Rose Ntong’ondu is the founder of Makeup by Rose a Kenyan based beauty enterprise. The businesswoman doubles up as a makeup artist and a teacher.

Narrating her entrepreneurial journey, Rose recalled how she struggled to build her business empire after quitting employment.

Her first job in Nairobi as a salesgirl earned her Ksh20,000 monthly salary. With passion for beauty, Rose executed her roles passionately earning her a promotion to a retail manager and later made the general manager of a beauty shop in Nairobi.

“I was tasked with promoting products at Junction. I put in a lot of hard work. The firm was making Ksh300,000 a month, but that month we made Ksh700,000.

In three months’ time, the boss called me. I thought I was going to be fired, but I was promoted, and my salary doubled,” she stated.

Having gained enough knowledge in the industry, Rose was determined to build a brand and a name for herself in the beauty industry.

She would later decide to start her own shop but admitted the journey was not a walk in the park.

“In my first three years in business, it was hell. I had to sell popcorn and onions in Nairobi to fund my business. Sometimes I was arrested by kanjo. Not once did I have to walk from Nairobi town to Umoja because I had no bus fare,” she says.

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According to her, the business took three years to make her a decent income. The businesswoman revealed she diversified her products and services attracting new customers including celebrities.

“It took me three years to make my name. TVs and radio stations started to notice my brand and products, and I would be called for interviews and be working with celebrities. At that time, I only had one product, but today I can boast around 20 products.” She says.

She disclosed that the business would make between Sh100,000 to Sh300,000 a day. Rose however had to struggle with the challenge of employee theft to a point that she was unable to settle her bills.

“I used to take my employees on vacation and buy them nyama choma and drinks on weekends. little did I know they were stealing from me. I had to fire them and put in more hard work to revive my business.” She recalled.

Today, the businesswoman runs a string of businesses including a cosmetics school and manufactures a number of beauty products locally and internationally.

She advises entrepreneurs to be strict in their businesses and never to be afraid of firing and hiring new staff.