HOW LIZZIE WANYOIKE BUILT KENYA S TOP TECHNICAL COLLEGE

BY DEBBIE MUMBI

En t r e p r e n e u r L i z z i e Wanyoike is proof that keeping a relentless eye on your goals, perseverance, joyful de dication and unwavering focus will get you there. She is the CE O and founder of Nairobi Institute of Business Studies (NIBS College) and E mory Hotel, a proud mother of three and a grandmother of nine.

The E Y entrepreneur woman finalist recipient of 2018, Lizzie Wanyoike came from a small village in Muranga County. She was the sixth born in a family of eight children. Her father, was a government official however, he was detained 7 years after being associated with the MAUMAU rebellion. “Y ou see, my father was a colonial chief and his patriotism for a free Kenya saw him double deal through providing intelligence to Mau Mau freedom fighters. He was busted and eventually detained for nine long years, leaving us under the care of my mother,” she says. Her mother then struggled to put her and her siblings to school during this time. Her passion for teaching came after her pursuit for a better life and through education. She is an alumnus of G athukiini primary, K ahuhia G irls, and Nakuru High School. She fulfilled her dream after purchasing several plots and started afresh,” said Lizzie. finishing her studie s at K e nyatta building small rental houses. However, It was from this fresh start that Univ e rsity Colle ge , now K e nyatta hell broke loose and she lost her job and NIBS college was birthed. Lizzie knew the University, and began her career by her partnership in Temple College where chances of her success were to use her teaching E nglish in State House Girls she held a managerial position. At this professionalism and experience. She, High school. She attributes her success point, she was going also through a therefore, started a school with a capital to the difficulties she faced, her parent's separation. She was desperate and needed of 10 million. The school struggled for 8 hard work, and her grounding in the to get back on her feet. months however, having a father as a Christian faith. “In my despair to have a fresh mentor she was determined to face all the Her spirit of entrepreneurship start, I visited James Mwangi of E quity obstacles. Her goal for NIBS was to help began when she was geared to lay a Bank who offered to give me a loan young people dream through education foundation for her children. She started which I later added my savings to start since some were left in despair. In

addition, the experience she went through had joined the hospitality industry and -operative Nairobi, who needed my help as a woman she sought to empower the was also a form of persuasion to bring her and since then I have never stopped, I girlchild however, she later realized that daughter, Stella Njoroge, a structural seriously don’t know why I do it I just the boy child can also face that engineer to come back home from the find myself giving,” she says. predicament. U.S. Students from NIBS get to have their The philanthropist has been doing “Students from private colleges motivational speaking without pay. She attachment in the hotel and at times drop out of school because they are receive employment. believes that it’s a gift from G od and it’s a side-lined by HE LB, unlike their Lizzie Wanyoike admits that being passion that requires no price tag attached counterparts in Public universities and a woman entrepreneur has its challenges to it. In 2016, Lizzie authore d colleges and private universities,” she says. especially when she began registration for ‘E mpowering Y ouths through training’ NIBS started with 25 students who NIBS college. However, she says that the and launched it in NIBS college. The had come from a closed college and two challenges eventually took off. book speaks to the roles of parents in hired teachers who taught in P ioneer their children’s life.“ A w oman has s o many House, Moi Avenue. In order to get more disadvantages especially when you are Lizzie Wanyoike is no doubt a students, Lizzie used her face for giant when it comes to the education sec-hone st and you don’t want to advertising and credibility. It was then that compromise your values,” she adds. tor. In her closet are numerous awards fortune came knocking, at the end of the L izzie Wanyoike P re paratory some include the 2018 DIAR Awards second-year students grew from 20 to 200 school is a new project for the CE O E ntrepreneur of excellence, 2019 Business students. The main reason there was an of the year, and Trailblazer in TopWomen which she intends to mentor young increase was, ‘many parents knew about in business awards. Despite her numerous parents in parenting. Mentoring and my work from my former college and we empowering youths have always been accolades, what keeps Lizzie moving fordid eve rything to make stude nts Lizzie’s heart’s desire. Lizzie Wanyoike ward is changing people’s lives for the comfortable including providing facilities.’ F oundation is a program that has raised a better. The school then moved to Cooperative lot of funds to support needy children. “Just as morning comes after a dark night, house where their lease got unfairly However, she says her philanthropic work so your future is brighter than your past! terminated and switched to Agriculture is not limited to supporting needy chil- Continue pushing on,” she remarks. house as more students registered. The dren but youths who are engaged in challenge of being forced to move out youths. made her to look for a solution to avoid such treatment. In 2009, she made a “I started doing these years ago back in 2006 when I first met a lady at Co Debbie is a Associate E ditor and for Inversk Magazine decision and bought a 10-acre land worth Sh. 20 million in Kimbo, Ruiru along the Thika Road Superhighway. At the time, the place was deserted and it didn’t look promising however she did not give up. “F ortunately, I had bought some initial shares from equity bank and the first time floating in history, my returns were many times more than I had invested. I, therefore, managed to build phase one of NIBS college,” she added. Currently, NIBS college boasts of over 7,000 learners and has campuses in Ongata Rongai, Thika Rd, CBD, and Thika Town. She invested 134 million to build the main campus in Ruiru. The success of the institution is a testament to her managerial skills which have seasoned with time. Lizzie has embraced a visionary style of management, and through inculcating discipline d culture and incorporating her three children to be senior managers she intends to leave a legacy.

