 Welcome back to Why In The Morning. If it's Tuesday, it's entrepreneurship Tuesday. At Y244 channel is where you can find us across all our social media handles. At Michelle Ashira is where you can find me across all my social. In this particular interview, we get into tech related business ideas. So it's a conversation you want to stay tuned in for. So let's look at, so once, let me quote Dennis Crundley, who is the founder of Tech Hub Four Square. One say that, if there is something you want to build, but the technology isn't there yet, find the closest way to make it happen. And Derek Masera-Muambili has actually made it happen. He is the owner and founder of Zurion Technologies. Thank you very much, Derek, for creating time to be with us. Thank you, Michelle. It's an honor. All right, so starting us off, who is Derek Masera before he had passion for technology and ended up creating business opportunity in that particular space? Okay, so let me say this is a passion that I have had since when I was a small boy. Say when I was in class four. As a first time, I got to interact with a computer. My auntie used to work at a typing school, so I used to go over there over the weekends and I get to interact with the computer. I fell in love instantly. So it's something that I knew this where I belong, this what I'm going to be doing for the rest of my life. Then getting to high school, I studied computer studies and I got into programming. At that point, then it really took over my mind because you get to see there are certain problems or challenges in the world that you need to solve in business, in industry. There are not certain solutions that are solving a real need. So that's how it started to start coming up with software programs that was in high school. Then after high school getting to university, then I got into computer science. I studied computer science and that's when I got interested in business. Now I started to do a few websites during the holidays. I would sell some software and the business world now became my interest. Looking back right now from where you are right now and looking back to your life when the passion was just being groomed, courtesy of, is it your auntie mentioned? Yes. Do you feel like it is important when young kids, when they have an interest to just hold their hands and how impactful was that act of your aunt just holding your hand in the aspect of you being passionate about technology? How did that help? Yes, it's really important that kids get to know what they love to do early enough. In my instance, I was very lucky that my auntie was able to hold my hand and was able to accommodate me at her place of work and I'd be able to explore. So what I can say is parents out there they should try to find out what the child has an interest in, cultivate that interest and from a young age let the child start interacting with what they love to do. It's really important and that is what is going to make that passion develop. And for how long has Zurion Technology been in operation? Okay, so Zurion Technologies, I started it in November of 2018 but before that while I was in campus I started Frontier Technologies. It was still a technology company and that was in my third year of campus. I got to get my first clients that were Elegant Investments, it's a real estate company that is in Mombasa. I developed property management software for them that was back in 2012. I kept on improving the software over the years and then it's really interesting. I got to partner with a few friends of mine. We registered a partnership that was Frontier Degra. Frontier Degra was doing well. We developed the business over some time but in partnership there are certain challenges that you can experience and we decided to part ways and they now registered Zurion Technologies now as a limited company but as a sole owner of the company. So we decided to go solo at that point. So you decided to be a sole proprietor? Yes. So now for someone who is watching this conversation and they want to get into similar sort of business in opportunity in the technology world what sort of background does one need to have? What sort of educational background does one need to have in order to get into this business? Okay, so technology is all about passion. It's about what you can build. If you are interested in it there is a lot of materials available online. You can be able to Google, you can be able to learn how to code, you can be able to learn how to do networking on your own. These are things that come from the passion that someone has that is in built. But say if you would like to go the route of education you would, it's good that you study an IT related course and you know when you are in campus you need to go out of your way. You need to see what you can be able to do for yourself not only what is being taught in class. So that's it, that you need to succeed in the technology business. It's all about passion, it's all about working hard. It's all about developing products or developing an idea that really serves a need out there in the market when you're going to automatically make it. And for someone who is not in a position to go the educational way due to one reason or the other what sort of skills can one gather in this particular space? Okay, so the most important thing that you would need to cultivate within yourself is a problem solving attitude. Identify a problem in the world that you need to solve then materials are available online. You can be able to search, you can be able to get tutorials, learn how to code, learn how to, if it's networking, if it's hardware, you just need to get online. There are so many materials available online and you can be able to teach yourself one or two things. Then from there it's all about your work ethic in technology, you need to really dedicate your time, you need to spend a lot of time coding, you need to spend a lot of time understanding even what the problem is all about and how your solution can be able to address that particular challenge in the world. And when you are programming, there are a lot of bugs you come across. You get an idea, this is the solution you think is the perfect way, you do it overnight, it's not working, you need to be persistent. So you can say software development or technology you need to be hardworking, you need to be persistent and you need to have that fighting attitude. You don't give up easily, you have to keep trying. So let's look at the services that are offered by the company as we were technologies. Okay. So