Your passion can be a hobby, but can that hobby be monetized? In his Orange overall, Wycliffe Waweru strikes as a man who has his facts and figures right at his fingertips. His bicycle assembly, situated in Mlolongo is quite a collection bicycles and its spare parts neatly arranged ready for use.

While at it, Wycliffe attests to sheer collaboration and partnership as key factors in making it in the cycling industry. Reminiscing on his humble beginnings, Wycliffe says that his entrepreneurial journey has been full of first-hand experiences that have totally changed his mindset.

Who are you?

I’m Wycliffe Waweru, a young bicycle fundi. Most of what I do is partnership and collaboration. I am the founder of Play Guru Ltd, a bicycle assembly line.  I am also a Mentor at BLAZE by Safaricom.

What inspired you to venture into the Bicycle Business?

I have always loved bicycles ever since. Bicycles have been a lifelong obsession but I never saw the transition from a hobby into a business. I would have a nice bike, someone comes wanting it and I would sell it to them.

With time my database grew and I realized I could be sourcing for more bikes and making money. I  had to quit my IT job because I couldn’t do it. That’s how Play guru Ltd and cycloville came about.

What challenges did you face starting out?

We started in Buruburu, dealing in second-hand bicycles hardware. With the second-hand products, when clients walk in and ask for ten pieces of the same quality for a particular spare part, its difficult to deliver the exact match of what they want. 

We never wore our own brands, it was quite a hustle to be identified out there. But now, we have something proprietary thanks to logos, designs and printing , all under branding.

What does it take to thrive in the cycling industry?

Identify your segment in the market; who walks to work. Partnerships and collaborations. We organize for bicycle clinics with most communities like Nyayo Estates. Through the management, we set up a tent on Saturday and do repairs, servicing and fixing bikes at an affordable fee for children and families in these communities.

Do you believe in GRIT? How has it helped you?

Seven years ago, we were all husting hard, just to get food, shelter and clothing. We didn’t know where to place ourselves. Luckily, while at the UNEP, we learnt about non-motorised transport which shaped our thinking.

With millions walking to work, 2hrs in the morning and 2hrs in the evening, I thought a bike could make life easier. Hence the idea to set up an assembly line. We even had a WhatsApp group but many didn’t have that internal toughness to last them this far.

How do you market yourself?

On the ground, affiliate marketing has worked best for us. Referrals, word of mouth from parents, community setups, bicycle clinics every weekend, and events. We also have a website where we market our products cycloville.

What do you want to achievement in the cycling industry and what are the challenges?

Everyone in 15km radius between the place of work and residence should be riding a  bike. The government is very sluggish in adapting to the culture of cycling. Despite there being road structures for bike users, we still compete for our space with hawkers, vehicles and nduthi guys.

If only other influential personalities would follow in the footsteps of  Passaris, Madowo, and MC Jessy, people will strongly come out, support the idea and flow with it.

Whom do you look up to?

Crazy people.People who don’t do business like a business, just buying and selling. I look up to real hustlers, like hustler mama mbogas, mkokoteni guys, those fundis chini ya mti.  They are the real deal. I learnt my art from an ordinary fundi.

What do you do for leisure?

Being somewhere where I’m learning something new. In a rotary meeting, a lions’ meeting, or any forum, just to gain knowledge.

What is your attitude towards young entrepreneurs?

Youths are used to scratch and win. When you tell them to collaborate, they think otherwise. They are not interested in the process. They just want it easy and smooth while rolling solo. Most people perceive the bicycle industry as a poor man’s option.

We are changing the narrative by encouraging the youths to think outside the box. A bicycle is just a platform. There are so many income generating avenues in this industry. There is so much in here to those unemployed university graduates who are struggling with low paying white collar jobs.

Has being a Blaze Mentor grown your business?

Yes. The ideas coming through from the young people are very focal for my business. Came across a group of young guys leasing 15 bikes in a popular university, making Sh180000 per month.  I could come is as a distributor. With a strategic partnership, I can be able to provide bikes and grow my networth.

Partying shot?

Die with memories not dreams. If you want to be what you really want to be, get to the ground and start small.