Don't be a cookie cutter
My parents were seasoned entrepreneurs and my mother would always tell us, "Do not go down the beaten path. You have to stand out."
That means that in everything I did, I had to find a different way of doing things that nobody else was doing.
When I ventured into the tea business, Ketepa had almost 100 per cent monopoly over the tea industry. I chose to focus on flavoured tea, which was not available then and I began with my favourite; ginger tea.
True to my instinct, the ginger tea quickly gained popularity and outsold my other plain tea brand. Then we went on to create finesse with all the other flavours.
Know what you want
I walked away from accountancy when I found out what it is I wanted to do with my life. Make a plan and go for it.
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I was taking an accountancy professional course at Strathmore and I would skip classes a lot. My heart wasn't in it.
Then I met someone who told me to be honest with myself and have the guts to walk away if it was not my thing. So that's what I did. With no regrets.
Know your stuff
You have to be up to the task. When I started out, Kenya did not have free-flowing salt, so I decided to venture into making it.
I went to the University of Nairobi and got someone to teach me some food technology so that I could grasp what it entailed. I would report daily as if I was going to work.
I then looked for machinery and got funding. I did the same with tea making. As soon as I decided to go into tea business, I went to Mombasa to learn everything about tea and packing.
Take risks
If I would go back in time, I would take bigger risks. Women need to learn to take risks. We are so happy being in the background and letting men take the risks.
I have now started Melvins Cafe, which aims to introduce a culture of drinking tea outdoors in Kenya.
Flora Mutahi, CEO and founder of Melvin Marsh International
Have tough competitors in the business
I respect my competitors; whether big or small. You can always learn something from them.
Even when they make mistakes, I watch them carefully, daily even. This is so that I don’t repeat them.
I do some intelligence on a daily basis. My competitors do many good things too, and that inspires me.
David Ohana, former Group Managing Director at KenolKobil
