Lessons from a Business Journey

I started putting pictures on the top status and people were like, Hi Ray, you in China? I said, yes, I'm in China. Can I send you something? Yeah, hey, this thing that I've seen I would want. I started quoting for them the prices. And I always feel like that whole group got a very raw deal. I needed money, I did not have money I needed money. I was talking about crazy prices but still cheaper or maybe something that they cannot find locally People send you handbags? I told them it was 7,000 but when I arrived in Kenya it was 14,000 or something And you bought it without even looking? I need the money you go for it without putting the right documents in place and once the goods are here was a specific doctor i want to mention their name yeah and once the goods were in the country decided to just get his way up with his very good lawyer yeah i got the i had to deliver the goods to the hospital without being paid and i lost it like that how much today hey millions so it's okay So trust the process. One day your life is gonna change. Keep on believing. You will be better than before. So trust the process. Hi, my name is Rachel. I'm a mother, a wife, a business person and a medic by profession. And you look like, I think I'm saying this for the 20th, 30th, you look so lovely. You look so pretty, sweetie, and thank you so much. Thank you. Let me give you your flowers. You look lovely. The outfit, the hair, the makeup. And you know I'm looking at you and I'm like those are not even the things that make you beautiful. So many people respect you out here. And if there's anything I've heard from any individual I've interacted with is Ray is a destiny connector. People can say you are a destiny connector, you are a destiny helper. So that's. you know that's so powerful so powerful yeah and i'm just thanking god for using me as a vessel you know i'm just being used good i'm just doing whatever i've been instructed to do by god and that gives me a lot of contentment also yes knowing that when that day comes you know which day i'm talking about yes that day that you'll be on your deathbed yeah and the flashbacks will be coming and you'll be like oh i gave it the best shot yeah I'm ready even to transit to the other side. That's what we expect to happen. So that gives me a lot of contentment. You feel like you are living your purpose? Yes, and like I've already done whatever God intended me to do. And that is helping those people that are stranded. Maybe they would want to start something, maybe a business. They really don't know wherever to start, where to go. And you even have no idea. of the amount of people that are out here going through things but they really don't know how to help themselves out of those situations so i'm really excited no blessings more grace to you more grace to you for me that part is important even for my audience to understand because i'm a huge believer of helping each other along the way woman so if you could take us back yeah until we got to this very point sarova woodlands hotel and spa is a modern establishment located off the main nairobi nakuru highway just outside of nakuru town and is situated on a wooded avenue in the upscale milimani area just adjacent to the state house We have prepared exceptionally to welcome you back to refreshing African hospitality. Ease into the luxurious elegance of our rooms and suits, enhanced by advanced sterilization equipment and protocols to ease you into stylish sophistication. You'll find an array of cuisines from around the world at our restaurants, where the tables and relaxation areas are safely spaced following the late night. down guidelines as you take in the spectacular views our mixologists prepare exotic cocktails for a taste of pure bliss for the health conscious there's a delicate range of our signature immune booster fresh juices karibu sana nice yes it's a journey i really want we have time yeah now you know i'm a first born in a family of five we are sisters We don't have a brother. And I'm just those people that didn't come from a very nice background. It was such a situation where I really used to pity my mum all the time. And I just grew knowing that I want to do something to help my mum and my siblings. Why would you pity your mum? It was just a very toxic kind of environment for her. She went through a lot of domes. So I used to pity her most of the time. And as a first born. not once not twice have i ever told her to just leave i'm going to help her out there i'm just going to help her to bring up the other the other siblings and it came to happen so i went to school i went to a primary school in Nyahururu or Nyahururu girl okay okay yeah i graduated went to secondary school then the the school that has a lot of impact in my life and really shaped me to be the person that i am is a medical school i went to the outspan i'm a product of dr kiruhi okay so i got the best of the best and when i went to that school it was like the thing that really changed even my mentality not only doing the medicine and the other things we were taught a lot about god okay we used to have a common cause that was called biblical thoughts anyone who follows me on social media knows that i have to i talk about business and i have to put god in it oh yes and i was really shaped to be the person that i am okay but by that time can i take you back yeah before you get to outspan yeah so you said you came from a very toxic background how was school for you um you know because for me i went to school a lot of difficulties yeah school fees was an issue yeah like my to the high school part and the university um god is going to provide yes and yes he did good when i graduate when i got my kcp results yeah i got sponsors oh good yes yeah i got sponsors my dad used to be an athlete i didn't mention that just to be an athlete most of the time he was not in the country at the time but the times he would come from canada canada was one of the countries that he used to reside was very bad and those athletes knew that he had some kids in Kenya and so they decided to take up the matter of you know just schooling us and paying everything for us yeah and that happened also to my sisters yes yes not only me and they did that all the way from form one to the medical school oh beautiful so I didn't suffer imagine keep trusting in God yes keep praying he's going to make a way for you know for all of us who keep trusting in him yeah so i didn't i didn't struggle i didn't my dear yeah so you went to outspan i went to outspan i was admitted i was excited i was shaped a lot of shaping it's not a secular kind of a college or university so it's it's a presbyterian and a presbyterian and you had a very strict principle that is madam Muthoni so i was taught a lot I was such a nice person, have some very good history there. They really love me so much. Actually, they came to visit me just this year and pray for me. And they even brought a pastor to me. at my workplace to bless me. Even Dr. Kiruhi came and saw me. I have a very nice track record. But by the time that I was done with the school, I was so sure that I don't want to be in the hospital. I just want to do business. I'm a business person. I come from a family of business people. All my cousins are very nice business people in the country. So I just wanted to be like them and also to get some extras to help my mom bring up. my sisters and all that and so we had another common course in school that was called entrepreneurship and we had this lady called Wanja she had to teach us how to start from scratch that is why I can be able to teach people how to start from scratch because it was taught it was taught to me and then we used to start it when we were in school because she she would always tell us why don't you come with mandazis and start selling here in school then we started doing it mandazi sweets and all that so by the time i was done with school i had some good amount of money yeah good means not more than 70 000. oh good amount but that's good amount though good mr not less than not more than that but it was good for me it was nice and it was okay for me to start a business yeah so once i graduated didn't practice for so long went into business saved more money and because i'd been in the hospital i'd seen how non-pharmaceuticals are used. I decided to get into non-pharmaceuticals. But when I would go to Alibaba, remember I'm very young, I was like 22, 23 years old. I would go to Alibaba and search where I can get those things and I couldn't find a quantity that would go with the money that I had. Because when you're talking of non-pharmaceuticals those are things like gloves, you know, syringes. Masks, those were not in season at that time. The price reached a box so I got a lot of them but now the problem is when I got them the quantity was okay the cargo was in order but they were not elastic didn't I give them out in the times of corona I didn't sell any imagine a glove that is not elastic who is