Small Business
Business
A Job Search Strategy for the Average Cameroonian
The post argues that in Cameroon, where most vacancies remain unposted and hiring flows through networks, effective job seeking demands strategic research rather than mass applications. By studying company structures on LinkedIn, identifying weak ties, and targeting growing firms over established giants, a job seeker can shift from blind hope to deliberate positioning.
Rolling Applications and the Real Barriers to Women's Entrepreneurship
Poise examines the extended deadline for the Tony Elumelu Foundation's female entrepreneurship program as a symptom of deeper structural friction, not simply women's hesitation. The writer proposes a rolling application model as a more adaptive alternative to fixed cycles.
Five Starter Business Ideas for the Digital Age in Cameroon
This piece outlines five low-barrier, phone-first business models—furniture, fashion, books, electronics, and accessories—each requiring minimal capital and leveraging social media for reach. The writer emphasizes the importance of quality, presentation, and digital marketing skills as differentiators.
The Camera at Secondary School: Money, Aspiration, and the Entrepreneurial Awakening
A writer recalls purchasing a camera on credit during secondary school and building a photography business to bridge the gap between his limited pocket allowance and the material aspirations of his peers. The venture became his first lesson in accounting, customer service, and the economics of scarcity—and eventually contributed to his expulsion from the institution.
Job Opening: Marketing & Operations Assistant at Just Food, Yaounde
Poise shared a job advertisement for a Marketing & Operations Assistant role at Just Food, a Yaounde-based food processing company specializing in convenient, healthy ready-to-cook traditional African meals. The position, open in January 2021, required a candidate with marketing or business credentials, bilingual proficiency in English and French, and a broad range of operational, customer-facing, and administrative responsibilities.
Job Posting: Marketing & Operations Assistant at Just Food
Poise shared a recruitment notice for a Marketing & Operations Assistant role at Just Food, a Yaounde-based food processing company transforming traditional African dishes into convenient, health-focused ready-to-cook products. The position, posted in January 2021, required marketing and business credentials, bilingual fluency, and a broad range of operational responsibilities spanning customer engagement, logistics, and administrative work.
From Procrastination to Purpose: Mr Oreo's Poultry Farm in Bamenda
A young farmer in Bamenda overcame procrastination and financial constraints to build a 500-capacity poultry farm on his grandmother's land, inspired by a Poise essay on starting over. He reflects on how preparation meeting opportunity, combined with purpose over profit, transformed his life from unemployment to agricultural entrepreneurship.
Small Business Spotlight: Constance and the Craft of Self-Reliance
Poise profiles Constance, a Cameroonian tailor-turned-artisan who transitioned from sewing into cement and recycled-material design work, building ZHOD (Zionite House of Decor) in Bonaberi. The piece celebrates her self-taught methods, her ability to generate income across price points, and her capacity to create work for others, particularly young people during economic uncertainty.
The Cameroonian Reticence: Corporate Culture, Information Opacity, and the Cost of Secrecy
The writer examines two interconnected cultural phenomena in Cameroon: weak corporate cultures that fail to invest employees in their companies' success, and a broader cultural tendency to withhold good news and business information. Using the example of a chef's deal with a multinational corporation, the piece argues that both corporate leaders and individuals perpetuate economic stagnation by refusing to share knowledge, celebrate achievement, or build transparent systems.
Sandra Borno and Molonga Naturals: A Portrait of Passion Over Hustle
Poise profiles Sandra Borno, founder of Molonga Naturals, a natural hair-care brand built on deep product knowledge, ingredient transparency, and freely shared expertise. The piece celebrates her as an exemplar of entrepreneurship driven by genuine passion rather than commercial ambition, and situates her work within the broader cultural movement of Black women reclaiming and celebrating natural hair.
The Valuation Problem: Pricing Creative Work in Cameroon
The writer reflects on the persistent difficulty of pricing creative services in Cameroon, tracing the problem to asymmetrical understanding between clients and providers. Drawing on personal experience with undercompensated projects and negotiations gone wrong, the piece argues that creative value should be measured by impact and opportunity cost, not hours spent.
The Age of the Side Hustle: Nora Gweji on Building Beyond the Primary Job
A profile of Nora Gweji, who built an event decoration and planning business alongside full-time banking work, starting in 2015 with $1,000 and initial struggle before finding her first client through a Cameroonian professional network. The piece documents her journey from initial hesitation to steady profitability, reflecting Poise's wider advocacy for supplementary income and creative fulfillment beyond conventional employment.
The Art of Presenting Your Work: Why Self-Selling Matters
Poise reflects on a community exercise asking followers to showcase their side hustles, and discovers that most struggled to present themselves effectively—poor presentation, missing contact details, lack of genuine voice. The piece examines why this matters: the opportunity cost of not taking one's own work seriously, and how presentation itself is part of the product.