Kenya is seeing a shift in the employment sector as majority of the population is seeking to become entrepreneurs and business owners, ditching the jobholder title. The lack of formal jobs in the country and the ever-increasing cost of living is placing the Kenyan citizen at a conundrum. As much as the Kenyan government is trying to secure jobs for its people abroad, not everyone favours this option hence, leaving them with the entrepreneurship option.
According to The State Department for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), ‘MSMEs contributes 85% of non-farm jobs which today translates to 15 million out of the 18 million work-force. Presently, it absorbs nine out of 10 of the young people who are joining the workforce.’ A clear indication of the rise of entrepreneurship and hence the need for communities and platforms where like-minded people meet and exchange values, ideas and possibly business referrals.
To imagine and start a business is different from sustaining it, one needs certain skills to pull it off. But not all these skills can be found in a classroom, one needs to be guided by others who have walked the path and have experienced the entrepreneurship industry. As an entrepreneur, being part of a networking platform broadens your business perspective. Being surrounded by entrepreneurs who share common interests in your industry not only boosts your confidence in what you do, but also provides an opportunity for you to learn and grow your expertise in your industry. Further than that, it increases your chances at attracting investors and funding from others who see the potential in your business.
A key requirement for any entrepreneur is knowing where next to get revenue in order to grow their business. Networking organizations and communities prove most useful in delivering exactly that. Good networking environments provide entrepreneurs with support and resources like professional workshops, conferences and mentorship programs. Moreover, it creates room for partnerships and collaborations, and increase credibility and reputation of one’s business to not only the rest of the members, but also to the general public.
This is where communities like Business Networking International (BNI) come in. Being the world’s largest and most successful referral networking organization, it offers entrepreneurs from all walks of life a chance at networking with other business minded individuals, to share not only trusted and quality referrals but also support and advice. Additionally, once a member, you are placed in a chapter where you are your own unique self; non-other in that chapter practices your profession. This gives you leverage over referrals and collaboration from your team members. This is to ensure you focus on building collaborations and trust rather than trying to outshine your business competitors.
In addition to that, members are placed in sub-teams where others who share a common profession, like medicine, get teamed-up together, this increases the flow of information particularly concerning that specific profession and fosters collaboration amongst the team members. Take for instance, an ENT Consultant entrepreneur who would want to expand their clinic to a paediatric centre, they can easily reach out to the paediatrician, dermatologist, gastroenterologist and cardiologist in her sub-team and present her business proposal. Quick, convenient and trustworthy networking fit for the modern-day entrepreneur.
Familiar with the phrase ‘No man is an Island’, well in the business sense, no business owner can operate alone. From the BNI’s philosophy “Givers Gain”, we see how this networking platform unites all its members into working together in goodwill, for the betterment of each other. Ideally, every member gets to be the sales person of another member, breaching the gap of -Cold outreach- aimlessly looking for business opportunities and referrals. This increases your business visibility to an infinite number of times as compared to other means of advertising you would have used and spent funds that were meant to have grown your business.
As Porter Gale wrote ‘Your network is your net worth’,A successful entrepreneur is a successful networker. The connections you make and relationships you build go a long way to boosting your business, and the best place to find trustworthy and purposeful connections is at networking organizations and events.
Elizaphan Muraguri is the writer is the National Director, BNI Kenya.
