Episode

#25 - Mission Driven: Bringing Solar Power to 1M People in Africa
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47:05
Published: Wed Nov 13 2019
Description

He's not on a mission to make money, quite the opposite. Xavier Helgesen is a mission driven founder, who uses money to do more good in the world. His first company, Better World Books sells 10 million used books a year that's collected by leftover books at libraries - in and shares revenues with literacy partners (Over $25M given to non-profits). This business lead him to Africa, where he noticed 20,000 people in a village had no electricity - so he decided to change that. He created Zola Electric, the largest solar power company in Africa, providing 1 million people with electricity per day. He talks to us about how he turned his college side hustle into a $70M biz, moving next to his customers in Tanzania, selling electricity to people who never used electricity and how ‘Mutual Improvement Societies’ could help you 10x your life.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Chapters
HubSpot CRM is an all-in-one tool that helps businesses automate tedious tasks, track contact information and deals, and provide data access for better customer service.
00:00 - 01:24 (01:24)
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CRM
Summary

HubSpot CRM is an all-in-one tool that helps businesses automate tedious tasks, track contact information and deals, and provide data access for better customer service. It's easy to use and free to get started.

Episode
#25 - Mission Driven: Bringing Solar Power to 1M People in Africa
Podcast
My First Million
The speaker talks about his companies, which provide electricity to a million people in Africa every day and have over a million feedbacks on Amazon and eBay.
01:24 - 05:14 (03:50)
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Africa, Energy Entrepreneurship
Summary

The speaker talks about his companies, which provide electricity to a million people in Africa every day and have over a million feedbacks on Amazon and eBay. The companies are modeled after businesses like Tom Shoes, where a product is sold and a product is donated to people in need.

Episode
#25 - Mission Driven: Bringing Solar Power to 1M People in Africa
Podcast
My First Million
Two examples of successful business ventures are shared - one about a student selling textbooks online and the other about Facebook's founder's previous project idea- to emphasize the crucial role of execution in entrepreneurial ideation.
05:14 - 09:49 (04:34)
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Entrepreneurship
Summary

Two examples of successful business ventures are shared - one about a student selling textbooks online and the other about Facebook's founder's previous project idea- to emphasize the crucial role of execution in entrepreneurial ideation.

Episode
#25 - Mission Driven: Bringing Solar Power to 1M People in Africa
Podcast
My First Million
Better World Books is a credible nonprofit that has partnered with Books for Africa to help run their book drives where they sell books online and share the profits.
09:49 - 17:10 (07:21)
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Better World Books
Summary

Better World Books is a credible nonprofit that has partnered with Books for Africa to help run their book drives where they sell books online and share the profits.

Episode
#25 - Mission Driven: Bringing Solar Power to 1M People in Africa
Podcast
My First Million
The guest speaker shares two scenarios from his life where he embraced learning on the job in new industries.
17:10 - 22:10 (05:00)
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Learning
Summary

The guest speaker shares two scenarios from his life where he embraced learning on the job in new industries. He encourages taking risks and diving in to become an expert over time.

Episode
#25 - Mission Driven: Bringing Solar Power to 1M People in Africa
Podcast
My First Million
A discussion on the importance of reliable electricity in off-the-grid communities and the potential of solar power to address this need.
22:13 - 25:26 (03:13)
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Solar Power
Summary

A discussion on the importance of reliable electricity in off-the-grid communities and the potential of solar power to address this need.

Episode
#25 - Mission Driven: Bringing Solar Power to 1M People in Africa
Podcast
My First Million
This podcast discusses how a company, founded by two women, is bringing solar energy solutions to people's homes in Tanzania by utilizing off-the-shelf hardware.
25:26 - 30:52 (05:25)
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Solar Energy
Summary

This podcast discusses how a company, founded by two women, is bringing solar energy solutions to people's homes in Tanzania by utilizing off-the-shelf hardware.

Episode
#25 - Mission Driven: Bringing Solar Power to 1M People in Africa
Podcast
My First Million
The speaker discusses the challenges of accessing reliable energy sources in Nigeria and the development of a new product designed to generate clean, sustainable power.
30:52 - 34:10 (03:18)
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Clean Energy
Summary

The speaker discusses the challenges of accessing reliable energy sources in Nigeria and the development of a new product designed to generate clean, sustainable power.

Episode
#25 - Mission Driven: Bringing Solar Power to 1M People in Africa
Podcast
My First Million
The speaker shares how starting a club with like-minded individuals can be one of the best things in a person's life, helping with collaboration and sharing of valuable tips and information.
34:10 - 37:21 (03:10)
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Entrepreneurship
Summary

The speaker shares how starting a club with like-minded individuals can be one of the best things in a person's life, helping with collaboration and sharing of valuable tips and information. The experience of being an entrepreneur or creative can be a lonely one, but having a community to lean on can be transformative.

Episode
#25 - Mission Driven: Bringing Solar Power to 1M People in Africa
Podcast
My First Million
The pressure to innovate and keep up with the quickly moving tech industry can often take a toll on entrepreneurs, causing burnout and exhaustion.
37:21 - 45:26 (08:04)
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Entrepreneurship
Summary

The pressure to innovate and keep up with the quickly moving tech industry can often take a toll on entrepreneurs, causing burnout and exhaustion.

Episode
#25 - Mission Driven: Bringing Solar Power to 1M People in Africa
Podcast
My First Million
In this transcript excerpt, the guest invites listeners to follow them on Twitter to learn more about improving education, which they predict is still in the early stages of decentralization and disruption.
45:25 - 46:57 (01:31)
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Education
Summary

In this transcript excerpt, the guest invites listeners to follow them on Twitter to learn more about improving education, which they predict is still in the early stages of decentralization and disruption.

Episode
#25 - Mission Driven: Bringing Solar Power to 1M People in Africa
Podcast
My First Million