Nairobi News

Kenyan Thinkfluencer and money content creator, Just Ivy, has opened up about the fascinating journey that marked the genesis of her digital content creation career.

Sharing it all in a recent episode of ‘The Convo,’ Just Ivy, with unwavering determination and a dash of serendipity transformed her life from a conventional 9-to-5 job to a thriving digital presence, impacting countless lives along the way.

Her dreams of leaving the corporate world and venturing into the digital realm had been brewing within her for some time. However, she encountered skepticism when sharing her vision with others.

“So the thing that people don’t really know is I wanted to quit my job years ago, that I had started having conversations with people. I even once attended a CEO’s conference and I remember she said, ‘put yourself on a transition plan. If you want to leave your job, that’s okay but make sure that you will be able to sustain yours and your children’s lifestyles even when there’s no income coming in’. Now the one mistake that I made was sharing my visions with people,” said Just Ivy.

Discouraged by the skepticism of those around her, she hesitated to take the leap and clung to her traditional employment.

“I remember telling one particular lady that I wanted to quit my job and do Over 25, which propelled my career, but she was skeptical. Back then people never saw that the digital world was growing into a million dollar industry. So sharing my vision with people led me to cower a little bit and stick to my employment,” Ivy revealed.

Then came the game-changer, the global pandemic. “So Covid happens, we’re sent home March 15th,” Ivy recounted, “so I got an email that said my salary was chopped in half from that day.” The sudden financial instability was a daunting prospect for her, as the father of her children also lost his job during this tumultuous period.

“So Covid happens, we’re sent home March 15th, so I got an email that said that my salary was chopped to half from that day. So the father of my children who I was giving news at the time lost his job.”

Yet, Ivy found a glimmer of hope through her burgeoning digital presence. Her platform, “Over 25,” which had started as a passion project, had evolved into a means of collaboration with prominent brands. She realized the potential of monetizing her online presence and swiftly seized the opportunity.

“Luckily, because of Over 25 I had started working with brands as an individual, so I saw there was potential for money,” she shared.

A defining moment in Ivy’s journey was witnessing her nanny struggle to balance laundry and childcare during the lockdown. It was the desire for more time that compelled her to take action.

Ivy explained, “The thing that kicked me into full gear was seeing my nanny struggle to do laundry throughout that Covid period. She could not manage the laundry and the children. So I wrote a proposal for a washing machine because what I needed was time. People rejected me for a while, and finally, a huge multinational accepted me, and that’s when I realized if I can ask for work and get it, why can’t I continue on this tangent?”

The turning point of her life also involved seeking guidance from her family. She confided in her mother, who offered her unreserved support, and she also had a remarkable mentor who encouraged her to take the leap. Ivy was not frustrated with her 9-to-5 job; in fact, she loved it. But the lure of a world brimming with opportunities and the prospect of fulfilling her dreams proved irresistible.

“I talked to my mum about it and she told me to go for it. I was not frustrated at my 9-5, I loved my job, I had a fantastic mentor and she told me to go for it as well. So I went for it, and it’s been a successful journey.”