I learnt the hard way that business is all about trust and integrity

I have always been interested in business and started in the events industry as a casual for a friend. I started and built two event firms then moved to pursue my personal interest in communications. As is my habit, I found a place to work part time and gain experience that helped to understand the industry and find my place. My business is now focused on telling the African story and documenting Africa’s richness.

In the early days, I assumed that whatever money I had in the account was mine to spend. An event could be Sh1 million. The client would pay 60 percent deposit and I would forget that it wasn’t all my money and pay ourselves, cover utilities and other needs and forget that most of the deposit was supplier money, seeing that our management fee was usually 16 percent. One time, we had several concurrent projects going on and there were delays in the payments. We dipped into money for other projects to pay the daily running costs only for other payments to delay. When it was time to pay suppliers deposits, we had less than half of what was needed.  I had to try and calm down angry suppliers. 

In the end, one of my suppliers, called me out and reminded me that she knew I was a person of integrity and faith and this behaviour was unbecoming. “You will pay me every cent you owe. Every Friday you will call me and tell me how much you have deposited into my account and then send me the deposit slip. If you don’t have money to pay me, you will still call me and tell me you don’t have. The bottom line is that you will pay me not matter what,” she said. We paid every supplier we owed by paying as little as Sh500 every week and gained their trust and favour for future work.

Discovering the business I am currently involved in is among the highlights of my career. I was part of the Biblical Entrepreneurship training program with the Nehemiah Project Kenya. Our class assignment was to find a sector we would like venture into and write a business plan for it. The preparation journey and final presentation opened my eyes to how well I could do in this sector. Business is not for the fainthearted. But I have learnt, as a member of the SME Founders Association, that business fails because of the founder’s inability to grow beyond themselves.

If I could start my career journey all over, I would join a business support organisation and be fully involved. I would build reciprocal relationships with other businesses involved in my line of work. I would also seek to fully understand my financials. I would find mentors and coaches from the get go.

I used to use the envelop system our grandmothers used. Then I graduated to collecting money in an account and later deciding what to do. After many failed attempts to save consistently, I sought counsel. A friend introduced me to the money market fund and I have found it to be my most effective method of saving. 

Time is your greatest currency. Understand that what you do today is the foundation of tomorrow and the bedrock for a decade from now so put in the work now and you will reap the benefits in time. Help others and open doors for them because it comes back later. Some of the greatest opportunities I have had have been because a few years ago someone met me and we worked together well. Do you know a young person who needs work but is unskilled? Can you help them? It takes simple things like conversations.

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