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A letter to a KENYAN ENTREPRENEUR






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Dear aspiring entrepreneur,
As I stand on this rostrum and address you, I would like our initial interaction to be as truthful as possible as I walk you down the journey of a Kenyan entrepreneur.
They said just do it, really? Just do it- what does that even mean? Like a fool I took their advice and did it, followed my heart and plunged into the Kenyan startup scene; armed with a great idea or so I thought, very little advice and a tonne of optimism I became the latest founder cum CEO in the Kenya.
With reflection now I have some advice for you future entrepreneurs… Do you know what running a startup means? And what it is like to be a business owner? Let me break it down for you.
It is baptism of fire, I equate running a startup to being a mother; like a helpless baby, new business constantly need all your attention so do your customers, employees, product, bills and in some instances the kanjo. So like a good mother before you startup, nurture your “motherly” instincts, toughen yourself up and resolve to soldier on. After all you cannot throw out the “baby” with the bath water.
Running a startup means you also have to become an acrobat. The art of bending over backwards for the sake of your customers and business is an art you will need to master fast. You will be on call 24 hours, after all you promised that “unlike the bigger agencies, we are a small outfit who will be on call all day every day”. While delivering for your customers eventually pays off, getting called off a family function because the clients CEO tweeted something that you need to clean up kinda sucks.
Besides being an acrobatic parent, the title founder and CEO comes with many hats attached; as the boss you are also accountant, messenger, delivery guy, cleaner, designer, marketer, sales rep and occasionally taxi, so feel free to add corporate juggler to your resume.
My esteemed CEO, gutless you will have to grow a strong spine, business needs strong and confident leaders, you must reach inside you and pull out the hero in you whilst remembering to staying focused and professional.
Appreciating that there is someone else who knows more and or better than you is your first survival lesson. Secondly don’t ever work alone, to grow you and your businesses need a symbiotic ecosystem for support and encouragement. Indeed if you forget everything else, remember these two. 
 Dear friends, some of you are armed with degrees and certificates but your biggest floor is to let our schooling to interfere with your learning. Business is not for the book smart but for the street smart. As CEO learning is a continuous affair, your lessons will be everywhere; your opportunities lie in people’s frustrations and your success ultimately in easing these frustrations. Money can never be the reason you get into business, you must have a bigger purpose.
While starting up,  avoid the startup curse of building something wonderful that people don’t need; research, talk to people, share your idea the feedback you get will help you better design and position your offering. Trust me you can never do it alone. 


Colleagues as I end my letter don’t let my pessimistic tone deter you. I would like to assure you I am a believer in the trans-formative power of startups and what better way to start you on your successful entrepreneurial journey that with a reality check of what lays ahead. However it’s not all doom and gloom, through platforms like Business Inside You and many more, Kenyan entrepreneurs and startups can get the necessary support they need to start, grow and succeed in business.
Walk with us through this journey and share your stories and experiences with us.

Yours faithfully
Founder, CEO, Juggler, Acrobat, Mother and Taxi Driver

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