable to communicate with the other Director’s. As a result, the preparation and organization for Sunday’s service was placed completely on Aba’s shoulders. I’ll admit it, my vision of Sunday was a modest tent and chairs and an expectation of just a handful of people. However, I was completely taken aback when I arrived at our service. The set-up was so beautiful that it seemed as if Aba found a way to make the value of every shilling worth tenfold. Not to mention he put my vision to shame. I guess when you know you are about to fulfill a dream, nothing can stop you from matching what you envision. 

The day was complete with flowers, balloons, music and DJ, singers, a translator, an usher, guest speakers, food, drinks, and even a cake cutting ceremony with sparklers! The service started with about 15 people in attendance and finished with roughly 50 people. We also fed about 50 people a full meal with drinks and cake included. The reality is that this might have been some of the attendee’s only meal of the day. 

I take no credit for this amazing day. I was a mere church attendee witnessing Aba fulfill his dream of becoming a Pastor/Preacher. I have a feeling we are going to outgrow our tent within a few Sunday’s…

The cakes read: "Happy Birthday LOLGMU" and "Light of the Lord Global Missions"

All smiles

The kids followed the music

Some dancing 

Funny how our numbers increased as the food and cake were revealed!

Pre service set-up

Mary's Milk Open for Business - Goal #1 Complete

Grand opening! Thursday, April 8, 2010

Our 600L milk cooler set to a perfect 4 degrees celsius. Deep freezer in the corner

Our first 1,000 Uganda shillings. $1= ~2,000 shillings

This day is a day I will never forget - successfully launching a business in a foreign country, employing young locals, providing a critical product to the community, and taking a giant step in creating a sufficient network of operations that will help supplement the long term vision of Light of the Lord Global Missions. Just getting to this day is simply a miracle. You know what else is pretty miraculous? We profited on our first day! A cool 11,500 shillings, or $6. In a future post, I will have to explain the business in detail - from the cows, to the farmers, to the suppliers, to us, and to the market.  

I think I have learned more in just 5 weeks then any MBA or classroom setting could ever offer me. Being thrown directly into the fire is how I like to learn. With that, below are my top discoveries into starting a small business in Uganda (successfully operating the start-up is going to be whole other story). Even though my insight is based from Uganda, some of these points may apply anywhere in the world. 

In no particular order...

1) Over Budget 

• Unforeseen expenses will arise, guaranteed. As a newcomer in a foreign land, there are just certain things you take for granted coming from America and would never think about budgeting for. For example, trucks and SUV's are driven primarily by the government, NGO's, and the very few wealthy Ugandan's. So, without access to a large vehicle, we have to hire out people to move any equipment for us. In America, I would take my Explorer, put the seats down, and fit half a house in the back of my car. Or, I could call up a couple friends with trucks and they'd be glad to lend a hand. Nope, not here. For any help you have to dish out the cash. 

2) Murphy's Law: anything that can go wrong will go wrong

• I dove head first into a culture on the other side of the world. I am living and working within a city jungle where the process of Natural Selection must of been originated.  Time is irrelevant. Show any sign of weakness and you will be eaten alive. I've realized it's wrong and quite possibly dangerous to enter this part of the world with a linear plan and idealistic views. Things will go wrong...every single day. Adversity is a constant enemy to Ugandans so why should it be any different for me and my efforts? You can't control everything. You just have to accept what comes to you and roll with it. 

3) Getting it done and staying flexible

• In the book, In Search of Excellence, the authors promulgate the idea that poor management is a result of managers inability to think outside all the analyses, concrete business plans, financial statements, etc. Simply put, they can't break from paralysis of analysis. In America, you are most often a mile drive, website click, or quick phone call away from every possible need. In Uganda, there are no Yellow Pages, Angies List, or Craiglist. If you get hung up in finding the best painter, the best landscaper, the best equipment, (basically trying to be perfect) you will not get anything accomplished. Often you have to accept what's available and trust your gut instinct over what you had originally planned.

4) Babysitting...not my forte 

• Similar to point number three, if you try and micromanage, you will literally kill yourself trying. If you tell me I look older when I get back to the U.S., it will be because of this point! I am a perfectionist (thanks Dad) and I can be anal about things being done the right way. Moreover, I've had the weight of fulfilling our two big goals on my shoulders for the last five weeks. If we fail, it's on me! With that, I found myself babysitting (or supervising the supervisor) the landlord to make sure all the construction was being completed on time. I found myself babysitting the painter in making sure every single drop of paint was perfectly placed. I was going nuts and I had to pull back. I let go, put it in God's hands, and now we are just two days away from accomplishing both goals. 

5) Know who you are managing

• I was a high school football coach this last Fall in Virginia. I realized quickly that you can't manage young men who are preparing for violence that same way that you would a peaceful-natured Ugandan. When I was a coach, I learned that every kid of mine was motivated differently and had their own reasons for playing the sport. This forced me to get to know my kids on a personal level. What made them tick? What were their goals and dreams? Similarly, I've had to do the same with my Uganda team, but from a different approach. Our Pastor, Aba, bottles up when he is angered or threatened and he withdrawals easily from confrontation. As soon as I lost my cool with Aba, I would lose him. This was before I knew what makes Aba tick. The more I get to know him, the better our relationship becomes. 

