Moonshot 2026: ‘Your people are your products’ — CEOs share startup growth tips

By Efosa Taiwo Damilola Olokesusi, chief executive officer of Shuttlers, and Douglas Kendyson, CEO of Selar, have shared insights on financial discipline, hiring, automation and relationship-building as key factors for building and scaling successful businesses. The duo spoke during the “Building Disciplined Businesses That Win” session at the Startup Stage of Moonshot 2026: Courage & Conviction, where they discussed strategies entrepreneurs can adopt to build sustainable businesses and achieve long-term growth.

Speaking on the challenges of growing a startup, Olokesusi stressed the importance of regularly reviewing business processes to ensure they remain relevant to changing customer needs and prepare companies for the future. She identified automation as another critical factor, noting that businesses must establish systems to ensure customers receive the services they have been promised.

“We have to verify and ensure that things we promised our customers are what they get. E.g having them commute in an AC bus. That’s what we have done to scale our businesses,” she said. On financial discipline, Olokesusi said entrepreneurs must first determine the kind of company they want to build before deciding how to manage their resources. “What type of company are you trying to build before you determine if you are being financially disciplined or you are just saving money,” she said.

Explaining Shuttlers’ long-term ambition, she added, “We are trying to be the Dangote of transport.” According to her, financial decisions should reflect a company’s ambitions and the length of time its founders intend to remain in business. Kendyson, meanwhile, encouraged entrepreneurs to identify their priorities and maximise the opportunities that employment and professional relationships can offer, particularly when starting with limited resources.

He advised aspiring founders to consider how working for other businesses or gaining employment could help them develop the skills and connections needed to build their own companies. “The best you can do is work as a startup and leverage relationships and you will be very surprised how much that can help you,” he said. Kendyson also highlighted the importance of learning through different career experiences, noting that the relationships and knowledge he gained along his career path had provided leverage for building Selar.

Olokesusi further argued that financial discipline must begin with the founder before it can become part of an organisation’s culture. “Your company is a reflection of you as a founder. You need to embody the core value of financial discipline before you can see it in the company,” she said. She also emphasised the importance of recruitment, urging entrepreneurs to be deliberate about the people they bring into their organisations.

“People you hire, be particular about that. Get the right people on board. Your people are your products. Be careful of the people you get,” she said. Olokesusi cautioned founders against creating workplace cultures that depend on individuals constantly going above and beyond to compensate for weak systems. She noted that while capable employees can help businesses navigate challenges, entrepreneurs must build structures that support sustainable growth rather than rely on individual heroics.