I don’t give because I have, I get because I give

It is not every day that one comes across a person who is so passionate about making a difference in another’s life, that what drives him is simply to be able to give back.

Mathew Gathua was at first hesitant to grant us an interview, but the young woman who referred us to him assured him that his story would inspire others just as much as it inspires her.

We find the Valentine Cake House packed with people either ordering, or picking cakes. Mathew, the proprietor of this popular bakery, ushers us into his office on the third floor of Old Mutual building, in the city centre.

The business clocked 10 years the other day, and is still going strong. His staff is made up of young men and women.

“There is immense potential in everyone. Many of the young people in this country simply need someone to give them an opportunity. To believe in them,” Mathew begins.

He has given many of them a head start in life. When he meets most of them for the first time, they are down and beaten by life, and are at a point where they no longer believe in themselves.

“I see their potential though, and make it my duty to help them see it. Some of those I have assisted do not come from stable family backgrounds, so sometimes, I play the role of parent and impart basic values that they may never had had an opportunity to learn.”

During the course of the interview, we learn that he is paying school fees for over a hundred students in high school, and another group in various colleges and universities.

Yet another group is under sponsorship at his baking school, Valentine Baking School.

We ask him what inspires him.

“To make a positive difference. I especially like to mentor and assist those who come from needy backgrounds. I lost my father when I was six, and my mother struggled, with her primary school teacher salary, to educate, feed and clothe the four of us. I know what it means to lack.”

THE MAKING OF A MAN

Mathew dropped out of school before completing his A-level education for lack of school fees. His younger siblings were also in school at the time, and he knew that they too faced the same fate if he did not do something about it.

As the eldest son, he felt it was his responsibility to step in and assist his mother. He got a mason’s job at a construction company, where he worked for two years, and helped his mother to educate his two younger siblings.

Later, an uncle invited him to Mombasa, where he got him a casual job at one of the major hotel’s here.

“In many ways, that was my turning point,” he says.

Though his work entailed cleaning and peeling vegetables, when he completed his chores, he would offer to help the bakers instead of resting. One of the pastry chefs noticed Mathew’s interest and offered to train him.

“For the two years that he trained me, I was like a sponge. I learned as much as I could, and one day, my mentor told me that I was as qualified as any pastry chef.”

Mathew took this as a challenge to move on to the next level, and applied for a pastry chef job in another top hotel - he was offered the job.

It was while here that he met an internationally trained chef and realised that there was much more to learn about baking! For the next two years, he worked double shifts so that he could learn from this chef.

All this time, he was supporting his mother back home, and his family enjoyed a comfortable lifestyle.

AN IDEA IS BORN

The idea to start his own bakery, as well as a training school begun to form around this time.

“What I know today is possible because someone somewhere mentored me. I wanted to do the same for someone else one day”

It was only when he was offered a senior and well-paying though very stressful position, that he decided to quit and start his own cakes and pastry business.

Using his savings, he bought an oven, borrowed a mixing machine and started baking from his small bachelor pad.

“I had seen a gap. Where I lived, there were no creamed or iced cakes, so I made them and sold them to kiosks, in small pieces of only Sh10.”

He also identified a market in hair salons. Within two months, the demand for his cakes was so high, that he hired an assistant.

Mathew points out that one must research on the business they want to run before starting it.

“I tell young people to be creative, not to copy what others are doing blindly. First do market research, identify a gap, then sell products or services that will address this gap.”

While his business was growing, his vision was to set up his business in Nairobi, but this dream took a backseat when his mother fell ill and was admitted at Kenyatta National Hospital.

Mathew would travel from Mombasa to Nairobi every weekend to visit her, and after three months of weekly trips to Nairobi, his savings were completely depleted, and his business went under.

NO SMOOTH SAILING

“No one promises smooth sailing, and though I was disappointed, I told myself this shortcoming was only a temporary setback. I needed a regular income though, so I had to quickly get a job.”

He did so, but unfortunately, his mother died shortly after. To date, the only regret he has is that his mother did not live long enough for him to offer her the comfortable life she deserved.

After his mother’s death, Mathew quit his job and revived his business once again. Soon after, a certain SACCO contacted him - they wanted to know where to deposit his mother’s savings, since she had named him as next of kin. He calls this unexpected cash boost as his seed money.

As the business grew, he felt time was ripe to realise his dream of branching out to Nairobi. Once here, he quickly realised that his big dream would not happen in a flash.

To begin with, life was expensive, so he decided to look for a job to make ends meet, even though he was still running his business on the side. Without his presence, the business in Mombasa collapsed.

Not about to give up, he set up a small pastry and cake shop in Rongai, in the outskirts of town. After 10 months of shuffling between his day job and his business, he resigned from formal employment and decided to fully concentrate on his business.

“I made a pact with God, not to seek formal employment for the next five years. I felt that I could do more for my family and others, if my business grew, than I could ever do if I stayed in formal employment.”

Instead of the business thriving, he got a few wedding cake orders in November and December, and by January, he was dead broke!  Rongai was still a small township then, and Mathew realised he had to do more research in terms of location.

He decided to start training upcoming pastry chefs, a decision that boosted his income a little. Gradually, he started venturing into the central business district, where he would exhibit his cakes in various functions and hand out his business cards.

“I did not lose faith in God. To date, I subscribe daily to God’s promise that he will provide. That I know for sure.”

Mathew adds that he uses his life to inspire jobless young people. He has faith in what he calls the 4P’s; Prayer, Persistence, Patience and Planning.

“This country has a shortage of workers. I don’t believe that there are no jobs. There is so much to be done!” he asserts.

But what about the statistics that show a high level of unemployment in the country?

“Many people, especially the youth, are not willing to put in the effort required to do an excellent job, whether in white collar jobs or in their start-up businesses. Others want to copy, to do business blindly.

You have to find your passion, do research, remain positive and give it your best.”

Mathew adds that a lack of academic papers should not mean that you are doomed to failure. He insists that what you do with whatever you have is what matters.

“Excellence is the key. Whatever you do, you must aim to excel. People don’t want to work; they don’t want to start small. If this attitude does not change, then we will have so much work, but no workers. There are endless opportunities in Kenya today, even in adversity, there is work.”

Though he did not complete school, Mathew invested time and money in getting the highest qualifications in pastry and cake baking.             

He mentors and constantly challenges his staff to follow their passion with excellence. We chat with one of Mathew’s employee’s, a young man who says that he delights in the idea of giving back.

ONE THOUSAND SHILLINGS EVERY MONTH

Every three months, each employee contributes Sh1000 which is used to support a children’s home that Valentine Cake House has adopted. Some of them contribute more than that.

“My greatest joy is to be able to make a positive difference in a young person’s life, who in turn grows to make a positive difference in others.”

Mathew adds that there is a light in everyone, and that no one should shy away from letting this light shine on another human being.

“I don’t become less by giving of my time or money, if anything, I learn so much and I get so much joy in return.”

One way he has been able to bring out this light in others is by setting up the annual Cake Festival, now in its sixth year, where upcoming bakers can exhibit their art, network and learn from each other, and meet potential clients.

Proceeds from the cake festival go to Edumed Trust, set up to educate students from poor backgrounds. Valentine Cake House does not compete or exhibit at the cake festival, thus giving space to smaller businesses to get exposure.

“I am not the end point. What I have and what I know is meant to be shared - I should give of me,” Mathew says, adding that as a father, he hopes that his three children will grow to embrace this philosophy.

 “I don’t give because I have, I get because I give. Wealth is good, but when you use it to enrich the lives of others, then it is very fulfilling.”