Wandia Mucinju is a Certified Public Accountant who found her niche as a Digital Strategist and Trainer.
I started this business in 2019 with a laptop, software, and a lot of hope and belief in God and self. It took me tentatively a year and a half before I could break even. I quickly learned that to up-level my income, I have to up my knowledge. I went back to school which was a huge investment. The biggest challenge in my business is convincing business owners to adapt strategies based on both historical and projected data—not to do it like so and so or even go with what they think or feel.
I am a Certified Public Accountant and I started my career in corporate. I was privileged to work in great institutions that gave me a chance to hone my skills in leadership and management. However, 9-5 was not for me. The routine was choking me. I always dreamt of getting into advertising and back then, I thought I would one day be a PR specialist. I had no clue about Digital Marketing until I met my destiny connector: a real estate honcho, who invested in my training while I practiced in his real estate company. When I was starting – he gifted me a laptop and full-year software subscriptions and his contact list – good people do exist in this world. At some point, he became one of my anchor clients.
For me to fully grasp why business money is NOT my money, I had to take financial literacy classes. But till then, I used to spend money as it came. The more the zeroes in, the more they went out. Though my business was doing well, there was a time I was struggling to pay for software, which is one of the lifelines in my line of work. Gradually but steadily, I learned to separate myself from the business. The business might have money, but I do not and that’s okay. I pay myself – and work within those limits.
My greatest business moment thus far is working with one of Kenya’s super-established corporate institutions. I never in my wildest dream thought would touch a “small’ player. And even though I ended up training their internal team to handle what I was handling on a retainer, I have hitherto been their Digital Marketing Consultant. Numbers fascinate me – establishments that listen and are committed to fully implementing a strategy make me tick. One of their directors found me on social media, and then he booked a call without revealing who they were. I treated them like I do all my prospects and of course, the halo effect was on gear 10.
I am keen on saving money where it earns me interest higher than the inflation rate. Additionally, I have learned to differentiate between saving for a specific goal and having an emergency fund and having the discipline to not touch locked funds. This has made saving easier. Before that, I was a happy-go-lucky—zeroes in zeroes out.
Entrepreneurship is not for everyone – you may have the smarts for it, but not the spine. It is a jungle out here. Stay where you are thriving and make the most out of it. I mean, there are people in employment earning a pretty penny monthly and they are doing awesome things while others in entrepreneurship are doing exploits. Be self-aware, and remember that value attracts money.
