Secrets of success from new generation of achievers

What is the secret to success? Is it innate? Is it about talent or do successful people have unique habits that propel them further ahead than the rest of us? Do they have a secret formula? myNetwork interviewed a few of these young achievers in an attempt understand the anatomy of the young achiever. 

Olive Gachara, 30 years

Co-founder, Image with Olive. Founder, COUTURE Africa Magazine.

Her secret: Hard work and a desire to make your own success.

From a model at 17 to a fashion entrepreneur at 30, Olive Gachara is the classic young go-getter. She is the founder and editor of Couture Africa and runs a successful image consultancy firm, Image with Olive. Some of her clients include, Barclays, CFC Stanbic Bank, Farmers Choice, and KPMG. So what powered her quick rise to fame and fortune? Was it her pretty face, family wealth and connections or does she have a secret formula?

“I built my business from scratch. I could have gotten a Sh500,000 loan from my family but wanted to make my own way in life. I take pride in my success because I am self-made and no one can say I made it because I come from a well-to-do family,” she says

At 19, she was recruiting models and managing them. She used the profits to start a second business.

“I had not even gone to college yet, so you can’t attribute my success to an Ivy League education either. Money, education and access are just excuses people use to procrastinate; if you really want to do it, you can. Start with what you have and work your way to the top,” she advises.

She says she started her business because she did not want to be idle. Plus, she enjoyed making her own money and independence thrilled her. However, one wonders  how, with almost no experience or expertise, she convinced corporate clients to trust her with contracts?

“Most people gave me my first jobs because I reminded them of their daughter, but I proved myself when they gave me a chance. It has been 12 years and the struggle never really goes away, you just learn how to handle it. You need to be focused, organised and patient. A lot of young people are looking for overnight success, and it doesn’t exist,” says Gachara, 

She reckons that it is better to start when you are young because you have less to lose and you can take bigger risks. Do not get discouraged when you fail, and don’t compare yourself to other successful people.

“The media only highlights the success. They do not show the pain and struggles. Success stories sell magazines but they don’t tell the whole story; there are no secrets to success, just work hard,” she advises.

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Kennedy Mwangi, 27 years

Lecturer; Egerton University, University of Nairobi (School of Law) and Riara University.

Currently pursuing a PhD in Gender and Governance at the University of Nairobi (African Women Studies Centre)

His secret: Self improvement

Kennedy Mwangi is in a class of his own, quite literally. The average age of his colleagues is 40 years. Some of his students are twice his age and the rest consider him a peer. Academics is in no way a young man’s world.

Most of us would probably skip it if we had another way of getting a job. Mwangi was driven by the desire to rise from the poverty and pain that characterised his early years.

He grew up and attended primary school in Ruiru, Kiambu County, until when in Standard Seven, his family moved to the village because they could not afford city life. He moved to Magogoni Primary School in Gatuanyaga in Thika District. He topped his class in KCPE but could not proceed to high school due to lack of school fees. Through the assistance of well-wishers and particularly the principal, Ms Jane Mwangi, he made it through the four years at Ngoliba Secondary School and passed well.

Mwangi made history in the rural school by being the first of only two pupils to make it to university. He joined the University of Nairobi on a scholarship offered by Engen to study a science-based course but later changed to Political Science, an area he dearly loves. 

In 2014, he enrolled at the University of Nairobi as a graduate student to pursue a master’s degree in International Relations. In the same year, the Norwegian Embassy also sponsored him to pursue a second master’s degree in Women’s Law at the University of Zimbabwe. Upon completion, he immediately enrolled for a PhD in Gender and Governance at the University of Nairobi’s African Women Studies Centre, which he hopes to complete by 2018.

But why the so many degrees?

“My grandmother is my motivation; she brought me up in abject poverty with nothing to give me but education. I have a passion for women empowerment because I think my grandmother would have done so much more if she was adequately empowered. Women have played such a big role in my life and I feel the need to give back,” he says.

 Mwangi is a part-time lecturer at Egerton University, where he teaches Gender, Human Rights and Ethics at the undergraduate level and Gender Law and Human Rights’ at the diploma level. He has taught ‘Women in the Legal Process’ at the University Of Nairobi School Of Law. He has also lectured on ‘Gender and the Law’ at Riara University.        Mwangi is the CEO of a research-based company, Intellectus Consultancy Ltd, and a research executive with CPS Research International.  

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Kennedy Ombima (King Kaka), 29 years

Musician, video director, executive producer

His secret: Mentorship and “keeping it real”.

Artists are a dime a dozen, but none has the grasp of the youth market that King Kaka has. As an artist, he has a myriad of hits to his name, hitting a home run with almost every new song he releases. In 2008. King Kaka recorded and released his debut

album; Tales of Kaka Sungura which featured hit singles like Niko kwa jam Nakam and ‘Dodoma’ featuring Harry Kimani. Since then, he has released nine albums and 37 videos. Besides music, King Kaka is a video director and an executive producer. He is

also an accomplished actor and has been featured on various local television shows such as Machachari, Higher Learning, Mali, and a comical sitcom comedy show on NTV. He has also made appearances on several reality television shows that include

Matatu, Maisha Superstars and Coke Studio. However, it is his business acumen that separates him from his peers. His brand, Kaka Empire, is widely known for promoting the local Kenyan talent by helping talented youth make a living off their gifts. The talent management firm has signed some of the greatest rising stars. His business includes a successful clothing and lifestyle brand; Kaka Klothing. 

“Taking care of other people’s welfare comes natural to me, I wasn’t really trying to start a business, it just happened,” King Kaka narrates. “I am really good at what I do but I realised there are other people who are also good, so I brought them under my wing so we can build a brand that is bigger than me. I have about six people who work to build all the different brands and talents that we have,” he says.

 Kaka Empire signs artists to grow them and maximise their earning potential, and if an artist out grows them, Kaka Empire releases them to sign bigger deals. “Artists are hard to manage but it is a lucrative business and that is why I have ventured into it. However, we demand discipline from all our artists, I set the example by working 21 hours a day,” he says    

And how has he sustained a successful music career, constantly producing content that appeals to the youth segment? “Companies have a hard time understanding youth brands because they don’t study them. I just keep it real and people get me. My greatest secret is that I am me.”

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Mike Muthiga, 29 years

CEO, Fatboy Animations

His secret: Innovation

The self-taught animator and ardent techie represents the limitless opportunities that technology offers. Initially, he gave in to pressure and pursued an engineering degree, but his passion for animation would not let him be.

Muthiga set up Fat Boy Animations after working with the BBC & Disney channels in the popular TingaTinga Tales animation production (Citizen TV). The company is a symbol of Kenyan innovation, in many ways pioneering the Kenyan animation industry.

They have developed Kenya’s most iconic characters that include Faiba, Mbugua, Jalis Lokong and Mkulima, warming the hearts of Kenyans to the idea of local animation. Some of their most successful productions include advertisements for Jamii Telecommunications (Faiba), Safaricom and Barclays bank.

“People are afraid of failing and that is why they don’t put in the time, effort, and money to learn. From the get-go I have learnt on the job; every new project teaches me something new,” he explains.

The characters are a result of the creative cooperation between the creative director, voice over artists and the animators.

“I always knew I wanted to make cartoons from the first time I watched one. I didn’t really know how to go about it, but things started coming together for me in Form Two when I was introduced to animation software, and I have been learning since,” he recalls.