By Sara Reeves https://www.instagram.com/loveartisan/?hl=en I have been in the furniture industry in Kenya, in various iterations, for 5 years now: first making pallet furniture with my askari in my living room, then a stint running a project for the World Bank (www.workshopnairobi.com) and now heading up my own successful furniture brand, Love Artisan. But one … Continue reading Finding the Why in What You Do
The life of a small business owner is one that is run on an environment akin to a pressure cooker. There are usually so many dynamics and in most cases all happen at once. Aside from running a business, you are also responsible for your employees, your customers, your suppliers, your family and also your … Continue reading YOUR BUSINESS NEEDS YOU IN TOP MENTAL FORM
Let’s attempt to further discussion about the concept of Diversity and inclusion. Everyone has spoken of minority groups (women used to be minority) and marginalized populations but let’s focus a bit on the disabled. The fact is 15% of our population faces life with physical disability of a kind. This is a significant portion of … Continue reading The Place of Disability in Business
The success of your product in the market will greatly be determined by the packaging it comes in. Yes. Just that physical container. There is nothing that cries out “unprofessional” than seeing someone giving absolutely no thought to packaging. Small businesses need to appreciate that investing in packaging isn’t necessarily wasting money. Some interesting numbers … Continue reading Spare a Thought for Packaging
I grew up in a community that gave premium to size, small size that is. We used to say “Kanini Kaseo” small is good. Nowadays that is a classic oxymoron. People shifted focus to the big, the mighty. We have grown to detest and despise the small ones. We have forgotten that even the big … Continue reading Making the Case for the Small Business
One day I asked one of the most inspiring Kenyan entrepreneurs I know what she thought makes it hard to succeed in businesses in Kenya. We do business at all accosts and that is not good, she told me. Now that is deep and confounding. Some branch of entrepreneurship advocates for you to do all … Continue reading Doing Business at All Cost Will Cost You Your Business
You have heard that first impressions last and that they matter. One can adjudge you professional or not in the few instances they interact with you or your company. For most small enterprises especially, impressions aren’t things they care too much about. They are busy seeking looking for money to do business, and orders etc. … Continue reading Professional Minimums in Business
That entrepreneurship is hard is not an overstatement. This thing can and does break hearts. Worse still, even when you are hurting at it you are always forced to keep a positive face. No quitting. Sustain it at all cost. Pain it through and all those slogans. But do you really have to sweat it … Continue reading Venture Out to Grow Your Business
Well, its globally recognized that customer is king. Never mind, some customers may not have any sense of royalty in their attitude or behaviours. Some of them are quite rude and uncouth. Others are outright criminals; who do you think is committing all the murders, theft, corruption etc? They are guys who in the next … Continue reading Customer Service 102: How to Care for the King
While one half of entrepreneurs are faced with a problem of accessing loans, the other is faced with trying to find an easy way of preventing them from drowning in debt. The Kenyan market is awash with so much easy money now offered via all manner of channels. With so much on offer it is … Continue reading How to Dig Yourself out of the Debt Hole
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