My left-handed daughter inspired my business

I started my business because my daughter is left handed! Linda Makatiani (34) is married with two kids, her start up LeftyKenya Ltd has been running since late last year; it specializes in catering to the needs of left handed Kenyans by providing training and special stationary for those who are lefthanded.

BACKGROUND I have a postgraduate degree in Management and my professional background has been in the financial and capital markets. I first worked in treasury, then moved to Capital markets where I worked for eight years before leaving to start my own venture last year. Like most entrepreneurs, I had fears taking the leap from employment as there are no guarantee of success. The realization that the comfort of a monthly salary will be no more and having to acknowledge that now the livelihoods of my employees will be my responsibility was very scary, but I took the leap and began LeftKenya Limited late last year.

THE IDEA I am married and blessed with two children and one of my kids is left-handed. As a mother of a left-handed child, I noted the challenges she goes through with her school work especially writing and cutting, and I could not get information on how to support her and as a result I had to source for specially designed left-handed stationery from abroad. This was my inspiration to start LeftyKenya.

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT LeftyKenya was formed and it is an organization founded on the realization that there is little information and awareness on challenges experienced by the left-handed in our society. Our primary aim is creating awareness for the comfort and safety of the left-handed in our society. We are working to educate the society and cultivate a more empathetic and accepting culture towards the left-handed. Further, as part of our left-handed awareness creation, we provide basic training to schools on issues faced by left-handed students and share tips with the teaching faculty on how to accommodate left-handed students to enable them fully realize their academic potential. In addition to training, we also provide high quality specially designed left-handed stationery for students. We have a wide range of products including left-handed scissors, pens, rulers, sharpeners, non-smudge pencils.

RUNNING A START-UP I started the business from my family savings, and so far, although it has its rewards, it has not been smooth sailing, but that is expected. There are many opportunities to grow and scale your business but one has to match the right opportunities with your vision. It has been an interesting experience trying to convince people that there is an actual need to cater for the needs of left-handed people in our society. The Left has been predominantly associated with bad/evil/ negative (sinistra) both culturally and religiously. Changing this mindset and having people empathize, appreciate and support the left-handed regardless of our cultural or religious orientation. The experiences and interactions are new every day. It is always an honor to play a part in molding confident and proud left-handed Kenyans for the benefit of our society.

Currently, my clientele consists of varied groups. We serve the concerned parents who like me notice the daily struggles their left-handed children go through and opt to purchase left handed stationery for their child's academic comfort. We have the adult left-handers who sigh with relief on knowing they can now get left-handed products such as adult scissors, can openers, corkscrews etc. We are currently in talks with schools and they are very receptive to stocking left-handed stationery for the left-handed students. WHERE I AM NOW I am learning every day. I have learnt how to take calculated risks and to manage my time. My negotiation, networking, and communication skills have been sharpened through my daily business interactions. We are on the growth path. Our vision is empowerment, safety, and comfort for all left-handed persons in our society. We are reaching out to all left-handers countrywide to journey with us, share their experiences and join us in voicing their challenges.

MY TIP I believe that before starting a start-up, one should take time to develop a deeper sense of your purpose, practice visualizing and seeing what you want the goals to look like, pray hard, believe and take the leap. FACT BOX: LAUNCHED: 2017, January. START-UP COSTS: I did not borrow any money, instead I used my family savings. TURNOVER: Still working out the figures as the business is still very young.