I knew this fellowship would change me. That’s why I applied. Yet, even with this knowledge, I became surprised at the obvious and glaring vocational signs that came with this experience.

The transformation began Spring Quarter. I was pursuing law school at the time, and yet something about this idea did not feel right. Even as I shared my “desire” to pursue law school with various people, they would look at me in disbelief, as if I was pulling off some great lie. I was fully convinced that law school was my best route to success, but even then my entire definition of success was insincere and a stretch of the imagination. I was tricking myself into wanting a career that I did not want, so my confusion at the time was warranted.

I kept telling myself that I had done enough for others in my life, and that I should select a career based off what I wanted to do. This self-centric view was deceivingly refreshing, and made me feel like I had control. By going to law school, I could determine my own fate. I could also be secure, and comfortable. I could live the American Dream and no longer worry about being conflicted between helping others and helping myself.

From the minute I stepped onto the airplane headed for Uganda, all of these thoughts left my head, and some trigger forced me to acknowledge why I chose to pursue this fellowship in the first place. I didn’t want this opportunity to pad my resume, or to make up for not having studied abroad. Something deep down inside told me that this fellowship was a greater calling, a calling I needed to pursue regardless of how unprepared I felt. My imagination was released upon making this realization, and my desire to become a lawyer slowly faded throughout the trip until it ceased to exist.

This fellowship made me realize what was obvious all along. I am a businessman. On both sides of my family I am graced with the legacy of risk-seeking entrepreneurs. I have grown up seeing different relatives fail or prosper because of risks they have taken. For some reason I never saw this as special or unique. I simply accepted these observations as common and universal.

In high school I thrived when competing in marketing competitions. It seemed like the business lingo flowed from my brain fluidly and without hesitation. I saw business as a game. The competitions were not about making money; they involved figuring out the giant puzzle. Solutions were the end goal for me, and pursuing a business education in college seemed like the next logical step.

Despite all of these obvious notions in my life, I never saw myself as a businessman or entrepreneur. Sure I have had many ideas throughout my life, but being an entrepreneur was a family thing, and I wanted to be different. This all changed while being in Uganda. I had so much time to reflect, and I was forced to realize that fate works in weird ways. Fate provided me with the right opportunities to succeed, and working with BanaPads only made those opportunities seem more purposeful. Every step I had taken in my life was made for a reason, and the hazy fog cleared away the more I studied BanaPads and its business model.

Bbaale and the entire BanaPads family made me realize that business is not something customary and given. Business is a gift. Business helps people to get what they need. Running a business helps someone to feel a purpose in their lives. Business brings people together. All of the Champions we met were excited and eager to learn the BanaPads business, and as I wrote the Business Operations Manual, this passion I saw in them sparked a flame in my consciousness.

Every Champion wanted more out of their lives. They wanted to be business owners. This desire made me realize that independence and entrepreneurship go hand in hand. These women had dreams, ambitions, and just needed the right opportunity to fully realize their potential. I didn’t see these women as poor. They were strong, resilient, resourceful, and stubborn. Talk about the perfect makeup for an entrepreneur.

I felt inspired by all of these women entrepreneurs. I saw myself in them, despite the obvious differences in our situations. I realized that the trigger inside that pushed me to apply for this fellowship was fate. I was destined to travel to Uganda so I could witness for myself the power of entrepreneurship. Silicon Valley had made me numb to business culture, while Uganda forced me to open my eyes to the wonderful possibilities of taking action on a business idea. I’ve had the gift of business wit since elementary school, yet Uganda and BanaPads were the keys that unlocked my vocational imagination.

Now I am in the process of building my network, and writing a business plan for a mobile app in Uganda. If someone told me a year ago that I was capable of doing this, I would have scoffed at them. There is no way I would be where I am today without the relationships I made in Uganda. This fellowship was the bridge that took me from confusion to clarity, and everything seems bright as day now.

Regardless of where I end up in life, regardless of whether I fail or succeed, regardless of what people tell me, I am undeniably an entrepreneur. I was born with the gift to create, and taking a risk feels as natural as breathing. Life is always unclear, but fear is a liar. There is no point in fearing what is unknown. If fate has gotten me here, fate will continue to take me where I need to be. My imagination has made me a citizen of the world, and it is now my duty to follow my curiosity wherever it takes me.

Before becoming a GSB Fellow, I was foolish to think that business was simply an occupation, or a means to an end. I used to split my two passions of social action and business into two separate camps, like two armies trying to win a battle over my attention. Sure enough, I was the one fueling the battle. Once I traveled to Uganda and realized that business can empower people at the Base of the Pyramid, I likewise discovered that business is more than just an occupation; it is a powerful mechanism for change.

BanaPads Limited provided the clarity I needed to see the truth. Throughout the 2 months our team was in Uganda, I saw with my very own eyes the power that entrepreneurship can have. Bbaale Richard started BanaPads because he couldn’t stand that women and girls all around him were lacking proper sanitation. He took a stand and initiated powerful change. All the while he wanted to empower women to distribute affordable sanitary pads to other women and girls. The BanaPads Champions that Bbaale empowered were the ones who gave me the most inspiration, and forced me to realize that entrepreneurship is more than just a Silicon Valley fad.

