Clay Water Brick summary

A few billion people around the world live in poverty today. The global situation seems to worsen every time we turn on the news. In a world where so many people are struggling, what can we do to help? We can donate to charities and raise awareness, but it’s clear that a lot of money is the only thing that will improve the lives of the poor. Or is it?

It’s impossible to eliminate all poverty at once. But what if we focused on lifting individuals, families and communities out of vicious cycles, one at a time? This approach is far more realistic, and a much smaller amount of money is needed to make it work. How? Through microloans.

The founder of a tech start-up in Silicon Valley and a craftsman selling building materials in an East African village may not have much in common at first glance. But, while there is a stark contrast between the resources they have access to, both share the same entrepreneurial spirit.

No matter where or how you start out, it’s your resourcefulness that makes you a strong entrepreneur. Patrick from Uganda started out with nothing at all. Having lost his family when rebels attacked his village, he escaped with his surviving brother to live with distant relatives.

Starting your own business venture is rather like sailing out to sea. You may have a route planned, but it’s inevitable that strong currents will pull you in different directions. In order to get yourself back on track, you’ve got to keep your destination firmly in mind.

In the early stages of Kiva, the author was approached by two entrepreneurs with a similar idea. They were ambitious, had friends in high places and wanted to join forces. Their goals and values were a little different to the author’s, but she agreed to cooperate.

Whether it’s posting that glowing graduation picture on Instagram or proudly presenting stunning quarterly figures to your investors, most of us can’t resist the opportunity to show off our successes. Of course, we’re not all successful all the time. We just don’t share that side of the story.

It’s easy to see why: we don’t want to look like failures, especially to those who support or follow us. Yet, the reality is that people don’t place their trust in a successful exterior. It’s honesty and transparency that attracts loyal and committed customers.

Building a new business is one of the toughest challenges you can take on. So why go it alone? Two heads are always better than one, and surrounding yourself with supportive team members will allow you to overcome even the trickiest obstacles. So don’t be afraid to collaborate!

Clay, founder of a candy store in Honolulu, found strength in teamwork during difficult financial times. A passionate entrepreneur, Clay treated everyone that walked into his store like ohana (the Hawaiian word for “family”). He had a loyal customer base, but he still struggled to make ends meet.

When the first iPhone came out, it was a revolutionary piece of technology. But compared to the most recent model, it looks incredibly underdeveloped. That comes as no surprise – not even Apple gets it right the first time. And Apple is constantly improving the iPhone’s technology.

The best projects aren’t the result of a stroke of genius. Rather, they’re borne out of innovation and refinement over many years.

While every entrepreneur’s journey is full of unique challenges, there’s one tough decision they’ve all faced: the decision to risk it all and start a business. By investing time, money and effort into starting a business, entrepreneurs voluntarily dive headfirst into the unknown.

Take Katherine, a student from a Village Enterprise workshop in Tororo, Uganda. After learning basic business techniques, she felt pretty sure that selling fish was one of the most promising business strategies. Demand was high, and she decided to give it a try herself by buying fish from a local middleman.