Rehema Uledi never had a foolproof plan as far as her career was concerned. When she finished high school and settled in Nyeri Town, she wasn’t certain about what she wanted to pursue. “I got married then had my first child at 22,” Rehema shares.
Two other kids would follow in 2005 and 2012, respectively. 2012 was also the year she would become a single mum and register her real estate and property management company, but we’ll get to that in a bit.
Before then, Rehema had stints in unrelated fields before she found something to be passionate about: first, she was selling CDs and VCDs. She made some good money then moved to selling suits – for men and women – to employees of a bank near where she lived. In between, Rehema trained and worked as a community health worker at an NGO-funded project which focused on children. She continued juggling the two for one more year before she relocated, with her family, to Nairobi in early 2011.
“I enrolled at a computer college then got work at a cyber cafe as an assistant supervisor. I loved the job and the people I worked with,” says Rehema.
It would be at the cyber cafe that her luck would change for the better. Frequenting the cyber cafe were all these property agents who would photocopy and print contracts and agency agreements and whatnot. Rehema couldn’t help but take a peek at what these documents contained. Her curiosity prodded her into buying a book on property management, one she devoured in a matter of weeks.
“It’s called Property Ladder: The Developer’s Bible by Sarah Beeny,” she shares.
Armed with some tips and thirsty for more, Rehema went ahead and brokered her first property deal.
KINDLING A FIRE
“I made in two days what I couldn’t possibly earn from the cyber in a month,” she recalls.
And thus her passion was ignited. Rehema scouted and took photos of properties across Nairobi. The photos captured both commercial and residential property, for rent and for sale. She paid for advertising space in malls and newspapers. It wasn’t too long before the calls – and the cash – started trickling in. Closing a deal gave her a high she had never experienced before. She quit the cyber cafe in June 2011.
However, Rehema didn’t make anything worth her time and effort in the first year-and-a half in business.
“I relied on my husband to take care of the home and our three kids,” she recalls.
“Besides cash-flow, landlords were the biggest challenge. A majority would refuse to settle my commission after I’d linked them to tenants. It didn’t help that we had signed agreements,” she says.
In hindsight, she shares that landlord drama is usual when you are starting out in the industry, but it thins out as you get more clients and interact with more landlords.
The competition and mistrust amongst the agents was another challenge.
“Everyone wants to eat!” she exclaims.
But it counts to be wise – what one must realise is that there is plenty of pie to go around. You only have to know where to find this pie.
So despite the challenges, Rehema didn’t falter. She was driven by the desire to get the high of closing deals. Drawing strength from this high, the business started to become sustainable in late 2012. It was also the time she and a friend registered the company. As business grew, the next year, Rehema added property management to her portfolio.
“Property management is a walk in the park compared with one-off rentals and sales. It increases your worth in the market in addition to ensuring a steady stream of income every month,” she says.
In future, Rehema plans to return to school for a course in property management, business and IT. Until then, she focuses on the pursuit of the next high.
HOW SHE DID IT
- No matter how tough things may seem, trust and believe in God that they will always get better.
- There are no shortcuts, you simply have to work hard.
- Pursue something you love to do.
- Packaging and presenting yourself right gives you an edge over competitors.
The following profile was first published in the Saturday Magazine.