it going any it will fit at an angle so I ended up losing now and how much had you invested I had invested more than 180. I was so young, I was like you have done a lot of work I was so rich It took me down. So when I went back to business I went into clothes. Now I am frustrated. I went into clothes I started small with a mitumba. There is a place called Kwamaina That is where I used to go and pick my ninis in Nakuru I used to go there with a mitumba did them for some time they're not performing and i'm wondering where am i going wrong thought of doing the new ones and by then people used to go to Kampala a lot i don't know whether these days people go to Kampala yeah let me tell you going to Kampala is not a joke you get into that bus around satatu in the morning you get there you get out of the bus yeah run to the market start shopping and thinking of how you you're supposed to get done with your shopping by seven Come back, take another bus and be here at 6 in the morning. Can you imagine? Quite hectic. I remember when I was doing those trips to Kampala, I just told God, you know what? No, this is not what I'm supposed to be doing. Not my portion. I'm really getting tired and I can't even see whatever I'm looking for. Clothes. I hate the clothes business. I don't even teach people how to do clothes. I really hate it. Because you you you are tired, you bring in the clothes, you try to sell dead stock, you are tired of all that They might not find it hard for me to, you know, to just explain to me how to go about it. Lynn, let me tell you, if ever someone comes to you and asks for something, just guide them. You may not know whatever you're doing. Because when I went to that person, the people that used to get the... ...trues us from the jeans, precisely jeans. And you know what they told me? Oh, but they were supposed to go to China in two weeks'time. And they even gave me, shown me the itinerary. They have even paid for the flight and everything. And they told me, you know what? If you get time or if you can squeeze yourself and get to fly to China at this specific date, then we can help you. No, two weeks. I don't have a lot of money. that is how i ended up preparing myself for them they had they had done the Qatar air i used the KQ tried as much as possible to go within that time period because i just wanted to set my feet in China yes i want to ask a question this you've already imported yeah it has failed now there's an opportunity to go to China you you said i must go to China where was that part important for you Reason being, I didn't have a lot and I knew if I get my feet to China and learn how to import, Kenyans will know. I'll make money. I just wanted to know how. I actually didn't have money to get stocks because going to Kampala you're going with like 50k, 40, 30. So I didn't even have much. But I knew if I get my feet to China and learn how people do it, I'm just going to come back even without anything. come and practice the things that I've been taught in I've learned in China yeah you understand yes so maybe courageously very young didn't tell my parents I didn't tell anyone because I knew now if I tell my mom she'll start overthinking and telling me you don't have money but me and you whatever I'm going for and I really prayed for it I'm a very prayerful person yeah and I just told God to guide me So I paid for the flight and all that. You know how much I was left with? No. $500. That's a lot though. That's like 50,000. Yes. That's a lot. The exchange rate was not as high as these days. You know, it was $500. Yeah. Before I could even afford it. You're going to China. But I was not worried. And that is why I always tell people, just start with the little amount of money that you have. In that little thing that you have. That is where God is going to come through for you. And just walk with him step by step. And trust your prayers. You don't even have to be prayed for by someone else. And trust your instincts and consult your brain. Just stick and think. So we paid for the flight. Ready to fly to China. That was my first trip to fly and to even fly all the way to that continent. 13 hours KQ. Got to Gwanzu. Guess what? The ones that were using the Qatar Air were already at the place. So I was found waiting at the airport. And they picked me. Imagine that thing. They just came to the airport, stopped the business that they were doing, came and picked me, took me to a place that is called Sanyuali, got a hotel for me. They told me, you know what? You can stay here, but you're not going to stay at the same place that we are in because it's already full. Hotels in China are a bit cheap and affordable. So I got a hotel of $3,000 per night. I paid for 10 nights. A girl has to get a place to sleep. yes yeah you you can't even go and sleep in the streets but i get one meal in a day but have a safe place to sleep place for you to sleep we have even hotels that are even much cheaper than that yeah yeah even a thousand one thousand five hundred but i decided to take that because you have to get a better place and you don't even know wherever you are anyway so i got the hotel and then these people left and you know what the following day now in my mind i was thinking no these people are going to come in the morning and pick me take me to the places you know what i they couldn't come to in the morning they never came i started wondering what's up what's going on then i sent them a a whatsapp yes i don't even have a a line or anything yeah what's up i'm using the hotel wi-fi i already got a vpn because you have to get a vpn i'd already been told by the Travel agent. Yeah, what I need. I was able to communicate with them and all that. They told me, you know what, we are very busy. We have like three shops that we need to load containers for. Load containers. Yes. So you can only imagine that person truly, they are very busy. I was very busy. I had a limited time of two weeks. That's what they told me. But they told me, you know what? Once you get your feet here in China you should teach yourself everything. Just wake up move around. You are going to learn for yourself. But let me tell you that is not how China is. So I would wake up in the morning, prepare myself and start moving around, walking. And I am wondering where are the cheap things in China? because I'm not finding them yeah like everything was different you know how you do business in China yeah it's totally different with how we we do business here okay as I always say that I compare China with an ocean you see how calm and very beautiful it looks like yes but deep in it there's a lot of business that is up yeah unless you get someone to teach you how to do it you will just be there you join the ocean you come back and join the view and you'll never even go back to china because you'll say there's nothing because i'm moving around in a sioni first day second third fourth i just told god yeah all right just go back to kenya and i even called my travel manager he's called alex i called alex and come on you know what alex change those flights let me just come back and then the fifth day came i was supposed to go back on a saturday another fifth On my fifth day when I am in China, I always wear the same thing I am not wearing it because I am out of the country I always wear it when I am out of the country On my fifth day when I am walking around, this guy comes like a coastal guy He comes and says, Madam Mambo Can I even look at him? I was just a little kid. I was just like, how does he know me? And then I remembered, I have my cousin. He said, another one? You were so sweet. I told him, that's good. But now there's a place that I was getting in, a mall. Remember this mall that I was getting in? It's not my first time to be there, but I didn't get anything that I can buy. I just came in because I had nowhere to go He asked me, is it your first time to be here? I told him yes, it's my first time. You know I am a young girl, everyone can know I am a small girl. He said yes, it's my first time to be here He asked me, are you a Kikuyu? I said yes, I am a Kikuyu He asked me, are you a Kikuyu? I said yes, I am a Kikuyu I told him yes, it's my first time to be here I asked him why? He said because This place that you are getting in, no one gets in here to get anything. So that's how I knew that it is your first time to be here. In that mall, they sell hides and skins that have already been you know, the people who go to make their bags and things. He told me, I remember it was Ramadan time. You know what he told me? He told me, but I can dedicate the whole of today to teach you things that took me more than 10 years to learn. This is a stranger in China. We haven't even spent more than 20 minutes together standing on the street. He told me, you know what, I'm going to teach you how to do it. He told me something that took me more than 10 years to learn. I will teach you in a day. I told him thank you and I'm ready to be taught. He told me your work is to just