Jane Kagiri is an entrepreneur in tenders and procurement. She was awarded Order of the Grand Warrior of Kenya (OGW) State Commendation for her role in procurement, entrepreneurship and business mentorship as a young woman. She is behind the Ministry of Health equipment management program, and has also supplied building materials for development projects at Kenyatta University among other tenders. Her company is known as Creativedge Solutions.
Making money through tenders
In my early days, I would spend all the profits of a tender sale ad only retain my initial capital. This restricted the growth of my company and led to a situation where I was unable to service bigger contracts. Women in procurement must learn to plough back their profits into the business to have sufficient capital for refinancing subsequent orders. Some of the tenders my company has facilitated include a supply of building materials at Kenyatta University. We’re also involved in the Ministry of Health’s management equipment services program.
Money myths
I used to believe that debt must be avoided at all costs. This is a myth I overcame when I a business discussion with industrialist Dr. Manu Chandaria. He advised me not to shy away from borrowing money as businesses are built on credit. The only harm is the refusal to repay. From that point onwards, I have never held back from borrowing money to fund my business.
AGPO Made it Possible for Me to Access Millions Worth From Business with Government
Handling money in politics
There weren’t as many women in politics in 2013 when I contested for the Women Representative position in Laikipia County as there are going to be in 2017. From my account, I learned that in politics, you must be able to separate your personal resources from any other resources you wish to use for your campaigns and political activities.
Handling wealth
It is not as hard to lose money as it is to make it. Wealth should be handled with extreme caution. I have also made it a point of giving back to my community whenever I can. That’s where blessings come from. It is also critical that whenever you have some cash, you should save for a rainy day. Failing to do this was my biggest money mistake when I started.
Women and money
It is unfortunate that as women, we must suffer the challenge of lack of finances. This is not made easier by banks who demand security to secure loans yet most of us don’t have properties in our names or spouses willing to guarantee us. In procurement, I have seen upcoming women’ businesses collapse because of delays in payments from the government and lack of awareness on how to go about getting a tender done. Processes such as pre-qualification, tender and quotation bidding remain a foreign vocabulary to many women.