primarily we do software development, we have our main product is a property management software, Zurelease. We say Zurelease leads with ease. We make your management of your property simple that you can be able to put records for your tenants, if you are a property agent, your records for your landlord, be able to invoice clients to their accounting and it's a product that makes your work easier. That is all the way from document management, you can be able to, instead of having files in your office, cabinets you can just scan documents, upload them in the cloud on our platform then it makes it easy for you to retrieve the documents, share with your colleagues at work, even when you're in the field since it's a web-based software you can be able to access it from anywhere but you are then we also have Zureweb CRM, this is a product that we are in development currently, we're still developing the product. This is a general customer relationship management software. We thank God we are blessed to be already having a few clients coming on board on the software, while it's still under development and we really like it to be able to get people who can trust us that we can be able to develop software and develop solutions for them. So those are our main products, Zurelys and Zureweb CRM, but you also offer other services, that is website development, we also do ICT consultancy, whereby we advise organizations or companies on matters related to ICT in general, and this also includes hardware, maintenance, networking, all these issues we are there to support our clients. Alright, speaking about software development, what is the purpose of software development when it comes to business? Okay, so in business, say a company or an organization, you need to be able to stay in touch with your clients, you need to be able to keep a record of your customers, you need to be able to invoice them, you have to receive payments, when they make payments, clients need statements, these are the general things in accounting, but each and every business out there requires to do. And so software comes in to make their work easier, it comes in to be able to make the business profitable, that is to cut down operational expenses, and also to prevent or to minimize the exposure to fraud by, say, employees. So software is a good tool in business to ensure that smooth running of any business out there. Alright, so how much does a new website cost? If I'm coming to you as a potential client, what is my estimation? Okay, so a basic website, a good website, a basic website, it costs around 50,000, but now when you get a client, you can be able to understand their requirements. You see, there are static websites, we have dynamic websites, we have shopping carts, all these categories of websites have a different quotation. You just get to understand what the client needs and come up with a quotation for them. But again, you know, it's in Kenya, people like to negotiate, so it's not free fixed, we don't have fixed prices, we negotiate with the client and strike a deal. Negotiate again, negotiate as a client. How possible is it for me to update my website by myself once the whole process is finished? Okay, so if you've been developed for a good website, it has to be travel backend and it has to be simple for a layman to understand how to update the website. So the websites that we come up with, we use tools such as WordPress that are quite simple for a layman to understand how to be able to update. You see, you just need to log in to the backend of the website and most of the things are drag and drop or you can easily edit, yes. What you see is what you get. What you see is what you get. So when it comes to ICT, what sort of services does the company offer? Okay, so generally in ICT, we, apart from web design and software design, we do consultancy. So consultancy is about getting to advise companies about security, IT security, to advise them on even procurement issues which are the best computer you can get for your business, what should be your network setup. These things we are able to advise the client. Then also we do maintenance of ICT infrastructure that is once you have your IT infrastructure in place, there is some maintenance that is required from time to time, they are breakdowns. You need to do periodic as well as on-demand maintenance for hardware and for software. You know, in technology there is a lot of threats online, things to do with hacking, viruses, everyone is scared about such things. So you need an expert like Zurion Technologies to be with you as an IT partner to be able to advise on ways of securing your infrastructure and also in case of any breakdowns, you can be able to call on us to be able to maintain your infrastructure that your business runs smoothly and you leave the complex or the daunting tasks of technology to the experts. You guys also do ethical hacking? Okay, yes we also do ethical hacking whereby you do penetration testing for networks and to see how secure your network is and then you'll be able to advise the client on how to fix those potential security threats, yes. You guys are really diversified in terms of Zurion Technologies and what you guys offer from software development, web design, social media consultancy there. So what makes you guys different in the market space considering that we have similar companies offering the same services? So what is your niche in the market? Okay, so what makes us different is the team that we have in place. We've come up with an innovative team of people who are dedicated, who are able to interact with clients, who are able to understand the needs of the market and be able to come up with solutions that address the market. We actually, our biggest strength that we have is trust. We're able to get clients who can trust us and we can be able to solve their needs in a trustworthy environment. So that is our biggest strength and also in terms of customer service, we're able to be close to the client, listen to the client, understand their needs and come up with a solution for them. That is what makes Zurion Technologies unique and makes us successful in the market. All right, at the end of the day, this is a business and let's look, I'd like to find out your money-making model, how it looks like. Like what are the estimates that these particular products cost these or your services? What are the key elements that you look out for to come up with the quotation? Okay, so the quotation you come up with, you look at the scale of the