The Worst Thing About Doing Business In Kenya

As you all may know, the Like Chapaa team is also involved with Nickel Pro where we do a whole bunch of stuff ranging from simple web design to online marketing. Like chapaa and Nickel Pro are only a few months old but in that time we’ve managed to take them from just ideas in our minds to reality.

For me, this has been my first brave plunge into the choppy waters of doing business in Kenya. It’s been a wild, but very fun, ride and I have learnt a whole lot. Trust me, the best way to learn about business is to actually do business. (And it’s not hard to start one.) I unreservedly advise all of you, dear readers, to go out there and start your own businesses and see for yourself.

Of course doing business is no bed of roses. It’s always up and down and it really tests one’s resolve. One thing that I absolutely detest about doing business in Kenya is the fact that almost everyone doesn’t want to pay you. You meet a nice gentleman-type and you do some good work for him but then when t comes to paying, he just doesn’t want to. He gives all sorts of excuses and does everything to delay you. Yet, he has already gotten what he promised to pay for. Why is this?

Why do we have to chase after our hard earned money so much? Aaaargh!

Respect

Yesterday I had the good fortune to make a presentation to a potential buyer to one of the companies that we are trying to sell. The young man just oozes self confidence and, I must say, some cockiness. He was very interested in the company up for sale and we spent a good while talking at length about it. Then things went to the dogs.

This young man, being very eager to see us have him buy the company, did something that pissed me off. His self confidence grew into self importance and arrogance. I felt the change, when he started viewing me as someone he could manipulate and/or coerce. Believe it or not, he delved deep into personal questions and made some not very subtle hints that if I should “assist” him, he would assist me – his main form of assistance being the implied subtle offer of a job with his company. How sad. The man could possibly have known that I do not care about jobs in the slightest.

So what’s going to happen next? His bid was immediately disqualified and he lost the deal. Why? He failed to respect me, and the organisation that I represent.

How do you treat the people and organisations that you come in contact with? Do you treat them with the respect that they deserve?