Feeds

12353 items (0 unread) in 79 feeds

49 items tagged "Entrepreneurship"

• October 30, 2009
• 11:27

  Youthful Tantrum

   » ‎ bankelele

  Tags:  Entrepreneurship  

  Youthful Tantrum

• July 25, 2009
• 13:21

  The Emancipation Proclamation…

   » ‎ Kenyanentrepreneur.com

  Tags:  Entrepreneurship  

  Send this article to Twitter!Someone on Twitter posted this link from the BBC about a couple of young Kenyan entrepreneurs who’ve developed a charger that people can place on their bicycles so that they can continue to use their mobile phones while riding long distances conducting various tasks or businesses. I’ve talked about “swimming towards the [...]
• July 21, 2009
• 13:25

  Kencall: Blood, Sweat, Tears & Bureacrats (Part 2)

   » ‎ Kenyanentrepreneur.com

  Tags:  Entrepreneurship  

  Send this article to Twitter!In this second half of the post on Kencall, I want to talk about parts of the case study that I found interesting.  Again, a copy of the case study can be found under part 1 and you should read it and also leave your own comments about what you found [...]
• 13:25

  Kencall: Blood, Sweat, Tears & Bureacrats (Part 1)

   » ‎ Kenyanentrepreneur.com

  Tags:  Entrepreneurship  

  Send this article to Twitter!Kencall Case StudyI seem to have developed an obsession with Kencall and what it is they are trying to do in Kenya.  I know why I have this obsession.  It is because I have an interest in technology and I’m very interested in seeing how it will play out (commercially) in [...]
• July 13, 2009
• 0:37

  The Babylon System: It’s A Vampire

   » ‎ Kenyanentrepreneur.com

  Tags:  Entrepreneurship  

  Send this article to Twitter!Do you guys listen to Bob Marley? If not, you should.  In terms of poetic depth, I think he was more talented than even Shakespeare – that overrated English man who walked around London in pleated skirts, writing sonnets that have never really made sense to me: To be or not to [...]
• April 23, 2009
• 19:13

  Safaricom Dealer Licenses

   » ‎ Kenyanentrepreneur.com

  Tags:  Entrepreneurship  

  I was talking to a friend recently who was telling me about Safaricom dealerships and how much money one can make if they got one of those dealer-licenses. I’m going to try and recount how he said it works, but I may not be totally accurate and you should feel free to fill in the gaps [...]
• April 10, 2009
• 12:55

  Pertuity Direct

   » ‎ Kenyanentrepreneur.com

  Tags:  Entrepreneurship  

  There’s an article in BD Africa about a social networking lending site founded by Kenyan, Kim Muhota.  The video below is an introductory speech about the company (Pertuity Direct) that can be found on its website.  Muhota’s accent is completely Americanized, which I find somewhat strange for someone who supposedly finished high school in Kenya.  [...]
• March 24, 2009
• 20:05

  10 Must Visit Business Websites

   » ‎ Kenyanentrepreneur.com

  Tags:  Entrepreneurship  

  I was breezing through Entrepreneur Magazine and they have a nice post on the ten must-visit entrepreneur websites and I thought it was a pretty good list, so check it out. Remember, information is power. It’s not Peter Pan, pie in the sky stuff . Awww…..look at little Peter. Flying into the sky with [...]
• February 25, 2009
• 15:30

  How Does Facebook Make Money?

   » ‎ Kenyanentrepreneur.com

  Tags:  Entrepreneurship  

  This is an interesting article on Facebook and all the lawsuits that the founder is facing.  Apparently, a few classmates of his at Harvard believe that he stole the idea from them and they want to be compensated for it. The case against Zuckerberg, the facebook founder was supposedly settled for $65 million dollars, but his [...]
• February 10, 2009
• 19:35

  A Place Called Hope: Internet Real Estate

   » ‎ Kenyanentrepreneur.com

  Tags:  Entrepreneurship  

  I know Kenyans are obsessed with their real estate, but there’s another form of real estate that’s making a lot of money and that doesn’t require a huge investment of cash– $7 dollars a year is all it takes to register a domain name these days.  I was thinking about this post because I just [...]
• August 15, 2008
• 22:32

  Book Review: “How To Get Rich” By Felix Dennis

   » ‎ Kenyanentrepreneur.com

  Tags:  Entrepreneurship  

  How to Get Rich: One of the World’s Greatest Entrepreneurs Shares His Secrets I’ve been reading this book by Felix Dennis, the multimillionaire British magazine magnate and I have to say, it’s a must read for anyone who is thinking about starting a business or anyone who is already running a business. The reason I’m enjoying reading [...]

