D
escribing himself as a “dreamer, business coach and entrepreneur”, Wilko Aschenborn is a man who believes in the power of inspired action. With the Buddy SuperApp, he is now leading a wave of tech businesses that are changing lives in Namibia.
Wilko has over 20 years of experience within multiple business ecosystems, specifically in the digital transformation space. One of his proudest career accomplishments is his ability to help entrepreneurs launch their business ventures successfully and in record time. We caught up with him during a recent collaboration with 99FM, taking half of the station’s breakfast crew on a coastal adventure while paying their way with the Buddy SuperApp. As our Royal Hustler he shared with us the lessons that have shaped who he is today, how he has grown as an entrepreneur and what the Buddy SuperApp is doing for Namibian businesses and consumers.
Life Lessons The most profound lesson he was taught as a child by his father, he says, was kindness and the expression of kindness. Wilko has applied this lesson to everything that he does and he teaches his children the same, too.
ROYAL HUSTLERS Wilko Aschenborn talks entrepreneurship, changing lives with the Buddy SuperApp
Early life “I was a very naughty child, always expressing what I wanted to express. Fully being who I am, was always very important to me,” he recalls fondly. Wilko dreamt of many career paths as a child, but up until the end of high school he had no certain direction of what exactly he wanted to do. Like many entrepreneurs, he learnt by trial and error before he found exactly what he wanted to dedicate his life to. “It was all about failing often, failing forward and failing with success,” he reflects wisely. Today, at 40 years old, though, he has finally found his passion: he wants to make a difference by empowering and inspiring others. “I have harnessed these two things in the way that I express myself and in the businesses that I created.”
About the meaning of success Wilko says, “I think our definition of success is money, which is not wrong but it should not be the driving force. You should find the fire inside that which gives you your passion, your love, your energy and then the money will come.” So while he initially valued money as a measure of success, he now looks at the bigger picture, valuing the impact of his work as a greater indicator of his success. How Buddy is empowering businesses Born five years ago, the Buddy SuperApp finally came together in a moment of enlightenment between Wilko and his dog named Buddy, a moment which inspired the app logo. The app can be likened to Siri - helping users find what they are looking for - be it food (BuddyEats) or accommodation (TravelBuddy). The app also serves as a business networking platform. Making a difference for businesses is the essence of what success looks like for the Buddy SuperApp. “It empowers businesses to expose themselves in the market and with so many features it inspires people on the consumer side,” says Wilko. ”The app is all about inspirational and innovative tech.”
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