solution that you're offering. So say this, a potential client with a business, you need to analyze and assess the client how challenging or how involving will it be to be able to serve the client. Then you come up with a favorable quotation. Again, we say for our main products, this is the software products, we're offering them on a software service, subscription model, whereby it's renewed monthly, quarterly and annually for some clients. So we're looking at a way that we can be able to get into the market at a low-cost price and be able to retain the client and grow with the client, you know, most of the businesses we are serving are small and upcoming businesses. So we offer products that are affordable to them. We are not looking at charging a high figure. So as a subscription model means that it's a low price, but so revenue would, therefore you grow with the clients. We also have packages, say someone starts with the startup package, the business grows, you go to the essentials package, to the professional package, to the ultimate package. So each one of these packages has a price on it. And that is our philosophy. We want to serve the largest possible market set out there and to grow with the client, yes. All right. A couple of financial lessons that you've learned along the way. Okay. So for entrepreneurs out there and for anyone who is looking to come up with a business in technology or in any kind of business, you really need to look out for your budget. You need to watch out for expenses. It's quite easy to balloon the budget. Especially the profits of the business. Exactly. Once you get a client coming on board, there is that temptation. Maybe you think, maybe let me get a new office, let me add more executive seats, but you have to stick to the plan. You need to stick to the budget. If you set a budget for the year, you just stick with it. Again, also as an entrepreneur, sometimes you have the challenge of managing your own business. You have the challenge of managing your own personal finances vis-à-vis the finances of the company. Especially when you are a sole proprietor, it's easy to get lost. You can easily mix the expenses of your personal expenses with the expenses of the business. So you should really need to separate yourself from the business. So doesn't it make you have a different account then? Definitely. You need to have a personal account for yourself, set a salary for yourself, and just be disciplined for yourself. That salary, whatever remains in the business, leave it for the business. That way you safeguard even your business. You safeguard your employees. You safeguard even your clients. You see, it's not nice for the entrepreneur to bring down their own business. There are people who are counting on you. That is, your employees, your clients, they're counting on you. You have to really be disciplined and ensure that you put your finances and your accounts in order. In a space whereby you deal with lots of human service, and let's find out how do you ensure that you have a good relation with customers, your customer, potential customers? Okay, so you just need to have an open attitude. An open attitude. That means when you go out marketing, identifying potential clients, you have to treat them with dignity. But they can be free with you. They can be able to trust you. You have to be open as much as possible. Just let them know what services you're offering in a courteous manner. And once they agree to you, you don't have to bother them too much. Well, when you're marketing, don't call them all the time. Instantly sending messages. Just have a ticket just to be courteous. And then once you have that client, ensure that you have their best interest at heart. Address their needs in a timely manner. And all the time you have to deliver what you promise to the client. Yes, they can say that is the way you can be able to build a long lasting relationship with the client. That is just have good manners, be dedicated to what you're offering and deliver what you promise. All right, what are your marketing channels for the business? Okay, majorly we do online marketing. Since we are a technology company, we also have to harness the technology internally as a company. So we do marketing on social media. Majorly we do it on Facebook. We have a Facebook page that's where we post content. We also have Twitter handle, we do it also on Instagram. These are the channels that you use to do social media marketing. And then very important when you're doing online marketing is to have a website because the content that you post on social media, when someone is interested to learn more, where do they get the more information about you? That is you have a link to your website. So we have a website where we advertise our services and that's any content that we create online on social media, we link it to the website. Again, we also do traditional marketing that is workings, this is where you have to, in certain businesses you deal with people who are not online. That's true. So you have to also go out of your way, to workings, traditional sales. Yes and for sure the most, the marketing channel that has the most impact is referrals, whereby the clients that you serve that are satisfied with your services, they always refer you to their friends, to other businesses. That's the way that you, and it's actually easier to close a deal with someone who has been referred to you than someone who has seen your ad, maybe on social media. The one that has been referred to by an existing client that is the one that is most easy to convert into a client. So that's how we are doing our marketing. Because this is the issue of trust which has already been built for my referral point of view. Okay, so looking at this particular business space, during the time of COVID-19, which had really hit quite very hard, it's a, if I'm wrong, you can correct me. It's a recession-proof kind of business because it's still ongoing. People are opening a business and they feel they need to be on an online space. How did the business perform during the time whereby they're probably locked down in different countries and also the issue of no much movement within our country, that particular time in business, being closed down? Yes, 2019 has particularly been a challenging year for Azurian technologies. I mean, 2020 has really been a challenging period because if your clients are impacted by the pandemic, even you will get the domino effect. So especially our clients in the real estate sector, you find at that