Team, this year we achieved our revenue target and we just got to 100 clients this week. Can we just stand up and give ourselves a round of applause and pat each other on the back for a work well done?
As we bid farewell to an extraordinary year, I am thrilled to reflect on the incredible milestones we have achieved together. The close of 2023 marks not only the end of a chapter but the beginning of an exciting new era for our company. Let me take you back to our first end-of-year party in 2015 when the year ended, the 6 of us we just walked into Nyama Mama in Westlands, had dinner, and wonderful discussions over drinks, and went home. Look at us now; we have 36 full-time team members and 4 interns.
First and foremost, we started the year by moving to our current office, which has been a remarkable journey of 8 years. This move represented not just a change of physical location but a symbolic step towards growth, innovation, and the next phase of our journey.
In addition, we all went back to school as a company. We successfully began the Stanford Seed program and completed it successfully. What remarkable teamwork we showed throughout the program’s whole year. And now, the real journey begins! Transformation, Transformation and Transformation. The next year and the years ahead, we will get on a journey of implementing our Transformation Plan, and in addition, we will be having a Seed coach to guide us and ensure we are developing our leadership skills. The accomplishment of the Stanford Seed program is a testament to our commitment to continuous learning and growth, and we should keep being better every day. The insights gained from this program will undoubtedly contribute to our strategic development and position us as industry leaders towards painting Africa Blue.
On the global stage, our CEO was recognized among the 20 finalists in the Africa Business Heroes competition. This prestigious acknowledgement is a reflection of the visionary leadership that guides our company and it underscores the impact we are making not only within our organization but on a continent-wide scale.
Furthermore, I was recognised among the top 40 under 40 by Business Daily, a recognition that I proudly share with every one of you. This achievement is a testament to the collective effort and dedication of our entire team. It is an honour to be part of such an exceptional group of individuals driving innovation and success in the business world.
For the third year in a row, we won the award of the best Sales Force Automation provider to the Beverage Industry. This is a testament to our continuous innovation and value proposition to our clients.
And as well, we got clients in two new countries; Ghana and Mozambique, bringing the total number of countries we have clients in Africa to 10.
These achievements are not possible without the input of each of us. I would especially like to appreciate our partners Marvelworth Consulting Limited, the Stanford Seed Team, and all the heads of departments: Tito, Felix, Magdalene, Tecla, Lilian, Tevin, Preston, Kiiru, Maryanne, Felister and Jean, for the excellent work you have done across the year in leading your teams. As we transition to streamlined six departments next year and teams within those departments, I expect to see great teamwork from everyone again. I would like also to recognize the dedication of our senior management team from our CEO, Alexander, to Jinal and Rayyidh for the commitment you have given to the company for the last 9 years. You have always put the company and the team first before yourselves and I thank you for your perseverance and dedication.
We all play a great role in making Solutech great. We have an incredible culture centred around our core values of integrity, family, innovation, teamwork, responsibility and accountability. Working at Solutech is a privilege because we are a tight-knit community of Solutes. What started as an escape from poverty venture, has grown to be a serious company driving decision-making for not just SMEs, but also publicly listed companies. My highlight of the year was during client visits, when I met most of our clients in Nairobi and seeing how appreciative they are of the value we provide them, reaffirmed the efforts that every one of us plays towards making clients make data-driven decisions to help their businesses grow. Hence, I cannot overstate how a joy it is being a Solute.
Out of the 8 positions we hired for this year, we received 500 plus applications from young men and women, who aspire to be part of this incredible team, and this is the joy of working at Solutech. Solutech offers a great future for all of us, to contribute to a worthy cause of delivering massive value to our clients, and most importantly, financial growth, not just for us, but for our families as well. To ensure we can take care of our parents well, our siblings, and our children, take them to good schools, drive the cars we love, live in good neighbourhoods that we dream of, and most importantly, offer our families a great future.
To do this, we have to keep getting better and better, all of us! Solutech began with the dream of four people, now, it is the dream of all of us, and we are the people to take this company to the great heights we dream of painting Africa Blue. I have participated in hiring all of you and you being here, means you thoroughly deserve to be here, and I believe in all of you. My joy is always giving an opportunity to talented people to serve at Solutech, and most of you have proven me right, with my best example being Tito, our Head of Engineering, who joined Solutech as an intern in 2017, and that year, we were doing the VOC Elections app, and Tito did a remarkable work in spearheading that project. To whom much is given, much is expected of them. Together, we can achieve great things; we already are, and we will continue to.
As we step into the new year, let’s carry the momentum of these achievements forward. Let them serve as a reminder that, individually and collectively, we have the power to reach new heights and redefine what’s possible. As we venture into the new year, we have to keep aspiring for more growth. We have to dream so high that our dreams scare us. Next year we will be turning a decade old, 10 years. Therefore, next year we will aspire to dream very high and we have already started this by recruiting our first employee in Uganda. In Q1 2024, we will possibly incorporate in Uganda and hire our first employees in Tanzania. 2024 we have booked it for Solutech, it is our year to shine.
As we break for the holidays, take this break to celebrate and spend time with your families, loved ones and friends. Look at your achievements this year and re-align your goals for 2024 on what you want to achieve.
We will resume full operations on 2nd January 2024, but we will report back to the office on 8th January 2024. Should any of our clients be working during this period, I expect we accord them the best support, and to those of us who have tasks due early January, we can take this opportunity to push on our tasks.
With those few remarks, I wish you all a joyful Merry Christmas holiday season and a prosperous New Year 2024.
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