Thinky Heroes

Eric Muthomi - The Lawyer Who Built A Successful Food Processing Company

2013-10-10T03:14:00.000-07:00

NAME: Eric Muthomi

AGE: 27 Years

LAUNCHING OUT AGE: 25 Years

COUNTRY: Kenya

BUSINESS NAME: Stawi Foods and Fruits

BUSINESS SECTOR: Agriculture and Production

BUSINESS DESCRIPTION: Processing Raw Fruits into Flour. Started with banana preservation and processing.

STARTUP CAPITAL: Borrowed Capital from family

SUCCESS STORY: Because raw bananas have a short shelf life (can rot easily), they have to be properly stored or processed if they must last long. Due to a lack of storage and processing facilities, bad roads and poor access to markets, about half of the bananas harvested in Kenya every year get rotten, are wasted and never get sold. As a result, many Kenyan farmers suffer serious losses after all the money, time and effort invested in farming bananas during the year.

From an early age, he had made up his mind to start his own business after school. He first noticed the problems most banana farmers were facing in Meru, his hometown in...
Central Kenya and one of the largest banana producing regions in the country. He decided to start up a company that would buy raw bananas from local farmers at guaranteed prices, process them into banana flour and package them for sale in the market. This is the idea that formed his company, Stawi Foods.

Stawi Foods(stawi means ‘prosperity’ in Swahili), has improved the lives of thousands of banana farmers by providing them with sure income. It has also helped to increase the shelf life of bananas which would have rot and wasted if they are not sold soon after harvest. The banana flour, which is made from processed green bananas, is gluten free, nutritious and can be used to make baby food, porridge, mashed food, baked foods and soups. This versatile branded product which is sold as ‘Stawi Natural Banana Flour’ is distributed in several major supermarkets across Kenya.

The young entrepreneur studied law at the Catholic University of East Africa graduating in 2010 and has also done short courses in enterprise management at United States International University and banana processing training at Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute. “My intention all along, even when I was studying at the university was to go into business, run my own company. It is not like my law degree will go to waste because it will come in handy when I need to handle the legal issues pertaining to a business,” says the CEO of Stawi Foods.

Eric Muthomi’s idea now allows smallholder banana farmers in Kenya to earn 30 percent more on their bananas than they would have made if they sold it in the local markets. In addition, selling their banana harvests to a guaranteed buyer (Stawi Foods), protects them from the low and fluctuating prices of banana in times of harvest and scarcity. This is helping many young people to remain gainfully employed as banana farmers.

At the moment, this young company (which only started business in 2011), works with more than 100 groups of farmers in Meru which supply the raw bananas used for making Stawi Banana flour. As his Stawi Banana Flour gains popularity across Kenya and the East Africa region, Since he put this amazing idea to action in 2011, Eric Muthomi has attracted a lot of local and international attention. In the same year he started Stawi Foods, Eric won the top prize in the 2011 Nature Challenge Africa competition sponsored by the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) Kenya in partnership with NETFUND. He was also listed by Forbes Magazine as one of Africa’s Best Young Entrepreneurs.

BUSINESS GROWTH: At the moment, this young company works with more than 100 groups of farmers in Meru which supply the raw bananas used for making Stawi Banana flour. Stawi Foods and Fruits is fast becoming a popular brand and important model on the African agriculture scene. It won the Nature Challenge competition geared at promoting the sustainable use of natural resources in 2011, and, in the same year, bagged the winning prize for agro-processing in the Chase Bank Enablis ILO Business Plan competition.

MUTHOMI'S ADVICE:

* Do not wait for things to be perfect for you to work on your goal, start with the little you have. I had no money, I borrowed capital for the business from my family.

* I do not regard what I do as work because I enjoy it, probably that is why I seem to be working all the time without tiring. I find it to be so much fun.

* I am happy when farmers come up to me and thank me for getting them a market for their product. It is such a satisfying feeling.

* I took this path because I saw there are so many people who graduate with no jobs so I went to university with a clear goal to finish and start a business that will create jobs.

Are you like Muthomi?, Then what are you waiting for?, Start an Agro business.

