Startup Kenya

My friend Roger clearly remembers those particular words from the telephone call. After many days anxiously spent waiting for it the bank had called him that sweltering December afternoon. The call effectively put a nail in the coffin for Rogers’ fledgling insurance agency. Twelve months earlier, Roger had started his business with unbridled and unstoppable optimism. He quit his well-paying but stressful job as a marketer in a large company, much to the distress of his pregnant wife.  But Roger quit because he had a dream. He dreamed of giving his unborn son everything he ever wanted. He dreamed of an end to the despondent dependancy on his pay cheque. He dreamed of hours of relaxed recreational family time. Driven by a lucid, Technicolor vision of his dream Roger took a one million shillings loan from the bank to start his agency, only to have the bank take it from him one short year later. The auctioneer came the next day, a greasy-faced, pot-bellied, squinty eyed man weari...

In the January of 2002 a young man found himself battling against frustration and despair as he saw his barely four month old company go up in smoke. It was his first real business venture and he had sunk all of his meagre savings into it, only to find himself unable to convert his enthusiasm into sales. Four months without a single sale he only had well worn shoes to show for his effort. When he started the business, he thought he had it figured all out. He had bought a mobile phone and a decent second-hand computer and sublet a small office in town. He listed down 500 prospects, wrote an introduction letter, and proceeded to call and visit the prospects. Four months and several disappointing calls and visits later, he had only managed to see a handful of prospects and none were yet to give him any business. Meanwhile his landlord was on his back asking for rent and he had run out of money to make telephone calls. He had no option but to close down his fledgling busine...