listen, I listen to whatever he's going to say. and whatever he's going not to tell me how he's going to converse with the chinese people and take the business cards that is why i have markets for almost everything take the business cards and i write them down come on you place your machines are to flan and he can come on the curtains curtains and i preserve those business cards then the following day i should use the business cards to go to the same places that he will take me around and i'm just going to learn how to do it yeah do you know he dedicated his whole day To teach me how to do business in China. He didn't show you the numbers? We left them at almost 7 something. The place that we met, that's where we left them. Please tell me you still talk to each other? He's so busy. When I came back to Kenya, I realized he's a politician. Omar Shaloh. I just came, you know how Facebook brings you all the numbers? The numbers you have saved on your phone. And I was like, Omar Shaloh. He is a politician. I never knew. I know people out there are just normal people. He taught me and taught me, did show me all the markets. Now this is how China is. Every district with whatever it deals with. I never knew that. Assuming you want to get phones, you're going to go all the way to Thika. Assuming you want to get sneakers, you're going to get them from Nairobi. Assuming you're trying to get things like interior decor stuff, then Gilgil, how are you supposed to know that? And you're just in a one place. You've landed China town. So he taught me and the following day when I went back to the hotel and he told me, I remember he told me, now for you to be able to... I don't have money I was surviving on boiled maize because they sell boiled maize in the streets That is what I survived on for 4 days But I am always okay. He told me when you want to be able to eat in China make sure you go to a Muslim restaurant because the food is halal. I am always okay. We left him. He is a very busy person. He told me I am supposed to take trips in three different countries That is what he told me. China, Bangkok, Vietnam He is a transit person. He wants to buy his own things We left him. We never met again after that He gave me his number and told me If you need to ask a question, just WhatsApp me. May God bless him I would really bless him. Maybe he will remember me I know he will watch May God bless me with more than a thousand businesses I can't be like him. I will not be in that blessing and those people of that place where he's leaning i think it's called muveta yeah they have no idea how good of a leader charlo is so you you're maneuvering now china swimming yes i've seen i'm excited and i went back to the hotel now went through all the business cards excited that now i've seen where things come from that i never knew how cheap they are You know different types of markets, the European markets and the African markets because we have two types of markets in China where you can get the very good quality that is the European market and the African market and all that. Now I know everything. Now the following day I wake up to wash. I start slowly slowly. Just like he taught me. I saw him walking me through all the places and the malls. I walk like this. and if you have the business card if you just ask someone where is this they're going to direct you wherever it is yeah as long as you have the business card yeah now i would i was so excited went through those places and started taking pictures i'm just taking pictures and just you know taking getting some conversations with them visiting different markets and then i'll go back to the hotel in the evening with very many pictures and i was like Why don't I post these pictures on my WhatsApp status? First, I posted pictures on WhatsApp status even without using Facebook I started posting pictures on WhatsApp status People were like, Hi Ray, you in China? Yes, I am in China. Can I send you something? Yeah, hey, there's this thing that I have seen, I would want I started quoting for them the prices I always feel like that whole group got a very raw deal I needed money. I did not have money I needed money. I was talking about very crazy prices. But still cheaper or maybe something they cannot find locally. Most of the things you find in the European market are things you can't find locally. People are sending you handbags. We tell them it's 7,000 but when it reaches Kenya it will be something like 14,000 or 30,000. And you bought it without taking it? No, I didn't. I need the money. Just go to China and hustle. I don't know if it's God's direction or what. But I even pity those people. I started getting the orders. You pay me the money by M-Pesa. The following day... I will get the money. Then you know what I will do. I'll go to the shipping company. Back then there was a shipping company that I used to use, but I changed it. It was called Neurex. I'll go to their offices and I'll tell them, can I send this money to you via M-Pesa? The Somali guys. Then you give me in dollars. So they allowed me to do that. So I would send money and they would give me in dollars. They would pay me. Or RMB, the Chinese currency. I would go to the market and pick up the money I had seen. I would take it to the shipping company. They would ship it to me. They would not wait for me to bring it with me. They would ship it directly to wherever I was. I got so many orders. So many. that I ended up staying in China for 30 days. I told Alex to change the flights now to another whole time. He said you need to add some amount of money. I was like it's okay. No problem. It's okay. Yeah. Alex changed the flights like three times because of the businesses that I got. I learnt more about the medical equipments. Machines. Some people tell me to bring a cutter. I told him just see whatever you want. I made good money. My child had gone there without money I made my clean not less than 800 profits Yes! For 30 days. And I came back because of the visa. My visa was for one month I came back because of the visa. I made money a lot of it. And I thank God. You know what I did with that money? More than 600. Buying my stocks of the things now that I would want to sell in Kenya. Good. You know what I went for? Shoes. The designer sneakers. Almost half a container, 20 feet. But it came via CBM. Imagine, people did not have stocks. A lot of stocks. And other things too. I came with so many machines. I helped to clear the university fees. I made sure that money was for my sister. But I made sure that money was for China I came back with all my stocks and everything ready to start a business The shop that we had did a whole interior. They were doing a lot of shopping but when you call for pictures, people on Instagram think you are in a very big store I can't get rid of this. I have a bedroom here. I will look for one and place it there Yeah. I started business. I started and I did business. I did a second flight. I did a third flight. Now one day I got into so much invested into designer stuff. One of the sneakers. Anyone who knows my page, that is the source where I sell the sneakers. They know that I sell very, a very unique sneaker of shoe. If I get you a shoe, chances are you'll never find it with someone else in the country. Yeah. I was in some and that's true story yeah yeah it's true now I really got invested into clothes those not my designer t-shirts then one day people will always use God will always use people to communicate to you and to get you the information that you need yeah now one day I'm in a business flight to China I'm seated next to a very old Nigerian mzay You're on a flight. It's a long flight. At the end of the day you're going to look at who is this next to me? You're going to look at each other. So that old man was the age of like our parents. He told me, what do you always go to do to China? I told him I'm into designer stuff. That is what I ship and sell. So how do you go about it? I explained it to him. I explained it to him thinking that he wants to know how I do it so that it can benefit him. so I told him everything about the business. The husband was just looking at me, listening to me He was listening to me. I told him, what's up? Maybe let's continue talking. Maybe he wants to know how my business is doing It will help him maybe. Out there you will always find people who are ready to help one another It's only here that you'll find people that are even jealous. When you get there, you will find people who will help you when I was done with the talking that Mzee told me you know what we're in this flight when you get a flight or when you're in a plane headed to China you've beaten poverty at 50 percent now when you set your feet in China you should have beaten poverty at a hundred percent you and poverty nowhere close to one another yeah but let me tell you something you could be having three thousand dollars and another person has three thousand dollars but whatever you're going to take from china determines how