Start bussines in Dakar.

Member since 14 January 2013

DanneSWENew member25 February 2014 07:29:42

Februari last year, me & my friend started a journey by car from Sweden to Senegal and then BACK to sweden again!! It took us 4 weeks and it shure was a journey with mixed emotions.

I was planning on starting a bussines in Dakar! Everything was set and my bussines partner in Dakar had arranged with a house for me and my bussines and even got me custemors! So was redy to jumpstart my bussines!

But when i was finally in Dakar i did't feel that the place/area i was gonna work in was right for me. We drowe around in my friends car looking at other houses, and we found suiteble houses, but not areas i felt i could live and work in..

Do anyone have ideas witch area someone like me from Sweden could live in whitout feeling to missplaced?
I know that people from England, France, spain have moved to Dakar and open thier bussines.
Is there a curtain area they find more attractive (as they are from europe)..?
My friend from Dakar told me (after i've got back to sweden again) that there was places i might have liked, but he thougt it was to expensive for me to rent!
Witch places might that be?! And is there any pictures from that/those places someone wanne share with me?!?

I still hope i could get to Dakar in the near future and do another try..

Please help me out if you have any suggestion!!

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Traduire International New member

Member since 02 October 2013

Traduire InternationalNew member21 March 2014 18:21:16

Please contact us we could help you.

DanneSWE New member

Member since 14 January 2013

DanneSWENew member22 March 2014 13:06:58

Thanx for your reply!
I'm currantly waiting for a couple of things to 'click' before i'll be redy to take the big step and move to Dakar with my bussines.
In 1-2 month i will have more insight of that future of mine😊
I will get in toutch with your company when my time is right👍

/Daniel

SENEGALSTYLE B & B Active member

Member since 16 July 2013

SENEGALSTYLE B & BActive member28 April 2014 12:31:29

I am American and have been living here for over 15 years as a business consultant and successful entrepreneur. What type of business would you like to start and maybe I can help you. My email is SenegalStyle@gmail.com for more info and google 'SenegalStyle' for background information. We have a long and successful online and public track record. Whoever you go into business with, be sure you have verifiable references - not 'the cousin of the friend I just met 2 months ago at the airport...'! You'd be surprised how many people come here and lose everything doing business with total strangers that they call 'friends.'

Good luck!

Sineta George
SenegalStyle

paquinette Member

Member since 12 April 2014

paquinetteMember28 April 2014 12:43:33

Hello,
I'm from Hungary. I think I know how you feel and no, I don't think you will find what you are looking for:(
However good luck!

SENEGALSTYLE B & B Active member

Member since 16 July 2013

SENEGALSTYLE B & BActive member28 April 2014 14:04:05

I'm sorry you don't like it much here but I have found eastern Europeans, because of your culture and background, are not as happy with Senegal as Swedes, Dutch, Danes and Belgians.

Another thing is if you are involved in a business or living in a community as a normal person and not as an 'expat' that helps. If you set yourself apart you are right, you will never feel 'comfortable.' I'm not comfortable when I go back to the US... I hate leaving Senegal and cry like a baby at the airport every time I have to go home! lol!

SenegalStyle

DanneSWE New member

Member since 14 January 2013

DanneSWENew member29 April 2014 04:46:23

Thanx for replaying..
I guess the best thing is to go to senegal once more and just take my time to go places och visit people who might be able to give me advise about life in Senegal!

I have just started a music compound in Sweden with my friend & business partner from senegal. He has been in Sweden for 4 month now visiting.
But as you might know it's not easy to get a visa to europe.. Especially not to Sweden

Is it ok if i contact you when i decide to come to Senegal next time?

SENEGALSTYLE B & B Active member

Member since 16 July 2013

SENEGALSTYLE B & BActive member29 April 2014 10:46:13

Music company or compound? What do you mean compound? My son (pictured on my profile) has invested in a production studio (Ha2n) and they have been putting out Senegalese hip hop and r&b music and doing concerts and festivals. The 'star' of the label is a French/Portuguese fellow named Supa Ced who has been outside the country several times for shows. Jonathan is American so of course he can go anywhere. I'm sure they'd be happy to work with you or even partner with you (if you invest in the studio as well) and just add your program to what they are doing.

It's a lot better than trying to reinvent the wheel with people that may rip you off.

The studio and Supa Ced are in Hann Mariste, a very nice middle class area of Dakar. There is a French school located there as well as an American Christian school so there's a lot of white people living on that side.

Let me say this again, BE SURE to look for a track record and don't just give money to a friend of a friend's cousin or whatever. It's good that you walked away. Listen to your instincts and if it doesn't seem right to you, it probably isn't. Google your friend's name and his partners and see what comes up. For example, if you google Jonathan George you will see he has a public work record and several online reviews as well as his musical disography from his first group (Legacy Gang, then Legacy, etc) from the time he was 14. He's 20 now and been in the business for a long time and knows a lot of people PLUS he runs a highly rated airport pickup service here in Dakar.

See if your potential partners have a track record - if they've done anything music wise, it should come up. Senegalese are very internet saavy and track themselves online thru Reverbnation and facebook. If they say they don't use the internet or don't know how you need to think about how helpful they will be to you when you aren't here if they can't actually run a business. EVERYONE that's serious is online with their stuff - at the very minimum, a facebook page. There should be 'likes' at least and see their rankings. There's an actual list you can google of top studios or top hip hop or world music artists. If they aren't in the top 10 - keep moving! haha!

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