6) No more hand holding

• This is and will continue to be very difficult for me, but it's paramount to our success. Our objective is to create self-sustainable projects. The worst thing we could possibly do is create a welfare scenario, for this would do way more harm then good. So, I've put my blood and sweat into this project and now I just have to walk away? Well, yes and no. I will continue to play a support role and dive back in deep when we choose to expand, but it is also time for John, Aba, and Steve to take control of their future and run the show. 

Sunday is going to be another big day as Aba fulfills his dream in becoming a pastor/preacher and starting a church. I will have a follow-up post after the big day. 

Boss Man

My right hand man, John

Angela, our first employee

New marketing material

Mary's Milk Set To Launch

Five weeks ago I landed in Uganda with a rough business plan and a duty to launch the first entrepreneurial start-up supported by Light of the Lord Global Missions. We are now just putting the finishing touches on all our efforts and we are praying that we can open the doors by this Thursday. Most importantly, we will be employing three local villagers and providing a beneficial product to many Ugandan's. I've been drinking from a fire hose since the second I landed, but I love it that way. All the challenges and hard work will be well worth it when we sell our first liter of milk. 

Easter in Pictures

Christ The King located in center city Kampala. 85% of Uganda's population is Christian, split evenly between Catholics and Protestants 

Token white guy! Good to be among fellow Catholics 

Easter dinner with the crew. Apparently, it's not cool to smile in pictures

Best part of my day - Skype phone call with my family. My brother-in-law, Thad, found this "Mzungu" beer mug online and bought it for me as a surprise. Whata guy!

Moving Mountains

"Experience is the greatest teacher," might be the best cliche ever invented. Arriving back in Uganda in mid-March, I set high goals and standards for my team to meet and follow for the roughly six weeks that I am working here in Kampala. As of right this second, Saturday, April 3, 2010, we will accomplish our goals before I leave, but not without a tremendous fight and a tiny bit of divine intervention. 

I'll be completely honest, the Ugandan culture has been a rude awakening for me. "This Is Kampala" (TIK) or "This Is Africa" (TIA) is not a funny expression to me any longer! In one of my earlier posts, I wrote regarding the expression, "As easy and clear as I can say it, basically take every notion of common sense and flip it on it's head." As I have become more accustomed to the culture, I have learned that TIK or TIA not only applies to the minutiae of everyday life (which can be funny), but also to business and government, two institutions that I am dealing with on a daily basis. I'm glad my guys and I are tough, because it takes moving mountains to accomplish any large tasks. 

In the book, "Three Cups of Tea," there is a reoccurring theme involving the main character, Greg Mortenson. Being raised by his missionary parents in Tanzania, Greg is naturally programmed to be on "African time." As described in the book, he is often unreachable - disappearing for days, weeks, and even months. He is never on time, missing deadlines and commitments. He drives his business associates up the wall, but his family and close friends seem to just accept that Greg is forever on African time. 

It's this "African time" that is driving me nuts! When I set goals, it's do it or die trying. When I give my word, shake someones hand, and look them in the eye, I am putting my honor on accomplishing whatever we agreed upon. Again, I am going to follow through or die trying. For someone who has had a life of coaches breathing down my neck, I pride myself on being punctual, following instructions, accomplishing goals, and being honest. I would say most of my closest friends are from a similar mold - it's the classic American work ethic, but in Uganda, all bets are off. 

So, what is "African time"? 

Here are some pretty awesome quotes:

From an anonymous lady in my apartment lobby this morning - "Our appointment was for 10 and it is now 12." Hangs up the phone angrily... "Only in Africa does a scheduled meeting time really mean two hours later from that scheduled time." 

And from the Indian at our equipment supply store after I became upset over a missed deadline that was not met from his end - "This is just how business in Uganda works. You can schedule an appointment for Tuesday, but you really never know what Tuesday of the month it's going to end up being on."

Here is a perfect example of how "African time" has effected our goals and timelines:

My 600L milk cooler was supposed to be here in Kampala two weeks ago, as promised (hand shake and all) by our supplier. Without our milk cooler, we have no business. The best part, our original goal was to launch Mary's Milk by this Monday, April 5th - no longer possible! So, what happened to our cooler? Answer: Mombassa, Kenya. Yep, it's stuck in another country. Uganda is a land locked country, so unless a good is flown in, it is shipped in via boat through the massive port of Mombassa. Next, it is transported via truck to it's intended address, but that's a gamble in itself. If Hell was a series of roads, it would be the roads moving from Mombassa to Kampala. I hope you are getting an idea for how slow things move. 

I mentioned that the cooler was stuck in Mombassa, but why? Because the authorities in Mombassa are corrupt (and smart). They will literally hold up the delivery of goods to the rightful owners through extortion, bribery, or whatever other mean necessary to pinch a few extra dollars for themselves. As our cooler supplier explained, he was forced to pay off the tricksters in Mombassa, delaying the delivery date of the goods. Beautiful!

Basically, "African time" means "at your leisure." It's also based on a snails pace. Commitments are open ended. Promises are taken with a grain of salt. Hand shakes are merely a friendly gesture. Corruption will no doubt find a way in and slow you down even more. These are cultural forces that are out of your control. 

It's not all elephants and palm trees in Uganda. But, there's no giving up in this group. We will overcome whatever cultural obstacles we face and fulfill our obligations to the mission. 

Happy Easter!!!