well have you beaten your poverty okay you you you're doing a very nice business but how What are the profit margins? You are doing a very nice business and I am being challenged What are the profit margins? You are trying to get clothes, shoes, capes, socks, everything. With your $300,000 you are trying to get rid of all those things. There is another person in that plane. Maybe they have just gone to China. They are picking the simplest of the simplest things. but the profit is maybe times 10 times 5 that is how they are going to sell the product if you bring jeans can you be able to sell it at times five so count on those profits and tell me whether it's a good business that you're doing and he was so happy because I felt a bit challenged and I was like you know sometimes you can feel very much comfortable I can't hear you properly he told me you know what like myself I only do in a way that the men do the bras to be precise but calculate the profits that i make in each of the things that i do i load containers of all those things think of a business that you're going to do that if you invest in 300 it's going to give you at least one point something as a profit only hey i felt so much challenged when i nilifica china and by the way when we got to thailand you know we exchanged seats yes we don't get out of the plane because it's just a stopover but the seats have to change. So I was left out and I was in another country But I went to China thinking about it. That is why I hate clothes. That is the day I decided. That person told me it's not fair. The profit margins of a person who is always going there. I need to think of something better. That is why I don't even teach people how to do clothes. I have to do it every day. That is why I went and thought. Ray, this is so true. Locally you get it for Kshs 150,000. So even if you bring it, you use it for Kshs 100,000. profits so I decided to do that with a little amount of money that I had and the way that person told me I got a very big breakthrough when I got into that that's now when I did started doing the medical equipment slowly started moving around to hospitals my friends and all that medical equipments are very expensive locally if I can ship I made it so that I can sell it for half the price that they are going to get it locally and I will still make a very good profit. That is how I ended up doing it. I got invested in it, went around but still that was not my biggest breakthrough. Oh, another one? That was still not my biggest breakthrough. You got another one? Talk to me about it. Please. Now, medical equipment is a business that requires a lot of money if you really want to get some huge amounts of goods. So I didn't have any office, no showroom I was still operating on my small car. It's still there It's still there. It's functional. It can't be closed. And the doctors would come, have a seat there. They still have the dead stocks for the clothes. They are seeing them. First the dead stocks for the jeans and all that One doctor told me, he's called Dr. Mwinga of the Nakuru Specialist Group of Hospitals. Ray, you need one day to get a place where you can be selling these equipments at. And he shared some knowledge with me. He told me, I will believe in you and I will give you your first good job. He gave me an offer to equip a whole hospital. He told me, I know you can do it. I want to see you doing it. Imagine. That is Dr. Mwinga. He's an ops guy of the Nakuru Specialist Hospital. He said, you know what? You prepare for me a pro forma invoice. Imagine, you prepare for me a pro forma invoice inclusive of everything that I'm supposed to pay you for you to deliver these things to me. When we are talking of a whole hospital, from the reception to the TVs to the laboratory, wards, theaters, every part of that hospital. Can you imagine? Pediatric ward, ICU, everything. He told me, I am going to trust you in this. And I trust him. That is what we call working with God. He's going to give you so much grace that even people will not believe you. You don't even have to say anything. You don't have to oversell yourself. You don't even have to sit down. on a table with someone tell them what you know and always be truthful even to yourself human beings can always connect and know this person is talking the truth or this person is lying this person I can't trust or this person I will trust so he told me prepare for me a proforma invoice I need anything that is used in a hospital and then I prepared a proforma invoice for like a whole one week trying to balance the shipping cost the buying price I took the buying price and made a small profit. I did not invest much He told me first make a nice history He told me he will give me business and open other businesses Very fast, I told him, this is what I have. He told me, no, no, no. Adjust here, adjust here, and adjust here. So he guided me like a small sister. I told him, no, this is what someone is supposed to do. And he gave me the money in cash, because I'm in dollars. All the money, millions, and told me, you know what? I want you to ship for me that container. I told him, I'm going to do it. Now it's a full container of medical equipment. and I did it and when he saw the container was at the hospital he was really excited he told me I knew it you're going to make it I knew it you see now this one is going to help you to get into other levels a whole container yeah can you imagine successfully delivered successfully delivered in a span of not less than 40 days can you imagine everything Everything I wrote in Profile Mind was in the company I am so tired I don't have a lot of money I don't think I have a lot of money I don't get tired of praying this lady is really working hard let's just give him whatever you know she deserves and all that yeah and like right now you are teaching people you're not even at holding knowledge back yeah there on TikTok you teach people how to import items from China I don't know the buyers to go to, I don't know how not to make mistakes other people would be like this is my business story, I can't teach someone I can't even remember my last day in the hospital. So, and I've never thought of taking a group of people and teaching them. So you should know that whatever has happened this year, it's under God's control. And I remember I was, I always, I have a prayer center, my favorite prayer center. It's called Heaven's Gate. Oh, we have seen it when we come here. It's very nice to just go there and just meditate. You know, it's just a nice place to just go and meditate and pray. Yes. Far away from the babies. and just speak something to God even when you don't have anything that's really a problem that you're going to pray for take yourself in there just go communicate with God I can tell you for free all the people have hosted in this segment inspire global there's just something about prayer center God yeah type in yes yeah there is no shortcut unless you choose now the places that you'll be going to get whatever you think that is going to help you yeah you have to have God that is the rule number one never be shy talking about him be proud of praying and prayers and when you ask Christians most of the time you really don't want to be seen like oh you're so spiritual but never even feel ashamed of that let him know that you acknowledge that he is the one who has made you to be wherever you are yeah and you have to walk with him being in a situation where you don't have a mom who can help you a dad who can help you no one that you know that can help you really have to put your trust in god and also he is the giver of the wisdom on how to create and also the giver of that gift yes Actually it is written in the book of Deuteronomy 818 or 816. It is he who gives you the wisdom to create wealth. Can you imagine? I remember last year in December I went to pray just thanking God and I just felt that I need to be active on social sites but I really don't know whatever I'm supposed to do. I was there at the chapel at night because at night you pray at the chapel not at the gardens. because of the security also in everything and i was there on the floor and i'm praying and i had this thing telling me you're supposed to teach them the same thing that you do the same way you do it not leaving behind anything imagine teaching them the way what i do every day the way i do it from a to z that means you give them the suppliers All the ones that you've been taking flights to Dubai, to wherever, those countries, you give them the suppliers, you teach them how they're supposed to ship the things in the country, how you sell. Remember right now, when COVID came, we fully, like myself, most of the time, I fully rely on social media to do my sales, Instagram. So I got really invested on social media. Most of my sales, I have so many social media accounts, Instagram accounts for sales. I don't post. that is not how it is done most people pay the influencers they mention them but they don't make any sales yes so i