BY VICTOR ADAR
It is barely a year since Creston Systems was started and now its target market sets it apart. Creston is an emerging enterprise that builds on alarm padlocks and hotel locks solutions, CCTV and access control systems as well as software solutions.
The guy behind this young enterprise, Stanley Githinji, started toying with the idea in 2009. Mr Githinji, who cut his teeth as a security technologist, recalls how he always wanted to venture in business at an early age. He was charmed with computer science and everything to do with security.
So he factored in legal management system (LMS), and things are clicking for him. LMS is a software solution aimed at legal firms and would help lawyers and law firms virtually manage their case files, can be deployed in any environment be it cloud based – where it can be accessed on any computer with internet connection or on a smart phone with internet. It also opens opportunity to even work from home.
He says venturing into tech and security space is interesting because with an innovative idea, and capital of about Sh400, 000, you can hit the ground running. A big capital is not an advantage when it comes to provision of IT and innovations services. “I would say you just have to dream big and do what you can do. Always look at what interests you. And what skills you have. Also be willing to do innovative products that cut across all the industries.”
The great triumphs from this lucrative venture have resulted from great foresight as well as thinking outside the box. Indeed, apart from being clever, you must leverage on trends that work. Githinji says it is realistic to eye from small to multinational businesses particularly at this time when there are many challenges in day-to-day management of technology services. To him, businesses don’t just flourish thus it is better to delve into one that you understand well. Passion and dedication is the premise of progress, he emphasises.
“Some of the big challenges in innovative products is that everyone won’t believe in your product so the only thing is to demonstrate to them the functionality that are in that product. There is encouragement when you feel that a product can help the businesses to improve their business processes,” he says, pointing out that you have to do research.
The solution that you want to provide must first of all meet the needs of the people as you gear towards making things happen. That’s not all since you also have to keep on improving your skills. To the young people, he says: “just try to do whatever you feel you can do. Just start small.”
Many University students are known to blow away every cent they get by having fun on all fronts. But believe it or not, the youthful Githinji saw the future that is very different from the one many of his peers saw. Seven years ago, he saw the need for innovative solutions, and the entrepreneurship journey has been real.
