kenyanlady-enterprenuer

Confessions of a first time Mom

2010-05-09T12:29:00.000-07:00

When I became a Mom; I started writing about my experience. As we celebrate mothers day I hope all mom's out there can relate to my experience as captured in the excerpt below. CHAPTER ONE: IN THE BEGINNING I have always been one of those women that knew I wanted to have kids. My mother was not around very much when I was growing up so I knew when my turn came to be a mom I wanted to be the best

Overcoming the Storms in our lives

2010-05-01T03:36:00.000-07:00

The most difficult thing in life is maintaining your focus on a goal while things all around you are not going as planned or you face some kind of adversity in your life. Women especially, are prone to getting emotionally totaled when things are not working out in one area or other in their lives. Here are some ways you can stay focused and at the same time empower yourself to rise above your

The Secret to Success

2010-05-01T03:35:00.000-07:00

Why is it that for some people success seems to have come easy while for others it seems a struggle? One of my business partners always tells me that his father, who became a millionaire at 25, used to always tell him that there is no such thing as a free lunch. Every successful person you see has gotten to where they are because they paid the ultimate prize for their accomplishment. I am

Get out of your comfort Zone

2010-05-01T03:34:00.000-07:00

The most common question I get is from people who ask me how it is they can be able to move forward and actually put into action the very thing they have been thinking of doing for eons. Once you overcome procrastinating how do you take that final leap? The fear of failure and fear of the unknown is what holds people back. As a person you need to get to a place where you feel your purpose so

The one minute millionaire

2010-04-10T10:02:00.000-07:00

I was driving to work the other day and I remembered something I read in a book called the one minute millionaire. In this book, a woman loses her husband and her in-laws take custody of her kids because they are wealthy and can provide a better life for their grandchild than their mother. The woman is given 90 days to raise one million dollars in order to regain custody. Now for many of us

Finding Equlibrium

2010-04-10T09:59:00.000-07:00

One of my friends celebrated her 30th birthday a few days ago. When talking to her I was curious to know what to expect in my 30th decade. She shared with me her dreams and aspirations and the things she had hoped to accomplish before turning 30, some which did not quite work out as planned. The war stories from her twenties were full of intrigue and drama; from bad relationships, business

Tips for Surviving a FinancialNegotiation

2010-04-10T09:58:00.000-07:00

I remember once, one of my mentors told me that I needed to sharpen my negotiation skills. He even recommended a book I should read. By virtue of him being my boss I was upset and hurt because we had just brokered a multi-million deal for the company even after making a few concessions. The thing about life is that, if you miss an opportunity to learn an important lesson, life will throw that

Online Mobile Money Solution Launches in Kenya

2010-02-25T01:31:00.001-08:00

Intrepid Data Systems - a homegrown IT design firm today announced the launch of its new real time online mobile money solution - iPay. The innovative and easy-to-use product incorporates the popular M-Pesa and Zap modes of money transfer to enable customers to buy and sell goods and services across Africa via their mobile phones. iPay is designed and targeted to online merchants to enable

Strange Review on Success

2010-02-12T09:12:00.000-08:00

I am a huge fan of Malcom Gladwell and his style of writing. I found out about this book from one of my friends yesterday and the subject matter as explained to me had me captivated. The book is called outliers It is a study of the some of the most successful personalities from various sectors of life and a peak at the series of events that led them to where they are today. Most of us believe

Key Fundamentals for your Small Business

2010-02-09T09:09:00.000-08:00

After you have handed in all the paper work and gathered your start up capital; what are the key things that you must ensure your business has to cushion failure/ 1. Pay attention to Detail Every entrepreneur needs t o commit themselves to utmost detail in every section of their business. People either willingly or by default will take advantage of you and any loopholes your business has. Keep

The Single Most Important Reason Why Businesses Fail

2010-02-09T08:50:00.000-08:00

I have been in advertising for over six years now. In that time I have worked for some pretty interesting small business. The beauty of my Industry is that in an Instant you get to rub shoulders with decision makers, CEO’s, MD’s and other influential business minds in business today. You are sitting in class one day, a few days later you are trying to impress the CEO of a multi-national company,

