 Alright, absolutely welcome back on the hashtag Why In The Morning, I'm Brian Sanko. This is the last conversation of the day. Still, let us know what you're watching us from. Now we're being joined live in the studio by a very powerful guest. He is the CEO of Radiant Orient Limited, Larry Murieki, who is going to actually give us insights on how to not only just get to school, get your degree and create a CV and send it to a company, but how to be innovative and get to work that entrepreneurship journey with skills. And he also mentioned to me that he does capacity building so many interesting insights of wisdom and nuggets of wisdom as well that is going to give us Karibusana Mr. Larry. Thank you. Right, now just shortly a brief background of yourself. I understand you come from there in a finance sector, and the banking sector rather, with a lot of years and experience, just briefly your story. Thank you Brian for having me today. I'm Larry Murieki, official Lawrence Murieki in Jiro. That's what I use for all of my business and communication. I'm a former banker. I've been working in the bank for the last 13 years and left banking in 2021. That's a decade and three years on top. And after realizing that you know that dream of going to school, get a degree, get a certificate, go sort of for employment, see somewhere, work, get paid, 8 to 5, go home, sit, wait for the foreign day, 257, everything else just wait to be told what to do. And I think that's some of the background we've found ourselves as we are growing up. And it's a narrative that needs to change. It needs to change. But I don't blame anyone. I don't blame my parents for that song, Amuka Kijana and the Soma. Amuka and the Shule. Yes. Part of my Soma, we're in the Shule. All those type of things. I don't blame them because that was what was happening then, because systems are not in place, there are no information. Whatever was formed either from the government, the government actually used to give a lot of opportunities, corporates that used to be there, just a few of them, but when you look at the economies and all the things that were up in that time, most of these was that a few companies, a few institutions, government opportunities, that's all there. So if you wanted to do whatever you want to do, just get a qualification, get a government job, a government police, a teacher in a hospital, government hospitals, that was that way. I've grown in the same system, went to school, thank God for my parents, got a degree in IT. How many degrees do you have so far? So far, I have a degree in IT and I'm doing an MBA, study management. So you're adding slowly by slowly? Slowly by slowly. And several of the kids who have evolved throughout my career life is today. So what happened is that after I got to, imagine graduating an IT degree, there were no in quotes, IT jobs as reported as 10 when I was graduating some mid-2020. 20s, 07, around there. So you can imagine now, the only option that we had is TAMAC. I added to a banking industry as a self-rep. As a self-rep? Yes. Which bank was it back then? That was TANAC. It's still strong. It's still moving strong. I think it's among also the best. Among the first batch of the sales people, that 10 sales jobs started picking up. Everyone wanted to do sales, employ new graduates, do these things. Then joined KCB as a sales rep, grew through the ranks from a sales rep into customer service rep, credit administrator, credit operations, grew up to assistant manager, business banking, and then got to a business manager position, which I held for seven years out of the 13 years I was in the bank. While I was doing that in the bank, I experienced and encountered a lot of guys, customers. So as a business manager, business people. Right. From the SME, from the micro, medium, the large corporates, you sit with them, see their cash flows, you see whatever plans they have, everything else. Yes. And it became interesting. Yeah. So maybe what are some of the things that you learned so far that you can pinpoint still today that maybe some of them have advanced in the sector and some of them need to be changed. Now that you know tech is here, technology is here, it's advancing each and every day. Sure, sure, sure. Moving very fast. Yeah, that's even some of the things, that's some of the things, why I left banking because I came to realize, we sit here and I left banking and came up with an organization, Lady and Dorian, because I realized that people have aspirations. Right. But those aspirations cannot be realized if they don't know what is happening. Right. Yeah, because I saw a lot of change. Businesses that are working well in late 2020, 2010, today they have collapsed, they are going out. Why? Because they are not agile enough to understand what is up in the market. Right. I was just saying, there is a flood of internet technology and a lot of change of how things are being done. And now there's fintech. Everything else. Some of us, our jobs were freshened by some of those things. Right. And when you look back at it, some of these came up because it's making the environment and whatever is happening around us a bit faster. Things are becoming easier to do. Right. Everything else is okay. But if you are a traditional business person, Right. who still thinks on the traditional way of doing business, you are going to be kicked out. Right. You are going to be