time, people don't want to pay their rent. Absolutely, they're kind of both. They struggle, so also you get affected. They pay you late. Sometimes we had clients who could go even six months, they have not made a payment. So that really affected us. But again, I can say, even globally, you can see there was that recession due to the pandemic, but still technology businesses were still performing well. So what happened for, in our case, we just closed the office initially because we're all scared. We don't know how this virus is going to affect. We closed the office, so we shifted to work from home. A good thing about a technology business is you can work from anywhere. So our employees went home with their computers and they were working from home. So at least we were still able to offer service during the pandemic. This other part of the clients making payment, this is something that you just have to persevere. You just need to understand this is a situation that is ongoing and maybe with time it will come to pass. You just have that hope that is going to pass. And so you just continue offering the service and hoping things get better. All right. So what are a couple of challenges that you face in this space of a business? Okay. The major challenge that you face is most people in Kenya or I say in the African context, most people don't value software. You see, there's availability of cracked software. Even if you walk around in the country, you'll find a lot of people are using pirated software. So this is a challenge that makes, you go to a client, you tell them I'm going to offer these particular products, going to solve this particular challenge you have and they ask you how much is it going to cost? So when you tell them it's going to cost 200,000, it's going to cost 500,000, they're astonished. You mean it costs this much and I'm able to maybe I can get this thing for free, but you know that is, those are unethical thing. That's the perspective that people have about software. They don't really value it much. They want to get the service, but again people don't want to pay for the software. For the software. Yes, so that is the biggest challenge that we have. Now to counter that challenge, that's why we came up with this subscription model. We came up with these packages whereby we can be able to offer service to diverse range of clients. The one who are starting off, they can give them a startup package, establish businesses, they can be able to get onto the ultimate package. So that way you're able to counter that challenge of people not understanding why are you charging me for the software. Coming up with the software, it takes time and it takes a lot of effort. It takes sleepless nights, coding, you sacrifice a lot. Even running a software or a technology business is also expensive. You need to pay staff. You need to have an office. There are certain expenses that, regardless that you are a technology business, you also have to incur certain expenses just as any other business out there. So you have to educate the public to be able to understand. And appreciate. And appreciate this locally developed software is something that is good, as good as international software that maybe the Microsofts and the Oracle's on the world. These things also can be developed locally and people just need to appreciate and support local, locally developed solutions. All right. And what are a couple of measures that you guys are taking as a business to just scale up during this year of 2021? Okay. So we are coming up with new products that I mentioned, Zulu Web CRM. This is a general software that can be used by any business out there to be able to manage their clients. So this product that we are bringing to market is what we are looking to scale up the business. Again, we're looking to do more sales and marketing for our bread and butter that is the Zulu's property management software. This is how we plan to scale up the business that we can be able to further develop the software. You can be able to employ more staff to work on the software and come up with even new products. So it all depends on how well products are going to perform out there in the market. The more you can be able to bring on board customers, generate revenue, that is the more you can also be able to look into developing your staff coming up with new products and also do further marketing for the existing products. So how can people find you on social media if they want to know more? And I have a question. Someone is watching us and they would like to start a business of their passion in software development, web design. Are you guys in a position to mentor or for these particular skills? Okay, yes. So the first question you asked me was how we can get us on social media. We are on Facebook, Zurion Technologies' Facebook page. You can get us on Instagram and you can also visit our website, suriontech.com. And this you can connect with us. We much appreciate it. Okay, so coming to the question of how someone can be able to get into this particular kind of business, we can do mentorship. At the moment, we already have, you know, organization interns who are, we are mentoring that they can be able to get a platform to showcase their talents. So this is something that we are open to. We enjoy interacting with the young and vibrant talents. Yes, they are all welcome to join us at Zurion Technologies. If you are a software developer and you would like to develop solutions for in business or in enterprise, you can reach us out to us. Send us an email at suriontech.com. We can be able to get a position for you. And if you need mentorship, you can always reach out to us. We much appreciate it. Perfect. So you said it's at Zurion Technologies across all social media handles. Zurion Technologies. Zurion Technologies. What about the website? The website is www.zuriontech.com. All right. Thank you very much, Derek Masera, for creating time to be with us and talking about this pertaining tech-related business. Thank you, Michelle. It has been an honor. You're welcome. Thanks. All right, that is Derek Masera-Monbili, Zurion Technologies owner and founder, talking to us about tech-related business. I hope you enjoy this particular conversation and you learned a couple of a few things. And if you have any question, remember keep the conversation going at Y254 channel, at Michelle, at Shira, you can find me across all my social media handles, we'll be right back. So make sure you don't add that down and enjoy more offline in the morning.