Creative Entrepreneur Mo Muhidin is something of a modern-day Horatio Alger figure. As a child living with his family in Kenya, Muhidin demonstrated an entrepreneurial spirit from a young age, earning enough money as a coffee-bean wholesaler to pay his way through college at the age of 15. Muhidin and his family were later able to immigrate to the U.S., where the driven young man picked up valuable management skills working for companies like IBM and Alltel. He later founded a trucking company with his family.
Mo Muhidin (Photo courtesy of Mo Muhidin) With these experiences behind him, Mo Muhidin founded Kitamu Coffee in Hilliard, Ohio. It is a coffee shop that allows him to fund two interconnected projects: Flick Artist, a platform that allows musicians and music fans to connect at the local level, and a nonprofit called Ukuwa that strives to lift African children out of poverty. As part of his entrepreneurial journey, Muhidin experienced some major cultural shock when he had to deal with the complex web of laws that regulate business in America. What is a key difference between doing business in America and Kenya? "Probably the biggest difference is based in focus. It's more laid back in Kenya. For example, credit is given freely. Taxes don't exist. The structure of a business is very loose. Cash flow is not nearly as crucial as in the U.S. People purchase product daily, so you really get to know your customers. Bartering is acceptable and often used as a method of payment. Ultimately, trust is the biggest difference." What is a legal issue you've faced as you were starting your own business in America? "Ignorance is not bliss. When I first started out in business here, I was not aware of all the legal issues I would be dealing with. In the trucking industry, you are highly regulated by the U.S. DOT and the FMCSA. No one really told me about this, so I had to learn on the fly. Everything from getting the authority to operate to the maintenance of the trucks and drivers was regulated, with major consequences for non-compliance. The costs to enter the business were hard to recover because of all the costs associated with staying compliant with the DOT.
How is running your current business easier than trucking? "After the trucking industry, the coffee shop business seemed a lot easier. What I found was that I still needed a better understanding of how to structure the business with systems and processes to allow me to grow. I decided to start looking for a mentor to help me. For over three years since I met my mentor -- Jaime McCollum -- we have built a plan to structure the business for growth and purpose. He keeps me motivated and focused on the long-term vision. This is crucial for me because it helps me work on the business rather than in the business." Mario McKellop is a freelance writer who has covered the pop culture beat since 2010.
