Fahad Ntale

“Are you really a doctor, or is Dr. Carpenter just a nickname?” I get asked this question quite often. Yes, I am a medical doctor. I completed my Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degree at @MakerereCHS. Medicine was a path shaped by my academic ability and my father’s desire to have a doctor in the family. But while studying, I discovered business and gradually realised that what I truly wanted was to become an entrepreneur. Immediately after completing medical school, I put down my clinical coat and went into business full-time. I wanted to learn how to build businesses, solve problems and create opportunities for other people. That journey eventually brought me to @ImpactWoods. Woodworking also reawakened an artistic side of me that I had largely left behind after studying Fine Art at O-level. I began teaching myself how to create 3D designs for kitchens, closets and other spaces. When I later joined @BNIuganda, someone called me “Dr. Carpenter.” The name created instant curiosity, and it fit, so I ran with it. Today, I identify primarily as an entrepreneur. But I worked too hard for the title of doctor to let it disappear completely. Interestingly, medicine still influences how I approach our work. A doctor must listen carefully, understand the patient’s pain and prescribe a solution that fits the individual. At @ImpactWoods, we must also listen to our clients, understand how they use their spaces and create solutions for their particular needs. Sometimes, we identify problems they had not yet recognised themselves. I may no longer practise clinical medicine, but that way of thinking has never left me. That is why “Dr. Carpenter” is not simply a marketing nickname. It is a summary of the different parts of my journey that have come together in the work I do today. On this account, I share what I am learning about building businesses in Uganda, leadership, governance, coaching and craftsmanship. Sometimes the path you begin with is not where you eventually find your greatest fit. But no part of the journey has to be wasted.

How do you protect quality and service as a business grows? I recently asked a business leader whose company I admire. One idea from the conversation stayed with me: Choose your non-negotiables, then refuse to compromise on them. A standard maintained only when convenient is not truly a non-negotiable. A brand eventually becomes the sum of what clients experience repeatedly. That is the discipline we are working to strengthen at @ImpactWoods. What is one non-negotiable in your organisation?

Cheering on the women that lead. 💪🏽

If the work on your social media looks better than your showroom, clients notice. Our showroom was completed in 2022. It has served us well, but it no longer represents what @ImpactWoods can do today. We are upgrading it so clients can see how a design comes together, test hardware, compare materials and make decisions with greater confidence. What would you want to experience before choosing your kitchen, wardrobes or doors?

Earlier this year, we shaped a machinery investment plan when the dollar was around UGX 3,500–3,600. It has recently moved above UGX 4,200. Same machines. Roughly 20% more in shillings. The investment still makes sense. The assumptions have changed. Now we must decide what to purchase immediately, what to phase and how much currency risk to carry. Waiting is also a bet on where the dollar goes next.

A beautiful render is only the beginning of good interior woodwork design. It must reflect how the client lives, fit the actual site, use appropriate materials and account for how the workshop and installation teams will execute it. At @ImpactWoods, the design process is not complete until the work can be produced and installed accurately. We are hiring a Designer – Interior Woodworks who can translate site measurements and client needs into accurate 3D designs, layouts and technical drawings. Applicants should email their CV and portfolio, including 3D design samples, to [email protected]. Know someone who would be a good fit? Please share this with them.

If you hope to move into your home before Christmas, now is the time to confirm your doors and kitchen. A custom project at @ImpactWoods generally requires 6 to 7 weeks after design approval, payment and site readiness. November and December production and installation slots fill quickly. We would rather give you a realistic timeline than promise a handover date our schedule cannot support. If your house is at or approaching the tiling stage, send me a DM. I will guide you on what to prepare before an assessment.

The more visible I become, the more I realise that authenticity and disclosure are not the same thing. Not every challenge should be shared while it is still unfolding. Some stories need an outcome first. Others belong inside the company. Visibility requires openness. Leadership also requires boundaries and judgment.

I used to judge a business event mainly by the quality of its speakers. A recent lesson from Coach @JoanMugenzi challenged me to also pay attention to the people the room brings together. I tried that at the Business Fireside hosted by Linda T-Bot at The Bight of Benin Restaurant. I listened to the discussion on tax and business, but also deliberately spoke with other attendees. Four or five meaningful conversations later, including one with Margaret Nakato Kisitu of Afros & Mo, I left with a reminder: Networking is not collecting telephone numbers. It is curiosity, genuine interest in other people and thoughtful follow-up. The programme gets you into the room. Relationships shape what you carry out.

Can coaching skills ever be switched off? A friend recently called me specifically asking for help. With their permission, I am sharing the lesson from that conversation while withholding identifying details. They had been presented with new opportunities but were questioning whether they were ready to take them on. My instinct might once have been to reassure them, offer advice or tell them what I thought they should do. This time, I listened differently. I noticed particular words they kept using and reflected those words back to them. I paid attention to subtle changes in their emotions as they spoke about different parts of the situation. I invited them to reflect on the things they already knew they were good at. Gradually, the real issue became clearer. It was not that they were unprepared for the opportunities. They realised that they had been operating within a familiar environment for a long time. What they needed was greater exposure, more interaction with other people and the willingness to step into unfamiliar spaces. The following day, my friend contacted me again. They had continued reflecting on the conversation and had identified what they were committing to do differently. What stayed with me was not only the insight they discovered. It was how differently I had listened. Since beginning my advanced coaching training with Imagine Me Africa, I have noticed that I see and hear much more than I did before. I pay closer attention to people’s choice of words. I notice shifts in emotion. I reflect back what I am hearing more accurately. And I am becoming less eager to provide an answer before someone has had the opportunity to discover their own. It sometimes feels like developing a superpower. But with that comes the responsibility to use it well. This does not mean turning every ordinary conversation into a coaching session or analysing people without their invitation. It means becoming more present, curious and attentive in how I relate to others. Coaching may begin as a set of skills practised in a structured conversation. But over time, I am discovering that it can become a way of being. For those who have trained as coaches, has coaching changed how you listen even outside formal coaching conversations? #CoachingLeadership #LeadershipDevelopment #WorkplaceCoaching #PCCJourney

Simplifying life in your kitchen.