Meet A Young Entrepreneur Who Turned A Problem Into A Successful Business Idea

He saw a problem and turned it into a business idea. Anthony Chege is the owner of boomark.co.ke a website which allows sellers to post books for sale or exchange at a Sh350 fee per year.
He spoke to Benson Mwikali of Business Daily and below is how one can seize teh opportunity and come up with a brilliant business idea.
How did he come up with the Business Idea?

How A Man Quit His Job To Build An Empire From His Bedroom

Quitting a job and starting our own business is a dream that most people covet. Steve Wangara did more than covet when he quit his job in a local bank to venture into business. He is an IT guru who is currently the Managing Director at Pacetech Informations Systems Ltd.

He was interviewed by Jevans Nyabiange and here is his story.

What was he doing before?
I quit working at a local bank as an IT support and decided to go full time into self employment. I had formed Pacetech which was initially dealing in IT & Communications, selling computers but in 2009, I decided to diversify to offer more security solutions for laptops and mobile phones tracking and recovery.

24Yrs Old Ex-Convict Finds Fortune In Own Business To Pocket Millions Monthly

Meet an ex convict who was put in prison in October of 2010 after he stole Sh123,000 from his employer. Almost three years down the line he is a successful business man after staying in jail for 6 months.
Simon Ciuri spoke with him and below is an excerpt of that interview.
Why did he steal the money?
He wanted the cash so that he would be able to look for greener pastures abroad.
What is business all about?(Muthui Limited)
Muthui Limited is all about the importation of cars, laptops and machinery on behalf of their clients.
How much does he make in a month?
He says he can’t complai about the returns adding thta Sh5.2 million is not a bad figure as a profit.
How was his experience in prison?

Lesson from a Kenyan Rabbit Farmer

For those who are employed either in the public or private sector, being fired is a constant fear you have to live with. For whatever reasons, whether of your own making or otherwise, you might be rendered jobless at any given time.

What would be your next move if you were to lose your job? Lucy Wanjiku Ndun’gu , 36, was sacked from a low paying job because she went on a maternity leave. But that turned out to be her path to millions.

Mwangi Muiruri spared a moment with her and below is an excerpt of that interview.

KMTC Student Who Owns An E- Medical Facility

At only 33, Ms Chelimo Fatuma Okeke is the managing director of E-Med Kenya an android -based application offering a quick reference for drug information.

She recently spoke to Neville Otuki and below is an extract of the interview of how she managed utilise what was already available (internet) hence becoming her own boss.

What is E-Med all about?
It’s a Android-based application offering a quick reference for drug information to Kenyans. It involves giving information on correct drug dosage and indication.

The application is hinged on the concept of continuing medical education (CME), in which doctors, nurses and other medical practitioners train continuously and get accreditation.

Why an E-Med Facility?
The Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) graduate dreamt of having a physical medical facility but has since developed an online pharmacy, a feat she considers much grander in the digital age.

TPF Host Joey Muthengi

A successful career in music, acting, radio and TV…..no doubt this young lady has got a going on with her career.

The former Capital FM presenter and Channel O VDJ is not new to the entertainment industry. Apart from appearing in various hit locals shows like the Changing Times which used to air on KTN, she has hosted various TV shows including Sakata.

She has now gone ahead to fill in the big shoes of Sheila Mwanyigha at the Season 6 of Tusker Project Fame.

Citizen TV's Julie Gichuru

We all have that moment when our dream seem like a joke to us, you sit back and wonder what you were on when imagining that you could achieve such high dreams...We found this great inspirational piece written by July Gichuru and thought of sharing it with you.

“Have you ever had a brilliant idea? A wonderful thought of a stunning possibility? Then, you catch that thought in a net, chide yourself for even thinking it was possible, and pack it away never to
release it again?

Or perhaps as a young child you had a great passion and a great ambition to go with it. But people told you, “It will never happen, why cheat yourself?” They said, “You are dreaming, this is the real world!” …and with all this your inner voice whispered, “How silly of me, I should just let go, after all, it will never happen.”

Wrong! While my last piece was on cutting the cord from toxic people this piece is about overcoming your own internal fears and unleashing all your greatest hopes and aspirations in the form of big, bold and powerful dreams.