Get started with an e-business

2010-02-03T03:02:00.000-08:00

One of the most manageable businesses with low start up costs is online business. These require low set up costs and low maintenance and overheads depending on the business model. In my opinion, this is an online store can make you money while you sleep. And who wouldn’t love that! One of the major challenges in Kenya of course, is access to technology. But there is a ready market for anyone

No! I’m not crazy; this is what I know about life so far…

2010-01-22T08:53:00.000-08:00

This week, I did something a lot of people would call crazy. I quit my day job. If you are anything like me, you have harbored dreams of financial freedom and security since you discovered that your paycheck can only take you so far. My first year in employment was fun. I was making some good money, had just moved out, and the only things I did were shop, and shop some more. Then one day I

Welcome Kenyan Lady to our network on Ning

2010-01-20T06:35:00.000-08:00

This is to announce that we have created a social network on ning.com. Please follow the url www.kenyanlady-entrepreneur.ning.com to visit our network page. The advantage of being on ning is that it provides broader spectrum of interaction. You can start discusions, add pictures, share events, comments, and still catch up on the recent updated stories on the blog. It is basically like our very

What it really means to be at the top of the food chain

2010-01-19T09:07:00.000-08:00

I know many of us believe that, the bigger our role within an organization, whether as a top leader or business leader, the easier life gets. It always seems that all the top CEO’s and business men are always golfing, and that is what we aspire to do. We want to be at the top and then our lives will be sorted. Nothing is more of a lie than this myth. I quickly learnt this in my first real

The Low down Dirt on Office Politics

2010-01-19T09:03:00.001-08:00

I am yet to hear of an organization that does not suffer from this epidemic. For a short while I worked at such a place; where everyone was out to get the job done and only interested in the greater good of the organization. Needless to say, a lot of us work in places where politics is the order of the day. You have to learn how to work your way around the system in order to survive and it is a

Financial Intelligence Series: Article Two

2010-01-19T05:24:00.000-08:00

I used to think that saving was overrated. I was one of those many people completely sucked in and enslaved by the rat race, I thought that my only saving Grace was going to be a bigger job, with bigger perks, and an even bigger salary. More than that, I was waiting for that one big project that would make me a millionaire, and then I would invest my money and be financial free for life! Don’t

Creating a positive customer experience

2010-01-16T05:41:00.001-08:00

The other day I was having a conversation with one of my friends about what makes businesses successful and others a failure, especially in the same line of business. We were comparing the difference between Nakumatt and Uchumi supermarkets and why even after bad publicity, financial scandals, and calamity that have affected these businesses, Nakumatt still remains way ahead of its predecessor.

Tips to keep your clients happy

2010-01-16T05:16:00.000-08:00

These are some of the gems I have learned from years spent in the service industry. Might sound like common sense, but you might be surprised how uncommon it is. You might be surprised that its fairly easy to keep your clients happy unless you are blessed with one of those highly strung characters and believe me I have had my fair share of interfaces with them. Gone are the days of the customer

Learning to Lead Yourself

2010-01-14T01:15:00.000-08:00

I read somewhere that whenever people are judging others, they judge them based on their actions. However, when judging ourselves, we do it based on our intention. This is why we can not understand how the people working at the ministry of education would steal money to educate many poor Kenyans through the free education program, while the person that stole the money saw no other way to improve

Is Google For real?

2010-01-13T21:51:00.000-08:00

I am a huge fan of Google and it astounds me how this company that made no money a little over 10 years ago, continues to innovate new ways to make money. It’s impossible to imagine that a few years ago; criticism over the dot com bubble and especially towards Google was so heated because many believed it to be just another Internet company that will never make money. Things were so bad that

Business quotes by Famous Entrepreneurs

2010-01-13T08:02:00.000-08:00

I did something that challenged the banking world. Conventional banks look for the rich; we look for the absolutely poor. All people are entrepreneurs, but many don't have the opportunity to find that out. Muhammad Yunus People are definitely a company’s greatest asset. It doesn't make any difference whether the product is cars or cosmetics. A company is only as good as the people it keeps.

