She has been in business for only one year and seven months but Pamela Gatwiri, founder of Pam Nail Polish (registered as Pam Nail Care Limited) is already making her presence felt. She was declared Nail Professional of the Year in the recently concluded Kenya Hair & Beauty Contest 2016 Awards.
A former air hostess, Pamela was inspired to start her business when she saw a gap in the nail care industry, specifically in the nail bar and nail polish sectors. The 32 years old Kenyan entrepreneur confesses of being “a nail polish addict” who would not want to be doing any other job.
She shares her journey with Mkazi.
I started with my own savings. I first invested around Kshs. 1 Million in products. My dad and brother chipped in as what I had left wasn’t enough to bring in my polishes and scrubs, as well as start a nail bar and make our display stands.
Social media has been, Facebook and Instagram, have been our most effective tools to raise awareness and get new customers. We also benefit from word of mouth, referrals mostly. We do events here and there where we partner or sponsor to get our brand known. Our marketing budget is limited so we use affordable or low cost marketing tools.
Our biggest challenge so far is getting great personnel, especially beauticians that have great skills. With that came an opportunity to get into training, which we hope to start so as to have the best nail technicians in the country.
Our team is made of 5 beauticians including an admin, and 3 sales executives, an accountant and myself. We are seeking to add more sales representatives in the course of the year and an operations manager.
When it comes to running my own business I love the fact that I can inspire others and make a change. I would like to inspire and make a difference in the beauty industry. I want to create a brand that can be recognised in the country while creating jobs for Kenyans and impacting the lives of others at the same time. I like also that the effort I put in is towards my business.
To keep motivated through difficult times, I tell myself that Rome was not built in one day. It is important to be very patient and realistic in your expectations.
The biggest lesson I have learned is that it takes time. As much as you would want to move fast, at times things don’t happen as you wish. Therefore patience is very key; as well as just moving on with the challenges.
Since becoming an entrepreneur, my thinking has totally changed. My spending habits have changed – sadly to less shopping! I am also more careful about how I spend my time. I avoid unnecessary meetings and things that are time wasting. Overall it has made me a better person, better-rounded. I have grown as a person.
If I could go back in time, maybe I would start this earlier. However I have no misgivings really. This is the right time.
Five years from now I see us having built a strong beauty brand and a full nail care range of high quality products. Our hope is to have then our distribution outlets well established. God willing we will have expanded our nail bar chain and franchised the nail bar.
To keep a good work/life balance, know that there is time for everything. Make time for both activities. When it is time for work it is time for work. When it is time to play, make time for that. Delegate duties to your team. You are not a super woman, you can’t do everything.
My advice to other entrepreneurs: follow your dreams. That is the most important. And follow what you are good at. Don’t just do something because someone else did it. Resilience is essential and great business skills have to be applied to the success of the enterprise.
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