'Nothing floats my boat quite like wood'

Susan Wangechi loves wood. Nothing fascinates her as much as the colour, texture and smell of timber. She says she’s got “unwavering passion” for carpentry. For three years now, wood has been her closest companion, and her relationship with it is blossoming.

Two years after dropping out of Mount Kenya University where she was studying clinical nutrition, Susan founded Planet Pallets Furniture Kenya. That was in January 2018.

‘‘I struggled to pay my school fees, so I dropped out and started this business in the hope that I would raise money and then return to school,’’ Susan narrates.

Her initial capital was Sh120,000, which she had raised by doing odd jobs, including, at one point, washing other people’s clothes. With this money, she bought equipment and put up a workshop in Ruiru.

Today, Planet Pallets Furniture Kenya has eight staff members — six carpenters, an office assistant and herself as the managing director. They specialise in rustic furniture, which Susan sells via referrals and online at @pallets_n_drums_ke on Instagram and Planet Pallets Furniture Kenya on Facebook.

But the 26-year-old is not a carpenter. She doesn’t have any skills in carpentry.

‘‘I come up with furniture designs which my carpenters then carve into finished products. I get the inspirations for my designs from my own imagination and from online, mostly on Pinterest,’’ she adds.

The inside of her workshop has a resplendent aura of majesty, the various furniture designs a meticulous and elaborate work of creativity. From exquisite office and home cabinets, to comfy couches, bar stools and porch chairs, the workshop is bedecked with an array of lovely woodwork.

‘‘My clients mostly come from schools, business premises such as hotels and bars, and expatriates living in Kenya. Sometimes we make customised pieces as per the client’s specifications,’’ says Susan, who loves to create and to reuse different items, which is why she chose to focus on making rustic furniture.

Pallet Cafe in Lavington, Delish Nail Bar, Kulan Cuisine, Castle Academy and Thatha Hill Resort in Makueni County are some of her notable customers.

‘‘Our main raw material is wood pallets sourced from shipping companies in Baba Dogo and along Mombasa Road. My sources at these companies notify me whenever they have the type of wood I like, then we collect and use it to make various items,’’ she explains.

So, why pallets and not ordinary wood? And why rustic furniture?

Pallets, she says, are more accessible and cheaper than regular wood. And besides being highly accessible, pallets have so many uses.

‘‘Pallets are versatile and beautiful and come in many different forms. With good imagination and the right skills, you could convert it into furniture that can transform any home, office or business into a stylish, comfortable space,’’ she says.

‘‘By using wood pallets, we ensure that less trees end up at the saw mill, and hence contribute to environmental conservation,’’ she explains.

Rustic furniture, she says, has struck a chord with Kenyans, with more recreational spots investing in this type of decor to attract clients who have eccentric taste for style, especially millennials.

Leveraging on this growing niche has helped her achieve profitability. She makes between Sh200,000 and Sh250,000 every month, after expenses. Sometimes, this figure can go as high as Sh500,000.

But it wasn’t always easy. To afford what her parents could not provide, Susan worked as a waitress at her university’s main campus in Thika, and sold second-hand clothes to students to augment her income.

‘‘After cleaning my clients’ clothes for several months and working at a hospital, I quit. My friend lent me some money, which I used to buy men’s clothes, which I sold and used the proceeds to start this business,’’ she recounts.

But even after diving into entrepreneurship, it took a while before things started to look up.

‘‘Some entrepreneurs are lucky to have capital. To raise the seed money for my business, I had to make many sacrifices, including going without food on some days. It is both a delight and a relief that I have come this far,’’ she says.

‘‘I’m financially independent now,’’ she notes with nostalgia, adding that, ‘‘I have now ventured into hay farming, and this, too, is doing well. I have bought a piece of land which I hope to develop soon. All this is almost unbelievable.’’

But her motivation to continue in this business is not money. She is driven by her ambition and desire to grow. Creating employment for other young people, she adds, is her greatest accomplishment yet.

‘‘That I can inspire young people, especially fellow women, through my story, is humbling,’’ she shares.

The most important lesson she has learnt so far?

‘‘Not everyone will see your potential. Some will undermine and dismiss you because of your humble beginnings, while others will take advantage of your naivety and steal from you. You have to keep going and prove your worth.’’

Her immediate goal is to go back to university, finish her diploma and graduate, and possibly, enrol for a degree course.