Although she has been out of the limelight for a couple of years now, Fina Mango, remains one of the familiar faces and names in Tanzania. For many folks, she used to be their every morning “ritual” when, together with Masoud Kipanya; they used to run one of the most listened to morning radio shows in Tanzania (Power Breakfast on Clouds FM). Then it all ended in July 2008…as sad as it was.
As it turns out, Fina left the radio but the radio never left her, at least not to her fans. We have been asked thousands of times about her whereabouts and whether she is coming back to the airwaves anytime soon. Her listeners miss her insight and most likely her voice.
The good news, as you are about to read, is that Fina has been busy building an empire of herself in just a different way. She is now the Managing Director of one of the fastest growing and respected PR Company called 1Plus Communications.
To catch up with her and for the benefits of the fans that have never stopped asking about her, I tracked Fina for an exclusive interview whereby we talked much about how and where she has been all this time and her journey into entrepreneurship.
She also gave me an answer to one of the most speculated questions of all time; Is she coming back to the airwaves anytime soon? (You will love her answer). Here are the excerpts;
BC: Welcome to BC once again Fina. How are you?
FM: Hey BC, I have never been better. Thank you.
BC: I guess the number one question that a lot of our readers can’t wait to hear you answer it is; how have you been since you left Clouds FM and where are you now or in other words what are you doing?
FM: I have been blessed; I am running a business, had a baby and enjoying motherhood for every second of it. I couldn’t be more thankful. I have been blessed.
BC: Your fans keep telling us how much they miss you and Masoud on air. Do you miss them too and the whole radio DJ/Presenter experience?
FM: Oh you have no idea how I have missed my listeners. They were a part of my life of course I miss them and can’t wait to re-unite.
BC: The words in the streets say you guys are planning a huge comeback, in your own Radio Station. Can you set the record straight?
FM: Nah no own radio station. Masoud is on air with Times FM and I hope to do my own thing elsewhere….I am in the final preps..so sooon!
BC: Now let’s talk about your company because that is actually one of the main reasons for this interview. Your company/firm is called 1Plus Communications. Why did you give it that name and what kind of services can a client expect to get from 1Plus Communications?
FM: Well its 1Plus because we believe with us you will get more than what you’ve paid for or came for. There is always something extra because we strive to always stretch and give our best to all our clients.
BC: Most entrepreneurs are afraid of not finding that great idea to start a business. So how did your idea come up?
FM: Well with the morning show on Clouds FM, Power Breakfast graduated from being just a radio show and more of a PR organ. We worked a lot on creating strategic responses for some of the clients (promotional strategies) to their stakeholders through the show.
That gave me the idea of starting a proper corporate communications company plus the fact that there weren’t (still to-date) a lot of “PR” companies per se in Tanzania. Most PR companies focus on advertising and or media placements and monitoring. So 2007 it all started – 1Plus became a reality.
BC: How many corporate events have you organized so far? What are the main challenges of putting together a successful event?
FM: Too many to give you a figure BC but challenges vary with every event really… I can’t say there is like specific challenges that you face with every event. But in time we have learnt on how to handle most of the challenges.
OK examples, let’s see… a demanding/difficult client can be a serious challenge, sometimes they would ask for impossible outcomes especially if dealing with the media. Venues vary and come with their own challenges, low roof can limit what you can do with the venue and you can’t do anything about it because the client has already paid for the venue. A team member forgot to do an important chore like forgetting to collect certificates that are due in an hour and our printing facilities are in Kariakoo and the event is in Mbezi and the time is 3pm – Mtihani hapo. What do you do? Panic? Yell? Cry? Scream? LOL.
But somehow we always get it done lol, ah somedays Unatamani kung’ata mtu but that’s not going to help anything but cost you medical expenses. lol.
Read more: FINA MANGO: ON ENTREPRENEURSHIP, MOTHERHOOD AND BROADCASTING(THE INTERVIEW) - BongoCelebrity
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