Lynn Wambui’s success story began in Nakuru, where she was raised by her grandmother after tragically losing her mother at an early age.
She was raised by a strong and resilient lady, who instilled in her the principles of drive and self-sufficiency from an early age.
While going through school, the pressure to retain top scores was strong, but she persisted, aiming for nothing less than As in her exams.
She completed her secondary school education and enrolled at a local university where she took project management.
Lynn participated in internships during her academic years, which shaped her entrepreneurial trajectory.
On her first internship, she was paid Ksh 10,000 per month and gained experience in quantity surveying, where she learnt to generate bills of quantities for various construction projects.
The job fueled her entrepreneurial drive, and she began to look into prospects beyond her academics. Another internship exposed her to the world of online commerce.
Lynn began selling sweaters via an Instagram page, utilizing her marketing talents to connect with potential buyers. She would get them from Toi Market.
The experience offered her vital insights about running her own business and balancing academics. She did this for a year while still in school but eventually abandoned it because it was not a scalable business.
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After graduating from university, Lynn began to rethink her chosen career path. She felt unfulfilled and wanted to discover her genuine passion.
Determined to develop a scalable company idea, she brainstormed daily, listing different possibilities.
Furniture-making was the fifteenth idea, and the name Santana Africa struck her as a great fit, inspired by the famed artist Carlos Santana.
Despite having minimal cash and no prior carpentry experience, Lynn’s persistence drove her to contact David, a furniture maker, with a proposal to promote his products.
With David’s permission, she used her marketing skills to exhibit the furniture on Instagram. Her efforts will shortly pay dividends.
In a past interview, Lynn recalled how the first client contacted her in search of a new bed as he prepared to return to Kenya.
She describes how her candor and keeping the client updated on the status of the bed earned the client’s trust, and he agreed to give her more work to furnish his new home.
And with that, Santana Africa was born. Although she did not have her own workshop, she began by working with established fundis to execute orders that she obtained through referrals.
