 They say that you need to be mindful of whatever you wear in terms of your shoes and especially for ladies It's good to be careful, but this morning we're joined by a young lady who has ventured into the shoe business thing And she's really doing it in a broader perspective not only for ladies now. She's even doing it for chance and I want to introduce her then pop in something that I've seen on her Instagram page and Jerry bought a here. You are finally Kribosana Nice to have you. Yeah, it's my pleasure to be here. There's so much we can say about you a student and make a union And it's what I want to give an opportunity so you can tell us generally who you are So I am Jerry Inverter as you said I am a shoe designer and Founder back in your back in is the home of handcrafted footwear. All right. Yeah This is what I found on her Instagram page and it's what I want us to begin with They say choose a shoe as you would a life partner as It is them that carry you from the moment you leave the house to the time you get back Yeah, exactly. And it is very true. Ashu is not just an accessory It's like a part of your body They literally carry you all day from the moment you leave a house So when you choose a shoe, of course, you want something that will carry you well You want to be uncomfortable on the one thing that carries you the whole day from the moment you leave the house to the moment You get back. So when you're choosing a shoe, it's like a life partner. Like you literally spend so much time in that shoe So you have to choose wisely. How many shoes do you have you as is Jerry a lot? Profile I have a shoe lover That's why you have to venture into it. Yes. Hey, so so let's talk about now Vakanya and of course we have Jerry but who is the founder that is and it's nice to have you Let's talk about before even talk about what is right on our table. Let's talk about Vakanya You began in 2017 you've come through 2018 now in almost ending 2019 each It has been such a path and a journey from beginning What are what are some of the highlights that you have noted in your journey? Well, Vakanya has been the most challenging thing I have had to do all my life Because it's it's it's not just about starting a company You see right now. We are at an age where entrepreneurship is very glorified But the challenges are not pointed out and there are very many challenges in entrepreneurship So I was getting started. It was about designing shoes, right? I taught myself how to design and all that but now I have the product what else from there I have to learn how to be a salesperson. I have to learn how to market. I have to learn how to manage I have to learn how to stuff and all that like you move from just being an entrepreneur Who is someone who has an idea and makes it a reality to now actually be a business person? You see you have to incorporate Executing them in the ideas being a leader being a manager and all that that has been very challenging Already so much as mentioned terms of management leadership marketing sales so much has already been said within a span of a minute but let's talk about these Jerry about Vacation has been there for the years that we've mentioned you've talked about venturing through research as you said One thing that really stands out is that you are hitting the market With what you're doing most will begin with like one product then one and one are the tangina on a tangina It's almost not three years. Yeah, still the same product. Yeah, still the same product still the same product you see When you decide to venture into an industry It is prudent to see how you can Manoeuvre the industry rather than just looking at the industry itself When I decided to enter into the shoe industry I already had a vision of what I wanted what I had envisioned. It was a long game It was not in need for the short game. It was a yeah exactly It was a long game, which is why I'm still doing shoes and which is why I will still continue doing shoes until Vacan is a household name. Oh And make it real. Yes, we are making shoes for the African feats and that that's one thing to note You're making shoes or other feet that is fit for shoes shoes for the feet For the African man and women to wear the African feet to be precise. Wow. That's amazing. So that's your slogan No, no, no, our slogan is when you grow together is succeed together. Wow, big up big up So these are these are mega company. So it's a limited by it's half. Yeah. Yeah, so it's a great. I said It's a limited liability company. Wow. Awesome. Let's talk about the structure. You when we were upset you talked about You having begun some of the things that you had to face, you know to launching out and marketing And most people oftentimes they are hitting the social media going to market themselves Manzema based the course of status. How do you hit the market in terms of your market ability? I Think the first and the most important thing is that I started from scratch, right? And that is something that is very advisable to anyone who is planning to build Something because building something from scratch you get to build your own system your own culture And all that so basically We started from scratch From some very low quality products when you are getting started who used to buy a low quality product We are they actually used to be clients for them. We have literally grown with our clients. Wow. Yeah, and that's the whole thing That is why you see in entrepreneurship You find most people they build then expect people to come and that is not how it's supposed to be First get to the people then build with them. You must be a startup trainer That's the flat. Oh, you're planning to head there. Definitely. Definitely because it's a it's been it's been very challenging even right now when I have friends who are Starting up. It's usually like I usually love to take them through this, you know Mentor them and all that I'm not saying I'm yet at that level, but it's important that they know, you know Because most of these things they are not things that are mostly in our education system and all that They are things that we actually get to learn from