When you are saying anything, and I mean anything about exceptional women in business, then whatever you are saying must not be complete without mentioning the name Wanjiru Mbugua. She’s the gorgeous CEO and founder of Diamond Media Communications Limited.
Wanjiru’s firm deals in communications, marketing & media consultancy. It’s based in Nairobi but it also has numerous regional interests. Apart from the above three, the company also engages in political management, corporate event management as well as resource mobilization for special projects.
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Wanjiru’s story is an interesting one. She went from being a teacher then to a news anchor before finally settling on being a communications, marketing and media expert. The latter move is what brought her most of her success.
After a long stint at KBC, she moved to an international media outlet where she only had to work three hours a day. She then discovered she had so much free time on her hands so she started her consultancy side hustle. When she was not on her main job, she would try to push her business as much as possible.
However, while juggling between employment, entrepreneurship and taking care of her two kids, responsibilities became too much to handle so she quit her job to focus entirely on her business. It was the best decision she ever made as her company became so profitable to the level of being sought after by governments, politicians, SMEs and wealthy individuals.
‘‘Interestingly, I started with zero budget. I didn’t have any startup capital at all. It only cost me 1000 shillings to register my company name. Wondering how? Well, the good thing about my business is that you only need a valuable concept to score a client. You don’t need extensive assets or infrastructure in place.”
Wanjiru also says the highest deal she has ever scored was worth 45 million shillings. Impressive indeed. Most of her clients pay between Sh. 500,000 a month to a million shillings. But all the big deals wouldn’t be possible if it wasn’t for her first client who gave her 500,000 and trusted her to deliver in her first ever deal.
“I remember she paid me Sh. 350,000 down payment in cash at a period in my life when I was really struggling. I didn’t know where my next meal or rent was going to come from. Those were desperate times and then this client came along. She was a blessing and I didn’t let her down”.
The company started with Wanjiru as the only staff but now she has over 10 employees. Life is good and the future is looking even brighter. Her story shows us the power of entrepreneurship. If you put your mind and soul to it, you will definitely succeed.
Wanjiru is a member if the prestigious Chamber Enterprise Club, an initiative of the Kenya National Chamber if Commerce and Industry (KNCCI), the umbrella body for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in Kenya. Check out the Chamber website HERE.
