IT guru with passion for transport business
Edward Waweru Njiru is fascinated by technology. Edward also owns a tours and car hire business.
The IT graduate was lucky to find a job soon after his studies at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.
He began with a data entry job rising through the ranks to become an IT manager at a private company. While he loved programming and all things technology, Edward felt that he was not making enough from his job.
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After doing some market research, he settled for the cab business to make extra cash.
In 2011, he took a loan and bought a car which he leased to a tour company. With only one car and a loan to service, he wasn’t making much.
At the end of that year, he took a leap of faith and got another loan to buy a second car. He also registered his business Edwado Tours and Car Hire Ltd.
He said convincing organisations to get on board with a company that was just starting was hard and there were times when he thought of giving up to focus on employment.
By the end of 2012, he had bought three more vehicles and things began looking up.
“I haven’t looked back since then,” said the 33-year-old.
Today, he owns seven cars and has leased 13 others from individuals, building his company to a fleet of 20. He said the transport business is bankable as long as you remain committed.
As much as there are systems in place, he cautioned that the transport business was a hands on which needed active participation for it to give returns.
His greatest challenge has been the city traffic. His corporate clients are very particular about how fast the response is and he has had to find a centralised location for his cars in Upper Hill because that is where most of his clients are.
This ensures he gets to their location on time, giving him mileage against his competitors.
According to his agreements with his clients, he is supposed to give at least a month’s notice before adjusting fares and with the ever changing fuel prices, he has had to incur some losses to keep his customers happy.
He now takes IT jobs on request as a consultant.