right from scratch talent. Yeah, we are not through insurance right now That is what you're doing. You walk alone. No, no, I have a partner. Right. Yeah, I have a partner We started out together with my partner. You see the way I Yeah, she's called Daisy Daisy Okay, 50 days Big up big up. Yeah, so we started with her then we We had another partner after two years. Mm-hmm. So now you're three. Yeah. No, you're three, right? That's that's nice, you know bringing on board other people and their ideas and their perspective about the business And I know it's it's a booming one just a quick one from the time you began and Coming all through there that there are things that probably you have noted There's a reason to why you've been rising every day. What are some of the things these things that you haven't you've been noting? well one of the things is a knowing When to grow and when to add something you see at at every stage For example, when it's something like funding When you're starting out, you don't need Funding exactly to start out. So that's one of the things are for example, most people say I can't get started because I don't have capital But the thing is when you're getting started capital is actually the last thing you need It's mostly about Knowing what you need at that time get what you need at that time. You see when you're getting started You get you need talent, right? You see because I'm getting started and I'm making shoes Definitely need a talent. I taught myself how to design and my partner Daisy taught herself how to market Oh, so, you know, all of you under the same department. You're not under the same department same company different departments Yeah, different departments. You see then after some point we got our first funding after two years And that's because at that point we were ready if we had looked for funding before two years You have just scondered the money because you are not ready for them You need to know when you are ready for what do I need partnership at this time? Maybe what kind of a partnership? Do I need an investor? Do I need a talent partner? Do I need a distribution partner at what point of the business do you need what? Are you having your parents? It's my hope that you're having your pen and your noting pad You're writing some of the things these things that you hear, you know Jerry mentioned But of course before we even look at what Jerry has been doing you can interact with us on our Facebook page That is why 254 of course and we have a question that is already there and then of course on our Twitter handle You can take to that is why 254 and then of course my name on Twitter. My account is K underscore Alex You weren't sharing your account also. Yeah, definitely. I'm gonna start with the vacania accounts It's a vacania on Facebook at vacania on Instagram at vacania on Twitter And my personal account is in Jerry bottle on Facebook at Jerry bottle and Twitter and Jerry bottle on I bet you're gonna make the same mistake I made so it's VWA. No space. Just write Kenya. Yeah, but no space That is for IG that's for IG then you get rolling and you're there All right, let's talk about some of the things that you have done These are just a portion of what Jerry has been doing as for for the three years Yeah, and looking at the let's have just have a look at the first one under what some of the fabrics that you've used for this This This is a Viking boots as you can see Let me help it also was again use your mic. Let me help you hold the shoe So what you have right here in front? This is leather. It's called in leather. It's very high quality leather by the way this is the in leather and This is a short grained jute material and this is a TPR soul TPR is thermoplastic rubber. Yeah, this is a TPR soul. So basically the idea behind this shoe was To be an I shoot that you can wear when hiking, you know going for adventures and all that and also during the cold seasons When it's all muddy and all that you see for example this jute material. It's very easy to wash you can see the color selection that reduced it's one that Come of laddies with the mud the color of mud No notice Yeah, and all that and it's very easy to wash. They are called Viking boots. Awesome Yeah, I'm loving even the way you have designed it to look these way looks like an official shoe You can wear your trousers, you know, and then no one notices. Whatever you cover it up. Yeah You're a fashionista, you know, let it come outside. No, but there's so many ways to rock it can rock it officially casually Wow, so if you by chance you're thinking of like man, I'm gonna get this product man trust You meet such a nice product and it's even warm inside. Trust me as much as it looks looks so nice Yeah, so how much does this probably cost they go for 3,000 Kenyans she lands. That is a pair. Yeah, a pair All right, Jerry. Let me ask. Where do you get your fabrics? We source everything locally like when you say back in your literally mean back in So we put on African wear Yeah That is what you're talking about the African way, you know, African thing. You see the the whole idea behind of Kenya was just It's teaching people to believe we as Africans and Kenyans let's start from Kenyans in Africa We need to believe like this is a very high quality shoe Like you see most of the times people get surprised when they find out that we actually make our shoes Because ah, you see it's it's very high quality But it starts from belief if we are doing this then it will inspire someone else to do something else, you see we the moment we start Producing our own products and consuming our own products. That is that is what will bring the rise of our everyone everyone on entrepreneurship Tuesdays talking about, you know, the issue of Consuming our local products. How best do you think we can consume our local products in terms of the shoes that you're making? Sorry, how best how best can we can we consume our own especially in terms of shoes like what's that? I could just walk you by right now What had happened? Yeah, actually that was one of our biggest challenges when we're getting started because Most people relate our