Mark Nuguti is the founder and Chief executive officer of of Spoton Vacation, a tours and travel company.

Narrating his entrepreneurial journey, Nuguti revealed he was inspired to start a tour company while still a student at Mount Kenya University.

Determined to actualize his dream, the Bachelor’s degree in Tours and Travel graduate invested all his time in research to gain more knowledge in the field.

Before founding Spoton Vacation in 2019, Nuguti had worked for several tours companies including TravelMat Tours, Edemat Safaris, and Bonfire Adventures, honing his skills.

“I started early, even before I graduated in 2010 with a Bachelor’s degree in Tours and Travel from Mount Kenya University. My first job was as a tour consultant (salesperson). I shifted to marketing, then branding, rising to the highest ranks of a manager,” he says.

According to him, starting the firm was a walk in the park, given his vast experience in the industry.

I earn Sh. 30,000 plus commissions. How can I save to buy a car, plot and to build

“It was easy to set up the basic structures because I had an idea of what was needed having spent all those years working for other companies,” he says.

In addition, unlike other entrepreneurs who struggle with the challenge of capital, Nuguti was well sorted thanks to his early age saving culture, which helped him raise enough capital to finance his business.

“I had embraced the culture of saving. Even when my salary rose to Sh70,000, I continued living in an informal settlement where my rent was Sh7,000. That helped me grow my savings,” he added.

According to him, his dream was to start big and this forced him to work hard to raise the millions of shilling he needed for the business.

“I needed about Sh5 million to secure the office, lease agreement, redesign it, buy computers… I could have started with a small office but that wasn’t what I envisioned. It’s either you dream big or go home. Dreaming big will force you to work hard,” he says.

For the few years Spoton has existed, the business has realized a turnover running into millions of shillings.

The firm offers various packages, including family packages during holidays, Valentine’s Day packages, wedding packages,  and helicopter safaris to accommodate all types of clients.

A game drive to Nairobi National Park costs between Sh7,000 to Sh10,000 or more for personal game drives. The cost often comes down to as low as Sh3,000 when travelling in a group.

According to Nuguti, among the strategies that significantly helped Spoton raise more revenue is partnering with celebrities.

“We did good business because in a day, I could do 40 cars, 100 to 150 land cruisers. It was like a matatu businessman just ferrying people to the park. That’s how we became popular,” he says.

In 2022, Spoton won Kenya’s Leading Travel Management Company award at the coveted World Travel Awards.