• August 13, 2008
• 7:31

  Scangroup sellout, new bank?

   » ‎ bankelele

  Tags:  Entrepreneurship  

  Scangoup takeover WPP acquires effective control over Scangroup which was listed on the NSE in 2006, by buying 27.5% of the company, but not taking over or de-listing. They also have pre-emptive rights over a chunk of CEO Bharat Thakar (and largest shareholder) stake when his lock up period expires in 2011. Aly Khan (Rich.co.ke) points out that the slumping NSE offers cheap company shareholding buy opportunities e.g Scangroup and Unilever Tea (going private)
  
  More Libya: 2010 may see another bank to Kenya this time Libyan / Ugandan Tropical bank. Does Kenya need another bank really? And $19 million share capital won’t go very far these days.
  
  Entrepreneur Opportunity: The 2008 Pioneers of Prosperity Africa Awards rewards six business leaders of Africa who serve as role models to Africa’s aspiring entrepreneurs and demonstrate business excellence, innovation and profitability. Submissions will be accepted from Botswana, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda and a total of $350,000 will be awarded to the winners. D/L 31 August 2008.

• July 28, 2008
• 22:55

  Steve Jobs: Motivational Speech

   » ‎ Kenyanentrepreneur.com

  Tags:  Entrepreneurship  

  This is a great speech, given by a great entrepreneur and if you are having doubts about what you are trying to do, either in terms of a career or in terms of starting a business, this speech will lift you up. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc
• July 20, 2008
• 22:59

  Start-Up Junkies

   » ‎ Kenyanentrepreneur.com

  Tags:  Entrepreneurship  

  I stumbled upon this documentary about a bunch of serial entrepreneurs who are trying to start an on-line postal service system. It’s an 8-part series and it’s quite interesting to watch if you are interested in entrepreneurship or business. I’ve posted the first episode here, but you can watch all episodes by clicking on this [...]
• June 27, 2008
• 17:20

  The Entrepreneur President - Part 2

   » ‎ Kenyanentrepreneur.com

  Tags:  Entrepreneurship  
• 17:19

  The Entrepreneur President - Part 1

   » ‎ Kenyanentrepreneur.com

  Tags:  Entrepreneurship  

  Paul Kagame in his own words talking about entrepreneurship (will kenya ever have a president like this?)
• June 25, 2008
• 19:13

  Felix Dennis: Founder of Maxim Magazine

   » ‎ Kenyanentrepreneur.com

  Tags:  Entrepreneurship  

  Someone sent me this link of a fantastic interview with Felix Dennis, the founder of Maxim Magazine. In the interview, Dennis (who is a high school drop-out and self-made multimillionaire) essentially says that to become very wealthy, which he defines as having a net worth above $30 million dollars, you essentially have to be [...]
• June 23, 2008
• 15:35

  Entrepreneur Spotlight: Nyakio Kamoche

   » ‎ Kenyanentrepreneur.com

  Tags:  Entrepreneurship  

  I always like to use this blog to promote Kenyan Entrepreneurs and their businesses. Today, I want to highlight this fragrance company started by a childhood friend of mine. The name of the company is called Safi Fragrances. The founder of the company is called Nyakio Kamoche and you’ve probably seen some of [...]
• December 06, 2007
• 8:28

  Dyslexia & Entrepreneurship

   » ‎ Kenyanentrepreneur.com

  Tags:  Entrepreneurship  

  There’s an interesting article in the NYT about the connection between dyslexia and entrepreneurship. I’m not surprised that researchers have found this connection. If anyone here is a reader of business biographies (as I am), you would have noticed just how many of today’s most successful entrepreneurs either had dyslexia or A.D.D (Attention Deficit Disorder). [...]
• November 25, 2007
• 12:46

  In The End, It’s About The Money

   » ‎ Kenyanentrepreneur.com

  Tags:  Entrepreneurship  

  So, so, so,….let me just get to the point. No! No! No!…it’s not a mean question. I’m just trying to gauge how much moolah is going into the boolah
• November 21, 2007
• 13:36

  Timmy Hilniger or Tommy Hilfiger?

   » ‎ Kenyanentrepreneur.com

  Tags:  Entrepreneurship  

  I’m going to go back to talking about business because those Kenyan politicians are out of their minds and if I keep paying attention to them, I’m going end up losing my mind as well. Anyway, I don’t know why the personal biography of Tommy Hilfiger (the fashion designer) seems to fascinate me. I found myself [...]
• October 31, 2007
• 20:04

  Outsourcing in Kenya: What’s The Problem?