teach them how even to create those pages and all that and i created a telegram group and i started teaching yeah and i've mentored not more than not less than 1200 people 1 280 something people in your telegram group yes all who have just paid kidogo entry subscription fee just to come and get knowledge. Can I ask you what are some of the misconceptions we have about China? Like the things about China, people making jokes. Is this even from China? I'm telling you, you know most people think that China has very fake products. At some even in my telegram group think that getting something from Amazon is of good quality than getting it from China. But I always tell them you're not supposed to be buying something from Amazon, you're supposed to be selling. because even the people most of the people that are doing selling in amazon they vote in china china i've even taught them to do a comparison they take a screenshot of the thing that they saw on amazon go search for that for that thing on alibaba and see the pricing wow times three times four times five because those people are getting things from china yeah and uh and you know shipping things from us to kenya is a bit hectic yeah not compared from maybe Dubai to Kenya or China from Kenya so I always teach them how to go about it the biggest misconception is that they are fake and in China you get whatever you want and you can determine whatever you want yeah you can get a pair of sneakers at 150 I can get a pair of sneakers at 5 000 Kenya shillings but I've taught them how to determine there's a specific document that you have to get when you're trying to ship your things okay you you cannot pay for your items in china without that specific document yes that gives a description of the item that you're buying earrings what types of earrings do you want what are the what are the metals and all that so i've taught them a lot but that is the biggest misconception china is the real deal china is the real deal even for the people that get their things in dubai dubai doesn't produce anything dubai doesn't produce anything you're supposed to get it from china but go mostly also i have very good connections with the european market markets and that is where things like from dubai the the arabs get them from those markets european markets yeah now Being humble has taught me a lot. Don't have some attitude. Put your attitude aside. Be a very humble person. Someone who can talk to you. Someone who can hear you. And be ready to learn. You don't talk a lot. You just look at the other person and listen. You talk, you see and you hear. Even if someone said something that you know, just keep quiet so that they can proceed to put you in a position to talk to you. to continue talking or telling you whatever they know is something that you're going to get from them and be a trustworthy person, trustworthy. Yeah, integrity is the key thing. You can go anywhere without integrity, my dear. Yeah, integrity. Integrity. Yeah, we used to be told back in my school at the outspan, integrity, and never go below your standards. That is what we were taught. And it's the key thing and working with God. I hear you telling people that you will teach them to start a business with a lot of money and not just a little bit I do the classes on TikTok I tell them to come and join the Telegram group from TikTok So when I am talking to them even in my Telegram group because we do lives there every Friday We are there to teach ourselves, not to be with them from 8.40 we can go all the way to 12 at night as I hear from them asking me questions and all that I always tell them make sure the business that you're going to start start with a little amount of money that you have with I you know give them a minimum of four thousand Kenya shillings and above you can start doing your imports very practical very practical you can even download Alibaba and can see how cheap things are in China yeah shipping is not a problem yes the government our government do support us yeah I've heard that people say shipping is the problem it's customs, KRA is so expensive, KRA, KEDS, no it's not like that yeah our government is super supportive of us how most people don't know but the government that was there came up with this thing that's you know even with your five pieces of shoes and with my three pieces of studio watch they can get consolidated in china and they are going to be shipped to wherever you are yeah it's the government that came up with that strategy there there were days that shipping things from china was for the very rich switching yeah but now these days things are very very you know and our government do support us you don't even get anywhere into contact with the customs The consolidator is going to do that for you. So everything is being taxed? Yes. Tax included. Everything? That is how we have ended up growing. I started business 8 years ago. So I have been able to grow even with the small amount. I have been able to grow in a container. and people need to understand there's a specific way of shipping your things as a business person there's a very specific way you know most people think that you're going to use maybe the postal call postal address the poster yeah i'm a courier service like dhl ups and all that yeah you you're supposed to use consolidators they have been put there by the government to help us if you use dhl and those other things to ship your things you will be frustrated my dear you are not going to be able to sell your things yeah there is a that use consolidation yes people don't know how to go about it but i've taught them thank you i've taught them yes i will let them come to your telegram i will put the link here so they can join so they learn yes i've really taught them yeah and it has been a good one we thank god yes so we've made millions from china We have made some small millions here. Are you proud of yourself? Really, but when you get there you don't even feel it because the amount of hard work that you have put in it, you don't even recognize it. Like, how I have done so much. No one will see it. you might even get it at half the price that you're going to get it yes maybe locally yeah and the same specs and a very good one and we have a company that you know does the servicing and all that yeah you are gotten out to that you are you are great geez you know you say be humbling you are also there Yes, now it's beautiful. You know business is business. And you've really manoeuvred. But have you ever been conned? Yes, a lot of money. How much? A lot of it. Almost a full container. So that question comes in handy. Over trusting people and being naive. Naivety is bad. Really bad. Someone gives you a job. You give them a job. You go for it without putting the right documents in place. And once the goods are here, there was a specific doctor, I won't mention their name. And once the goods were in the country, he decided to just get his way up with his very good lawyer. I had to deliver the goods to the hospital without being paid. And I lost it like that. How much? Because that person died. So I just paid millions. Sweetie? Yes How did you get her? It was a word of mouth Did you know? Not knowing that someone would come and take those things but I gave up on those things completely. I just told God to fight that battle for me I didn't even stress myself and when I left it, God gave me other jobs and He paid me for that. The thing was get the right documents in place don't trust people even if it is your best friend Even if it's someone who has referred you and you don't know who they are and protect yourself in so many ways when doing business that is what prompted me to start a company. It's hard to get robbed when you are under a company because you have to get your whole team, put them on that conference table sit and discuss and sign all the documents I never did any delivery from there and secure yourself. First Kenyans can be litigious I can tell you that. As you are trying to place your order, ever converse with those people over the WhatsApp in a way that you can even use it as evidence. Don't delete things, messages, everything. Put it on your phone. I am removing all of them from here to Timbuktu. I am not a person who goes to chat, what picture, everything. Please don't ever try that. Put it on. You may need it after like three years. What legacy are you looking into leaving behind? The legacy? Yes. I just want the world to remember that I was there. You know, like you, the world will always remember that you were there. Even when you leave, you know, we are not here to stay. No. We are not here to stay. A day is coming. A day is coming, sweetie. Yeah, and I'm ready for it. Even me, I'm ready. I'm always ready for it. I've already given them the best of the bestest. I just want them to remember. that I was there. And I know the best sacrifice that I can do even for my generations. I'm the matriarch of my whole generation. I want my greats to eat the fruits, to reap the fruits of