INTERVIEW: THINK OUTSIDE OF THE ORDINARY; 2023 Business Trends Pacesetter and publisher-Lena Mirembe Pira advises Ugandan entrepreneurs

In this exclusive interview ahead of the 4^th Business Trendsetters Forum scheduled to take place on 31st August 2023 at Sheraton Kampala Hotel, we talk to Lena Mirembe Pira, the Director of LEAP Publishers, the company that manages African Books, an online publishing platform.

The 4th Business Trendsetters Forum is coming up on 4^th May under the theme MINDSET CHANGE ENABLING REINVENTION IN BUSINESS and you are one of the Pace Setters cum guest speakers, what should people expect from Lena Mirembe Pira?

They can expect new ideas, especially regarding what is new in the publishing industry, what the trends are in publishing, information about ebooks and information about bringing new content to the world.

They should also expect a discussion about thinking outside of the box in terms of books and in terms of the writing culture in Uganda and Africa as a whole.  So, people coming to the Forum should expect these kinds of things.

I will definitely touch on questions that authors and publishers have. I’ll also talk about developing something that someone needs or wants.

How much of an impact does reading have in creating mindset change, especially for entrepreneurs?

I’m a Christian, so I think about a lot of things from that perspective. And there’s a verse in the Bible, Hosea 4:6, that says My people die for lack of knowledge.

Whether you’re a business person; whether you’re a parent; whether you’re an employee; whoever you are, if you don’t know what you’re going to do, you’re either going to flounder or you’re going to kill your project.

You’re going to fall flat on your face, and you may eventually die because you don’t know what you’re doing. So, there’s a common phrase that says leaders are readers. Leaders need the knowledge to lead other people. So without knowledge and information, you can’t go anywhere.

The theme of the Forum regards mindset change, how much of it is needed in today’s business world?

I think it depends on where you’re from, and where you grew up from. Every single culture has its own specific set of mindsets. However, we’re now living in a global society so if you don’t start thinking globally, you get left behind.

Some cultures think more globally than others just because of the exposure level, but that doesn’t mean that if you’re in a culture that’s very single-minded, you can’t survive.

You have to expand your mind and think outside of the usual and be okay with change because you won’t impact the world if you don’t think of new ways to interact with the world.

Are you saying that rigidity has no place in Business today?

Indeed. This is a changing world. So, for instance, like, you develop a new product today and tomorrow it’s outdated. If the people who used to type on typewriters insisted that they’re going to keep using typewriters now, I can tell you, none of them would have any business because the computer took over and those people who refused to change were kicked out.

Business people must constantly be upgrading their knowledge. They say you need to be a lifelong learner to survive. You can’t just go to school and then say, I graduated when I was 25 and I’m done learning, and now I’m going to do everything the same way. From the age of 25 to 75, you will literally be kicked out of the world.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses are reinventing, what should inform this entrepreneurial rebirth?

To reinvent something, you really need to study the environment and the audience that you’re trying to target and what their expectations of you are. But also, are you solving a problem? So problems in society are constantly changing.

Look and be critical about where the problem point is – that is where business is; solve that. If you’re not solving a problem, you will never get the attention of your customers or your clients.

So be intentional about studying your market, but also studying what globally is coming up so that you can keep in mind it’s similar to that lifelong learning thing we were talking about before.

As a publisher with African Books, a position that gives you access to a lot of global information and knowledge, what can you say are the worthwhile trends an investor should direct his or her money?

Right now the economy is in a recession so you have to be smart about how you invest. Now is the time to build your foundation so that when the economy bounces back you are ready for your clientele.

If you are doing a business and you are setting the foundation of your business, you must set it in a way that when the economy bounces back you are still useful.

In terms of investment, I would say invest in a foundation and what is coming in the future – be future-minded when investing; don’t think about the now, think five years from now.

Print is dying; I wouldn’t go and invest in a newspaper printing business at the moment because newspaper copy sales are declining every year.

Since you are in the business of managing information and knowledge, do you believe there is enough correct information on the Ugandan market to guide entrepreneurs? 

It is picking up, there are some books on investment and entrepreneurship. We have access to many global books. The internet has more data. We are living in an information age.

Even if it is not in a book, you can get your phone and Google. Many things will pop up. Being curious and looking for knowledge is very necessary.

Any message to CEOs, Business Leaders and Entrepreneurs?

First I wish to thank the vision bearer of the Business Trendssetters’ Forum; Yvonne Mpanga and other Pace setters, Ramathan Ggoobi, Prof. Dr. Patrick Ogwang and Eng. Joel Aita for embracing the need to Innovate and transform ourselves and our businesses in an innovative manner.

I urge all business people to document innovative ways and customer awe experiences so as to endeavour to improve in every aspect of their businesses. From human resources management to new product development and sales.