Starting off in business, Kamal Ibrahim worked as a mechanic at Unity Auto Garage repairing vehicles for quite some time. After three years of hard labour, he was put in charge of quotations and estimates at Unity Auto garage. In 2015, he decided to quit his job and try his hands in Motors business. Sourcing for capital was quite a challenge and Kamal opted for a partnership with his former workmate Caren Muthoni. The much capital they raised was hardly enough and they took a loan to boost their capital contributions. With that a revamped JB Motors sprang back to life, fully rebranded ready to hit the market with excellent motor repair services.
“JB Motors was going under for many reasons, and initially it was a Herculean task convincing people to bring their cars here, even for minor repairs, but there was so much potential, in the business. Our light at the end of the tunnel turning was when an insurer impressed with our work reached out. He started sending more business our way, and by the end of the year, we were able to buy the all the equipment we needed to get us going. Over time we have developed a good rapport with clients at our former workplace who, through word of mouth, have helped us get clients who’ve grown the business,” Kamal said
Barely five years along the way, the two partners have transformed the once deadbeat JB Motors into a sought-after motor repairs shop. Today, JB Motors based along Nairobi’s Bunyala Road has employed 46 people and registers an annual turnover of Sh5 million. The garage is also a fully accredited major structural repairer, giving its competitors a run for their money.
JB motors boast of corporate clients like Japan International Cooperation Agency, United Nations Environment Programme, Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, DHL, Kenya Medical Supplies Authority and Kenya Bureau of Standards with a stamp of approval from insurance firms like Britam, Jubilee and UAP to handle repairs.
“Hard work and discipline with which the mechanics at the workshop, handle their job, efficiency and proficiency are key in every service we offer to our customers, and that’s why we’ve been able to attract some big corporate clients,” said Kamal.