Waiting in line is a common practice in our lives.  Waiting for our turn.  But,  You know sometimes, , 'ngoja ngoja huumiza matumbo.' Though they say great things come to those that wait,  sometimes those that come are the remainders, and sometimes nothing at all. Being proactive means deliberately going for the things you wish for. Knocking on doors long enough until they open. I Remember my mum taking me to an audition someday. She noticed the queue was long until outside the gate.  Auditions could have hundreds of us waiting in line to be picked.  I remember,  she said,  aren't the people auditioning you,  just like you? Why don't you find out,  what it takes to do this yourself? It hit me on another level when I attended one where people who had barely graduated were auditioning. Sometimes you have to choose yourself,  promote yourself,  cheer yourself on,  beat your own drums, and dance to your tune,  and along t...

A conversation with Nafula Kisiangani , the Executive Director of Ubuntu Development Solutions, will have you thinking about what have you been doing with your life. How have you been running without systems or policies in your business? How do you not have books in your organization? Nafula Kisiangani, Executive Director Of Ubuntu during a visit By USAID executives to her organization Last week, I was so excited to be part of the delegation that went to visit her at her office. She speaks of disorganized passion and how much many of us are solving non-problems and we are passionate and yet unprofitable, and this leads to frustration and mental health issues. I totally relate to this infinite suffering earlier on. Many of us have been victims of high disorganization due to lacking structures. Our businesses are as casual as they can get and yet we celebrate our own madness. Nafula Kisiangani supports of organizations, individuals & young people to convert their passions into sustai...

Do you remember when we were kids and we had cliques. The three people that you always talk to. Being in Business taught me differently. In as much as I had the extroverted gene in me, in many cases, my introvert gene was more dominant, clinging to my circle. I could attend a networking event without making a new friend or reaching out to anyone else other than who I already knew. I could be part of the event and easily be forgotten. Sometimes I was just not interested. We have the whole #NoNewFriends Vybe. Being in business, got me out of that shell. I remember the first time I had to sell fragrance that I had in my bag. I couldn’t just sit there being quiet in the meeting, it forced me to speak up, interact and share more. I mean, you can’t just keep to a small circle when you are a trader. People have moved across continents to make new friends, meet new people so that they can share what they have. Today, you can network on social media and have the whole world as your runway, no...

  Every day , I get to see and hear so many ideas that inspire me and make me think man, that is really an awesome idea, it would really be fun to have it. Interacting with people makes you see the genius in them, the innate potential that lays in all of us to be great and give our awesome contribution to the world. But guess what many ideas get stuck in business plans, early morning storytelling when people are broke and are daydreaming about possibilities. We get stuck in perfectionism and procrastination. Today, ask yourself, what can I do today to lead me closer to the Dream. Don't procrastinate or only write it down. Do it right away. Write the email, make the call, and pay for it. Don't postpone your dreams any longer. #JustDoIt #DreamStart #DreamTribe #DreamTips "A journey of 1000 miles begins with one step", the first one. Esther Neema (Top 35 Under 35) CEO and Founder Dream Tribe Network Africa

ENTREPRENEURS CORNER: FROM ZERO BOB TO IT HERO WITH TWO APPS IN 35 COUNTRIES #entrepreneurOftheweek #yepiinspirations Growing up, Ken Gitonga didn’t know who he wanted to become, he laughs and says, “ Maybe it’s because I’m from the village where there is little or no motivation at all.” But one thing for sure he knew he wanted money: and a lot of it. From the childhood struggles, he developed the culture of depending on himself whenever he wanted something. Starting a Business with absolutely nothing, just a big idea, laptops, and a dream. Today, two known start-ups; the e-Bursary System and StockApp, that have gotten the team awards, he probably becomes our Kenyan version of Elon Musk straight out of Mombasa to the global stage. From no business on the first round to having users from 35 countries. He also has been part of other consultancies. Ken Gitonga also referred to as Kenly or the T-shirt CEO is a serial entrepreneur and IT enthusiast. He is a twin last born, together with ...

