Business magnate who values family

By Tricia Wanjala

Her close friends describe her as focused, maternal, fun loving and hospitable. Indeed, when you meet this charming, vibrant woman, she looks more like a fashion model than a business leader.

However, within a very short time of conversing with her, it becomes apparent that what Ms Patience Nyaoga possesses is that dynamite combination of beauty and brains.

In 2005, Patience finally achieved one of her long-standing goals, which was to become an entrepreneur. That year, when she took over the flagging Tintoria Drycleaners, it had only one branch, which was struggling to stay afloat.

Thriving franchise

Within four years of managing the business, she has turned around its fortunes, and has since expanded to include four more outlets at prime locations, and a corporate and individual client base that commands over 30 per cent of the current market share.

The thriving franchise has plans to expand into other parts of the East African region. Patience now manages 50 employees and constantly has her manicured finger on the pulse of each of its five outlets. Yet, she always has time to spend quality time with her husband of 18 years, and three sons.

Her secret?Patience attributes a large part of her success to her upbringing. She says: "I had very supportive parents. Their faith, warmth and love kept me going throughout my life." Before buying the Tintoria, Patience worked for several years as a marketer in the private and public sectors.

"I always wanted to do business. I wanted to have more flexibility and to be in control of my time," she says.

More flexibility

Finally, she was able to combine savings with loans and venture into business. She says that leaving a job to start from scratch is really a leap of faith; a gamble, even.

In addition to being courageous, Patience attributes her success to astute planning and preparation. She says: "You’ve got to be prepared. Financially you have to have saved up; emotionally, you need to be ready to face challenges; and you also need to be qualified."

She studied for her MBA before going into business. She says she got through it by being determined, disciplined and organised.

"My family was really supportive. I had to finish assignments on time, arrive in class on time, and yet my family needed dinner cooked and my child needed help with homework," she remembers. She has three sons, aged 17, 13 and nine.

In Patience’s opinion, the role of education in business success cannot be overemphasised.

She says: "A large percentage of businesses fail within the first five years. Ours has grown from strength to strength. I attribute much of our success to the application of the principles I learned in my MBA. It equipped me with skills to manage all aspects of my enterprise, from finance, to human resource, marketing, accounting and even change management."

It is clear from her conversation that her family is her pride and joy. She says: "Your family is also important. You have to make time for them and to run your household effectively, with the assistance of helpers. But ultimately you are the one running it."

Having chosen to have a family early in her career, she feels strongly that this has enabled her to achieve more and enjoy the best of both worlds.

Career satisfaction

"My advice to young women is to start your family while you are still at the lower ranks of the career ladder. It is easier to balance the two when you are young and you have not climbed so high. Higher up, your time is so tight.

It is harder to try to get time for maternity leave, toddlers, and go back to school and juggle that with work. If you do it early, you don’t lose out on either maternal or career satisfaction," she explains.

Her clear sense of priorities and self-discipline has enabled Patience to build a business empire that she is able to manage, without it encroaching too much on her personal time.

"I never work late, and we always have a family day over the weekend. We also travel a lot as a family since we love adventure. I also enjoy entertaining so it calls for good time management and flexibility."

Her husband, Mohammed Nyaoga, is a successful lawyer and her number one business partner. Patience credits their friendship with enabling her to succeed in business, since rather than feeling threatened by his wife’s achievements, Mohammed is a supportive partner.

Says she: "A husband can pull you down if he does not believe in teamwork, understanding and communication between the two of you." In essence, Patience feels that there are many opportunities for women to take on leadership roles in business in Kenya right now.

"Entrepreneurship has a great future in Kenya. There are many slots for women out there. Women are good at multitasking and at dealing with people, so they can even do better than men when it comes to business," she says.

However, top positions, she says, are not for the fainthearted.

"The sky’s the limit. Especially if we as women continue supporting one another by buying from women-owned businesses, the same way certain communities support one another, then women will continue to grow together in business and pull each other up," she says.