Yona F. Maro
R I P
- Nov 2, 2006
- 4,202
- 218
Over the weekend i had an interesting chat with a regional manager with one of the multinationals here in Nairobi.
The manager has a lot of beef with his employer but one thing that stood out was his unwillingness to change the situation for himself. Its one thing to complain and another to take a firm decision and move on.
As we discussed over a warm Tusker beer he let me know that last year he brought the company Ksh 105 million worth of business directly and another 216 million through staff under him. Can you imagine making over 300 million for your employer and coming out feeling cheap and used!!!
Anyway, with him making all that money for his employer i asked him whether he had thought of starting his own outfit. His answer was a faint yes. This puzzled me. for someone who is still young and has the money why is he reluctant? The reason shocked me. Apparently he doesnt want to disappoint his old man who used his connections to get him the job.
It then hit me that many of us are wasting valuable time and a great chance to make a better life for ourselves by listening to the wrong advice. And it looks like its not only me disturbed. Here is an article from a great IT consultant who helps us in making sure career point is up and running.
Like chapaa. We are missing something?
I have a story for you: a few years ago, one of my best friends quit his job. He used to work at one of the best performing companies in the Nairobi stock exchange. He quit so that he could set up his own advertising agency.
Guess what? His parents and his whole family, really, were up in arms over his decision. They could not believe why anyone would leave such a high paying job. His uncles even took time visiting him to advise him to go back to his old job. To this day, one of his uncles always calls him with contacts of managers at large companies he asks my friend to send his CV to the managers so that he can make something out of his life.
What you probably wont believe is that my friends business is doing quite well. He has about twelve employees now, and has been profitable since his first month. Yet his family still refers to his work as jua kali nonsense. He should go get a real job like everyone else, they say.
Really?
Recently in Thika, I heard of a bizarre incident. My friends dad was interviewing job applicants. The quality of the applicants was impressive almost everyone had an impressive CV full of various qualifications and accomplishments. Some of the applicants were university graduates with degrees and everyone seemed like they really wanted the job. Surprisingly, as it turns out, the job in question was that of digging trenches. Can you believe it?
On one hand we have impressively qualified people looking for a job, any job. On the other hand we have the brave few who have enough courage to try and start their own businesses. Who would you rather be?
Lets face it, we do not have an entrepreneurial culture in this country. How can people who try and start their own businesses be looked down upon by their families and societies while what they are doing is precisely what is needed to address our high unemployment rates? We need more people starting businesses yet these peoples mothers and fathers wont let them. Theyd much rather have their loved ones join the over saturated job hunting market.
We need change! We need people like you and me to start businesses today. We need society to stop stopping us. We need to embrace the entrepreneurial culture in this country!
You can reach Like chapaa here. http://likechapaa.com/
The manager has a lot of beef with his employer but one thing that stood out was his unwillingness to change the situation for himself. Its one thing to complain and another to take a firm decision and move on.
As we discussed over a warm Tusker beer he let me know that last year he brought the company Ksh 105 million worth of business directly and another 216 million through staff under him. Can you imagine making over 300 million for your employer and coming out feeling cheap and used!!!
Anyway, with him making all that money for his employer i asked him whether he had thought of starting his own outfit. His answer was a faint yes. This puzzled me. for someone who is still young and has the money why is he reluctant? The reason shocked me. Apparently he doesnt want to disappoint his old man who used his connections to get him the job.
It then hit me that many of us are wasting valuable time and a great chance to make a better life for ourselves by listening to the wrong advice. And it looks like its not only me disturbed. Here is an article from a great IT consultant who helps us in making sure career point is up and running.
Like chapaa. We are missing something?
I have a story for you: a few years ago, one of my best friends quit his job. He used to work at one of the best performing companies in the Nairobi stock exchange. He quit so that he could set up his own advertising agency.
Guess what? His parents and his whole family, really, were up in arms over his decision. They could not believe why anyone would leave such a high paying job. His uncles even took time visiting him to advise him to go back to his old job. To this day, one of his uncles always calls him with contacts of managers at large companies he asks my friend to send his CV to the managers so that he can make something out of his life.
What you probably wont believe is that my friends business is doing quite well. He has about twelve employees now, and has been profitable since his first month. Yet his family still refers to his work as jua kali nonsense. He should go get a real job like everyone else, they say.
Really?
Recently in Thika, I heard of a bizarre incident. My friends dad was interviewing job applicants. The quality of the applicants was impressive almost everyone had an impressive CV full of various qualifications and accomplishments. Some of the applicants were university graduates with degrees and everyone seemed like they really wanted the job. Surprisingly, as it turns out, the job in question was that of digging trenches. Can you believe it?
On one hand we have impressively qualified people looking for a job, any job. On the other hand we have the brave few who have enough courage to try and start their own businesses. Who would you rather be?
Lets face it, we do not have an entrepreneurial culture in this country. How can people who try and start their own businesses be looked down upon by their families and societies while what they are doing is precisely what is needed to address our high unemployment rates? We need more people starting businesses yet these peoples mothers and fathers wont let them. Theyd much rather have their loved ones join the over saturated job hunting market.
We need change! We need people like you and me to start businesses today. We need society to stop stopping us. We need to embrace the entrepreneurial culture in this country!
You can reach Like chapaa here. http://likechapaa.com/