KM products to Probably low quality and all that is locally. Yeah, because it's local But we're changing that narrative The one thing that people should know you see that you see we are the biggest producers of raw materials in Africa Like our our leather it leaves here then goes abroad shoes are manufactured Then they are brought back to us at ten times their price And yet got to buy and we buy so how about we just buy our raw materials our cells and Make our products ourselves and consume our products ourselves and it's not just with shoes Starts with shoes goes to clothes. It goes to other products even insecticides. You know, it's that crazy The spectrum is that broad. Let us just make and consume our products Well, I love I love what you've talked about, you know consuming and I was looking I was watching this documentary last weekend About I think it was on Friday when they they were talking about how people how Kenyan product is all the way taken to the To the to the to the farmer to the West then it comes back is to be something different Yeah, and now it's 10 times the price 10 times the price And yet we're saying you don't want to consume local products if they are local they go there They are whatever they're done. They come back is products finished products And you're ready to buy them. Let's talk about the second shoe. All right Let's first of all have a look at some of the things you've been doing. Wow, this looks so beautiful Wow, this is not the typical African way. I think Yeah, it's the anchor collection. Yeah Basically what you see here. These are repurposed old old Butter butter butter rubbers. They've been repurposed. You know, maybe you have an old shoe Yeah, and that the soul is still good. So we just use the soul. Wow make brand new uppers. All right Yeah, hey, by the way, I'm gonna zoom on the field. It's time for me to get the way with them You better bring them here I love the black and white Actually, that's a It's a it's a favorite Clients favorite. Yeah, it's a couples thing. Yes. It's a he's in hers. He's in her's collection. So what we're gonna propose Right I'm looking at something with these young lady over here. She has the bag. Yeah, she has the bag Do you do the same? Yeah, we make bugs, but we don't make bugs on their own. We only make them as a Collection, you know a shoe and bag collection. All right. There's a package. Yeah All right. That's look so nice and even the way you have done it even for the shoes When we're talking about the African the African design, how do you place the flower because looks so so well plus so well Arranged. Oh, no, that's not a design factor. The design factor. You see you have a whole fabric So you basically place your partner which you buy the large products. Yeah In bulk all right, you do leather and still it's part of what you're doing in terms of African Leather steel locally. Yeah, locally everything we source everything locally. We have so many turneries in Kenya Yeah, we have so many turneries and they produce very high quality leather. Actually, most of the leather is exported All right, they should most of the shoes that we are you'll find it's it's our leather. Okay Okay, I understand. Yeah. Yeah, I'm trying to use a machine like man Almost a loving what you're wearing I believe it's part of what you do. Yeah, definitely it's part of what you do This is a Jamila boots. It's the same as these. Yeah, the same as that. It's for the ladies It's very good for the rainy season. Yeah, and all that because this is artificial leather. It's it does not absorb water. Oh So, yeah, no link to work. It's special in this Nairobi weather. This Nairobi weather It's it's everywhere in the country, but but I'm loving I'm loving the way you the way you're doing it How do you get to look at the color and how to place them? I'm loving the way you have done even for these It's black brown. Then this one is white and blue. How do you get to get to that? That's also part of the design aspect. So definitely I'm When I'm choosing the colors to blend, they have to be colors that are blending. Yeah, not gonna take colors that Though there are people I like Exactly, that's why we customize actually when you come to me and tell me I want this Viking boot in a variety of colors I'll do them in whichever color selection you want. Wow Customize as well. Well in business. I know I was taught that, you know, one month's meeting the main poisons and tasting preferences are totally different Totally, and you must accommodate everyone because it's a business and the customer is always right. Do you agree with that by the way? Yeah, the customer is always right, unfortunately Okay, okay, okay, so Jerry we have to wind up but I have a question for you. How much do you spend in traveling? In traveling personally not much as as it now I am still very grounded. I Am still very grounded. Wow being still a student at Mount Kena University. I am not a student. I thought I'm a graduate Business management. Yeah. Wow. Yeah, what's amazing? So you have decided to ground yourself. Yeah, so how much approximately do you use in a Personally Not much not much. No, he's the thing by the way. I need people to understand entrepreneurship like When you get into entrepreneurship Entrepreneurship is not a money spree. It is anything but that Laker when you get into entrepreneurship Do something that you have a passion for Wow because that is the only thing that will keep you going amazing because you will get broke You will get frustrated. You will go through so many motions that your passion is the only thing that will keep Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Do what your heart tells you go for your passion and that's it We get to wrap it from that point may thanks Jerry for coming along It's been a pleasure to have you and if you the best as Varkana is growing every day We look forward to have you know the CEO that has been Jerry the founder of Varkana Of course Barry Moses is coming up next. Don't go anywhere. This is why two five four We got so much and we unwrap the mysteries that are happening in the entrepreneurial field. My name is Karanja Alex