Today on The Fatboy Show, James Onen, popularly known as Fatboy, while recognizing the need to jumpstart the economy ahead of the full reopening of all sectors next week, encouraged Ugandans to support fellow Ugandan businesses.
He made the statements in reference to a Facebook post which he came across that said, “Sadly in Uganda, for your business to succeed, your friends shouldn't know that it's yours.”
Lesham, intrigued by the statement, reasoned that this is usually because friends keep on borrowing and taking the business products and services on credit, promising to pay at a later date.
Fatboy with the same opinion commented that some friends will even do this deliberately to pull down a friend's business. “Sometimes it's partly malice because some people won't just sit and watch their friend thrive so they make sure you fail so that they can feel good about their miserable existence.”
He added that sometimes people will never consume a friend’s product or service consciously and will usually opt for foreign ones because they have a bigger number of consumers and are more established.
“We have a serious inferiority complex of thinking that for something to be good, it has to be foreign which is unfortunate because supporting local brands and business is what helps the country ultimately,” Fatboy commented.
He gave an example of one not buying clothes from a friend's boutique because of viewing it as a “hustle” rather than an actual business, and preferring a foreign retail outlet or sending relatives for similar products abroad.
“We need to change our attitude in 2022 and stop this issue of Ugandans not supporting each other. I am not saying that you should support Ugandan businesses just because they are Ugandan, but if they show that they are equally capable of providing a service that is easily comparable, give them a chance by offering them your patronage,” he advised.
Lesham added that Ugandans should also learn to give feedback on a product they're dissatisfied with to help the business owner improve. “The reason behind why ‘white’ businesses got to the level they are now is because they complained. Only when we attend to our establishments and consistently complain about the services is when they will get better,” she suggested.
The Fatboy show is hosted by James Onen aka Fatboy, Olive, Sarah and Lesham every weekday from 6am to 10am on RX Radio.