“Am a hands-on person. I lead from the front. However, I have engaged very serious and able managers who understand my vision of education with character, empowering youths through training and also leading by example.” Harboring the heart of an entrepreneur, Lizzie took the initiative to start E mory Hotel in K andara Rd, K ileleshwa. She says she started the four-star hotel since many of her students

It is the youth that if properly nurtured w ill harness the available opportunities and propel their familie s, societies, and countrie s to the next level.

BY GEORGE WACHIURI

F or some, the status quo has come about owing to their disadvantaged backgrounds, but for a significant percentage of them, it has been the deep desire to be part of the ‘cool gang’ thereby giving in to peer pressure rather than standing out and risk being ostracized. The onus however remains on those whom the youth look up to for advice, direction, and guidance to belabour the need to engage in meaningful activities. Statistics are now indicating that at least 50% of the world’s population is under the age of 25 years with Africa alone expecting to host some one billion young people on the continent by the year 2050. Similarly, some 60% of all urban dwellers will be under the age of 18 by the year 2030, and according to UN-Habitat’s report on residency for the year 2013, most of them will be living in slums and informal settlements. With this consideration, then it becomes necessary for stakeholders – be they government or the private sector – to engage tactfully with the youth and provide avenues to utilize their skills, energies, and innovations for the future.

In the presence of youth, the older generation that bore the visions of While the change will not come all at older generation is either communities, much has changed in the once, one change at a time means that jitte ry or confide nt – current millennium and millennials have impact will be felt on any youth depending on how their become a force to reckon with, despite interacting with the one who has been world view of youth is their uncertainty in matters that otherwise empowered. shaped. It is not weird to norm for olde r ge nerations. T he Optiven G roup, for example, has hear the older generation lamenting challenge then lies in understanding this rolled out various programs touching on about what has become of the youth in group of key individuals and tapping into the empowerment of the youth including the current generation? Suffice to say their energies by utilizing them positively the Soaring E agles, the Optiven Nests that s o me hav e e v e n f aile d to to transform society. targets to make some 1 million entrepreunderstand how to refer to this group Y ouths have continued to embrace neurs from the latter. We are on course to of people and decided to christen them the wisdom of mentors and gone on to provide at least 30,000 employment as G eneration Z . make something tangible of their lives, opportunities by the year 2030. We Whether it is a matter of failure while others have found themselves in the should appreciate that we cannot do this to identify with the youth or an issue of hands of the vice masters. The outcome alone and should be grateful for the comparisons with one’s experience in has seen the rise of youth gangs, engage- partners who have joined us in making later years, this is a debate for another ment with militant groups, and other vices this a reality, although we need more. day. How e v e r, the youth in any that continue to reign terror in society. To the youth, now is your time, economy hold an important key that Y et the youth are in dire need of a clear understand the season and seize the could open up the social and economic mentorship to ensure that they understand moment. pillars of the society towards enhanced the outcomes of their actions through development. It is this group that if bearing individual responsibility. More G eorge is Leading K enyan E ntrepreneur, properly nurtured will harne ss the and more youth are finding themselves on Published Author, Philanthropist, Y outh available opportunities and propel their the wrong side of the law for being in the E mpowerment E nthusiast, Africa Business families, societies , and countries to the wrong company or engaging in the wrong Award winner, a Family man and CE O for next level. While previously it is the business. Optiven Group