Julie Gichuru, News Anchor

 Now I like epic things, I always have… Epic stories, epic books, epic movies, epic songs! I think if something is worth doing and you have the capacity, do it big! Like the air we breathe, dreams are free, and so I dream BIG! I may never get there but I will visualize it, embrace it, and in doing so allow my subconscious to start to tweak my every response towards the realization of that dream. Seeing it, they say, is half the battle won. And so

Entrepreneur Who Turned His Childhood Hobby into a Million Dollar Resort

I want to be a neurosurgeon when I grow up. Childhood dreams are a thing of beauty, though part fantasy, and part what could really become reality; they give us a direction at an early age.

The year was 1982 and Julius Kamau, then a college student, dreamt of standing on top of his own beautiful hotel with water fountains and flowers sipping coffee. For the young man from a poor family, the prospects of realising that dream then appeared remote if not misplaced.

He spoke to Simon Ciuri and below is an extract of the interview of a man narrating how he made his dreams come true.

What you need to know about Mr Kamau
Mr Kamau came from a humble background and the desire to rise from poverty inspired him to seek
a different life. Now 59, he can stand among Kenya’s millionaires, but according to his workers, a humble millionaire

Woman Who Has Dedicated Her Life Into Caring For Children With Special Needs

Many people are likely to regard being born into a middle class family as an opportunity for one to pursue education and other self interests to the highest level one can muster.

But that is not the case with Dianne Rooke, the director of Angels on Earth Centre for Children with special needs in Nyali, Mombasa. Today, Rooke is living her childhood dream of helping children with special needs.

What is her passion?
Born in Kiambu and growing up in Mombasa, Diane remembers having a great passion to help in
difficult situation. “It is my grandmother who actually guided me into this. She hated seeing people around her suffer. I guess it rubbed on me,” says the soft spoken Rooke with a discernible tinge of satisfaction in her

13 College Dropouts Who Became Billionaires

These college dropouts are great examples of flankers who can achieve success against the odds. They prove that if you work hard then you can be successful no matter what. Even if you are from a not so rich family, even if you decide to leave college, if you have enough drive and focus you can make your dreams come true.

Bill Gates - $56 Billion
Education: Dropped out of Harvard.
Success: Co-Founder of Microsoft, Major Philanthropist.

Larry Ellison - $39.5 Billion
Education: Dropped out of University of Illinois Champagne-Urbana.
Success: Founder of Oracle, A Major Software Enterprise Company.

Keroche Breweries Tabitha Karanja On Business Success & What Keeps Her Awake At Night

In a draconian era, someone would have told Keroche CEO Tabitha Karanja to steer away from the business of beer making and maybe focus her energy on a more “Woman friendly enterprise” But luckily enough, we are in a life time where women can do anything. From CEO’s, entrepreneurs to presidents, name it, you will find a women occupy the seat with no apologies to offer. What a man can do, you know how that goes.
Tabitha Karanja dared to tread where many feared to tread since few were bold enough to go there. The market hadn’t been penetrated yet and the risks of incurring losses due to high competition from already established companies were high. But over the years since 1997, Tabitha has proved that no mountain is too high to scale.
Tabitha Karanja, has been rated the second woman to watch in 2013 by Ventures Africa Magazine. She has also been rated among 13 other iconic women in Africa.
From an intense research around the web and other publication we gathered this much about the first Kenyan to own a beer company.
What  was her first job?
I worked as a librarian with a government parastatal. I later started a hardware business.
What challenges did she face while starting up Keroche Industry?

She battled with banks unwilling to part with desperately needed start-up capital, wealthy and exclusive competitors, uncooperative government officials and even a shut-down of her offices.
Who had the biggest impact on her career and why?

Citizen TVs Johnson Mwakazi Shattering Journey To Success

It easy to pinpoint his voice in an advert even when you can’t see his face. Johnson Mwakazi has risen through the ranks of the media to become a house hold name. It’s the way he reads his news, his deep and throaty voice which gives whatever he is reading a sense of meaning that sets him apart from the rest.

Johnson’s journey of success to eventually become an icon in the media industry hasn’t been a rosy one. This he revealed at Turning Point International and by sharing his inspirational life story to
ZETECH college students.

Success Tale Of Top 12 Super-Rich Kenyan Entrepreneurs

They are successful entrepreneurs in Kenya who are legitimately amassing multi-million dollar fortunes. Some have not inherited stuff; but they have built it themselves. The 12 Kenyan entrepreneurs are very rich, as their wealth at the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) increased by Sh27 billion in slightly less than 12 months.

For your information, this is only the wealth in shares listed in their names at the NSE. They have much more in shares not listed in their names, but under nominee accounts or through sister
companies to ones listed at the stock market.

