"Ruthlessly prioritize the things you do. Simply have a clear goal of where you need to be and then work backwards," Mesh Alloys, Founder and CEO, Sendy Limited.
Mesh Alloys is an entrepreneur, enabling trade in Africa, as his LinkedIn bio reads. He is the Founder and CEO of Sendy Limited, an end-to-end logistics company enabling thousands of businesses to move any type of goods using any type of vehicle: motorcycle, pick-up, van, truck or trailer.
Founded in 2014, Sendy now has over 250 employees and is present in three countries. Last year, Sendy raised US$20 million in a funding round in a bid to expand across Africa. But, who is the man behind Sendy? We sat down with Mesh to learn more about him, his background, and what unconventional skills he looks for when hiring.
Tell us something very few people know about you.
I watch cartoons. A lot. My favourite is the legendary Tom and Jerry. I could watch it over and over. Another thing people don’t know about me is that I rarely ever get surprised.
What aspects of your background have influenced the person you are today?
I started my first business selling kerosene. I would get it from Tanzania and resell it in Kenya. I was about 12 or 13 years old then. To me, it seemed kerosene was cheaper in Tanzania, but in reality, it was only because of the difference in the value of the shilling. A couple of years later, I joined the University of Nairobi, School of Architecture and Engineering and that was when I started my first tech business. I was building solutions for premium services providers selling Bible verses and love quotes via SMS for 60 shillings. I also consulted for an FMCG multinational company where I helped them implement sales and distribution systems. These experiences while I was at the University heavily influenced what I do today.
At what point did you know you were onto something interesting as an entrepreneur?
I started building software way back when I was in my first year of college. With just a few lines of code, I was creating something that would reach thousands of people. Selling my first piece of software for a couple of millions got me thinking that I was really onto something interesting as an entrepreneur. Making my first million had to be my “aha moment”. I knew right there and then that I wanted to spend time in the tech space and not anywhere else. Not just because of the money, but also because of the significance and impact of what I was building.
What has been your most interesting learning experience?
That you always have to keep reframing the questions that you ask when you’re looking at problems. I love to learn. I read 3 books a month, just to ensure that I’m keeping myself engaged.
What is the toughest decision you had to make in the last few months?
Well, I make tough decisions on a daily basis. The toughest decision for me is not making the decision itself. From a business perspective, one of the toughest decisions we made in the last couple of months was to expand our product offering. Traditionally what we’ve been offering for the last couple of years at Sendy is a platform that helps businesses deliver products to their customers. Last year, since we couldn't expand to other markets that we wanted to because of the pandemic, we made the decision to launch a product that gives businesses the ability to connect directly with their customers such that their customers can order directly from them through a platform called Sendy Supply.
Being the Founder and CEO of Sendy, what’s the productivity secret to successfully managing a growing logistics start-up?
Ruthlessly prioritize the things you do. Simply have a clear goal of where you need to be and then work backwards. Oh, and say no as often as possible! This has been my secret to managing my productivity. Lastly, regular exercise has also really worked for me. I play tennis and I also cycle.
In what ways has the pandemic impacted your operations in Sendy?
The pandemic accelerated our business. Today, we are doing projects we thought we would only start doing in 2023. Our operations have grown and our output has doubled. Our mission at Sendy is to make it easy for businesses to trade. By doing that, we enable them to do more.
Why should someone aspire to work in Sendy, and what unconventional skill do you pay close attention to when hiring?
We look for “weirdos” who don’t subscribe to conventional ways of thinking. People who know how to ask the right questions and challenge the status quo. People who look at problems differently and don’t just take things at surface level. People who believe in things that most people would typically disagree with. Those are the unconventional skills we are keen on identifying when looking for people to join our team.
If you had to go back 10 years in time, what would you do differently?
I have zero regrets about what has happened in the last 10 years. I would definitely still be in tech.