BY DEREK BBANGA

Where are you right now in the process of someday exiting your business? Are you excited or do you dread the thought of exiting your business? Chances are you probably haven’t given it much thought. If so, you are like many owners who have failed to develop an exit plan because they are too busy, or they take the view that they will sort things out when they’re ready. This is a huge mistake and will cost you dearly if you wish to achieve a profitable sale. So, putting together an exit plan that grows and strengthens the value of your business, to achieve a profitable sale, makes good sense whether you intend to exit your business in 1, 5, 10, or 20 years' time. But let’s not think of exit planning as something additional we need to do in our already busy business day – it’s not. P ut simply, an exit plan consists of a strategic plan (a roadmap) for growing the value of your business integrated with your personal and financial goals and objectives. When it comes to establishing personal and financial goals think of establishing three principal exit goals by asking yourself these three questions: How much cash do I need when you exit to support the lifestyle you desire? When do I want to leave the business? To whom do I want to sell/ transfer my business? In terms of strategy, putting aside the process of building a strategic plan for the business, your successful exit is based on asking yourself the fundamental question: what do I need to do now and in the future to grow the value of the business? In answering this question there is no one-size-fits-all approach but there are key areas that you will have to deal

with. Where you are on the business lifecycle will determine which of these key areas you will need to place the most em“ phasis on. With that in mind here are three key areas to ensure success. Your business requires an Start by creating a solid plan that matters to customers and differentiates entrepreneurial you from your competition – a roadmap for growing the value of the business. mind-set that is tolerant of Begin with the end-in-mind. The plan will risk, hungry to overcome provide you with clarity and focus, making it clear what you should be doing obstacles, and willing to absorb the stress that comes and in what order. Then you must take action - put in place the right disciplines to run your business: a handful of priorities, measure your results and recalibrate where with owning and running necessary. Involve your employees at all a business. levels in your planning and hold them accountable for achieving your goals and objectives. Be transparent and establish a rhythm of meetings to keep them informed of the business progress toward these goals. ” embrace a different way of thinking that accepts Next, build a business that can having less direct control over results. Hire people grow without you. Don't try to do every- who are smarter or better than you in critical areas thing yourself. Having a business that of the business and learn how to delegate. P ay attendepends on you is practically worthless. tion to developing and deploying scalable systems, Y ou may be good at many things, but not processes, structure, and a culture that supports dayeverything! Be willing to change to-day operations and the achievement of your goals your role, take a more strategic role, and and objectives. Thirdly, build a fortress balance sheet. Manage cash with even greater fervor than you pay attention to revenue and profit. F ounding your business require s an e ntre pre neurial mindset that is tolerant of risk, hungry to overcome obstacles, and willing to absorb the stress that comes with owning and running a business. As you build you have no doubt often been overwhelmed by a series of growing pains. F rom feeling there are not enough hours in the day; spending too much time " putting out fires" ; feeling that you have to do it yourself if you want to get it done correctly, to balancing your work life with your personal life.

T he se re sponsibilitie s can be draining. And though it seems counterintuitive, focusing on accelerating growth in business value by beginning to implement your exit strategy now can help relieve some of these stressors, reignite your passion for business ownership and lead to a profitable sale. As a business owner, whether or not you are thinking about exiting your business, we encourage you to start planning for an exit as early in your business life cycle as possible – preferably during the startup phase, but if not then, begin it now. Business owners who do create business exit plans report less stress and anxiety as their exit approaches, and generally, wish they had begun planning earlier. They are also more likely to obtain a profitable sale for the business and a strong sustainable business for the new owner.