Esther Neema 60 acres of trees. Thousand of them. We would be greeted with such beauty. In the heart of the woodland, there would be such a natural piece of art. While analysing the value chain and women involvement in the chain, our concern was that most women were poor, they were not major players in the value chain. Until we met HER. 60 acres of trees is not a joke. Pulling electricity for the neighbors around. Investing in homes and a borehole for the people around. It struck me, it is possible ladies. We can do this. We can reach out and believe in ourselves and do it well . #NoExcuse Nyahururu Esther Neema in Nyahururu

Esther Neema in Mombasa I am in Mombasa. Quite having the time of my life. D oing stuff I love. I am with amazing people, and everyday when going home , I get to see the ocean. What more can a girl ask for? I ask self,   truly, why was I stuck in Nairobi suffering ? To imagine that at the coast with 4k you can live in the town with decent accommodation. And you could eat samosas at 10 Bob. And you could be anyone. Now, I had come to just present shows. S tarted as a reporter, weh. So we go to the field to pick news and we have to come back and summarize it in to some thing consumable. First all, this is to happen in Swahili !!! So I speak amazing Swahili, and write it as well , it would be quite lame to pretend I don’t know Swahili. B ut when it was coming to news, it sounded like a different skill should be used, yaani unahitaji kutafakari. Weh, so what wa s taking other people 2 minutes was taking me my whole day . Making me question; what is the true mea...

Still on professional gallivanting  :) . I get a call. "We have see your work on You-tube, we'd like to meet you". Its the CEO, and I am over the top about it. I call my entire village. Y'all, I am en route the coast. I am so elated that I am saying goodbye to full time boredom in to a bright future. Remember, I have many projects ongoing, but at the moment were beginning to feel dead beat. And as they say alwa ys, "missing an opportunity is like missing a branch". So I am excited to go start a "new life". Mimi nani, I announce to everybody Mombasa is calling. Forget about the Catering and Events and the new office I had been given with the best view ever, and I am like, this will have to be done in Mombasa, by the beach. You bet, the was no such thing  :D . There was something greater. Waking up in the morning everyday for something you believe in. Being part of something bigger than yourself. Meeting amazing people. And it was ...

Meanwhile, I was doing the show. But once I put my microphones down, I was up galivanting on river road. Some streets quite creepy, but was informed that is where the treasure is. Sigh, it was such a great discovery how the dirty steel and tires was where money lay . It was my quest to seek how people did it. They didn’t look IT, but were IT. A s the farmers who tilled , got their hands dirty, but their pockets were far from dirty. Doing things everyone was running away from you was a great opportunity. So occasionally I would attempt to sell as they. For the first time, I came to discover that selling can be quite exciting. It had always seemed daunting, but I realized each of us selling something. That even if I didn’t have to sell shorts and tops, I would still do it . This was starting to look confusing. I was becoming Esther of ALL TRADES . Even I didn’t know how to answer the question of, “ WHAT DO YOU DO REALLY? ” Well, uuuuurm, I would catch myself unsure. D o...

My madness leads me to the office. "Greetings sir". There is such joy until I start to talk about our plight : " I am shocked people I respect and hold in high regard such as you doctors would be part of such deplorable act s as not answering calls and emails after food consumption ". I would see him adjust his seat and self . Quite shocked, the said Esther who was calm had turned to be quite the opposite :D . This was my chance to defend the entire youth race. I had turned a revolutionist suddenly. Hayo mambo ya catering were forgotten. T hinking of the many young people whose introduction to life was this . Of people hiding in holes when workers were seeking pay. I was becoming increasingly aware of the sacrifice people went through to get any pay. W alking home after service , for some luck but went back home empty, n o rent . This was personal. As revolutionists say, an injustice to one of us is an injustice to all of us. That o...