Know Thyself

2010-01-13T07:34:00.000-08:00

If you are wracking you brain wondering how to deal with people better, improve your client conversion rate or manage employee and co-worker relationship better, try understanding the reason behind the way people act. One of the best ways of individual analysis involves understanding temperament. Understanding temperament is key in helping you learn to deal with clients and employees. It also

The Entrepreneur Minute with Phillip Nyamwaya, winner of 2009 Entrepreneur of the Year award by KIM

2010-01-12T23:38:00.000-08:00

The Entrepreneur minute is an article series that will showcase real life stories in an interview format. They will share their journey so far and what key lessons they have learned. The articles will feature Young Kenyan entrepreneurs. Our debut Entrepreneur is Phillip Nyamwaya, one half of the brains behind Intrepid Kenya and the winner of Youth Entrepreneur of the year 2009 by Kenya Institute

It’s a life of Balance; Things you wish your mother told you

2010-01-12T06:02:00.001-08:00

I know most women will have this moment in their life when they realize that being a girl isn’t as cute and frilly as its cracked up to be. It usually will happen first well into their marriage, when they realize that married life is not what Hollywood tells us it is; living happily ever after. It happens when they realize just how overly glorified dating and weddings are. No one ever told us

Defining Success for yourself

2010-01-11T03:15:00.000-08:00

The problem with all of us is that we do not define success by what we want to accomplish but rather by what others in our circles are doing and how we can keep up with them. We are basically keeping up with the joneses. The problem with this is that we are all very different individually and we are uniquely gifted in our capabilities. Have you ever stopped to consider what success means to you?

Top tips to building Business Relationships

2010-01-08T05:13:00.000-08:00

If no one has told you yet, a business is built by creating relationships. Relationships with you suppliers, customers, bank, co-workers etc. One of the most quoted authors Dale Carnegie wrote a book that has been used for decades the world over to help people learn how to build relationships. Some people are just born that way; they are a “people person”. But if you are anything like me then

Tips on developing your annual company plan

2010-01-07T05:38:00.000-08:00

It is important to develop a culture of putting down exactly where your company or business should be headed at the beginning of every year. After analyzing the previous years performance indicators in terms of actual sales, percentage of sales conversions vis a vis sales pitches made, cost of sales, company expenses, and actual profits. This process will help you see whether your business is

E-commerce now a reality for Kenyan entreprenuers

2010-01-06T02:28:00.000-08:00

Did you know that Africa has a population of 950 million and with the current growth rate our population size will be comparable to that of India and China? Did you know that Africa has the 10th largest economy in the world? The internet users in Africa are estimated at 67 million currently with a historical growth rate of 1,392% since 2000. Africa has 264 million mobile users with a 50% growth

Tired of New years Resolutions that don't work? Try this

2010-01-05T23:19:00.000-08:00

Enough already! It’s a new year and with it another chance to set new year resolutions that I must accomplish this time. I want to share a funny story with you from one of my leadership mentors. He had made a new years resolution to lose weight like most of us do every year. He signed up to the gym got his gear and everything necessary to accomplish that goal and was ready to begin in January.

10 websites that will make you money in 2010

2010-01-05T02:33:00.000-08:00

1. www.geniusrocket.com If you are a creative designer sign up for free on this website. They will provide a list of projects you can work on and best of all you are able to view the submissions of other designers. 2.www.knowledgegenie.com This site helps you package information and sell it online at 100% profits to you. If you are a consultant in any field check it out and get started today. 3

The Financial intelligence series: Article one

2010-01-04T05:57:00.000-08:00

This year I want to begin what I’m calling a financial intelligence series. Many people say that they want to be rich. However not many of them possess the financial intelligence required to do so and sadly not many people will achieve financial freedom and security. It is this reason why 80% of the wealth in the world and even in Kenya is controlled by 20% of the population. This series will

