Vincy Wairimu: After many failures, I found my business footing

Vinjosh Cleaning Services founder Vincy Wairimu during a cleaning at one of her clients' houses. [Paul Kariuki, Standard]

When Vincy Wairimu graduated with a diploma in journalism and mass communication at Kenya Institute of Media and Technology (KIMT), she thought she had it well figured out in life when her first stint in employment was as a photographer and videographer in social events such as weddings and graduations.

The 32-year-old would leave the job that she was on a temporary basis and work in the private sector as a receptionist in a microfinance company.

With employment not rewarding, she ventured into several businesses before finding out which worked out well – a cleaning service business.

 “I started with selling beddings online which I was paid on commission. I did it for about one year. I used to sell during the cold season,” she tells Enterprise.

The next line was ladies' doll shoes, a business that she tried her hand at for six months.  

“It was doing well but there was one problem. I couldn't manage with the deliveries.”

Seasons would determine which business to go for like during cold ones beddings and ponchos would sell well. Off-season would see her thinking of ways to subsist.

“If there is something I would like to caution one about, it is taking loans to start off the ground without knowing what the market will be like. I took a loan to start a canvas bag business. It was short-lived though, and I counted losses,” she reflects. 

The failures in business served to give her an impetus in thinking of a sustainable one. Taking risks, she says, was the motivating factor.

“I decided to give it a try in agriculture and ventured into rearing kienyeji chicken. It was good at the start but sometimes strenuous due to feeding and cleaning up but I used to sell eggs and readymade chicken. But it suffered misfortune as some disease wiped the chicken one by one.”

Vinjosh Cleaning Services founder Vincy Wairimu during a cleaning at one of her clients' houses. [Paul Kariuki, Standard]

The blow from the loss saw her engaging in snacks making. She dealt homemade samosas, mandazis, smokies, and eggs and would be selling them in the evenings in her home estate. 

The savings from this business served as capital seed to start a mitumba (thrift) ladies' wear that dealt in tops, innerwear, tights, and skirts.

She used to have a kibanda which was demolished by county authorities.

She was introduced by a friend to e-book business. “I was reluctant since I didn't know how to trust clients to pay but it paid off after a while. I used to sell internationally and that’s how I got my first dollars.” The hustles took between six months to one year and helped raise capital of her next foray and present services business. 

“I started Vinjosh Cleaning Services after the pandemic hit,” she says, adding she was looking for something to complement her income.

The business is three years old currently and offers upholstery cleaning, commercial and residential cleaning as well as pest control services. 

“My target clients are anyone who owns a house, or residential areas but I am packaging myself to into commercial cleaning though I have some clients.”

Her first client was from social media after six months of marketing business, and her highest number of clients are from social media. She markets on platforms like Facebook, Instagram as well as Tiktok and gets referrals. 

Vinjosh Cleaning Services founder Vincy Wairimu during a cleaning at one of her clients' houses. [Paul Kariuki, Standard]

“My daily challenges are getting committed employees. The other challenge is getting potential clients to commit to bookings. for some to pay commitment or deposit does not sit well with them.”

When a client is not satisfied with their services, they agree to either refund a certain percentage of money or have the job re-done.

She has no permanent employees but a number of temporary employees.

How does she get ones that can work better given a temporary employee may not be that skilled if they had not been exposed to a similar job?

“When hiring I look at your skills. Do you have the knowledge to properly clean? Are you a timekeeper and a team player since our job involves teamwork?”

She never regrets the path she followed and says when a professional quits employment for business, it is because they have identified their potential elsewhere or employment is not that rewarding.

“Not everyone is cut for employment and they may be dissatisfied as they look for an exit plan,” she notes.

 She reinvests profits in the business with sights in expanding and offering more services.