   » ‎ Kenyanentrepreneur.com

  Tags:  Entrepreneurship  

  According to Kencall’s founder, it’s the bandwith. It’s too expensive right now.
• October 28, 2007
• 20:55

  Fight, Fight, Fight…..

   » ‎ Kenyanentrepreneur.com

  Tags:  Entrepreneurship  

  Sometimes we learn things from observing other people’s experiences, both in life and in business.  This week, I want to talk about one such observation that has taught me something about business.  The is a true story (you know I don’t like fiction) and it’s about someone I know who started a company, hired a [...]

• October 09, 2007
• 10:59

  Rant: Change the Channel

   » ‎ bankelele

  Tags:  Entrepreneurship  

  Next Friday, we are having a talk on AIDS – again! This may be the third this year, as there’s one every quarter. That’s because the company has committed (and arranged) for employees to receive these talks and the Ministry of Health can afford to send people out to give such talks. Or there’s a there’s a huge donor funding for HIV programs that the government has ample capacity to spend
  
  I am not diminishing the impact, significance, or message about HIV but what about malaria? I’m sure it causes more deaths than HIV. It’s not just expectant or new mother who need lessons in malaria. What about cancer - ok its breast cancer awareness month? Cholesterol, high blood pressure & hypertension, pneumonia, and other diseases that also wipe out thousands of young people? Cirrhosis and the dangers of drunk driving! Any why it always about VCT’s not full medical checks – for cancer, high blood pressure etc? The kind of stuff people use Capital FM and other radio stations to promote new hospitals & equipment.
  
  This rant should be directed at the personnel manager, but he’ll only come up with programs that fund themselves so we’ll continue to hear about HIV since that is FREE and funded.
  
  I’d like to have more workplace talks that address overall health problems, beyond HIV, or assuming we are all healthy how about some internal uplifment though a fulfilling enlightening talk on money? - advice on investments, real estate, small business, opportunities, and entrepreneurship.
  
  Isn’t there government funding or a donor package for that? Or is that left to AID workers in rural areas only?

• September 19, 2007
• 21:08

  Dov Charney: Retail & Manufacturing - is it for you?

   » ‎ Kenyanentrepreneur.com

  Tags:  Entrepreneurship  

  Why am I posting this video of a guy with a weird name? because he founded a company in 1997 that is now the single largest clothing manufacturer based in the United States (& that’s what makes him unique - he is making a profit without manufacturing in China). I keep seeing these unique products coming [...]
• August 20, 2007
• 19:32

  I Just Can’t Take This Anymore….

   » ‎ Kenyanentrepreneur.com

  Tags:  Entrepreneurship  

  I was doing some lazy Sunday reading this past weekend and I came upon this article about a 17 year old entrepreneur that made me want to start weeping (if the coffee shop I was sitting in was empty, I probably would have started wailing).PS: Do not read these articles on Sunday evening when [...]
• July 31, 2007
• 19:08

  It’s Not Just “Hard Work”…

   » ‎ Kenyanentrepreneur.com

  Tags:  Entrepreneurship  

  Every time I listen to someone tell me that all it takes to make it is business is “hard work”, I cringe. What exactly does that mean? I’ll use an example from my own experience. My first attempt at an online business failed. I worked hard (at least I thought I did) but it [...]
• July 29, 2007
• 15:24

  Robert Johnson: Founder of BET News

   » ‎ Kenyanentrepreneur.com

  Tags:  Entrepreneurship  

  Someone mentioned BET News and I remembered that there was an interview on the founder that I’d wanted to post here. Robert Johnson was the second African-American to be listed on the Forbes list of the richest people in the world (Oprah was first, I believe) - he was bumped off the billionaires list after he [...]
• July 26, 2007
• 20:55

  “Guess-timation”

   » ‎ Kenyanentrepreneur.com

  Tags:  Entrepreneurship  

  I want you to guess how much this website is making a month: collegehumour.com I know I keep harping on this internet thing and some people may find it boring or even repetitive, but I continue to be astounded by how much individual people are making with simple based internet companies. I also know that Kenyans love “brick [...]
• July 21, 2007
• 19:54

  Craig Newmark: Founder of Craigslist

   » ‎ Kenyanentrepreneur.com

  Tags:  Entrepreneurship  

  Craigslist is a classified ad website that really grew virally (no venture capital money was used to grow it). The last time I checked, the site was bringing in about $20 million dollars a month and it only has about five employee’s! (it’s probably making more now). Anyway, it is the most popular classified [...]
• July 11, 2007
• 17:51

  Michael Dell & Jerry Yang

   » ‎ Kenyanentrepreneur.com

  Tags:  Entrepreneurship  

  They’ve done it. So, let’s hear it. The interviews were given in 1999, but their general views on business and technology are very applicable, circa 2007. (pay attention to what he has to say about middle-men and how the internet is cutting them out. — hmm)
• July 09, 2007
• 21:24

  Does The Hustle Ever End?