Business Plan Writing

2009-12-28T23:55:00.000-08:00

Check out this website if you need to be hooked up with a business plan, Research proposals, and funding proposals. www.bizresource.co.ke And a quote that i ran into today: If you do not have capital to start your business; Get a job. A lot of people out there want to live the dream but they dont walk the talk. There are lost of opportunities that wont require lots of money but they do not

A couple of Lessons about life

2009-12-28T23:45:00.000-08:00

Today I want to share a couple of things I have become more aware of or learned in the past couple of weeks during my blogging hiatus. 1. Taking Stock Once in a while it is important to take stock of your life and the things that you do each day. Take a step back and ask yourself why do you get up each morning? Why do you brave the matatu ride and the traffic to go to work? Is what you are doing

Christmas and Leadership

2009-12-22T05:53:00.000-08:00

This week I have been thinking about the not so sunny side of being a leader. I have been reading John C. Maxwells thoughts in leadership to mentally prepare for what lies ahead as far as my personal goals are concerned. I want to share some of the nuggets of wisdom from the 360 degree leader. If you think about the story of Jesus, it took him 30 years to prepare for 3 years of his mission.

Reflections on Life and Money

2009-12-09T22:40:00.000-08:00

The more life changes the more things remain the same. so what is the point of change. i read an article yesterday about the recent infrustructure bond by the governement that had been oversubscribed by a huge percentage regardless of the low publicity and also it came after two major bonds? Arent we supposed to be in a recession? Isn't money tight and the cost of living too high? Or is it that

Slick Marketing: Making strides in the Communications industry

2009-12-02T05:45:00.000-08:00

Today I would like to share an inspirational story and I hope that it will inspire you to step out. The story is about Samali Namuddu who also happens to be proprietor and create Director of Slick Marketing Limited.Samali started her company in her mothers house while we were still in University. I remember one of her very first projects was our year book. she tells me her first VAT payment was

Developing the Leader within you

2009-12-01T21:44:00.000-08:00

In the recent weeks I have been thinking a lot about leadership. What does it mean to be a leader? Is it a skill set, position, something you are born with? How do I know if I am a good leader? In my quest for knowledge in this area I have come across interesting bits of information that i would like to share. Being a leader is not a position. It is a quality that some people have a natural

Share and Learn

2009-11-03T03:42:00.000-08:00

This month i would like to give an opportunity to all the ladies to share their stories, learning's, and Struggles. Please prepare a small write up that you think aspiring women entrepreneurs can benefit from. The article can be about anything you have to share on a professional and business front. Send in your submissions to janetmwendwa@gmail.com. We will post and share the stories on this blog.

Jobs in Kenya

2009-11-01T20:49:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share with you this wonderful blog i came across. it contains recent updated jobs and consultancy opportunities available in Kenya. Make it a part of your daily browsing and am sure we will share the same sentiment. Another site i like is www.careerpointkenya.blogspot.com and www.kenyatenders.blogspot.com.

Uchumi Supermarkets to return to the Stock Exchange

2009-10-29T04:54:00.000-07:00

As a way to unlock the suspended trading at the NSE and enable the lifting of receivership, Uchumi is offering its current shareholders an opportunity to loan the supermarket chain loan with 10% annual interest that is also guaranteed by the government. The holder has an option to convert the loan and interest earned into shares at maturity or simply get paid. The minimum investment is Kshs.

Business Fair on 31st October 2009

2009-10-29T02:08:00.000-07:00

Attention all SME's and people out there. This weekend will be the annual Business fair at the Mavuno Dome on Mombasa road. It will be on this saturday and sunday. Please come and get involved. Learn what opportunities to improve your business are, get new leads, and Network. Be there. Tell all your friends.

Business Woman of the MonthRedefining Marketing

2009-10-08T01:48:00.000-07:00

This week I was very privileged to meet an inspiring woman i would like to honor as the Business Woman of the the Month. She is the owner of Upbeat Marketing an agency like no other. Nathalie Chinje is no ordinary lady she is driven,vivacious,passionate, and she knows her thing. She is driven by a passion for empowering Africa and especially women to pursue their business goals beyond borders but

Investing in a Recession: Kengen PIBO

2009-09-09T02:50:00.000-07:00

The kengen pibo finally launched yesterday and for those of you looking for a practical investment solution in a volatile economy I think this is a worthwhile one to check out.Investors will earn tax exempt interest income at the rate of 12.5 per cent in the first two years while the principal sum will be redeemed bi-annually for the subsequent eight years in equal installments.Transaction

Kenyan Lady enterprenuer Stand Up!