REFERENCES:
http://thinkyheroes.blogspot.com/2013/10/eric-muthomi-lawyer-who-built.html
http://www.smallstarter.com/get-inspired/eric-muthomi-stawi-foods-kenya
http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/article-15605/innovative-businessman-making-meru-go-bananas
http://www.businessdayonline.com/NG/index.php/analysis/commentary/43943-learning-from-stawi-foods-success-story

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Richard Branson - The Billionaire who owns over 200 Companies and still has Fun

2013-10-09T11:45:00.003-07:00

NAME: +Richard Branson

AGE: 63 Years (1950)

LAUNCHING OUT AGE: 16 years

COUNTRY: United Kingdom

BUSINESS NAME: Virgin Group

BUSINESS SECTOR: Multiple -

BUSINESS DESCRIPTION: Virgin is a leading international investment group and one of the world's most recognised and respected brands. Conceived in 1970 by Sir Richard Branson, the Virgin Group has gone on to grow successful businesses in sectors ranging from mobile telephony, travel, financial services, leisure, music, holidays and health & wellness.

STARTUP CAPITAL: A burning desire for success.

SUCCESS STORY: Born in England in 1950, he was an entrepreneur from the start. With two failed endeavors (growing Christmas trees and raising budgerigars) already under his belt, by the age of 16, this serial entrepreneur had begun his first successful company (a student magazine) and was on his way to extraordinary success. By the age of 20, he had founded a small mail order record retailer called Virgin, and shortly thereafter, he opened a record shop on Oxford Street in London.

By 1972, Virgin records had signed their...
first artist, Mike Oldfield. 5 million copies later, Virgin Music had made a name for itself, later signing household names such as the Sex Pistols, Culture Club, The Rolling Stones, Phil Collins, Genesis, and Janet Jackson. Crafty yet controversial, provocative yet memorable, Virgin was soon to be a world renowned brand name.

Formed in 1984, Virgin Atlantic Airways was profitable in its first year. Its three classes of service - Economy, Premium Economy and Upper Class – include free in-flight drinks and meals, often including ice cream, and seat-back personal TVs, which was pioneered by Virgin. Upper Class passengers can request complimentary limousine service to and from the airport and have access to Virgin’s Clubhouse Lounge at London’s Heathrow Airport, where massage and grooming services are available.

With an appetite for broken industries, Virgin has continued to diversify its interests. In 1997, Virgin attempted to redefine the railway industry with high-tech trains and an advanced level of service. In another move, the company launched Virgin Mobile. Appealing to the younger demographic, the company does not require contracts and puts a hip spin on the traditional cell phone business. Virgin even has its own soft drink and vodka, although neither has been a tremendous success.

BUSINESS GROWTH: Virgin employs more than 50,000 people around the world, operating in over 50 countries. Global branded revenues of £15bn ($24bn) in 2012.

BRANSON ADVICE: Here is Branson quote from his book: Screw it, let's do it "I don't believe that that little word 'can't' should stop you. If you don't have the right experience to reach your goal, go in another direction, look for a different way in. There's always a solution to the most complex problem. If you want to fly, get down to the airfield at the age of sixteen and make the tea. Keep your eyes open. Look and learn. You don't have to go to art school to be a fashion designer. Join a fashion company and push a broom. Work your way up."

Do you have what it takes to be like Richard Branson?, then launch out.

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Colin Thornton - Built a $10 million Computer Repairs Business

2013-10-09T04:31:00.002-07:00

NAME: Colin Thornton
AGE:
AGE MADE FIRST MILLION: 20
COUNTRY: South Africa
BUSINESS NAME: +Dial A Nerd
BUSINESS SECTOR: Computers Repairs
BUSINESS DESCRIPTION: Repairs

START UP CAPITAL: Borrowed R5 000 ($1,000) to print fliers
SUCCESS STORY: Out of school, broke and only 20 years old, Colin decided to do what he knew best – fix computers. Borrowing 5,000 Rand (about $1,000 at the time) from friends and family, he printed fliers and distributed them within his neighbourhood to let everyone know about his services. Business started slow and was run from his parents’ garage where he repaired and serviced the computers of his first clients. At a very competitive fee of $7 per hour, business started to pick up and he had to hire some extra help to satisfy the growing orders he was receiving. His ‘small’ business was getting bigger and needed to expand… and that’s how his company, Dial-A-Nerd, was born!

Dial-A-Nerd has built a consistent reputation as the go-to experts and professionals for fixing computer problems. Dial-A-Nerd technicians travel to...
private homes to solve computer problems which often range from downloading music on iPods (yeah, there are people who walk this earth who can’t do that) to more technical stuff like repairing broken down computers and removing viruses. By going over to people’s homes to solve their problems, Dial-A-Nerd created a niche business that no other service or company had been exploiting. Awesome!

