When Esther Kagiri decided to start her own company six years ago, an automated media tracking system was a difficult idea to sell. It took her months to get someone to sit and listen to her, much less buy into her idea.
“I don’t like to fail. No one does. I however loved the challenge that came with the rejections. They fed my resilience,” she says.
She had been in public relations for 10 years. She’d continually had to wait to get reports from media trackers because of the slow system. Now, she had done her research and seen that the rest of the world had done away with the delays by using automated systems to track and record. Now, if only she could find someone to invest in her idea.
Armed with only the idea and a great deal of passion, she began knocking on doors. Finally, an acquaintance agreed to invest in her idea and she immediately went to work setting up the offices and importing the equipment. Barely two years in, in 2011, Esther received a state commendation in recognition of her role in ICT development.
“I now have a team of 26 and I think they have been my greatest gift on this journey. When you have people believe in you, you push yourself out of your comfort zone,” she says.
Her team ensures that their clients know what is being said about their brand out there and also that they have timely access to vital television clips which aid them in making informed decisions for their companies.
In retrospect, Esther says that her desire for entrepreneurship was fanned by the fact that throughout her public relations career, she had female bosses. Seeing firsthand what they were doing with their lives strengthened her belief in herself.
“Being a successful entrepreneur was like a dream but now is the best time for a woman to be in business in Kenya. We have support from the government and also from financial institutions.”