You can make it even with small beginnings
Inspired by the freedom to make and execute independent decisions, Dennis Omae Kerage quit his job to start his own company, Design and Build.
With a just Sh50, 000, he registered the company and drove into the world of entrepreneurship.
“It was a bold move I had to make, but what assured me of success was the confidence my clients had in me,” said Kerage.
Before he quit his job, he worked as a marketer, designer and a project manager for a local interior design company.
Acquire skills
“I was doing almost everything and that is how I learned the art of interior design which is my passion,” added the University of Nairobi graduate in Bachelor of Arts with a major in communication and economics.
After acquiring skills to design and execute projects, he felt it was time to go it alone.
His company which was started in 2012, deals in matters interior design and fittings.
He is contracted to fit ceilings, wall partitions, kitchens, washrooms, floors among other interior decor details.
Some of the projects he has undertaken include installing kitchen and wardrobe fittings for Thithi apartments in Donholm, Hotel La-Jardine and office interior fittings.
He has handled projects that can cost up to Sh3 million.
“When clients call me at their homes, the job can cost them up to Sh500,000 but it depends on the kind of work and materials used,” he said.
In a single project that for instance costs Sh1 million, he makes a profit of not less than Sh100,000. To ensure quality, Kerage undertakes three projects in a month.
“Shoddy work will not get me anywhere. Instead of doing too many projects and losing clients, I stick to three to deliver the best quality,” said the 27-year-old.
Attend seminars
His best moment, he said, is when he sees the smiles on his clients face after the work is done.
Besides using the skills he learnt at his former workplace, and from the seminars and workshops he attends, Kerage has also learnt a lot from his clients and the internet.
To ensure customer satisfaction, he has devised a six-month retention period of seven or five per cent of the total payment.
The amount ensures that should there be any complaints or issues arising from the project, he can be recalled.
At any given time Kerage has more than 20 people working on his projects.
His main challenge is some of his colleagues whom he said do shoddy work, resulting in a bad reputation as well as clients who fail to meet their payment deals and delaying his work.