21-year-old Brian Omoke is the founder of Think Organic Kenya. He has been one of the participants in the Blaze Be Your Own Boss (BYOB) entrepreneurship summit that targets Kenyan youth. The program was launched by Safaricom in 2016 to help young people manage their finances and budding businesses better.
Although Brian has been evicted from the Season 2 of the BLAZE BYOB TV show, there’s a whole basket of wisdom and business knowledge that he is taking home with him. He spoke to us:
Tell us about your business: My business is known as think Organic Kenya. It deals with selling and supplying of organic products. Currently, I run it through an online delivery platform where consumers can order organic products and have them delivered for free within Nairobi.
How did you learn about Blaze BYOB: Initially, I did not know about Blaze or the immense entrepreneurial opportunities it offered. I was just an ordinary university student at the Kenya Methodist university (KeMU) in Meru where I was pursuing a Bachelor’s of Science in Agriculture degree. Then as the second season of the program inched closer, I got a text message from Safaricom informing me that there would be a Blaze entrepreneurial summit in Meru. Attending that summit was the game changer. I realized that there was a lot in store for my budding entrepreneurship career.
What changed for you: For a start, I got an opportunity to interact with business mentors and other young people who had ventured into business. I am grateful that there were business mentors in the field I was interested in.
How has Blaze influenced your business outlook: Iron sharpens iron, and this is exactly the case with Blaze. It provided mentors to not only me but other participants who have been analyzing our businesses, assisted us develop business plans, and re-directed our focus to areas that are more potent with return on our investments. Today, I have a clearer picture on where I am going and where I want to take my organic business.
What lessons did you take with you: I may not have won the ultimate prize, but I have taken home lessons that will continue to influence my business decisions for a long time to come. To begin with, I have come to understand and appreciate that customer experience is the key. During the Blaze BYOB mentorship summits and boot camps, I was involved in two main challenges, the Matwana and Twiga challenge, from which I was tasked to evaluate the ability to spark customer interest. I also learned that everything is possible when you put your heart and focus to it. Above all, Blaze taught me that team work is the surprising secret to better and more efficient businesses. For example, in every challenge I took part in, I was supposed to stick and work through it together with my partners. This is especially going to be my main focus at Think Organic. I am currently planning to organize a team that fully understands the vision of the company, and pulls in the same direction with me.