overrun by... The tech times are running like it's running too fast. Yeah. And maybe also maybe for companies that are finding it hard to innovate and adopt together. I remember the previous guest mentioned innovation and adopting. Maybe things like mentorship now comes in. Forums where think tanks come together to bring insights on how to go the way forward from here. How do we advance? How do we adopt? We have things like AI, artificial intelligence that has now revolutionized literally every operation, even in medicine, in education, etc. Now you mentioned the part where you are offering also capacity building. So maybe if you can literally tell us maybe what happens in that space that you offer that service. So what happens? We do have forums. We, as our company, we specialize on certain industries. Right. It's like now when you get to the catering industry, hotels and such type of industry, there are specific technologies, specific strategies, specific way of doing things that they can be able to agile and outlive and out-compete and make sure that they are sustainable. Like also abandoning your previous operation. Yes. You are. Sometimes you have to because things have really changed. Changed, yes. So what we do as radiant, we get guys in a certain industry. Right. We see them in either a workshop or a summit or a conference. Right. Or we meet individually to a company. We approach a company and tell them this is what we do. So we see them down to go through the audit of their systems. Yeah, auditing. Auditing. You audit your system from your initial plans, your current operations, whatever you're doing. Right. And the threats and the risks that you meet tomorrow. Yeah. In short, some short sort analysis in there. Yes, yes, yes. We want to make ourselves to be a level five hospital for businesses. Right. We do organizing. We make sure we give you prescription. Yeah. And you know, there is also we also have a maternity where a startup comes. We need to tell them what they need to, what vaccines they need to vaccine their system. Yeah. You need to immunize yourself against a certain way of operations. Yeah. To a point of, we also have post mortems. Right. Of the businesses. Right. So if a business has gone to a point of corruption, we sit down and try to see what happened. See what went lower, literally. Yes. What happened? What happened? Why did the rain start beating? Yes. So what happened to this baby? Yes. Because if you're in a business and your colleague is as corrupt. Right. So we must be able to make sure that we are, we pick from what has happened to your neighbor. Right. So that we are able to give that figure back to the next person. Right. So they also learn both through the same fate. Right. Yes. Interesting. But also how do you filter? For example, you know, like you can tell this is a serious entity. This one, you need to mature, Kildoga, because anyway, you're still a baby. How do you filter through that professionally? Maybe do you have a team that works through that? Do you have machines now that there's technology or it's maybe like just traditionally like we can observe this. I sit with the person here, here their mind out and they're like, yes, no. Sure. It's not hybrid of both. Mm-hmm. You look at the people and also the persons, the owners of the business and also the system they have been, the technology that they are using in is that you just do not breed of the same. Right. Because as long as technology is coming, there is one thing that you cannot alternatively do with is a human aspect. Right. In any business. Right. Because ideas come from human beings. Absolutely. Technology systems come to measure that they help you implement the same ideas. Right. So what happens, I've come to realize sometimes as a business people, there are a lot of why is why you start a business. Right. Some is because either their father had enough money and they went to school. So there is that capital that's lying around. It is your colleague, your classmate is doing great things. Right. You know that you're doing great things. You know that you're doing great things. Your classmate is doing great things in, let's say, entertainment. Yeah. You get yourself an entertainment track. Right. Systems, everything else you want to do events. Right. You see. The why is what makes us shift. Mm-hmm. The serious people from people that are just enjoy leaders in business. Yeah. Because another thing that Kenyans need to understand is that entrepreneurship is not an emotional journey. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Entrepreneurship is not hype. Right. It's not a Pullman color. Pullman color. All those things. Mm-hmm. It requires the spring. Mm-hmm. Self the spring. You need to know what you're doing. Right. Because there is those nights. Yeah. If you want to make it, there are those nights sometimes even you need to under customers, difficult customers. Yes. You need to under your stakeholders. Mm-hmm. That is where your suppliers. Right. They are government are all things. Yes. So it's not glamorous and everything else. Mm-hmm. You know, it's not an entertainment area. Right. It's a very serious thing. It's a serious thing. Yeah. And that's why sometimes I in place that there is enough discipline because in whatever is happening in entrepreneurship, it's you are burning the night oil. Finance. Right. You said it. You're burning