From banking to planning

Natasha Nalyaka was clear on what she wanted of her undergraduate degree. As a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed biochemist, her plan was to work in a lab for a year, tops, then she’d leave the job to go study abroad. She had identify a university where she would get her post-graduate degree in forensic science. Then she’d come back home and the story would continue from there.

Natasha graduated then waited for a lab job, which never came. In April 2006, she and a bunch of other degree holders joined a local bank at entry level. “Four years flew by and before you know it, I’d moved different departments in the bank. The work eventually became predictable,” she says. Banking lost its initial appeal and prestige. Natasha needed an avenue to spur her enthusiasm. She just didn’t know where.

In March 2009, Natasha signed up for an events planning course with a popular local bridal house. She picked it up from a newspaper ad. She attended the course for fun. “The course teaches you about the various elements of planning a wedding event. It introduces you to the industry, and builds you excellent networks. It was great value for money.” The course ignited her passion.

Natasha graduated in a spectacular ceremony in July 2009. She registered her business the next month. She called it Lavida Events. She landed her first wedding gig that August. Her services were needed only on the big day. Event planners call this package ‘on-the-day coordination’. “I didn’t charge for my services. I was building my experience. Plus the couple was a friend,” she says. Natasha loved every minute of it. She learned that competence builds confidence.

GOING SOLO

Her next gig was in December. It was a wedding for a couple from Mombasa. Natasha says there were too many gray areas with this wedding: Neither she nor the bride was clear on what they wanted from each other. Assumptions were made. Toes were stepped on. Efforts were unappreciated. Natasha didn’t have fun with it. She learned that every event needs a foolproof contract breaking down who needs to do what when. “I called my lawyer and told him to draft one pronto,” she says.

The more time she committed to her business, the more Natasha realised where the boredom she was feeling at the bank stemmed from – reconciling and analysing balances was no longer a challenge. Natasha complained endlessly to her husband. He had had it up to here.  “He told me to find something else to do just so I could stop complaining,” Natasha says, laughing. Her husband supported her choice to quit her job. Her friends thought her brave. Her aunt felt she was squandering a career opportunity.

She jumped ship in September 2010.

Natasha ran her business solo. Her regular workdays revolved around juggling the demands of administrative work, meeting with vendors, managing her clients and her small team of casuals while turning her passion profitable. It wasn’t easy but she fed off the creative energy her new business asked of her.

“2011 was a good year. I worked 11 weddings. The contracts were a mix between on-the-day and full-wedding coordination.”

Her momentum plateaued in early 2012 – when she had her second baby, in December – then plunged in 2013 when she took time off to settle her baby girl into this, our crazy world. Motherhood a second-time round was still an adventure, and Natasha was grateful she had the time on her hands to bond with her baby. On the other end though, her business came to a standstill. “I sold mitumba baby wear to make some money. Whatever I made was just enough to cover my family’s food budget,” says Natasha.

Natasha got back to form in 2014. But by this time, she felt she had missed out on too much already. “I had lost visibility in the market. I felt like I was starting afresh,” she says. This is a good thing because it provides a new perspective on how you run things. The time off strengthened Natasha’s business savvy: she hired two permanent staff. She also hired an accountant to manage her books. She moved offices to a swanky location in Kilimani. She attended short courses in sales and leadership to sharpen her entrepreneurial edge.

Natasha is now trying her hand at corporate events. “They lack the emotions and detail that surround a wedding, and they have better margins. I am warming up to them.”

Natasha isn’t making much from the business yet and just like anyone in her position, frustration leads to meltdowns every once in a while. “I cry it out. Then I wonder out loud why I quit. Then I consider going back to salaried employment. Then I sleep it off.” Natasha wakes early the next day, gets ready for work and remembers what truly drives her.

• NATASHA’S NUGGETS

• You don’t have to go back to school to get a degree or a diploma: Take short courses specific to your needs as an entrepreneur.

• Just do it: A step toward your passion is a step closer to your dreams.
• We hear this a lot but it doesn’t hurt to say it one more time: get a mentor or an accountability partner. I believe I would have been further ahead in my journey if I’d started out with one.
• Pray: Commit your plans to God. He is the only one who can guide us on the way forward.