Top in the list of those whose wealth is measurable, at least through the NSE, is his Highness The Aga Khan who alone scooped Sh17 billion of the Sh27 billion. Followed by the family of the late Philip Ndegwa, at Sh3 billion, a former entrepreneur per excellence whose estate stands solid in real estate, banking and other investment. Then follows Dr James Mwangi of Equity Bank and Chris Kirubi who made Sh2 billion and Sh1.41 billion, respectively.

Here are the 12 that you need to know:

32Yrs Youthful Entrepreneur & ICT Guru Beats The Odds To Set Trends

In the field of ICT, one day you are in, and the next, your programs and softwares are yesterday’s business. That’s at least one of the odds that ICT guru’s have to reckon with.

At the age of 32, Jonathan Misoi is one of the budding entrepreneurs in Eldoret and the neighbouring counties in a field that has made him an inspiration and role model to many young people.

He spoke to Mathews Ndanyi and below is an excerpt of that interview.

What did he study?
He currently holds a Master's degree in Computer Science (Web Information Systems) from Vrije
University Brussels, Belgium and a BSc. in Information Sciences (Information Technology) from Moi University.

What does he do?
He is already an Information Communication and Technology (ICT) guru and one of the youngest investors in Eldoret who has turned his wealth of expertise in ICT into a business that he is using to transform the lives of many youth.

Jonathan Misoi, Founder & CEO of DigiTalk Technologies Ltd

He is the founder and CEO of DigiTalk Technologies Ltd a consultancy company involved in providing ICT solutions, fibre optics training, empowering and mentoring youths to pursue ICT careers and businesses in Kenya is a trail blazer in the region.

What drives him to performance in the IT industry?

Riara Schools; Dr Eddah Gachukia's Road To Success

About Dr Eddah Gachukia

In school, she was a top student and her teachers often likened her to a boy due to her prowess in
Maths and sciences.  She went to Makerere University and was posted to Thika High School for three years before her further studies.

Upon returning to Kenya shortly after independence, she found herself in the middle of reforms aimed at making the education system relevant to the needs of the new nation. Since students could not understand English at the time, Dr Gachukia advocated for the use of mother tongue and Kiswahili.

Eddah Gachukia, CEO Riara Schools

Her proposal was eventually accepted and rolled out nationally. “The impact was immediate since the pupils learning was not hindered by language.”

About Her Journey.
She spent most of her academic life at the university, having started lecturing in 1973 up to 1987 when she became National Advisor to UNESCO on Population Information and Development Communication for Kenya.

Citizens TV’s Willis Raburu 3 Success Driving Forces

You will for sure agree with me that Willis Raburu has risen the corporate ladders so fast and as well had many achievement within less than 3years he has been at Citizen TV. Apart from starting a political satire Truthmeter, the award winning journalist has won awards for ‘Road accidents’, ‘The Deadly Waters’ and a story from Rwanda; ‘ A Journey of Resilience.’

Though Raburu attributes his success to God and to his mentors, he revealed to Career Point in an earlier interview by Dorcas Karuana of how he has made it to be a brand and this is probably what
has made him who he is.

Dr Chris Hart: On Making An Impact

 Your career is your life, choose wisely! The harsh reality for many professionals in Kenya is that they find themselves trapped in an emotionally draining and unsatisfying job. These are people who just get into the job market without any particular plan of the career path they would like to follow. To be sure of the right path to follow in your career you got to “play to your strength, set your passion free and find the right people to work with.”

Blogger Dennis Itumbi Tough Road To Success

Dennis Itumbi is not a new name especially on social media whose command across the social circles cannot be ignored. Many call him a hacker, others a propagandist while others see him as a social media guru. Well he is a jack of many trades; a journalist, blogger, consultant and a businessman.

40Yrs Old CEO With A Difference, Easy & Fun

What comes to mind when you think of a CEO? Probably someone with a grim face, serious with life, no nonsense attitude and probably a bookish person. We are not just talking any books here but the kind that we normal folks would ignore in a book store, A copy of the Economist or The Times is more likely to catch them dead with a ‘sleazy publication’.

Muema Muindi is the CEO of Kenya Orient insurance Limited and he is not your kind of an all serious CEO who will make your innards shake because of his level of seriousness that comes with
Being an MD.

He spoke to Doreen Wainaina and below is an extract of the interview.

Kenyan House Help Turned Radio Presenter

It’s not every day you hear of instances where companies decide to take talent over training when hiring and moulding the image of its brand, but then again it all boils down to individual or institutional ideologies. One such place that’s blazing the trail is Nairobi-based Ghetto Radio 89.5 FM.

