Annkaren Wambui is the founder and the Head of Business Development at Royal Africare. Royal Africare is a healthcare services and product supply company that is based in Nairobi.
We started this business in November 2021. This being a fairly new business, we are in the thick of startup challenges. So far, raising capital has been one of the toughest challenges we have faced.
Business expansion is capital intensive and can go very wrong if it is not fundamentally supported by adequate operating capital. Setting up business structures and systems is also money consuming. We have made some gains and brought on some partners, even as we look for investors in our expansion targets.
Currently, we are looking at expanding our operations to branches in Kisumu, Mombasa, Nakuru and Kakamega counties.
My greatest business moment was when I attained my first partnership in this business. I had identified a need for solar equipment and installation services within the healthcare sector and felt that I could serve this need with a prospective partner.
When I began my search for a partner, I was specific that they had to have the capacity to manufacture and install solar in hospitals. The business was not just looking for a company that would be able to work closely with us, but a company that was also operating in other African countries.
I was also very keen on customer experience and customer satisfaction. Luckily, we were able to get the right partner and since then, we added the capacity to power hospitals through solar installations into our services.
We equip hospitals, healthcare facilities, organizations and communities with mobile health units and advanced ambulances.
The mobile health units deliver a wide variety of health services, and are staffed with a combination of nurses, physicians, health workers, lab technologists and other healthcare professionals.
We also help in equipping hospitals with modern technology medical devices, laboratory reagents, consumables, medical gasses and solar installations.
Although I am the founder of this business, I still consider myself as an employee. As an employee, I have specific business operation obligations that I have to meet regardless of the founding attachment.
Previously, I had worked in accounting and also have experience in renewable energy and healthcare. I believe that employment is the best way to learn how businesses operate, what leads to profits or losses, and the best ideals to adopt when one finally ventures out into their own business.
If I could start my career journey all over again, I would probably start this business from the onset. Healthcare sector is a sensitive field that most entrepreneurs shy away from due to the challenges.
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However, knowing that there’s an impact and change that is the result of this business is worth every struggle. We are here to make a change and hospital experiences and have a huge impact on saving more lives.
I currently use the bank to save and secure my finances. Within the business, transactions are either done via bank or through mobile money. I have focused on reinvesting the income and profit I get from the business in order to fully get it off the ground.
The journey in building a business will be sometimes exciting. Other times it will be tedious and excruciating. But at the end of it all, it will be worth all the hustles. All that you need to do is make the first step and keep going and evolving.
A version of this profile feature on Annkaren Wambui was published in the Saturday Magazine. The Saturday Magazine is a publication of the Nation Media Group.