money. Right. Either you burn to make more. Yes. Or you burn to lose it. To lose it. So it's a risk in short. You are you get a business idea. Yes. You do the sort of analysis. Right. You weigh the cost of the risk. Right. Versus the output out of the risk. Yeah. If revenue if the benefit outweighs the risk. Mm-hmm. You go ahead do the same. But if you don't If the risks outweigh the benefits, it's a bad idea. Even if everyone is taking go. You are able to be sustainable. Right. Because as I said, it's not a show. Yeah. It's not a show business. Right. You know, of course, you may be show business. Mm-hmm. Or you need to make sure people are happy. It's business, but on a show. It's called show business. Yeah. You may be in a show business. People are doing show business. People are happy. Right. You do your your numbers. Right. Before even you set up an event. Right. Why? Because the risk fuses the gains. Yeah. So doing research to get and know how. Literally, it's like doing a is it a thesis where you're doing a reconnaissance? You go ground on location with software, you take notes, the end of the day you come up with the final synopsis, right? Absolutely. We need the business. Right. You see there's something else that people need to understand is that do something for posterity. Right. Posterity. And that's why now the why comes in. Right. So you now be able to from your mind from whatever you're doing when you sit down and say now I'm going to do a hardware shop. Why the hardware shop? Why? Why? What are the margins? Right. What is the status of that business two, three years from now? You know, most of the time I think we don't even look at it like two, three years from now. We're like, let me just start if it works this month in Kepata some little profit. I'm good. But you just don't know what could happen next week. Right. That's a problem. That's a problem we have around everyone of us. We have to go do entrepreneurship go start a business. Start a business. Young people take the ASLA fad do get buy some smokies and eggs do these things. But you don't know when I get this five thousand after two, three days what will happen to me like a year from now? Yeah. Is it sustainable? Right. So because if that's not possible you're going to you're going to be frustrated. And you need to change. You need to adapt and change. That's a thing. So there is those academic ideas we have those romantic issues about business. Right. Getting the next the next big thing in tech. In town you're the one you're the best media, you know those type of things. You know the hype around that. Yes. So there is a lot of background works that need to be done. Need to be done. To every individual. And that's why as a radiant we came in to make sure that we we we we we we we we we we we we we we we we we we you that is get do make make make make be make make be make make this Never rely on borrowed money and that is loans so from your experience and what you've observed Is it a good idea to borrow money from a bank start a business? It could go well Sometimes it doesn't not always the ones that I've started on loans have failed the success stories as well So what is your mindset on that? Sure, I've been banking of land loans and analyze customers give them facilities to grow their business But to surprise you Don't advocate for loans loans business for startups Many financial institution do not give startups Working capital to start their business. They find Already existing and established establish sustainable business. That's because they have a track record in the history, right? That's true. So what is the option? An option is Either you do saving right You see as I said in the beginning that you need to do risk gain analysis, right? So if you sure you are determined and you're dismayed not to know that now I can get it with a partnership and I have an idea that I can turn it to Product and a service that is is able to sustain itself. Yes get yourself some savings If not savings, there are ways of starting a business without capital. Yes, which are please I know somebody will be interested That would be a good one Like as long as you have an idea There is one business that people for a long time have hated and Thought is not right because I think and it is It is a great foundation for many be if you see tarot of people that turn no money and Managed to be where they are today. It's something they call Ibroca issue who are broker and then yes become an agent, right? A lot of politics in there Yes broker agent, you know like you don't have money, but you have time, right someone has product And now They are customers you come in between right You see you have a suit like yours a customer in up. I don't know that We're together suit. You know yourself. You don't have the money to buy it Yeah, go to the one who has a suit talk to him. Tell him. What is the serene price? I'm any right. Give me one hour party a suit Get to the customer, right put your margin Rude ship a sack, right there one other knee and then you move on Yeah, continue it a treat until you become you have enough savings on the same, right? That's that's Arab brokerage. That's like some advanced type of butter trade Yes, right or agency become an agent insurance agent Bank agent Safari com agent, you know with us 20 key with the line Yeah, and you you you you are able to if you are disciplined enough with some few