2009-09-07T09:42:00.000-07:00

Today i spent time researching on top ways to cut down costs for your business. The sad reality dawned on me after a few reads that most companies at the end of the day will sacrifice their employees to survive the bad times. If you are a Kenyan Lady that has had to go through a pay cut or retrenchment in this recession my sentiments are with you. Rather than feel defeated and lost i think its

8 Simple lessons

2009-09-07T00:21:00.000-07:00

Today I want to share a couple of things I have become more aware of or learned in the past couple of weeks during my blogging hiatus.1. Taking StockOnce in a while it is important to take stock of your life and the things that you do each day. Take a step back and ask yourself why do you get up each morning? Why do you brave the matatu ride and the traffic to go to work? Is what you are doing

Reality Check

2009-08-06T08:20:00.000-07:00

It has just been one of those pessimistic what is happening to Kenya days. Just came from a 2 day strategy session where we came across interesting data on Kenyan youth. Apparently over 60% of our population relies on Money transfer as a source of income. The number of self employed Kenyans are less that 10% of the population. The employed kenyans have also dropped to less than 10% of the Total

Our reading Spaces

2009-08-04T02:39:00.000-07:00

Sometimes in life you meet people that inspire the socks off you and make you re-think our life. I had the opportunity today to meet a lady that is touching lives in the community around her because she dared to dream. Irene Mbari-Kirika has started a foundation called our reading spaces www.ourReadingSpaces.org when she visited her shags and realized that there was no library for the kids from

AGOA takes over nairobi

2009-08-03T02:50:00.000-07:00

So the AGOA conference is here and if you are like me you are wondering how does this affect my life. Apparently out of about 2000 products accepted for export from Africa to the US we only export 6. If that does not spell opportunity don't know what does! Apparently Kenyans are only concentrating on apparel and textiles. If you had the opportunity to listen to KISS this morning when they

Online opportunities for extra cash

2009-07-29T22:34:00.000-07:00

If you have a laptop you want to make work extra for you, i want to tell that the internet is flowing with opportunities to make cash writing and doing data entry. One of the sites i came across today is www.submitwebads.com which is looking for ad writers and its not as hard as you might think. check it out and let me know what you think.

Exciting product by DHL

2009-07-27T23:16:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let you enterprising people out there know that DHL has a very exciting product called Easy shop. Basically you can get a shipping address in the U.S! How cool. So if you have seen a book you like online among other things that are cheaper there you can now buy them online with your visa credit or debit card and have DHL deliver them right to your doorstep. Check out www.dhl.co.ke

Female enterprenuer of the week

2009-07-25T05:43:00.000-07:00

Every week i want to honor an inspiring enterprenuer and this week i want to honor flora mutahi who owns melvins marsh international a company that had humble begginings out of her love for tea and has now ventured into other products such as brown rice.i honor her because she represents the different facets that a woman encompasses and strives for. She is a wife, a mother, and a very succesful

Turning Bins into Pools

2009-07-23T09:36:00.000-07:00

Now am always on the look out for interesting ideas. check out this link for an interesting opportunity. Imagine if you set this up in Kibera and charge 20 bob per person per weekend or something like that.http://www.business-opportunities.biz/2009/07/23/entrepreneur-turns-trash-bins-into-pools/

Fibre optic goes live

2009-07-23T09:31:00.000-07:00

This is in commemoration of the day when the fibre optic went Live but like someone told me do not expect miracles at least in the first month as the several ISP's sort out configuration issues but to all enterprenuers please take note and advantage of the vast opportunities available online! Make hay while the sun shines and indeed its shining now

Register A company in 4 days!

2009-07-23T06:53:00.000-07:00