Ep.190: Alex (@aebridgeman) is joined by Felix Brooks-Church (@felixbc).
My guest is Felix Brooks-Church, CEO of Sanku, which helps local mills across Africa produce fortified food, primarily flour, via their machines and technology.
Felix was introduced to me by David Dodson, co-founder and chairman of the board at Sanku. Sanku has a fascinating origin story, which includes a stint in Nepal, refining the technology, and is now a quickly growing enterprise that has required a ton of learning on Felix's part to adapt his role to the growing company. Felix and I talk about how he's adapted his role, leaning on the board for feedback and advice, sustaining growth, and building discipline.
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Links:
Felix on LinkedIn
Sanku
Sankhu village in Nepal
Topics:
(00:00:00) Intro
(00:04:03) Themes observed across decades of life
(00:08:26) Shifting from an inward focus to an outward focus
(00:09:39) Experiences that prepare you for a Leadership role
(00:11:41) Influences on the mission of Sanku
(00:14:21) The inspiration for fortifying flour as the core of the business
(00:17:29) The Sanku business model
(00:22:46) Takeaways from working in Nepal
(00:29:44) Themes & learnings as a CEO
(00:34:34) Building out an executive team & hiring best practices
(00:42:41) Risk tolerance
(00:44:05) Leaning on peers for support
(00:47:22) What strongly held belief have you changed your mind about?
(00:51:03) What’s the best business you’ve ever seen?
Think Like an Owner