Why Many Family Businesses In Cameroon Do Not Survive Their Founders (Part 19):

 Drawing Inspiration From SAMSUNG – An Example Of A Small Family Business In Japan, That Has Over The Years Grown To Become A Leading International Brand

SAMSUNG, which today has a worldwide reputation for high quality mobile telephone, TV sets among others, is a Family Business that was created in Japan in the 60s. SAMSUNG is a family name that was given to the small Family Business at inception, by the Founder, Samsung.   The Family Business, SAMSUNG, got its first bank credit in 1971.The Family Business did not only survived its Founder, but has  has over the years grown in leaps and bounds, thanks to good management,  starting from the Founder and the family.

SAMSUNG has become so large that one headquarter can no longer manage it. SAMSUNG today has headquarters in different continents, that are under the ‘mother headquarter in Japan. The headquarters of SAMSUNG in Africa for example, is in South Africa.  This means that if there is a problem or an issue concerning SAMSUNG in Cameroon, it is not the Group’s mother headquarters in Japan that will intervene, but rather the continental headquarter of SAMSUNG in Africa, which is in South Africa. Even if the Cameroon Government or a company in Cameroon dealing in SAMSUNG’s products, takes a complaint or whatever to SAMSUNG’S international headquarter in Japan, the Government or the company would be referred to SAMSUNG’s continental headquarter in Africa, which is in South Africa.

This is how big SAMSUNG that started as a small Family Business in Japan, has become. Today, SAMSUNG is the type of credible client that any commercial bank will like to have, or will like to do business with.  But come to think of it, it is rare to find today in Cameroon, a Family Business that was created in the 60s and 70s, that is still even still surviving, not to talk of it having grown into an international brand, or even a national brand. Perhaps the only one that comes to mind is ‘Union Camerounaise de Brasseries’, UCB, that was created in 1972, even if the current proprietor, the KADJI Group, was not the originally proprietor.

It should be noted that motorcycle and vehicles like SUZUKI, HONDA and so on, all Family Businesses in Japan. The brand name, SUZUKI, for example, is the name of the family that was given to the Family Business, by the Founder.   The Mentor News Hopes that those In charge of the management of Family Businesses  in Cameroon like KADJI Group, FAKO SHIP, ‘La Falaise’  Hotels among others,  that  continued from where Founders  ended when they passed away, will draw inspiration from companies like SAMSUNG , Honda and others,  which started as small  family businesses, and have today become  leading international brands.

For example, by the time the Cameroonian Founder of the Family Business , ‘LA FALAISE’, which is a chain of hotels  of international standard,  passed away not long ago, he had already expanded the Family Business to South Africa, So “La Falaise’ Hotel  had already  started emerging as an international brand, by the rime the Founder died. Unfortunately,  after the Founder passed away, as in most cases, a conflict erupted in the family  over the Family Business, and a case was filed at a Yaounde Court. The Mentor News hopes that reason will finally prevail in the family like happened in the Jean Tassa family in Bamenda, for the interest of the family and country, and in memory of the departed Founder of the Family Business, LA FALAISE.