In an industry that was for long the preserve of celebrities or socialites, the station burst into the scene and made HUGE gambles by going a different way. Instead of hiring ‘professionals’ they chose to go with what station representatives thought was talent, and took on a street urchin turned studio cleaner. This individual would then go on to become one of the leading radio personalities of our time, the phenomenon that is Mbusii.

JCC’s Pastor Kathy Kiuna Talks

A wise quote says; a successful woman takes the bricks the devil throws at her and uses it to lay a strong foundation. And that is what the outspoken rev Kathy Kiuna who brought life and charm to televangelism is all about.

Not your typical pastor’s wife to stay quiet and live in the shadows of her husband, Rev Kiuna has become a household name following the launch of her television show woman without limits and her vibrant televangelism. She spoke to Damaris Irungu and below is an excerpt of an Interview of the
bubbly woman.

What is a typical Day for Kathy?

Kenyan Mother In Law' s ‘Celina’ About Her Acting Career

She is beautiful and vivacious. She is short tempered and sometimes over bearing. She can be rude and likes taunting her docile sister in law. She has guts untold and easily tells her mother in law off. She can be evil although she is very hard working. Her husband is a drunk and he is sometimes a total disaster.

Popularly known as Celina Mitego, the wife of Charlie Mwamba in the popular local drama Mother in Law that airs on Citizen TV, the pleasant Catherine Kamau is her real name. At age 19 years of age, Catherine found herself pregnant while in college and bore her son in 2006. However
this did not deter her from achieving her dream.

Here is her story as done by Salon Magazine

The Billionaire Entrepreneur Behind Afya Juice

He tried his luck in the political arena when he run for a parliamentary seat but it didn’t work out in 1992. Mr Rugendo then opted to focus on his family business- Kevian Kenya- as its managing director.

He spoke to Mwikali Lati and here is his the success story behind Kevian Kenya which has become a household name thanks to Afya Juice and Peek n’ Peel.

How did Kevian Kenya Came to be?

Hilarious: How Kenyan Tribes Spend Their Money!

Kenya is blessed to have 42 tribes and I really thank God for the cultural diversity which we should learn from each community. There exist many myths about communities and their cultures. For instance, Kikuyu’s are known to love money, Luo’s spending and loving while Kamba’s are believed to be loyal.

Now there is a very interesting aspect of money and how we spend it. Here is an article of how each Kenyan Tribe Given Sh 1 Million Loan would
spend it

This is What They'll Do WITH A 1 MILLION LOAN:

1. Luo: Rent a house in south B which goes for 30k per month,paint it and furnish with 300k,party with friends and her girlfriend,hire a taxi each morning to take him to work.

2. Kisii: Buy a plot in Rongai and construct a mud hut, the rest use it to help other family members.

First Million At 22Yrs in Kenya

By Dorcas Karuana,
When did you make your first million, at 30? 40 maybe? Never? Well, Harry Karanja joined the millionaires club at only 22 when he and his partner Stephen Alala landed big deals from the State (KenyaLaw.org) for selling desktop and on line versions of the digitalized Kenyan Laws.

Using the proceeds, the duo set up the Genius Business Centre in 2005 to provide affordable office solutions to start up companies. The company has hosted over five hundred business start-ups and
early stage enterprise.

25Yrs Old NTV’s Larry Madowo Exploits

Over the years, Larry Madowo has grown right before our eyes. Career wise that is. From KTN to NTV to CNBC Africa and back to NTV. He is bold, outspoken and a few people I know can say he is over the top or in your face with a know- it all kind of attitude.

On his blog which was not working while writing this, Larry has a personal message “I want to hear from you. Whether it's hate mail, just want to say hi or tell me how awesome I am (Of course I know I am)”

However cocky that may seem, you know Larry is good at what he does and watching the
Trend has becoming something to look forward to on Fridays.

He has been accused of trying to ape CNN’s Richard Quest; Larry has

Wahu Kagwe's New Job In Johnson and Johnson Company

Renowned singer Wahu Kagwi gets a new job after being appointed the ambassador of a Diabetes Health Campaign dubbed “Project Embrace” by Johnson and Johnson company.

The 3 year campaign by LifeScan seeks to reach 5 million families by 2018 across the continent by enhancing awareness, financial and geographical access, and promoting accurate testing.

This campaign is close to her heart as her mother is