WOMAN OF PASSION: Beyond holiday charity work

Rosemary Wahome, 28, is the founder Beyond Profit Kenya, a corporate social responsibility (CSR) consultancy. PHOTO| CHARLES KAMAU

What you need to know:

  • Passionate as she was about it, CSR consulting was a hard sell especially to the smaller companies in Kenya. This was mainly because it digs into profit and the returns are not seen immediately.

  • “I chased my first client for four months before they finally gave in,” she says.

Sitting at the helm of a CSR consulting firm, 28-year-old Rosemary Wahome owes her business success to the three jobs she held before finally taking the plunge into the world of entrepreneurship. Each job provided her with valuable lessons and insights

that she credits with her success today.

Her first job after graduating with a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Kenyatta University was at a non-governmental organisation. She was based in Kawangware, Nairobi, where she got to experience the life of the less fortunate firsthand. She was able to

touch lives and see the domino effect as the people she helped in turn helped other people. However, six months into her job, the NGO was plagued with funding problems and she had to leave.

“This was when I knew there was a real problem out there. We were relying on foreign donors when we have our own successful firms who can effectively change the communities round them,” she recalls her light bulb moment.

LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

At this point she knew she wanted to spend her life changing the lives of the less fortunate for the better, just as she had done during her stint in Kawangware. She, however, did not have the expertise or the means to do this so she took her second job.

“I worked as a business development manager for a magazine which featured entrepreneurs born and bred in Kenya,” she says of her second job.

Here, she came face to face with self-made successful entrepreneurs. When the magazine finally folded because of cash flow problems, she learnt an even more important lesson – she now knew not to start a business without a plan.

Her third job was at the treasury department of a local bank. There, she learnt the importance of systems in a business. Two-and-a-half years later, in September 2014, she finally felt ready to start her business.

“I juggled work with working on my MBA, so I had the knowledge I needed to put together a business plan and I knew exactly who I was targeting.”

At the mention of corporate social responsibility, charity and handouts come to mind, but Rosemary’s business involves looking at CSR in a deeper sense. Her aim is to get companies to look at the environmental and economic parts of it.

Environmentally, a firm should ensure that their way of doing business does not degrade the environment. Economically, the firm should look out for the welfare of all stakeholders, not just the employees. Then there is the social aspect, which is about

working conditions at an organisation and whether it has a positive impact on the lives of the community around it.

“Corporate social responsibility shouldn’t be just something a firm does at Christmas. I help firms come up with scalable and sustainable solutions for the communities around them,” she says.

Passionate as she was about it, CSR consulting was a hard sell especially to the smaller companies in Kenya. This was mainly because it digs into profit and the returns are not seen immediately.

“I chased my first client for four months before they finally gave in,” she says.

Once she had this one client, it was easier for her to build a portfolio. She can now see her company becoming the brand that springs into mind at the mention of CSR. The hardest part about running a business for her has been proving her credibility, seeing as her background is in accounting and business.

“Most of what I know about my business, I learnt through online courses. I thus have to show a lot of confidence to get people to believe in my abilities. Firms also fully buy into the idea once they see the actual value that comes from it,” she says.

The best part about building a business from the ground up has been being able to show her eight-year-old daughter firsthand that commitment and hard work pays.

“I don’t think there is a better way for her to learn the value of hard work,” she says.

 

ROSEMARY’S SUCCESS TIPS

  • Keep a circle of friends who believe in your idea. Negativity kills dreams.

  •  Get a business coach. Hers, she says, has helped her remain accountable.

  •  Learn everything that you can about your trade. It is the only way that you can confidently sell it to a third party.