the things that I did today. When they are in situations, they are stuck. God is going to send someone to help them. They will understand. They will say I even don't know whatever happened. They won't understand that I made a covenant with God. They are great. I got into a covenant with God. I just want God to remember that he has blessed me. I have enough, not for myself. He can keep them for the hour. For the generations to come you don't know about tomorrow and we are living in the end times It's closer home. It's closer home than you may think. It's closer home. I don't know how it will be tomorrow But I know God is going to remember. Yes. Yeah, I like that you say that with so much conviction Yeah, like with just so much conviction. Yeah, and it's beautiful. I just want that. How is mom now? Mama is good Yeah, I just called her before we did the interview I told her I am going to sit and pray so that i can speak things that are going to be helpful and they're going to change people's lives out there yeah the same way i prayed about the telegram group where it has really changed yes so many people yes and now you just need the whole consultancy farm you told me i know because i know this episode people will listen but they will want to come and just ask lots of questions and all that and you know there is where you set up your consultant i'll give you an email address I am even putting it right here right now they can get you through here thank you for that and thank you Ray I think I've had one of the best conversations this year true story you're just so cool you're just so welcoming you're just so easy to talk to thank you you know you're out here passing knowledge understanding that the cake is very big for everyone I'm telling you like what yeah even if we all did business You can't even... You can't even finish it. Like me, the things that I sell, I enjoy a lot of monopoly but I can't even feed the market. It's more than like what I can handle. Even right now that I've mentored more than a thousand people, more than 1200 people. There's no changes that I've gotten. But from my pages on Instagram and everything, no. Because we are so many. And remember, there are so many things that very few people do in the country. A business like... A business like selling car accessories, forget about even the spare parts How many people do you know that sell car accessories at import? Very few. That's a business you can start even with your 30,000, 40,000 Most people think of clothes, electronics Those are the three things people think of. And the fridge will come and eat your money, it's heavy It's bulky and heavy at the same time There's no way to save a lot of money You are not going to get some good profit margins and go for the smallest The small things that are just in the market Start a page and start selling for us water bottles Get them from China Guys I am selling water bottles from today I am already selling water bottles You can order in advance You can arrest me You can order I am selling water bottles from China don't stop giving me ideas, you will get some with linseed bottles, water bottles and laundry bags you will get me these ideas. My people go to Ray's group and we will get these tips and think that i'm going to be depressed i don't come from a family you know i you know i'm i'm a stay-at-home mom i have to sit around and take in everything so the sake of my babies oh i'm in the university my parents can't provide enough for me yeah i can get another way of making money but there's always the straight way of doing things and do something because you have to have something yes that god is going to use yeah yes don't you see even in the bible it is written when Jesus was trying to feed the 5,000 people there was a lad that he asked and there was a lad there with five loaves of bread and two fish and that is what was multiplied there must be something that you're doing yeah and start small with a little amount of money and these days people are lucky not like not like when I started business monetize social media social media is equals to money instagram is equals to shops even if you're in the corporate world you Just start a business. Business is everything and we are living in times where things are thick. People think that it is only here in Kenya. Take a flight all the way to China, US. Things are not as okay as you may think. Knowing that we had COVID, we are getting the aftermath of the COVID and the fights and all that. Do something. Start a business. I always give them a minimum of 4,000 Kenyan shillings for them to start importing things from China. No excuse. No excuse. I always tell them, you just get yourself a page on Instagram that sells only earphones. Yes. They'll never understand. How much is earphones in China? You get it at 35 shillings, you're going to sell it at 150. No, how much is that? Wow, that's a lot. They will never understand that this page sells earphones because they don't have money. He had 3,000 to start a business. They will just see very nice unique earphones. They would want to start shipping them and selling them. You ship them and you sell them. And you get your profits and you see the profit margins. Interior deco stuff we are living in times where everyone wants their house to look beautiful beautiful see how much those things are sold out in China you can just get them if you just learn how to ship your things so I just want to tell them to start somewhere yeah they stay at home moms mostly the people that mostly women my heart goes out to all the women yes that are in the situations that maybe my mom was you know my mom used to tell me I was not sure that if I left, I would not be able to get it These days, we should not do that. Get something for yourself As long as you have a smart phone. A person with a problem has no smart phone And if you don't have a smart phone and a good camera A smart phone with a good camera doesn't mean that it is an expensive phone I use a 15,000 phone to go live on TikTok I use a 15,000 phone to go live on TikTok So we can use a good camera, post your things, import them. Paying for things in China via M-Pesa, you can even do it at the comfort of your house. And at two, chuck out suppliers, do it the way I've taught you. Create a page on Instagram that you expect to do your sales in there. Start importing. And with that and reminding God that this is what I have. You better come through for me. You better come through for me. This is what is supposed to feed my kids. Come through for me. But he is not going to come through for you if you don't wake up. Stay clean. Do something that is clean. Don't even try to get money. You know that it is not clean. You have gone to the palace and you have been looking for money. Just go back to the palace. Talk to the people who have failed in business. for someone to start a business and succeed in it and the majority of you the same china they went and they failed terribly and they had visions of big shops to talk to the people who are failed in business and i've also failed several years so i know where the problem is yeah because even the Kampala ones they were not doing well yeah and when you're failing in business you feel like I think I need to do this it's going to work. I think I'm going to do this it's going to work. You go to the shop and ask them how the jeans are made. I understand where they are coming from. The number one thing that people who fail in business is lacking the knowledge of how you're supposed to go about it. Knowledge is important. If it takes you to spend 20,000 Kenya shillings To pay people to get questionnaires and get whatever it is on the ground to go out there and do some research for you before you even bring that thing go ahead and pay it. But we know in Kenya they think that is just wasting money If you have to enroll in a class and learn how you are supposed to do it the right way. So it's not just trying When you are getting into imports, this is what you are supposed to do This is a step that you are supposed to take This is the shipping cost you even expect to pay for your goods once they are in the country before you even pay for them in China so that you can determine the profit margins and you always learn from the people that are in it. Even if you have to pay some fee, just pay for it. I remember back in the days, I wanted to get to learn how to do investments. This story of telling people to buy land and invest, I knew it had passed by. I paid KSh 29,000 and some money at St. Onomi and I went for a class yes because I just wanted to learn because they were teaching I wanted to know what are other ways someone can do some investment apart from what we know we don't get money to buy a farm I just want to learn and you start building yeah when you try to liquidify them after 10 years they will not get money really? they will not be able to survive yeah you try to liquidify them when you have a problem If you're a movie person, you know me, I don't watch