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malkia fashion piece by sharon wendo - a picture of a kenyan woman wearing a beaded body wear
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Breakout Fashion Designer Sharon Wendo Shares Powerful 11 Business Lessons for First Time Entrepreneurs

Sharon Wendo is creating a jewellery powerhouse. Her brand Epica Jewellery has gotten the attention of both Kenyan and international fashionistas and exhibitions. She was recently nominated for a Founder of the Year Award (FOYA) 2022, and one of her biggest moments was showcasing her cultural apparel at the London Fashion Week 2020.

In 2023, she was selected to showcase for King Charles III during his visit to Kenya between October 31 to November 3, 2023!

a picture of sharon wendo speaking with king charles iii in nairobi during the king roal visit
Sharon Wendo chats with King Charles III in Nairobi during the royal visit at the end of 2023.

Sharon creates custom jewellery for both local and international customers among them renowned celebrities. When in 2018 the Miss Universe Kenya approached her to create a unique cultural outfit for a show, Sharon knew her Buddha had smiled on her.

So if you thought that Kenya’s success stories in business just revolves around techbiz such as Cellulant, MarketForce and other startups, better think again. Just like Cellulant’s Ken Njoroge and MarketForce’s Tesh Mbaabu, Sharon Wnedo is trailblazing from the bottom upwards!

Sharon Wendo Shares Lessons Learnt Along the Way

Five years ago, if you had asked Ms Wendo where she would be or what she desired to do, her response would have nothing to do with what she has achieved so far. Here are 11 lessons budding entrepreneurs can learn from the founder of Epica Jewellery a fast growing brand based in Nairobi.

  1. Recognize and seize opportunity at the earliest moment

Sharon Wendo first wanted to join the Information Technology bandwagon, afterall it is the ‘thing of the moment’. However, when she was offered a place at the Kenya Youth Opportunity and Empowerment Programme (KYEOP), the technology slots had all been taken up. She had to choose something else. She half-heartedly settled for the fashion bit which apparently interested very few, and she knew so little about the industry.

Atieno Web necklace by Sharon Wendo - picture of african woman with beaded necklace
Atieno Web necklace by Sharon Wendo

It took a few months of trainings and mentorship for her to recognize the opportunities this industry offered.  Later, she started creating simple beadworks for sale – most of the times at a loss since she hadn’t mastered the business side yet. If there was a market, then it could be done successfully: she immersed both her feet in the fashion entrepreneurship world and never looked back.

If someone offered you an opportunity and you are not qualified, take it and learn how to do it.

~ Richard Branson

2. No capital? – use what you already have

Capital is the biggest impediment for all entrepreneurs. It’s even worse if you are doing business for the first time. ‘Start small, with what you have’ Wendo advises. She started her jewellery business with KES 500 (5 USD). Her workshop was the small room she had rented, and with the five dollars she bought the required beads and strings and turned her creativity into finished product. They were simple products at the beginning, but they sold and formed the foundation of her brand. Her determination was the determining factor.

Where there is a will, there is always a way.

~ Anonymous

3. Grab every business training opportunity

Most business training opportunities are short term. You do not need a degree or diploma to join some of them. When Sharon Wendo saw the opportunity at KYOEP, she grabbed it and ran with it. Do not wait to join UoN or get a scholarship to Harvard or other fancy colleges for a business course when you know very well competition and fees are high.

Fimbo ya karibu huua nyoka.

~ Swahili proverb

4. Take initiative and ask for help

Take initiative to start, take initiative to tell people about the business.  Sharon reached out to one of Kenya’s leading radio and podcasting personalities, Adelle Onyango, to give her work a shout out. Guess what, Adelle did so on her Instagram account that has a massive following and Sharon’s fortunes took a turn for the best! If you are legit, validation goes a long way. Talk to your friends, your colleagues, your early fans, to say something to the world about your hustle. A client a day changes fortune.

Nobody will buy your products if they don’t know you exist.

5. Always upskill

Keep learning. Talent is not everything. You need to learn, relearn, train, look for inspiration. This will help you identify your markets, become innovative, and become an expert in your business. Learn about various small business models.

Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.

~ Tim Notke

6. Be consistent

This is a lesson Sharon Wendo learnt from her clients. A consistent brand creates loyal customers/fans. Endeavour to always deliver the best, in time, and at competitive prices. Your customer knows what they want, and if you are the person that always delivers that, you win.

Consistency is the true foundation of trust. Either keep your promises or do not make them.

~ Roy T. Bennett

7. Shoot for the star – to hit the star.

There is a saying to aim for the star so that you may hit the moon. For Sharon Wendo, she aims for the star to hit the star. But her definition of stars is also interesting – she treats all her clients the same, because they are all her stars. She doesn’t shy to reach out to the famous.

Treat each customer as if they were the only one!

8. You are all your business has – for the start

Unless you operate a partnership, where you can share tasks, a sole proprietorship simply means you are the sole employee to do everything. The earlier you grow your skills the better. Like Sharon, you are likely to be the creative director, the CEO, the accountant, the marketer, the salesperson, the delivery person, the procurement person, the administrative person, etc, for your business to succeed.

“… sometimes your [business] doesn’t move in the pace that you need because you don’t have help,” she says.

You don’t need to have a 100-person company to develop that idea.

~ Larry Page

9. Create a business plan

“I did not have a business plan when I started but as time passed, I understood the importance of planning and having a sense of direction and eventually created one. I check it every quarterly and make any changes that I need to depending on what’s happening with the business,” Sharon says.

Operating without a business plan will make you lose direction and not make sense of your business.

The best business plans are straightforward documents that spell out the who, what, where, why, and how much.

~ Paula Nelson

10. Learn from and possibly collaborate instead of compete

Many people believe that once you set out to do business, any other person in the same line is a competitor you should outdo and take out of the market. This is not an entirely helpful approach in some businesses. Sharon says that she learns a lot from those who have been in the industry and also trains those who want to learn; it becomes easy to find help whenever need arises, with this approach.

11. Fear of failure is normal – don’t give up

Fear of failure should push you to the limits of wanting to succeed. You wake up every day not to fail but achieve. Daymond John, one of the most successful black entrepreneurs in today’s America, driver of the Shark Tank, and owner of the FUBU brand has narrated how he shut down his FUBU business three times in around five years – but each time, he would wake up again and rethink his decision. Sharon would have given up when she realised, she wasn’t making any profits.

Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently…

~ Henry Ford

12. Create an identity for your business

How do people identify your products? Sharon Wendo creates beadwork that is unique and inspired by African traditional jewellery. You can tell her work from anywhere. Let people be able to identify your brands by its products. It is difficult to get people to buy into something different, but its always possible.

Feature photo: Malkia Body Piece courtesy of Epica Jewellery by Sharon Wendo.

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Hillary Namunyu is a communications expert, an accomplished author and journalist who covers a wide range of social issues including technology and tech trends, business, climate and culture as well as conflict and international relations. He is the managing editor at The Lead KE. Send queries, press releases and tips to theleadkenya@gmail.com