Let’s have an honest African business conversation… the kind we usually whisper after two bottles of Mazoe and a serious budget crisis.
Most SMEs and start-ups are out here recruiting like they are building Standard Chartered Bank.
“Must have a degree.”
“5 years’ experience.”
“Master’s is an added advantage.”
Meanwhile the business itself is still an “added struggle.”
THE PROBLEM WITH HIRING “READY-MADE BOSSES”
You hire someone with:
A degree
A diploma
A master’s
And confidence that can shake your entire boardroom
Day 1 they are already asking:
“What’s the salary review structure?”
“Do we have fuel allowance?”
“Is there a work-life balance policy?”
My brother… what life are we balancing when the business is still crawling?
These guys are talented, yes.
But many of them are not wired for the chaos of a growing business.
They want structure…
You are still building the structure.
They want stability…
You are still negotiating rent.
They want weekends off…
You are still chasing survival.
So what happens?
The moment things get tough… they update their CV
The moment a better offer comes… they are gone
Because to them, it’s a job.
To you, it’s survival.
MEANWHILE… ENTER THE O-LEVEL SOLDIER
Now look at the other side.
The guy with O Levels.
The girl with A Levels.
No big English.
No big CV.
No “strategic frameworks.”
But give them a chance…
They show up early
They leave late
They learn fast
They fight for the business like it’s their last born child
Why?
Because for them:
This is not just a job.
This is an opportunity
This is a breakthrough
This is their “we made it” story in progress
THE RABBIT & THE ELEPHANT ECONOMY
In small businesses, life is simple:
Some months we catch a rabbit
Some months we catch an elephant
And guess what?
The O-Level team understands this language perfectly.
You tell them:
“This month things are not okay…”
They say:
“No problem boss, next month we push harder.”
You land a big deal?
They celebrate like they own shares even if they don’t (yet).
That’s loyalty you cannot teach in university.
LET’S BE CLEAR IT’S NOT ABOUT EDUCATION
This is not an attack on degrees.
Degrees are powerful.
Education is important.
But here’s the truth most people avoid:
A degree does not equal hunger
A master’s does not equal loyalty
Experience does not equal sacrifice
And…
Lack of a degree does not equal lack of intelligence
Some of the sharpest, most street-smart, solution-driven people you will ever meet…
…don’t have framed certificates.
But they have:
Common sense
Work ethic
Adaptability
And a heart for the mission
STARTUPS DON’T NEED EMPLOYEES THEY NEED BELIEVERS
When your company is still small, you are not building a workforce…
You are building a tribe.
People who will:
Knock doors with you
Fail with you
Learn with you
Grow with you
Not people who are constantly calculating:
“Am I being underpaid for my qualifications?”
Because at that stage…
The business is not paying salaries it’s building a future.
THE REAL STRATEGY SMART ENTREPRENEURS USE
The smartest founders don’t choose one side.
They mix:
1 or 2 highly skilled professionals (for structure & direction)
A team of hungry learners (for execution & growth)
Because:
Skills build systems
Hunger builds empires
FINAL WORD STOP RECRUITING FOR STATUS, START RECRUITING FOR SURVIVAL
My fellow entrepreneurs…
Stop hiring to impress people.
Start hiring to grow the business.
That quiet guy with O Levels might:
Become your best salesperson
Build your operations from scratch
Stay when everyone else leaves
And one day…
You’ll look back and say:
“This one… we built something together.”
THE TAKEAWAY
Don’t just ask:
“Who is the most qualified?”
Start asking:
Who is willing to fight?
Who is willing to learn?
Who is willing to grow with us?
Because in the early stages of business
Hunger will always outperform certificates.
Let me stop before HR people say I’m trying to remove degree requirements from job adverts.