movies. I've never watched a movie in my life. I will take you to watch Woman King. Wakanda or wherever. Even I have never. No, me, I will take you to watch a nice movie. It's called Woman King. It will be my first movie. I've never watched a movie. But I read books. In Cape Mesquite? Yes. I will help you here. You read? you can watch a movie related to whatever you want to do or maybe watch a show that is related to the problem that you're trying to solve yeah get the right knowledge that is the key thing up on the water and i feel that that is a kid you don't have we don't want to keep upgrading ourselves we want to be comfortable and you just want to invest maybe even 400 000 in a business that you really don't know about energy you know what you're gonna end up with is turkey and you are going to Turkey You can even take a trip to just go there and learn fast. It's not wasting money. Once you get to learn how to do that thing the time you get into it, you know whatever you are doing. You are not at all in panic You are not scared to do business. You are actually eager That is what happens to the people in my Telegram group. They are eager to start doing it Even the bus is being driven by one day from the shipping company, they are going to clear it and they are like, it's almost done, I want to sell it Yeah You replace your fears with the knowledge that you need to do the thing that you want to do. And actually business requires a lot of skills. It's an art. You see how singing is an art? Business is an art by itself. So you have to know how to scheme the moves, the do's and don'ts and all that. It's a good one. It's a good one. I love that. It's beautiful. God I feel like I can just sit here and talk with you the whole day for myself but we gotta wind up anything else you would like to add? no I just want to tell the people out there just do something for yourself just do something for yourself and don't pity yourself there's no time to throw for yourself like a pity party even if you are married that you are beaten every day no time to pity yourself you should consider your children yes and that is what most people who are victims of violence don't consider i tell them when i'm talking to them that's being selfish remember your child if you're a woman there remember a child that doesn't have another mom another dad can't provide for themselves and live on top of their you know their heads food that one will give you the courage to get to the next level do something you're a student you're in the university waste yourself but you're going to Once you are as old as me Once you are 29 No, 30 is the third floor So you are going to reap the fruits of the things you did in your twenties Just do something for yourself And don't be so greedy Once you see sin, think of sinning You even get nauseated You are like, money? I can make it for myself I can do it I don't need to do something just do something and do business and do business love you where can people find you where can people come in for the telegram link i will put it on the comment section guys it's pinned the telegram link but where else can they find you on my social sites yes yes on my social sites yeah if i give them my office yes i'll stop even working yes yeah true story that's true story i'll stop working my YouTube? Just Ray. Instagram? Just Ray. TikTok? Just Ray. Facebook? Just Ray. opening and widening your doors we have said we will receive the gift of glory the things that you do here on earth they not only have a gift here but also in heaven the people that are doing ministries like the one that you do it's a ministry and you have been blessed you get the unfading crown of glory unfading Crown of Glory. When the Great Shepherd will appear and just come, He's going to give you the unfading crown of glory. You know people think that just going to heaven is the ultimate goal. No. It's one of the crowns that you're supposed to get. There are four more. There are five of them Do you know the other four? That is what everyone knows, that is our goal you're there cursing God and all that you rejoice in all seasons yes you are going through a very dark phase in your life you tell yourself you just tell yourself I know this is a testimony in the making this one is a testimony there are people who are going to get that good the imperishable one are the people who forfeited all the earthly things that are perishable you are the one who says I am not going to do this it's sinful You have viewers in heaven. I don't think there are many. Wow, you are just so... You are just so chilled. We are just going to study. But you are just so chilled. And there is something that I forgot to tell you. If you would want to help people successively, you have to participate in it. That is part of management. So I charge them 2K. I don't want them to join for free. Yes. If I do it for free, it's not going to meet. They won't appreciate even. Yeah, they won't. Even if you want to do a charity out there in your shago, you have to make the people that you're helping to participate in something. Even if you're trying to get them some water, tell them to just, they come and do the, what is it, to clean up a little. That is what we call helping. Yes. They'll feel like I'm in this group because I paid for it. I deserve it. And I'm going to. I am going to take advantage of everything I learn I always tell them if you are here and you haven't started doing your imports just know you are wasting your 2,000 subscription fee so when they feel that, they are just doing their orders and starting selling so people come and they have already paid but good job though, allow me to wind up good job, as I was saying may God actually broaden and widen your doors yes me feel some type of way beautiful energy energy energy beautiful vibe you know you're just seeing things in a different way in a different perspective yeah and understanding there is nothing wrong when you keep constantly helping people yeah your reward is in heaven and also here and also here on earth here and in heaven yeah yeah thank you you're looking lovely again love love you thank you for going with that house it's okay yeah but again my people thank you so much for tuning in and i hope you've learned a lot on today's episode of inspire global if you have any questions in the comment section i want to know from you what was your take home have you felt challenged have you felt motivated are you inspired do you feel like waking up right now and chasing your dream those are some of the things i want you to tell me on the comment section should we bring ray back i know as a matter of fact we will be seeing her soon i don't want to disclose for you yet people because i'm planning but i have you guys in mind especially people who are seriously like kabisa invested in business i have you guys in mind so you will be seeing her soon and a couple of other people i've hosted here on inspire global like in wachinima lisa cupica and you want me new ambia and if you want to get hold of her her contact there's an email right here on the screen with her social media handles also and i will also be pinning the link to her telegram group on the comment section so that you are able to join and learn i always tell you before i sit on this chair and bring you something it's because it has benefited me even before it gets to be discussed on this show and i only hope you guys can continue keep fighting for your dream keep fighting for your dream don't let go because of the many challenges that you are facing and of course guys you can see me sitting here how beautiful this place is therapeutic i kind of missed filming outside you know just sitting here and just in this place we are at sarova wood Lance here in Nakuru met amazing people Emily, Teresa such amazing people who gave us permission to just come and film here and knowing that they love our work makes me really happy so you know what we do here if something is good is good I see they have conference places they haven't asked me to do this but I'm gonna I had a hot chocolate which is really beautiful which means that oh yeah Let me finish If you are passing through Nakuru but i'm gonna do it anyways because a good deed deserves another thank you keep shining thank you yes and of course i want to say thank you to myself for successfully hosting the show and to my amazing team that's our camera person edwin ochi and our men's desk host and producer joshua j karanja for being here today and making sure that no i have to mention our editors are back at home that's kelvin Edgar and Sam for the incredible work that you guys are doing and making sure our content keeps reaching people and impacting their lives one step at a time. My name is Lynn Kamakawa Kamadawa This is my email, if you want to share your story with me, if you have a successful business story that you want us to feature on Inspire Global, that's the email. My name is Lynn, till next time. Bye-bye. Bye. Yay. You've done a good job.