Derek is the Alpha Group Regional Manager. Get in touch with him if you need help, guidance and support with creating an exit strategy for your business and, ideally, increase its worth in the process!

BY JORAM MWINAMO

I see a lot of friends and people struggle because they fear or cannot work with complementary partners or advisers and prefer the comfort of their own ignorance. They would rather suffer than seek help, share their problems, or submit to the genius and experience of others. A culture of bravado, egoism, and heroism has killed and destroyed many people in situations that had simple answers if only one sought out the right experts, advisors, or mentors. P art of the reason why its difficult to seek help is that the very traits that made us entrepreneurs or leaders in the first place, thinking independently, outside the box, and challenging the status quo, are the same traits that become liabilities when we are alone in our businesses or at the top and we can fall prey to thinking that

Iwe are brilliant and need no help. Or that t all started when I read the book something without executing it on the admitting weakness and lack of knowledge the Trillion dollar coach about ground. This means that I implement a lot makes us lose credibility. Silicon V alley's Bill Campbell in of half-baked ideas that are still cooking Admittedly, my own success has 2019 and I learned that most of been accelerated by my ability to seek help and I improve as I go along. This can the world's leading entrepreneurs unsettle those who are used to having all as soon as I sense that I need it or as soon and executives had coached many ducks in a row and expecting perfection. as someone points it out. My reading list years after their companies became wildly this year has been about entrepreneurs In a world that frowns upon successful. It hit me that their success had failures and mistakes, it feels like a sin to from all over the world from China to a lot to do with seeking help. I had always admit the above publicly. But maybe the Nigeria and I'm learning a lot of lessons thought, albeit wrongly, that their success from their stories. E specially their world needs to change how it views was a factor of their inherent genius. I progress and leadership. Of course, there mistakes. I've come to hate biographies realized that part of the genius is seeking are roles where mistakes are not tolerated that only seek to focus on glowing tributes help. I have progressively learned since or even encouraged. Mission-critical pro- or stories of entrepreneurs that play up then to proactively seek help for almost fessions. This is why it takes a long time their genius and not the battle scars any situation that I encounter and think to be certified in those professions and garnered in the path to their success. I that I lack the right knowledge or there are very stringent regulations to want to know the war stories and mistakes. perspective to resolve. protect lives. No one wants a COV ID 19 That's what adds value to me. No one When I was younger I prided vaccine that is half baked or a pilot to try learns much from the inherent genius of myself in knowing and being known as the out new maneuvers that they have never another entrepreneur unless they have guy who knows everything. Nowadays, I tried before up in the air with passengers unlimited access to them. don't mind not knowing and I'm ok admit- on board. But to make progress in many So in 2021 resolve to stop ting that I don't know. And I find it very other fields, to develop new products and suffering. Be quick to seek help whether in liberating. I embrace failure and mistakes as business, career, marriage, your mental services, new business models or an entrepreneur because I know they are disruptions, or ideas to grand challenges health, parenting, name it. The price you the tickets to valuable lessons that lead to that have plagued us for years, a totally pay for getting help is much less than the success. What I try not to do is repeat the different mindset is required. damage that the situation causes to the same mistakes I made earlier. I proactively All the success I've had to date is quality of your life when your issues go seek out experts because I know they have based on what I knew and learned from unaddressed. Happy 2021!spent time, lots of time, years in fact, gain- others. The success I will have tomorrow ing experience and perfecting that which I is seated with others, in their minds and need to learn from them. their networks. I have a Board, E xternal expert views help me to accountability friends and couples, get to the bottom of issues and give clarity advisors, coaches, leadership trainers on what's to be done a lot faster than if I amongst others. Diverse perspectives Joram is the CEO of tried to figure it out all by myself. I've also open up new avenues for solutions in a SNDBX www.sndbx.ke become a ruthless implementer without world that is happier with the status quo an innovative growth wasting time or second-guessing myself yet facing bigger and bigger challenges engine for when it becomes even vaguely clear what politically, ecologically, technologically, E ntrepreneurs. direction I need to take. There's more to and economically. Maybe what's needed in learn while implementing than when I this complex world is more humility spend time overthinking and perfecting across the board and less chest-thumping.