Unlike many business people who engage in entrepreneurship inspired by their successful family members, David Wambugu ventured into the field to break the tradition in his family as non of his family members had ever been into business.
While his dream was to become an Animal health and production specialist, lack of capital forced him to try something else thanks to his college mates who helped him master the art of entrepreneurship.
“In campus, I interacted with other students who were doing so well in business while still students and that even made me more desirous for entrepreneurship…Besides the desire to create jobs, great business people like the late Dr. Chris Kirubi have always been my inspiration,” he says.
Armed with Sh15,000 gifted to him by his uncle, the Kenyatta University graduate started hawking phone covers, car chargers, memory cards and other accessories in Ruiru town and the surrounding estates such as Juja, Githurai, and Thika.
The business peaked so well that in March 2018, he opened a physical shop in Ruiru Wataalam which grew very fast before opening an e-commerce platform that pushed growth even further.
Today, Wambugu sells electronics and home appliances through his company christened Apex Lite Digital Solutions.
The firm has teamed with big brands such as Von, Ramtons, Hisense KE, Mika among others, to offer high-quality cookers, refrigerators, and general kitchen appliances, to customers in various parts of the country.
Apex Lite Digital Solutions also sells new and certified refurbished laptops and desktops with cctv installations being its newest services.
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“We offer very good quality products that have manufacturers warranty. Our return and exchange policy is the best at the moment,’’ Wambugu adds.
Currently, the firm operates online, offering pay on delivery services to customers in various parts of the country.
“We offer pay on delivery services to our clients. our uniqueness lies on offering free products usage tips and free installations, something that is offered at extra fees by most of other products and services providers,’’ Wambugu adds.
He admits that social media marketing has highly contributed to the growth of his business.
The entrepreneur, however, says that competition is the biggest challenge he has encountered in his venture.
He has however navigated this by offering extra services, handling warranty issues, and effective and timely delivery services.
He also noted that the market is flooded with substandard products that are cheap, posing a threat to businesses supplying good quality products.
“The market is flooded with substandard products. We decided to deal with quality products that are durable to our clients. At first we thought it might not work since these products are a bit expensive but to our suprise this was the best decision we made and it worked magic for us. We realised people have no problem spending an extra coin provided the products meet or exceed their expectations,” he explains.
Wambugu adds that the COVID-19 pandemic also took a toll on his business leading to a near-closure. He recounted how he lost some of the company’s products and delivery cars to auctioneers due to debts.
He says the debt trap taught him the importance of having a financial adviser in a company as well as the risks of rushing things in entrepreneurship.
“It took us over 1 year to recover and be back to business again. The lessons picked was to learn to grow at your pace. A business can fall when you don’t leverage credit in the event of unexpected occurrence such as corona. It’s also wise to have a financial adviser in your company,” he says.
He advises anyone intending to venture into business to start small, invest in research, be unique in their offerings, and be consistent.
“There is still a huge market of what you are thinking to venture into. Do enough market research and identify a niche. Find out something that will make you stand out among the rest. you also don’t have to start big, start with what you have, and then consistently work towards achieving your goals,” he advises.
“The notion of overnight success is an illusion, every business you admire today has a history of growth, its perhaps you who have leant about it today,” Wambugu added.
