If it was not for my first ex-boyfriend earlier in life I would not have this business mind… He was just starting out in business. When I was cheated out of a promotion he pointed out my skills and encouraged me to think outside the box.” Immaculate is intent on surrounding herself with people who build her up at every stage of life. She is reluctant to get into further details of her ex, ‘A story for another day’ she calls it.
“Everyone needs branding. You need to package yourself; you need to brand merchandise… I walk up to people, I tell them what I do, I have to do it, no one has employed me, it’s all me.” Immaculate has freedom being her own boss; 8 to 5 doesn’t apply.
At 26 Immaculate Murugi is a woman confidently walking the business wire, balancing a business venture, evening PR classes, an acting gig on the Tahidi High TV series and her personal life. It’s an evening chat as the sun sets on her big smile. She’s been making deliveries the entire day traversing through Nairobi’s traffic. Immaculate’s journey is preceded by her five-year experience in the black hole of marketing. After working for a regional bank as a marketer for two years, her interpersonal skills made her a top marketer racking up millions. She however hit a gridlock transitioning into a permanent employee when her diploma and years of experience were not good enough.
Stepping out, she followed her passion for photography and was attached to a local studio. This then saw her register her company, Solutions Media Productions, as a vehicle to make extra cash taking pictures at weddings and social events. Immaculate was an official photographer for a senior corporate Managing Director. She built a rapport with the corporate affairs manager who always took her to events where the MD was invited. “One day I show up at their office for a photo shoot, I’m in a custom-made red blouse complete with cufflinks and bam”!
What’s in a blouse?
The MD liked the blouse and wanted at least 500 pieces of the same for the team. The corporate affairs manager advised her to have it cleaned and pressed, for a presentation the following day. When she turned up at the boardroom they asked very specific questions; “Do you have a company? Do you have a PIN…?” Luckily all her answers were yes, yes, yes!
On the spot, she was asked for a quote. Though not a pro, she gave a quote that had a 50% mark up. Interestingly enough the client bargained up rather than down. Immaculate was still thrown in a ring with 50 service providers for a rigorous bidding process after the initial engagement. The list however shrunk to four companies who got the design and fabric right. Lady luck smiled and she won the tender.
Next step was figuring out LPO financing. The obvious first stop was her bank. She went to the loans desk, delivered relevant documents. Everything was going smooth until the banker in charge started playing games. “He used to call me, asking me to go over and see him at his home…” Immaculate was not up for any monkey business. She went straight to HQ and discovered that the documents she’d given the joker never made it to the right desk; stalling the entire process.
The window to get started on the tender was closing. Immaculate had to look for a plan B which led her to the Youth Fund Enterprise office. “We fund LPOs from parastatals. It takes two weeks and we can give you 70% of the financing upfront; especially to the youth.” This was more than the 50% she needed to service the tender. Immaculate points out that the youth have priorities upside down. “Some of these youth can be given an LPO of 25 million, get financing then go buying cars before delivering the stock.”
“Don’t make your business a briefcase company” is a nugget of wisdom she got while attending a Centonomy training which offered entrepreneurship insights on how to handle taxes, treat employees and the importance of putting the customer first. She spent at least 50 thousand for the 11 weeks training and for her it was a wise investment into the future.
Keeping her business overheads low has been a good way to grow organically over the last four years. She started as a one man show doing everything. She’d miss deadlines, lose jobs and when she finally got her personal assistant on board, she wished she’d done it earlier. Immaculate’s workforce is comprised of one rider, three suppliers, a designer and a PA.
Her office is located at WeCreate, the Centre President Obama started for women; it has the right ambience to get work done. She’s also gotten some business by virtue of being at the WeCreate Centre vicinity. Her products are walking adverts and bring her referral clients. She is very strict of meeting deadlines and delivering quality work; “I make sure I call my clients – did you like my work? Then I can ask for the cheque. It’s not just about the money.” Customer obsession has guided her so far. She approaches each customer with camaraderie and tries as much as she can to be cordial never losing her cool. “Some of the clients will ask for up to eight samples which I have to pay for…”
Due diligence is something she doesn’t play with. Once a new business premises opens she goes knocking, finds out who is the Procurement or Marketing Manager and books an appointment. Good days are when she has a meeting and is showing her samples and it goes something like “I love that shirt, and that hoodie…We made some bad shirts last year, wish we had met you then…You can definitely do something for us now”. She narrates of when she stormed a new skyscraper in the city. “We took the lift till the top floor and used the stairs to navigate each floor. These new tenants need signage, window branding, etc”. It’s a while back but Immaculate remembers they got an order to brand two hundred shirts. Immaculate attests that the financing is a hard nut to crack, especially when orders come in six and seven figure digits. She recollects how once a supplier agreed to do work on credit, took a sizable deposit then later refused to give the branded work unless she made full payment. “I did not know what to do, I just started crying.” The supplier didn’t flinch; “Welcome to the world of business,” was his advice. Immaculate had to borrow from family and friends at an interest to come up with the full payment. When she presented the money to the supplier he mocked her “I knew you would find the money, you are a hustler…” Then, immaculate wasn’t smiling but it’s one of those experiences that made her grow tough business skin.
Partnerships have not been a good fit for Immaculate. Every time she thinks she has a good partner, they show her their true colours and she has to jump ship. One was diverting money to their personal account and the other used her as a chauffeur to get to meetings never allowing her in for client negotiations. “That’s when I said X to partnerships. Let me do my thing … Let me go back to my baby; Solutions Media Productions.”
“My company pays for the PR degree I’m pursuing, pays for my mum’s medical care, my brother’s school fee, day to day running expenses…” Immaculate is slowly building and re-branding her own brand and with her newly acquired PR skills, she wants to evolve into a PR and Branding company.
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