Stardom Interiors founder David Njenga during the interview. Photo/Annie Njanja
By ANNIE NJANJA, anjanja@ke.nationmedia.com
In Summary
- Mechanic shares secrets of how he established a large furniture company from makeshift workshop.
When David Njenga was studying for his diploma in
mechanical engineering at the Machakos Institute of Technology, one of
the requirements he had to fulfil before graduating was write a project
proposal.
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While his peers did something related to the course, he
proposed a furniture business within the Karen Shopping Centre. The
proposal was a reflection of his childhood dream.
After graduating, Njenga, now 35, did not want to
be employed but with few options available, he took up a job as a
mechanic at CMC. After a short stint at the company he resigned to help
his uncle run a furniture business.
And three years later, he has turned his college project proposal into a fledgling furniture business.
Using Sh30,000 savings from his previous jobs, he
bought workshop tools and a sawing machine, which, using his mechanical
engineering skills, he tweaked to use electricity — and launched his
venture.
Using his self-taught skills and the drive to do
the furniture business differently, he opened a makeshift workshop in
Karen in 2007 and although teething troubles were in abundance, so was
the motivation.
For some time, he operated the furniture business
alone, but later hired two employees to help him, increasing production.
However, sales remained low.
To reach out to the customers and boost sales, he began distributing flyers and advertising at shopping malls.
The efforts paid off, spurring growth in his
business and seeing him move from the kiosk to a large workshop with a
showroom in the same area.
Currently, Njenga’s company – Stardom Interiors – rakes in profit of not less than Sh300,000 every month and employs 20 people.
Besides making all types of furniture, real estate developers contract him to furnish new houses.
He attributes the growth to self-discipline. “I
ensure that there is consistency in the business, and it starts by
paying attention to the nitty-gritties. For example, if the office
should be open by 8am for six days a week, I ensure this happens as
required.”
Transparency, sacrifice and commitment have seen
him scale to greater heights. Record-keeping has also helped the
entrepreneur identify the company’s weaknesses and strengths.
For instance, he says, through record keeping he was able to establish the peak season of the business.
“I know for sure that we are very busy during the month of September but very slow in February,” he said.
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