Entrepreneurship is not an easy journey. It is like gambling. Sometimes you set off without knowing what is lying ahead. Ahead lies both happiness and sadness.
If you are in business or looking to get into business but are too scared to dive into the deep waters, just don’t panic. Many have been in your situation and now reaping big.
You will be disappointed on several occasions but if you choose to curl your tail and give up, then the term failure gets a real definition and meaning. Do you know why the richer get richer every day?
They are skilled at creating wealth. They see opportunities others don’t see, they think in ways that others don’t think.
They are smart risk takers; they win more than they lose. While the poor is spending millions the wealthier invests more. Every successful person has a story of how they endured hardships in order to get to where they are.
Here is a list of the 3 top entrepreneurs in Kenya we can learn from
1.Chris Kirubi
Unlike some of us who had a fairly easy childhood, Chris Kirubi grew up in a poor home, he lost his parents at an early age and he had to start work early in order to meet the daily needs of his family.
This experience lay a foundation for him to become the successful entrepreneur he is today. However, building his business empire did not come without its fair share of challenges and failures along the way.
His greatest failure was when he tried to venture into the painting industry. Chris thought that as long as he produced quality paint, his product would sell.
At the time, the paint industry was dominated by a few individuals who were also the major distributors and contractors.
They were threatened by Kirubi’s new product and in order to stifle his product, no big contractor would buy his paint and there was no one willing to stock his product.
The few who took his paint took it on credit with the promise to pay back but they never really paid him. After some time, Kirubi went into huge debt and he was forced to shut down the company.
Today, he is one of the richest entrepreneurs in Kenya. He is the director at Centum Investments, owns Capital FM and many others. He runs several companies across Africa.
2.Peter Munga
He is the founder of Equity Bank Kenya’s largest commercial bank in Kenya. Munga’s early life was marred with poverty and so he grew in a struggling family.
His father, a small-scale trader, was jailed in 1952 when Munga was still in lower primary, and after the colonial government declared a state of emergency. This forced him to join his mother, Beth Nyambura, in her small business to provide for the family.
He spent the emergency period moving from place to place with his mother in search of a better life, after his father, Ben Kahara, was detained by the colonial government.
Today, Munga owns less than 0.5% of the publicly-traded bank, but he owes the bulk of his fortune to his 26% stake in Britam Holding, a listed financial services giant.
His shares in Britam are valued at more than $50 million. He is also a major shareholder of Equatorial Nuts, one of the leading macadamia processing companies in East Africa.
3. George Wachiuri
George Wachiuri is undoubtedly one of the most successful entrepreneurs in Kenya. The founder of Optiven Limited started his company 18 years ago with savings from his previous jobs.
When he first got into real estate, his focus was on providing value added plots to Kenyans. However, it wasn’t easy at first. The first plot he bought worth Ksh. 5 Million ended up being a con and he lost all his savings.
Things were not looking great. The huge loss took the company through a great depression and Mr. Wachiuri started applying for jobs in order to make ends meet.
He got a job as a lecturer at a local University but his income still wasn’t enough to meet his needs.
The list of entrepreneurs is endless.