Losing my job set me on the path of entrepreneurship

Proprietor of Grind Group Limited Company John Baptista Kariuki during an interview at his office in Nairobi on September 26, 2019. The company is specialized in supply of IT products in Nairobi. PHOTO | LUCY WANJIRU
 By PAULINE ONGAJI

When he got retrenched from his job as an IT technician in a phone firm in 2009, little did John Baptista Kariuki know that it was a blessing in disguise.

Lack of a job launched him on the path of business and he is now the proprietor of Grind, which in full means ‘get ready it’s a new day’.

The company based on Moi Avenue, Nairobi, specialises in supply of IT products, specifically HP, Dell, Lenovo and Kensington brands. He gets the products from local distributors and sometimes import.

In under 10 years, his business boasts an annual turnover of Sh55 million, with his clientele ranging from international schools, hospitals to government institutions.

That he has opened a branch on Luthuli Avenue, Nairobi, is a testament that his business is looking up.

“I have employed six workers in my main shop, working in administration, sales, technical, and delivery units.”

Apart from setting him on the enterprise road, losing his job also saved him from alcoholism. He says although he was one of the top performers in employment, alcoholism later got the better of him.

“After I was shown the door, I seized the moment to deeply reflect. It is during this time that I stopped taking alcohol,” he says, adding that the uncertainty that always lingers when under employment also drove him to start thinking of starting his own business where he would be more in control of his destiny.

Without a job he also had to immediately look for a means to earn an income.

“I had to survive financially and having no job, I had to look for avenues to earn a living. I went back to my former employer’s warehouse where I bought old IT equipment and sell them for some small profit,” he says.

In 2010, he ventured proper into the IT equipment supply business. However, the biggest hurdle was lack of capital. He also did not have sales experience worth talking about.

“I could go to distributors, use my laptop as a collateral to get IT products like flash disks,” he says adding that he was operating without premises as he could not afford to pay rent. Thanks to his honesty and hard work, distributors developed confidence in him and he was able to obtain more goods on credit.

He would soon set his first shop on Tom Mboya Street and from there, his enterprise found a firm footing and started to grow with customers coming in mainly through referrals.

“I make sure I always do a good job. This is why 90 percent of my clientele is through referrals. Having a good relationship with not just the customers but also distributors has been a plus for me. This has helped me to get goods on credit,” he explains.

His network with players such as businessmen and IT groups in the field has also been a major boost to him.

Mr Kariuki says employees are a key pillar of any business, noting that one should be keen when hiring them. Character and integrity, he adds, are the main ingredients of a good employee.

“Employees who are not necessarily professional but of great character are crucial to the success of any business,” he says adding that business ethics and integrity have earned him trust from customers and distributors.

He advises upcoming entrepreneurs to be focused first on one line of business before venturing further afield.

Lack of focus, he says, almost cost him his business. “Twice I nearly closed my business because of lack of focus. I thought because the business was doing well I should venture into other avenues,” he says.

“Between 2011 and 2012 I tried out two different businesses, and it was the biggest mistake of my life. Apart from the new businesses going under, Grind was nearly brought down too since I used its resources to finance the other ventures.”

Also, he says, complying with all the tax requirements hasn’t been easy, especially when rogue competitors import their products duty-free.

The challenges, however, have not dampen his dream to become one of the greatest IT product distributors in the country.

“I want to be purely known for these products and even get support from the manufactures. Here, there’s little competition since not many people like to specialise in specific products,” he adds.