Ruth Muli
Operations Manager, Fusion Capital

Sally Woolhouse reflects on the simple facts and numbers that lie at the heart of all good business cases.

Cynthia Kenyanya
Senior Accountant, Fusion Capital

Sally Woolhouse reflects on the simple facts and numbers that lie at the heart of all good business cases.

Kevin Sanya
General Manager, Fusion Estates

Sally Woolhouse reflects on the simple facts and numbers that lie at the heart of all good business cases.

John G Msafari
Fusion Advisory Board Member , Fusion Group

Sally Woolhouse reflects on the simple facts and numbers that lie at the heart of all good business cases.

Costa Malai
Non-executive Director, Fusion Capital

Sally Woolhouse reflects on the simple facts and numbers that lie at the heart of all good business cases.

We believe that business is profoundly simple.

Business is about manipulating inputs in such a way as to produce a product worth more than the sum of those inputs. Really good businessmen and women fully understand this, and can always articulate the economics of their business with profound simplicity.

We love to back the entrepreneur who can explain why his business or project is a good one, in a few simple words and numbers, and we are quite suspicious of the one who hides behind complex spreadsheets and analysis. Call us simple-minded if you wish – we will not be offended.

One of the nice things about investing in Africa is that we are not snowed in by too much information.  It is conventional to complain about the lack of information and analysis in African markets – and, yes, it can be frustrating sometimes.  But it can also be a boon for the thoughtful investor. Data sliced and diced to the nth degree is often, in developed markets, a substitute for genuine reflection.