I Choose the Path Less Traveled
I am Ochieng’ K’Odongo, the Managing Director at Almi Group, and I love smiling.
I love freedom, and I can do so much when given that, and apparently school wasn’t giving me that. That’s how Almi Group started. I wanted to create a space where I was free to explore, but still be productive. So I decided to write down the things I loved doing, or rather, those things that got me excited and curious; art, construction, music, multimedia, soft-tech, and design. That’s how the company came to be constituted by the six departments. That was back in 2016 December. I was at my elder sister’s house when I wrote my initial idea down.
It was, and still is, much evident that Kenya as well as Africa, has a lot of talents collecting dusts on the shelves of destitution. With that in mind, I was geared to give relevance and empowerment to these people, by allowing our employees not be invited to work with us on academic merits but their ability and willingness to learn and grow. With this, we have seen a good number of people, mostly youths, talented and skilled in the aforementioned departments constituting our company applying to join us.
Though small we began, with 13 members, over the years, we desire that we can admit more members who desire to develop their skills and talents, freely without any restriction. It is my desire to see every youth being financially independent, and I strongly believe this is very viable with sufficient motivation. To my society, we’re creating employment to those skilled and talented in their fields of specialization as we empower them to start their own venture after acquiring that which is necessary from us.
It has not been roses all through. To get my initial capital, I borrowed my Dad Ksh. 10,000 which I began with a honey business (Kich K’Odongo) and later on added to the business fried omena (K’Odongo Sardines) which helped me raise up to about Ksh. 320,000. After getting the money I thought I needed I quit the two businesses to help me concentrate on my real business. Along the way my Dad and my elder sister gave me an additional Ksh. 70,000 each. With these, I was all set to go, at least I thought so.
It is funny how in a start-ups we spend much more than we bring in. I really struggled with this. It was made worse when I landed my first mega project, so excited that I brought in my whole construction team, plus other freelancers. The money wasn’t paid, not even a cent. I was in a debt of half a million and a couple of thousands on top. This ruined my business, I was just but a start-up. My friends helped me get a few jobs to help me settle my full debt, some even agreed to work with me on pro bono, and I’m forever indebted to them.
I’m forever grateful to God. The friends He put around me, my wonderful family, the struggles He puts along my way to refine me, I’m forever grateful.
My Dad is always my role model; he never knows that anyway, and he shouldn’t. From him I’ve learnt to keep calm amidst the noise, and much more I can’t just list here. It’s funny I don’t have any other role model in business world; reason, I chose to learn from the best, my Dad.
It sounds cliché, but start small. Your small is not my small. What small means; start from what you can manage, that which can’t stress you unnecessarily.
To my fellow youths, with right effort, and understanding of your abilities, you’re limited by nothing, except self-doubt. Don’t forget to make friends, friends of value. On picking a role model, it must not be someone renown, let it be someone you can easily learn from simple life skills, and learn on how you will change that to business ethics. That is how I got here, and how I plan to get to where I am to get. With Friends.
Social Sites: @groupalmi– Twitter and Facebook, @Almi Group– Instagram and LinkedIn: website almi.co.ke.
Contacts