   » ‎ Kenyanentrepreneur.com

  Tags:  Entrepreneurship  

  I was having a conversation with someone about what kinds of businesses would be the best to start if you wanted to have a continuous revenue stream that did not involve having to find new customers all the time. This conversation sprung up because this person I was talking to is getting tired of [...]
• July 03, 2007
• 19:11

  Reed Hastings: Founder of Netflix

   » ‎ Kenyanentrepreneur.com

  Tags:  Entrepreneurship  

  For those outside America — Netflix is an on-line movie rental company that has become very popular in the last few years. Why is it popular? because it’s convenient to use and they apply no late fee’s on any of their DVD’s. You simply sign up for the service on-line, order your DVD’s [...]
• 10:35

  I Hate Getting Hustled…

   » ‎ Kenyanentrepreneur.com

  Tags:  Entrepreneurship  

  This woman I work with has gotten involved with what I believe is a classic pyramid scheme and she’s trying to get me involved.  Initially, I tried to be polite about listening to her talk about it, but now she wants to introduce me to this head schemer and I guess they’re both going to [...]
• June 29, 2007
• 12:53

  Internet Real Estate

   » ‎ Kenyanentrepreneur.com

  Tags:  Entrepreneurship  

  I know Kenyans love real estate, but I want to talk about another form of real estate that’s taking place in the virtual world. Once again, I’ve come upon an article of these two entrepreneurs who are making millions by buying popular domain names (read: virtual real estate) and turning the sites that have these names [...]
• June 24, 2007
• 23:33

  Howard Schultz: Founder of Starbucks

   » ‎ Kenyanentrepreneur.com

  Tags:  Entrepreneurship  

  Coffee: It’s grown in Kenya and exported all over the world. The two American owners of Java house have essentially tried to create a mini-version of starbucks in Kenya. Listen to the original founder of this coffee drinking craze. NB: The interview is in the second half of the show, so you’ll need to [...]

• June 05, 2007
• 7:34

  Mandatally Manji

   » ‎ bankelele

  Tags:  Entrepreneurship  

  Chatting with Hash at TED this morning about the entrepreneurship and I got to talking about a book I had recently read. Before long, we agreed that it was a good story that would be worth repeating here this week. Kumeckucha [Blog] had posted on this a while ago)
  
  A few weeks ago, I had read the autobiography of the late Mandatally Manji, an Asian-Kenyan who who founded House of Manji which he built into the largest regional biscuit company.
  
  He was encouraged by his family to put his life's' story together and it's a fascinating story for any budding entrepreneur to read on. He details how;
  
  - From being a clerk transporting commodities around Central Kenya he came up with his plan to start a bakery.
  - After hard work and sweat many years later, he achieved his dream when through a partnership he was able to buy and run a bakery with a perfect location and healthy customer base in Nairobi.
  - How he chose to walk away from the bakery in frustration at his his dead weight partner who contributed little to the success of the bakery.
  - Having to start all over again with even less, as his former partner was slow in paying him for his shares
  - Dealing with macro economic problems - and having to produce biscuits even as basics commodities like sugar and wheat were rationed and diverted to the war (WWII)effort.
  - Dealing with discriminatory/political barriers – and winning customers and contracts away from European bakeries through unmatched service and delivery.
  - Ingenuity to keep producing bread and biscuits by observing and experimenting. This he did by adapting the the cooking habits of his employees who used grains not known (or rationed) by the Colonial Government. His competitors accused of him of souring from the black market as they could not imagine how his bakery was able to keep producing.
  
  It's a great book that's less than 200 pages long, but very hard to find.
  
  More:
  - Earlier post on Manji by Kumeckucha.
  - Wikipedia entry
  The book can found at amazon (though pricey)

• May 29, 2007
• 11:39

  I Want To Talk About Selling…..

   » ‎ Kenyanentrepreneur.com

  Tags:  Entrepreneurship  

  Someone I know who has a sales job has just been given a warning: Bring in the clients or else….. He had two years to produce, but wasn’t quite able to do it. It’s very, very, hard to get people to give you their hard earned money, especially for a service oriented business that is [...]
• May 21, 2007
• 16:04

  Dog Walking As A viable profession?

