Dream, then act on it

Where are all the opportunities? We have seen graduates complain about the lack of job opportunities, blame the government for the same and expect jobs to be handed to them. While the government might be to blame, it is unreasonable to sit and wait for the government to act.

From when we were young, we are told go to school perform well and become what you want, but the school system does not offer skills required in the job market.

What I know is that my priorities 10 years ago are not the same now. So what changes?

The 19-year-old King Kaka was a dreamer and he would literally follow every dream he thought about, because poverty was a motivational factor, and he was determined to get out of the ghetto. King Kaka now, understands market dynamics and makes calculated moves.

The key note between the two is that they all wanted to win, young King Kaka was very experimental in all aspects including time and resources.   

Young King Kaka was called to Moi University to pursue a course in Agricultural Science but refused to go because he felt that was not his ‘thing’.

He convinced his family that he loved math and business and later on enrolled to study as an accountant. I am no expert but since I was reading about graduates who had aced their courses and had no jobs, I started adopting to the economic conditions of my environment, which is ‘you don’t have to be an intern for you to practice what you are doing in school.’

In my first year of accounting, I started painting and saved some money. Since we used to live in Kaloleni, Jogoo road was always busy and that made City Stadium a booming market place, so I took a leap of faith and hired a small piece of land from my painting gigs.

Since my land was worth two shops, I divided it and rented one shop out and put the other one as a second hand clothes boutique. Gikomba clothes are always stylish and unique, and according to my research, the spending power mostly lie with the ladies. And my business kicked off well.

I read about the patterns of successful people, and found that they are visionaries, always ahead of time, create opportunities, and know time is money. That meant I needed to balance three things; school, the Mitumba business and my painting/graphic design clientele.

So let me run you through my typical day. I would wake up at 5am, prepare and leave by 5.30am for Gikomba.

Living in Kaloleni at the time meant I was within walking distance of Gikomba, which worked to my advantage.

This meant I would get there early and get the cream of the second hand clothes, something we call ‘Camera’.  

The early bird surely does catch the worms. Getting good clothes meant I was making good sales.

By the second month I had employed one of my good friends so that I would concentrate on school.

I would go to Gikomba, come to the shop and open it and be on my way to school at 7.30am as my classes started at 8am.

My first class ran till ten. After class, I would walk all the way to Imenti House in CBD and sit behind a computer 33, where I had installed a design app called Corel Draw.

I would spend about 45 minutes on the computer, during which I would have designed a few business cards and sent them for printing.

I would then dash to City Stadium to check on my Mitumba business, make a few sales and go back to class at 12.30pm, just in time for my afternoon class. At 4pm sharp, I would be back to City Stadium as that was when sales peak.

I didn’t write this article just to show you how busy I was but to convince you that you need to have a prepared mentality.

Probability has it that most of what we prepare for will not be the outcome, so it’s only safe that we cast our nets far and wide, and while at it we discover new ways of approach and most important new opportunities.