Roofing sheets manufacturer, Uganda Baati has advised its dealers and partners to normalise involving their families in business discussions, if they are to thrive beyond second generation.
This was on Friday, during the Annual Dealers Conference 2022, organised by Uganda Baati at Speke Resort in Munyonyo.
Held under the theme, “Partnerships for shared success”, the event attracted the company’s dealers including hardware owners and retailers of their products across the country.
Speaking to the media, the Head of Business at Uganda Baati, George Arodi, applauded their dealers and partners in the channel of market. He said, these account for 60% of the company’s total sales.
Furthermore, Arodi highlighted that most of the hardware shops are family businesses. He, however, stressed that these are not well structured like private companies.
He noted that as Uganda Baati, they looked forward to arming the hardware businesses with processes and systems that can make them thrive beyond the second generation.
“We have actually related over the years through research so that they are able to grow beyond the second generation and we want to unpack the reasons why they can’t actually be able to grow,” Arodi said.
Uganda Manufacturers Association (UMA) executive director, Daniel Birungi, commended Uganda Baati for organising the engagement.
“We commend Uganda Baati for this conversation to say how we work together to ensure that the product sent to the market is affordable for everyone involved,” Birungi said.
One of the panelists at the event, Dr Peter Kimbowa, a global leadership catalyst, advised hardware owners emphasise on building family businesses.
He noted that whereas all big companies start small, family businesses have had a different way in which they have excelled because of their togetherness and commitment.
“Founders of businesses have an exaggerated sense of self and opinion; they would rather have fun at family parties than talk about businesses. You should know that in a family conversation, business should be part since it brings a different form of pride to have a family working together,” Kimbowa said.
Meanwhile, Anthony Nganga, Safal Group Marketing, Communication and External Affairs Director, revealed that, an e-commerce platform has been established across all Safal Group operations including Uganda Baati.
The platform, according to him, is meant to bring convenience to the doorsteps of the customer in terms of how they place their orders and how they can be able to supply the materials without the hustles.
“What we have realised over the years is that customers seek more convenience because they do not have the time to go the bank to withdraw money to be able to pay, they don’t have time to be able to walk to your shops and to be able to place that order. They don’t have the time,” Nganga said.
He added that, with consumer journeys continuing to change, they have realised that customers now prefer to start their journey online and that the company will now focus on completing that journey online.
“Five to ten years from today, alot of purchases are going to happen online and rather than us trying to catch up ten years from today, we are starting the journey now, we are going to learn as we go as we continue to serve the customers on digital,” he said.
