There is more to sales than hawking groundnuts

Richard M. Wambua, aka Mc Fortune, is a radio presenter and emcee, marketing and event consultant, a team building facilitator, TV personality and a motivational speaker

Which college did you attend?

I studied Sales Management and Marketing at Mombasa Aviation College even as my passion drifted to media and entertainment.

What don’t people know about the sales and marketing course?

I would meet people who thought that the course was all about kuuza njugu (selling groundnuts) and yet this is not the case. Sales and marketing is all about being taught how to creatively convince the public to believe in a product in the market enough to spend money on it.

What were you known for in school?

I was a cool chap or what we know as “Chini ya maji”. I don’t remember being known for anything major (laughs).

What were your favourite and worst subjects and why?

I loved PR because I found it easy to gasp. Moreover, I love dealing with the public and it has assisted me in my current job. Quantitative analysis, on the other hand, was terrifying. Math simply isn’t my thing. I am more of a theory kind of guy.

Favourite lecturer

Mr Evans who taught us economics, in my view, was a great lecturer because he was informative.

How did you balance between your social life and studies?

I can say it wasn’t easy but I tried my best to prioritise to ensure that I fulfilled all my set goals.

Where did you use to hang out?

Being so close to the sea meant that you would often catch me basking in the sun at the beach.

What was your dating experience like in campus?

Let me not say much on this, but it was full of drama. When in campus you are discovering yourself so I had a lot of trial and error moments.

Did you have a side hustle?

Yes I did. To cater for part of my fees and pocket money I used to work as a shelf cleaner in a chemist, and was earning Sh6,000 per month. I also sold branded T-shirts. To keep up, I switched from full-time classes to part-time.

How did you manage your finances?

I budgeted all the cash I earned to avoid becoming broke.

Your best and worst moments in campus?

My best moments came in the form of the occasional ‘funkies’ that would distract me from books and work and allow some socialisation. I don’t remember having bad moments in school.

Did you miss classes?

I did miss a lot of classes because of lack of school fees. Even with support from my aunt, I still fell short and had to work to top up. It was not easy.

Advice to those in campus

If you are lucky to have guardians who can pay for your school fees and see you through the college/university of your choice, do not disappoint them. Honour them by doing your best. Stay focused.

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