One bad trip opened up my eyes to the potential in business travel to China

China is a popular destination for Kenyan entrepreneurs looking to cash in on the low-cost products the Asian nation is well known for.

In fact, last year, the largest chunk of imports into Kenya came from China and were worth Sh390 billion. The main products brought in were electronics, motorcycles, spare parts, furniture, and clothes.

More and more Kenyan entrepreneurs are making the trip to China to find business opportunities, and to cash in on this interest, travel agents have set up travel packages to the Far East nation, especially around events like the import and export showcase, Canton Fair.

The event takes place in April and October.

One of these agents is George Mbogo, who runs Epic Business Tours. However, he didn’t just come up with the idea – he first experienced how wrong a trip to China could go.

Wasted opportunity

“When I first made the trip to China in 2014 as an entrepreneur, the person I used to plan for my trip didn’t pay for guides and hadn’t been to China, so it ended up being a wasted opportunity to interact with potential traders. I was very disappointed,” he says.

But there was an upside. It got George to realise that he could charge his fellow entrepreneurs a fee to act as their guide when they make the trip, helping them meet manufacturers, suppliers and shipping companies.

He came back home and registered Epic Business Tours. But the business didn’t take off immediately.

“When starting out, I didn’t fully understand the Chinese market, or how to access it. This made some of my clients feel like I didn’t give them value for their money,” George says.

But he worked out the kinks with time.

“We’ve managed to overcome this challenge and today, we exceed our customers’ expectations, with most new clients referred to us by satisfied business travellers who’ve used our services,” he says.

Last year, Epic Business Tours made six trips with between 50 to 60 people.

“In our industry, we base success on the number of clients who are able to enjoy our services. Over the years, we’ve managed to organise trips for more than 500 clients. This year, the target is at least 1,000 clients,” says George.

The experience

Epic Business Travel charges Sh199,000 for the trip to China, and for this amount, clients get a return air ticket, accommodation, visa processing and airport transfers, as well as group travel insurance. The package also includes practical experience on the use of subway trains, English-speaking tour guides, a Pearl River cruise and a cable ride in the mountains.

“Businesspeople rarely have time for extra activities. The cable ride and cruise provide them with the opportunity to relax and reflect,” George says.

His company also helps with inspection and clearance of goods at the Mombasa Port for onward delivery to the client, and also imports goods from China on clients’ behalf.

If he were to start all over again, George says he’d engage in more aggressive marketing on social media as opposed to cold calling and person-to-person marketing, which is how he started out.

“It’s the sales strategy I was used to given my insurance background. Insurance agents meet with customers and explain policies in person to win them over. However, when it came to my travel firm, this strategy limited me in terms of geographical reach as I could only sell the idea to close friends. With social media, however, the reach is wide and information spreads like wildfire.”

In the next five years, George wants his business – which has since added Thailand and Vietnam to its destinations – to be a one-stop solution for business travel and shipping in many more places around the world.