Capitalise on your strengths and you will succeed

You might have heard of Mary Njoki, the 27-year-old founder and CEO of Glass House PR. If you haven’t, here is her inspiring story.

“I grew up in Ngarariga village in Limuru, Kiambu County. I grew up surrounded by poverty, so I know what scarcity is. My mother, then a primary school teacher, could only afford to provide basic needs for me and my elder brother. I joined school very young and so I completed high school much earlier than my age mates, at 16 years.

I scored a mean grade of B, but mum could not afford to take me to university, so I joined Graffins College in Westlands instead, where I studied IT. This opened doors to my first job two years later, as a sales person in an IT company. I was later promoted to business development officer in the same company.

After two years I moved to another company where I worked for a year-and-a-half as a business executive. Over the four years that I was employed, I often volunteered at K-Krew, (a youth ministry) where I honed my skills in public relations. Back then, I did not know that what I was doing was public relations, I viewed it as marketing. I would help market their ‘Totally Sold Out’ events, doing digital activations of the events on social media, ushering at the events and ensuring that the participating artists were comfortable.

How did the idea to start your own PR company come about?

While on my second job, I decided to enroll at Daystar University for a public relations degree. After graduation, I got a job in an advertising and public relations firm where I worked for six months. During this period, it occurred to me that the Kenyan market, where PR is concerned, was awash with a duplication of  ideas – it was a one-fits-all approach. I thought to myself that if I set up my own company and sold customised services, I would be a success. There was also the fact that digital media was becoming popular in the continent, and therefore the perfect opportunity for me to integrate my skills in IT and public relations.

What was it like in the first year?

Challenging. The companies that I approached would ask for testimonials of work we had done before, but I had nothing to show. I was also quite young, I was 23, so organisations were hesitant to entrust their brand to me. At first, I had to do a lot of pro bono work and also not charge at market price to attract clients.

What are some of the factors that you had to consider when starting out?

If I had considered any factors, then I would not have started. What kept me going was knowing that I had something valuable to offer. In retrospect though, the one factor I considered was that I was building something bigger than myself.

Could you say that you followed your passion?

I found out that public relations is something I could easily do and so I capitalised on my strength. Understand your strengths, harness them, and you will succeed at what you do. 

What is the nature of your company?

Glass House PR Ltd brings together a mix of services that culminate in a customised approach for each client. Our integrated approach to communications and public relations ensures that all angles of a company’s story are aligned and delivered to key audiences in a clear, smart and steady manner. We understand that this is a new era of public engagement, pulling information from a variety of sources, experts and networks. Consumers demand dialogue, and expect an empowered role with the brands they interact with, and the communities they touch. We deliver the message, generate media coverage and create experiences that build awareness and engage audiences. The company develops effective and creative ways to reach and engage with consumers through events, the news media, social channels, bloggers and celebrity endorsements.

What would you do differently were you to start all over again?

When I quit employment, the company that I worked for did not pay me my dues. All I had was Sh6,000. My brother had previously given me a laptop, and I used this money to buy a modem and data bundles. Using my skills in IT, I created my website using free templates online and then created social media pages for the company. I marketed online and also used the database that I had created in the course of my career to reach out to people and tell them about our services.

My main challenge was raising enough working capital and putting together a proper team. If I were to do it again, I would invite partners to invest in the company. The journey has been good though.

What have you learnt?

That this is a journey of improvement. Capital is a challenge, but since our solutions are service-oriented, what we do is not capital intensive. In our portfolio we have successful stories of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that have used our services and have grown exponentially. Currently, we are working on a product that will revolutionise the industry, so wait and see. I am also investing more on my team.

How many employees do you have?

I work with between five and 10 people at any one given time. When working on big projects, I contract more. This is a great improvement because I started alone and only got to employ someone after a year.

Who makes up the bulk of your clientele?

 Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs), they give us more work than big corporates. SMEs and their everyday campaigns tend to be quite involving. Handling clients is not always easy, but as we grow, we learn how to build capacity for clients with a huge demand.

We have also done some work for Viber and Facebook Inc, which involved a lot of writing and attention to details.

As a CEO, what are some of the daily decisions that you make?

Since the company is still growing, my daily investment/business decisions are on improving the company and implementing systems that make our work easier. Another of my duties is  training the team.

What have you learnt about money?

In business, it is not about the money, rather, the value you offer your clients. A satisfied client will always spread the word, and this way, money will come by your way.

From experience, what are the hall marks of a successful business?

•  First, the driver has to be consistent, tenacious and resilient. Many times I have been tempted to give up but I remind myself to focus on the goal.

•  Entrepreneurship is not for the faint-hearted. I have had to believe in myself and keep pushing even when everything was working against me.

•  I have learnt to always put the interests of my clients first and study their problems as if they were my own.