Author: Victor Adar

BY VICTOR ADAR In 2000, when Anna Nichol Wanyee founded Revodesign Studios while still residing in a small city in the Bay Area called Tracy, Northern California, there was a remarkable window of opportunity. The reason Ms Wanyee started the company was because deep down her heart it was a daily struggle to go to her work place, Expo Design Centre. Besides heavy traffic, she says, the distance to main road was just too far and it would take her four hours to and from work. Starting a business made sense. “We started with interior design and specialised in doing…

BY VICTOR ADAR Managing a successful business in this age of technology and innovation is a challenging task, especially with the cutthroat competition and harsh economic environment in nearly all industries. As you work towards breaking even, you need to raise your head high and look above your shoulder to see if in the long run things will go according to plan. Times and attitudes change like opinion polls, and most probably, Hotpoint Appliances is one distributor and retailer that has always embraced this phenomenon of the changing world. The company started from the humble beginnings of a small shop.…

Are digital lenders genuinely solving the issue of financial inclusion? BY VICTOR ADAR You no longer have to visit a brick and mortar bank to fill forms in order to access a credit facility. Through online portals or mobile apps, consumers can key in details like real names, monthly income, and identification number to get loans. Some digital lenders even validate potential borrowers based on their social media accounts. As if that is not enough, depending with your score and the app in question, a good credit history alone can qualify you for the facility in a matter of minutes. …

BY VICTOR ADAR There is a trend sweeping in out-of-town shopping centres where by individuals combine variety of businesses to earn good income. A chemist will most likely have a beauty and cosmetics wing, a money transfer service shop like mPesa, Pesapap… or, a coffee vending machine, and even a spot where one can get phones and accessories. Script is the same in the food industry where hotels and restaurants are known to incorporate things like pool tables, self-cooking options, eat in and eat out services, and much more. All these options are inspired by the need to widen daily,…

BY VICTOR ADAR When Jacque Mgido started Vault Cosmetics in Zimbabwe 10 years ago, a company that has since rebranded to now Jacque Mgido Cosmetics, there was no sign that one day a large section of the world will celebrate the brand. Ms Mgido took off to the United States to study, and probably be a professional film maker, but as fate would have it, her journey took an unlikely turn in St Louis, where curiosity to thrive on beauty and cosmetics business would make her land in Hollywood. The race to learn the cosmetics art compelled her to enrol…

BY VICTOR ADAR It is a hot Tuesday afternoon and we are having a chat with Vijay Gidoomal at Car & General (C&G) showroom, which is at the junction of Lusaka and Dunga road in industrial area. Gidoomal cut his teeth as a lawyer from University of Warwick in the UK in 1989 but would return to Kenya in 1993 to establish C&G operations in Uganda and Tanzania. As an executive director, he slowly but steadily introduced new product lines that include three wheelers and two wheelers as taxis in East Africa, and has seen the firm spread its tentacles…

BY VICTOR ADAR A campaign to create a pest free area might soon boost mango exports, improve production and quality, and benefit farmers especially those at grass roots level. Dubbed “komesha: zuia fruit fly ufaidike”, it will sensitize and create awareness on economic benefits of applying modern pest management technologies to curb fruit fly damage on mango fruits. The campaign’s success will also mean a pest free area that will lead to reduced post-harvest losses as a result of fruit fly damage by 50% and improved quality and food safety of mango products. It will be implemented in Makueni and Kitui counties by…

BY VICTOR ADAR It was November 23 when a 22seatervan left Nairobi’s CBD at 10:45 am with a battery of select journalists to go to Elementaita Mountain Lodge, a new hotel in Elementaita. By 14:05pm, the team of about 15 members of the fourth estate was safe and sound in Naivasha, ready to experience the new facility situated up a hill with a full view of Lake Elementaita. For a fact, apart from serenity and adventure, this destination trip meant one thing: opportunity. When investors spread their tentacles, it is the economy and Kenyans who stand to win. Some say…

People are certainly broke, and with the rampant layoffs, it is most likely that even the taxman might miss out on PAYE BY VICTOR ADAR For a long time, the national debt that has touched Sh50trn, which is a 15% above the recommendations set by the International Monetary Fund, has denied Kenyans peace of mind. Even though the current annual borrowing of nearly $2b has financed big infrastructure projects, paid some loans and helped plug other government expenditure, the state of the economy in general in any given month is bleak, and unsustainable. In numerous ways, with more state debts…

BY VICTOR ADAR More and more individuals stay alert waiting for the right excellence awards to participate in. This has resulted into the formation of tens of competitions by players and stakeholders. A few examples include real estate excellence awards, whose mission is to recognise players in the real estate sector, digital excellence awards, agribusiness excellence awards, Bloggers Association of Kenya awards, quality healthcare Kenyan award and energy management awards. Excellence awards are on the rise following a general fact that they aim at improving the customer experience journey while recognizing and encouraging learning and best practices within a particular…