Brought up in orphanage, he now makes a tidy sum from tours

George Kamau has gone through quite a journey, from living in an orphanage to owning a travel company.

Kamau, the CEO of Foot in Africa based in Nakuru, learned the hard way as he started the venture without business experience in the industry.

Though travelling was his hobby, he never imagined it would earn him a place among the Nakuru business community and even recognition.

In November, Foot In Africa was voted the best tour company during the Nakuru County entrepreneur awards.

When Enterprise caught up with him at his office, he was booking flights online for his clients who wanted to travel to Mombasa over the festive season.

"I never imagined I would own a business one day, I love travelling and enjoyed it," said Kamau, 26.

"My friends knew me for that because I would travel to unwind from my problems," Kamau said.

Little boy

He lost his father when he was a little boy, after which his mother was kicked out of their matrimonial home and went back to her parents' home in Molo.

While in Standard Two, death struck again and his mother died. With his brother, they were taken in by a children's home in Kitengela but Kamau was moved to another home in Meru.

Later, he joined a high school in Meru after scoring 370 marks but later dropped out due to lack of school fees.

"I dropped out in Form Two and relocated to Nairobi, where I engaged in drug use and was on the verge of joining criminal gangs.

"Luckily due to my love of adventure, a relative invited me to Nakuru where I chose to transfer to a day school so that I could make ends meet. My brother was lucky, he finished high school and joined university."

In Nakuru, he did menial jobs during weekends to raise school fees and to sustain his lifestyle of using drugs.

After finishing his secondary school education in 2014, Kamau who was earlier known in school for his entrepreneurial skills of being a photographer decided to venture into business.

He started buying thorn melons directly from farmers and reselling them.

"At first, the business was lucrative because the competition in the market was small, so my friend and I decided to venture into it."

The business was profitable, but just as he was settling into it, he was mugged and lost Sh200,000 that he had just been paid.

No one would lend him money because, at that time, he did not know the importance of networking. He went back to being penniless.

In the next six months, he worked as a tout, and later became a driver, but decided to try his luck in carpentry in 2017 which he did for three years.

His love for travelling, he said, gave him a lot of adventure as he perceived it as a therapy to clear his mind.

"There is this day I remember while working at a carpentry shop where I was employed, I organised a trip to Lake Baringo for my friends. We paid Sh700, I did not think of making money."

With time, he started his company as a side hustle for one year for free by incorporating his friends to explore with him.

"I never thought someone could make business by travelling. To me, it was just fun and adventure. I started my business with nothing, if I may say."

Kamau registered his company on March 9, 2020, and it picked up gradually, but he faced challenges such as setting rates because of his inexperience in tourism.

He decided to enrol in online tutorial courses to learn about requirements and professional ethics and gain what was needed in the industry to remain relevant in the business.

"When you start something, I have learned that strategy is key to building and maintaining the brand's relevance. I believe in going slow, in gaining clients," Kamau said.

Many tour firms in Nakuru, he said, mostly deal with international tourists but he decided to venture locally and would target clients from Nakuru and Nairobi.

Blessing in disguise

For many operators in the last two years, the Covid-19 pandemic was a disaster but for Kamau, it was a blessing in disguise as the period opened doors for him to mint money from local tourists.

His clients are mostly referrals from corporate customers and others from social media platforms where he markets.

But to be successful, he chose to join a college in Nakuru town and pursued a certificate in tourism where he graduated.

He said dedication, networking, discipline and understanding the market trends are what have kept him in the market and top of the business three years after he launched.

Among the challenges that he has faced are cartels that take advantage of the naivety of start-ups and create fake websites. When Kamau started his business, he was conned of Sh6,000.

Since then, he first visits a facility to authenticate its services before referring his customers as a way of making sure that they will be satisfied with not only the tour but all the packages paid for.

The right networks and funds to maintain the business are also key things to consider when starting the business.

Kamau has since employed five people and also trains students on attachment as a way of sharing the knowledge and skills he gained to help them not make the same mistakes he made.