Gladys Njoki Maina graduated from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) in 2017, with high aspirations for a smooth transition into the labor market.
The financial engineering graduate wanted to use the talents she had obtained during her four years at university.
However, little did she know that an awful occurrence in her life would eventually drive her to start her own business.
Maina landed a job with a monthly pay of Ksh 16,000 but it was insufficient to maintain her in Nairobi, so she lived with friends to supplement her income.
Three months into the job, she was unexpectedly fired, and everything changed.
According to Maina, the CEO cited her enormous devotion as a source of concern in the organization.
“My boss thought I was so passionate and I had too much zeal and since we can’t have two bosses in the same company, they let me go,” she said in an interview with KTN.
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Maina sat at home, perplexed and unsure what to do with only Ksh 5,000 she had left with after losing her job.
She decided to relocate to her family’s home in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County.
Maina attempted to indulge in her passion for hair and beauty products as a hobby, and planned to utilize the money as capital to buy the necessary materials for the product.
She established GeenyLove, and as demand increased, she obtained a Ksh 80,000 loan from her mother, which she utilized to expand the business.
“I tested on my friends who became repeat customers. It reached a point where I conducted in-depth research and did quality control before increasing the product,” Maina added.