   » ‎ Kenyanentrepreneur.com

  Tags:  Entrepreneurship  

  I had an article a while back on a friend of mine who was thinking about starting a dog walking business (don’t laugh). He had worked part-time for a dog walking company and every time he’d go into the office to pick up his schedule, he’d see his bosses sitting comfortably in their chairs [...]
• May 15, 2007
• 12:06

  I Demand To Know….

   » ‎ Kenyanentrepreneur.com

  Tags:  Entrepreneurship  

  Where? tell me now! wapi? ……(because that’s where the money is!) I have to figure out this demand conundrum before I put any money down into this new venture that I want to try out. So, I found this tool yesterday that will give you a general idea of what people are looking for in the [...]
• May 14, 2007
• 9:28

  The Business of Failure is Failure

   » ‎ Kenyanentrepreneur.com

  Tags:  Entrepreneurship  

  I’m not in a good mood today.  One reason is that it’s Monday and I’m always a little grumpy on Monday’s. My “happiness meter” seems to get progressively higher as Friday approaches. The second reason for my grumpiness is that I finally decided to wind down an on-line business that just wasn’t working out.  I [...]
• May 10, 2007
• 14:50

  10 Businesses You Can Start With Very Little Capital

   » ‎ Kenyanentrepreneur.com

  Tags:  Entrepreneurship  

  I got this list from the website, Startupnation.com . The only ideas that seem to be viable are the tutoring idea and the online professor idea. I can see how both idea’s could work, especially if you have strong skills in mathematics (since that’s the subject that most American students have difficulty with) — [...]
• May 09, 2007
• 15:34

  Market Research

   » ‎ Kenyanentrepreneur.com

  Tags:  Entrepreneurship  

  I was reading about this woman who’s opened a couple of Mexican restaurants close to where I live and they’ve both become very successful. As I was reading her profile, it was interesting to discover that she is not Mexican at all. She is Japanese American and she mentioned that she often gets [...]
• May 03, 2007
• 9:32

  On-Line Pornography - I Smell Money

   » ‎ Kenyanentrepreneur.com

  Tags:  Entrepreneurship  

  I’m getting desperate and um…um…um….every time I read about a “sure thing” business idea, the word “pornography” always seems to come up. If the basic assumption in business is that you have to figure out where the demand is, then isn’t sex a sure seller? I am in the process of setting up some sites [...]
• May 01, 2007
• 8:36

  An Inspiration Tale For Aspiring Entrepreneurs

   » ‎ Kenyanentrepreneur.com

  Tags:  Entrepreneurship  

  The current issue of Inc magazine has an interesting and inspirational interview on the African-American entrepreneur - Percy Sutton. A little background of Sutton for those who may be unfamiliar with him. He owns the largest black radio station in America and he also owns the famous Apollo theater in Harlem, a venue [...]
• April 30, 2007
• 12:55

  Those Thieving, Thieving Nigerians

   » ‎ Kenyanentrepreneur.com

  Tags:  Entrepreneurship  

  Every once in a while, I come across a story that’s so fascinating, I end up having to read it twice just to convince myself that the characters are actually real human beings. Today, in the New York Times, I came across one such story about Nigeria. Now, I know that stories about scams [...]
• April 26, 2007
• 14:12

  Dot Bomb Business Plans

   » ‎ Kenyanentrepreneur.com

  Tags:  Entrepreneurship  

  This is a website created by the business school at the University of Maryland. It collects failed business plans that were submitted as part of a public IPO application and it archives them for your consumption. The sign-up process is free and once your signed up, you can browse through the site using different criteria. [...]
• April 22, 2007
• 18:31

  The Art of Selling: Part II

   » ‎ Kenyanentrepreneur.com

  Tags:  Entrepreneurship  

  I want to continue this piece on the art of selling by looking at examples of sales techniques that I’ve seen people I know use. As I was thinking about this piece, it just became clear to me that you have to craft a sales technique that fits in with your basic personality. The examples follow: Cold [...]
• April 19, 2007
• 7:57

  The Art of Selling: Part I

   » ‎ Kenyanentrepreneur.com

  Tags:  Entrepreneurship  

  I find myself coming back to the same general themes over and over again and today I’ll return to one of these themes: The Art of selling. I know a lot of people like to dwell on things like fancy business plans, with all their fancy graphics and they like to talk about stock [...]