Beryl Adhiambo Ooko, is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya operating a Law consultancy under the name Adhiambo Ooko & Associates Advocates.
I am the sole Managing Director in the Consultancy. My Law Consultancy offers comprehensive strategic policy drafting, organizational solutions, legal compliance and consultation systems for Corporates, Local and National Civil Society Organizations, and Not-for-profit Organizations.
My business’s unique factor is that it ensures organizations are fully compliant with the ever-changing legal and policy systems and their governance is structured in accordance to their organizational capacity. Many small and medium NGOs overlook their legality because it is not their strong forte.
I started my consultancy business in 2022 out of desperation and limitations. I had failed my bar examinations more than three times and this disabled me from securing employment for more than five years excluding two years post pandemic.
As you know the legal profession is competitive and preferential to Lawyers admitted to the Bar. My Consultancy started with one client (an NGO) which needed registration and from that successful service, I was continuously consulted and referred for the same.
The capital needed was the deposit for the registration, which is God’s luck on my side.
Since I am service-based, the funds received are calculated after service provision. Therefore, funds received in my office account are considered after expenses. The legal field is male-dominated and experience-preferred.
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Many clients overlook my pitch and service because I am still young in the consultancy spectrum or they offer low-paying deliverables. I have had clients deliberately ask far-reaching questions to disqualify my experience. But this does not deter me in any way. I still walk through those doors with confidence and poise.
I have never been employed, based on the criteria needed for employment. I have been unofficially established in a Law Firm for my internship, but that ended in 2020. Not everyone is cut out for entrepreneurship, which is okay. Some individuals feel confined in employment.
However, I do advocate for flexibility, for those in employment especially. They can try a hand in business and decide from the outcome. I mean if you have never failed, then you have not tried anything new.
Being an amateur in business and a first-generation entrepreneur, I had never handled more than Sh50,000 at a time. I did not grasp the idea of separating client money and my individual money; they were all being deposited in one bank account. This led to mixing of client funds, paying expenses without monitoring, not budgeting ahead and falling short when it came to performing the actual service.
One time, I had to sit down with the finance person in one of my client’s office, to make sure they paid the amount they claimed to pay, because my bank account was not reflecting the amount they were saying. Only to find out they had actually paid.
So, I currently have two separate bank accounts- client and office account- I pay myself a salary from any surplus funds or sometimes I don’t pay myself because I have not had any business come in.
I had the honor of doing a Legal and Governance presentation in an Annual General Meeting ( AGM) in June 2023 for SDGs Kenya Forum. In addition, I also co-conducted the Goal Group Committee elections. Rightfully so, the Executive Director Ms. Florence Syevuo could have had a different choice, but it is her belief system that got me that opportunity.
It was such a hallmark for me, because of the honorees who attended the AGM. I got to network with Executive Directors, CEOs, Country Directors considering my years of experience. The AGM opened up opportunities for me, which I am currently undertaking.
If I could start all over again, I would be more confident in myself. I doubted my skills and abilities to the highest standard and almost always spoke limitations on my business. I have since learned that confidence is your biggest flex.
I use the Shillingi Savings Investment from Standard Charted Bank. It has been so conducive for me as a start-up. I earn interest every month from the existing savings and dependent on the annual interest rate at the time. Previously I just stored my money in a Savings Account, maybe I had a hoarder mentality. This method ideally earned no intereest and was not useful to me in the long run.
A delay is not a denial. I have come to learn that we really have the hustle mentality too much in that we forget to be grateful for the small things, the big things and everything in between. Many of my Senior Mentors keep saying in different words, that everything always works out for those who do good.
A version of this profile feature on Adhiambo Ooko of Adhiambo Ooko & Associates Advocates was also published in the Saturday Magazine. The Saturday Magazine is a publication of the Nation Media Group.