days few years You're able to measure that you are able to over service. That's not yours What are you? Emiat you have a business idea that you need to implement and fortune you don't have cash So what happens is that now with with with your agent service or whatever you're doing? You save money A lot of young people graduates are doing a lot of online jobs. Yes. It's not betting the lighting Proofreading a lot of sight that's an epsi to do online Business Opportunities even today I think on our intro we highlighted the government the government has launched one called fina fina to a dollar It's an interesting one following the president's Yeah, so it's really interesting it's also going to help young people just hop into that Because some of these young people they are just from college, right? They have an help loan The apparent cannot people sustain them in Nairobi or wherever they are in every part of the country within the country Yes, so you don't need to sit and start all in Frustrations anything else, right? This happens to young people into us who have left Employment to come and do entrepreneurship. Yes To surprise you a certain some two businesses that I left immediately around 2021 the banking sector few left Yes, did they flourish but I found well, they are tough times What ground story meaning The ground things are different. Yeah, well one is on one is all because of that you try to do your least kind of game analysis and you drop one and what kind of businesses were they one I I got into setting of cement and Steel, right this construction material. Yes. Yes. Yes as the as the line is supplying I was acting as an agent and a salesperson for one of my from a bread that has a Very good hardware. All right. So in the process of doing that you give your customers, you know Price walls and other things you find that as long as you may want to continue doing this Yeah As I do I'm doing my consultants, you know, I need to do some fueling and do one to three things for my own I see to what you are able to work on. I realize the Unfortunately, there was the economy was no good 2022 Today, so it's not really to a Recover, yes, but still look Still there, but it's not as promising as I thought so I got into another one that is I do now Stationery and packaging materials. That one is still sustainable. It's working. It's working. I've seen me today. Thank God You see sometimes I told people You don't just teach what you're not doing, right? because you when when you go down to the ground and you understand how these are the The things that means you need to do so if you are not Experiencing what is happening? You're going to tell people theoretical things. Yeah, they're really cool. Those romantic Motivations what on paper? You know, you become a motivation speak on business. This is not about motivation It's about this pain be able to know you are whatever Works and whatever that I know work. Yeah, and it's real really It's daily whatever works you need to know to add to your custom Exactly to know how to add to your suppliers. You need to know when to deliver when you're T80s and all those things so so so all I'm saying is that we we With that we the we we need to help ourselves young people and Even of us even those who are in big couplets, right? They are being taken over taken by Startups, right? You see a stutter comes today and they kick it in six months of already. Yes They kick your business you'll be there with the traditional shop traditional office a lot of stuff a lot of Biro class see ready tapes. You're still sitting and waiting. You'll be overtaken so everyone of us as a Kenyan whether you employed or not you must be sure that you understand there is a certain prodigy in shape that happens within the business Space and it's high time you and you come to know what will happen tomorrow. All right, cool Thank you. Well, I'm big we are literally out of time. Mr. Lawrence. I would have loved us to extend this conversation for like 20 minutes But I also understand the conversation about money Financial literacy. We are never taught Ali, you know, you come you want to start a business But you don't know how to handle money Which I feel like it's a very key and integral part in in that space But we have to go so definitely if people that are watching right now and they want to access your services They want to get your expertise and also here what you've just said right here Where can they get you then email a website? Etc. This is your camera. Thank you. 20 seconds. Thank you You can get us or not. We have a Facebook page radiant orient you can also Call us on 07 2 7 8 8 7 7 1 3 Anytime you want our services anytime you want us to sit together and talk as a group or as an individual company and I think you'll be of a word of time to measure that we recognize our issues and also give good Descriptions for sustainability. Thank you. All right. Thank you for sharing your insights a really riveting conversation Now that's where we put a period not even a comma So on behalf of everybody including my co-host Stephanie Ayeta We say thank you so much for watching and you can continue to engage with us on socials today We don't have time to sample feedback, but we'll sample it off the air Continue to engage with us at white two for four channel at brands a corner one and at Stephanie Ayeta Thank you for watching and we'll definitely see you next time