Today, Dial-A-Nerd’s team of mobile technicians can build, repair, upgrade and even replace computers and gadgets at home and office premises. According to Forbes, the company has yearly revenues close to $10 million, with over 150 staff operating from more than 10 different locations in major cities and towns in South Africa. The company now services over 200 small and medium-sized businesses and a handful of large corporates in its portfolio. Although it has its roots in fixing computers, Dial-A-Nerd has now offers a wide range of services including: network maintenance, server design and maintenance, consultancy, design and implementation, and cloud solutions.

Colin Thornton and his company have come a long way from the humble ‘garage’ beginnings back in 1998. In 2011, Dial-A-Nerd won the first prize in the IT and telecommunications category of the South African Service Awards, and was featured on CNN Africa in the same year. Colin was named among the ‘Top 200 Young South Africans you should take to lunch in 2011’ and was recently featured in the Forbes list of Ten Young African Millionaires To Watch In 2013. Credits+

BUSINESS GROWTH: annual turnover of R45-million ($10 Million), 14 branches and 135 staff around the country.

LESSON TO BE LEARNT : Do small things in a great way. Colin took an ordinary repairs business and transformed it into a global brand.

Are you a Nerd or are you skilled in anything?, Do not belittle it, build a business from it.

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Linda Ikeji - Nigerian Top Blogger Who Earns Millions Monthly from Blogging

2013-10-09T04:02:00.000-07:00

NAME: +Linda Ikeji

AGE: 33 Years (1980)

AGE MADE FIRST MILLION: Unknown

COUNTRY: Nigeria

BUSINESS NAME: Linda Ikeji Blog (LIB)

BUSINESS SECTOR: Blogging

BUSINESS DESCRIPTION: Gossip News, Celebrity News
STARTUP CAPITAL: Her Laptop, Her Modem, Passion.

SUCCESS STORY: Entrepenueur Linda Ikeji, was born in 1980 in Imo State, Nigeria. She began to show interest in writing as early as 10 years old. She pursued her passion through the university to study Mass Communication. She began working at the age of 17 as a waitress and model to support her early university expenses Linda recalls, “I’d leave lectures, go to a hotel and sell beer from 1pm till 10pm. I did this for a few months. It wasn’t easy but I had to survive”.

After completing her degree at the university she launched....
her media company, Blackdove Communications, a modelling agency and events management outfit. She also started what she describes in her first ever blog post as her “true passion”, her magazine called, FM & B. The first issue was released in 2006 and after discovering how capital-intensive and time-consuming magazine publishing was, only two more editions made it to print.

Through blogging innovation, passion driven strategy, and controversial gossipy stuff she became Africa's most popular blogger. Using the free blogger platform lindaikeji.blogspot.com has become a household name in Nigeria and the diaspora. In the process she became one of the richest blogger in Africa. When asked on her road to success 7 years later, Linda said “You have to love blogging. You can’t say I want to blog because I want to make money. It takes a stepping stone to get there. There are over a thousand blogs, but what will make people enjoy visiting your blog depends on the efforts you put into it. So, be passionate about it, be consistent, don’t blog once or twice in a week, blog everyday if you can, enjoy it, and love it.” - from +osas ogie blog

Linda acquired in 2013, an 8million Naira Infinity FX35, and posted this on her blog:

"Posing with my two rides, the 2011 Infiniti FX 35 and my 2008 Toyota Camry. #Biggirlsthinz Hehe!

I put this up for two reasons:

1. To show off of course...why else? Lol

And

2, to encourage other ladies out there to keep working hard and keep believing in themselves. You don't need any aristo to give you anything...any woman with will and drive can give herself anything she wants!

By this time two years ago, I didn't have much...but I never stopped believing in myself and I never stopped working hard. I can't even begin to count how many businesses I put my hands into before one paid off -Blogging! I told myself that I will make it in this life one day as my own woman and on my own terms, that no man will ever take away my dignity...and I did it. So can you! Yes, you! You have the power! And with God on your side, you are unstoppable!

BUSINESS GROWTH: She Makes her money primarily from Adverts, and deals displayed on her blog. We may be able to estimate that she earns over 2Million Naira Monthly.

IMPROVEMENT AND SUGGESTION: I am of the opinion that her blog still need more work in terms of design, and I noticed you cannot share posts at a glance which will drive in more traffic, and She does not have a recommended or similar post widget installed which will help her readers last longer on the site.

LESSON TO LEARN: It takes passion, perseverance and the grace of God to succeed in any business. Passion kept Linda even when nothing was coming out of it in the beginning.

Are you one of those with great ideas and information for the World to hear?, Start a blog.

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