This realization didn’t come out of no where. It all started when our team set out to interview four Champions who had been with BanaPads since the beginning stages. We were seeking information on how they sell their pads, how they manage their inventory, and how they run their businesses in general. Our first interview was with Bayiga Sarah, and what she said about her sister Champions was incredible: “Whenever one of us runs out of inventory and we need to make a sale, we will borrow from each other and pay them back once we receive more inventory”. Imagine that, entrepreneurs working together, not against each other. They not only were thinking of creative ways to keep each others stock available, but also were invested in each others success. Coming from a business background that focuses on how to compete in the cut-throat world of business, my eyes were opened to the type of teamwork that entrepreneurs can achieve.

The next Champion we interviewed, Kadiga Nakiganda, mentioned that she asked the leader of her mosque to make a pitch for her at a religious ceremony. I was amazed that she was so resourceful in finding ways to promote BanaPads, even in an environment that is patriarchal. I was starting to realize that rural business required ingenuity, and that these Champions were creative beyond belief. The next Champion, Naluyange Sylvia, had three sets of twins, other kids, was pregnant, was serving as the Village Health Technician, and on top of that, sold BanaPads for extra income. I saw her as the picturesque Ugandan “Superwoman”. Unlike women in developed countries that typically rest during pregnancy, Sylvia had no time to spare, and carried on with her busy schedule despite carrying a heavy load.

I was perplexed by all of these Champions. I knew that they were going to be impressive, but to hear these anecdotes and meet them face-to-face provided insight that I’ve never had before. These women didn’t have the luxury to choose an occupation. They were running businesses as a means to survive, and to hopefully generate enough revenue to pay for important things like school fees for their children. They weren’t hopeless, because they didn’t have time to be hopeless. They carry on with an eager smile, and an entrepreneurial hunger to help other women with menstrual hygiene needs. I realized through these interviews that this spirit is what entrepreneurship is all about.

The last Champion we interviewed was Nalubowa Grace. I had built somewhat of a rapport with her because every morning I would walk through the village to buy bottles of water from her. Every time I would arrive to buy water she would welcome me with an eager smile. Sure enough, I bought more water from her when we interviewed her, and all of her secrets to success became revealed. She was one of the original Champions, and since she was generating so much revenue, she had the idea of opening up her own store. Sure enough, BanaPads helped build her a store and supported her in setting up her business. Now she has connections with local distributors, sells products to the local fishermen who walk by everyday, and keeps a constant tally on all of the revenue that all of her various products generate. She also was committed to helping her fellow business owners succeed. She said, “I always make sure to agree on prices and profits with the store owners around me so that way we can all equally benefit from running our businesses”. It was truly inspiring to hear that she was cooperating with other store owners so that they could all succeed. The business mentality in Uganda is so much more community oriented, and it opened my eyes to the potential that entrepreneurs have in improving the livelihoods of those around them.

Interviewing the Champions provided more than just some lovely anecdotes and data. After we interviewed those four awe-inspiring women, I realized that business is a privilege I have taken for granted my entire life. Business always comes easy to me because I have a lineage of entrepreneurs on both sides of the family and have had an extensive business education. BanaPads Champions receive three days of training and are able to creatively figure out ways to market their pads, track their businesses, and most importantly, help each other. By meeting these entrepreneurs first hand, my vocation was triggered deep down, like some treasure that had been buried beneath layers of confusion and existential dilemmas. I caught the entrepreneurial bug, and by hearing these Champions speak about themselves, I was able to look within, and find my Champion spirit.

I am now in the process of pursuing a social venture in Uganda. The challenges are severe in implementing a business, let alone a business in another country, but entrepreneurs don’t have time to be hopeless. I learned from the BanaPads Champions  that being an entrepreneur is more than an occupation; entrepreneurship is a calling that comes from within and requires an ability to seek a purpose greater than oneself. For me, business is no longer some profit-seeking missile destined for social catastrophe. Rather, business is a way to empower people who are trying to survive on less than $2 a day. The American way of doing business isn’t the only way, and I am now determined to see how far the Ugandan community can go if they are given the right opportunities to succeed. When life calls, we must answer, because opportunities are all we have.

It is finally here, the moment I’ve been awaiting for the last 3 months! We are in Entebbe, Uganda, awaiting the arrival of Richard Bbale, the CEO of Banapads. I am more than excited to embark on this adventure and discover what social entrepreneurship looks like in action.

East Africa has already hit me with a wave of raw emotion, for I’ve never seen such beauty. When arriving in Kigali, Rwanda last night, the stop-over before Entebbe, the hills surrounding the airport looked as if they had stars strewn across the hills. With all of the houses lit by barely any lights, and no light pollution from skyscrapers or streetlights, the hills looked like the sky above us, upholding constellations that guide airplanes in and out of the majestic country of Rwanda. I knew after seeing the stars, that they’d be circling around my head for the rest of this trip.

Arriving in Entebbe International Airport last night was such a relief. After traveling for some 24 hours straight, we had finally reached our destination. It was refreshing to feel the intense humidity sweep over us like a warm and welcoming blanket. It was invigorating seeing all of the advertisements for safaris, African banks, and tourist “hashtags” for Uganda, “the pearl of Africa”. It was all so surreal, and so exciting.

As we move forward today with general introductions with the Banapads leadership team and a quick trip to the Entebbe Zoo, I will be gearing up to start thinking in the social entrepreneurship mindset. It’s all about using guerilla skills, and working with what you got. Regardless of what Banapads has in terms of infrastructure and data management, the sky is the limit, and the parameters will only inspire more creativity and resourcefulness. I am excited to embark on this journey.

The journey starts today!