I started putting pictures on the top status and people were like, Hi Ray, you in China? I said, yes, I'm in China. Can I send you something?

Yeah, hey, this thing that I've seen I would want. I started quoting for them the prices. And I always feel like that whole group got a very raw deal.

I needed money, I did not have money I needed money. I was talking about crazy prices but still cheaper or maybe something that they cannot find locally People send you handbags? I told them it was 7,000 but when I arrived in Kenya it was 14,000 or something And you bought it without even looking? I need the money you go for it without putting the right documents in place and once the goods are here was a specific doctor i want to mention their name yeah and once the goods were in the country decided to just get his way up with his very good lawyer yeah i got the i had to deliver the goods to the hospital without being paid and i lost it like that how much today hey millions so it's okay So trust the process.

One day your life is gonna change. Keep on believing. You will be better than before. So trust the process. Hi, my name is Rachel.

I'm a mother, a wife, a business person and a medic by profession. And you look like, I think I'm saying this for the 20th, 30th, you look so lovely. You look so pretty, sweetie, and thank you so much. Thank you.

Let me give you your flowers. You look lovely. The outfit, the hair, the makeup.

And you know I'm looking at you and I'm like those are not even the things that make you beautiful. So many people respect you out here. And if there's anything I've heard from any individual I've interacted with is Ray is a destiny connector. People can say you are a destiny connector, you are a destiny helper.

So that's. you know that's so powerful so powerful yeah and i'm just thanking god for using me as a vessel you know i'm just being used good i'm just doing whatever i've been instructed to do by god and that gives me a lot of contentment also yes knowing that when that day comes you know which day i'm talking about yes that day that you'll be on your deathbed yeah and the flashbacks will be coming and you'll be like oh i gave it the best shot yeah I'm ready even to transit to the other side. That's what we expect to happen. So that gives me a lot of contentment.

You feel like you are living your purpose? Yes, and like I've already done whatever God intended me to do. And that is helping those people that are stranded.

Maybe they would want to start something, maybe a business. They really don't know wherever to start, where to go. And you even have no idea.

of the amount of people that are out here going through things but they really don't know how to help themselves out of those situations so i'm really excited no blessings more grace to you more grace to you for me that part is important even for my audience to understand because i'm a huge believer of helping each other along the way woman so if you could take us back yeah until we got to this very point sarova woodlands hotel and spa is a modern establishment located off the main nairobi nakuru highway just outside of nakuru town and is situated on a wooded avenue in the upscale milimani area just adjacent to the state house We have prepared exceptionally to welcome you back to refreshing African hospitality. Ease into the luxurious elegance of our rooms and suits, enhanced by advanced sterilization equipment and protocols to ease you into stylish sophistication. You'll find an array of cuisines from around the world at our restaurants, where the tables and relaxation areas are safely spaced following the late night. down guidelines as you take in the spectacular views our mixologists prepare exotic cocktails for a taste of pure bliss for the health conscious there's a delicate range of our signature immune booster fresh juices karibu sana nice yes it's a journey i really want we have time yeah now you know i'm a first born in a family of five we are sisters We don't have a brother.

And I'm just those people that didn't come from a very nice background. It was such a situation where I really used to pity my mum all the time. And I just grew knowing that I want to do something to help my mum and my siblings.

Why would you pity your mum? It was just a very toxic kind of environment for her. She went through a lot of domes.

So I used to pity her most of the time. And as a first born. not once not twice have i ever told her to just leave i'm going to help her out there i'm just going to help her to bring up the other the other siblings and it came to happen so i went to school i went to a primary school in Nyahururu or Nyahururu girl okay okay yeah i graduated went to secondary school then the the school that has a lot of impact in my life and really shaped me to be the person that i am is a medical school i went to the outspan i'm a product of dr kiruhi okay so i got the best of the best and when i went to that school it was like the thing that really changed even my mentality not only doing the medicine and the other things we were taught a lot about god okay we used to have a common cause that was called biblical thoughts anyone who follows me on social media knows that i have to i talk about business and i have to put god in it oh yes and i was really shaped to be the person that i am okay but by that time can i take you back yeah before you get to outspan yeah so you said you came from a very toxic background how was school for you um you know because for me i went to school a lot of difficulties yeah school fees was an issue yeah like my to the high school part and the university um god is going to provide yes and yes he did good when i graduate when i got my kcp results yeah i got sponsors oh good yes yeah i got sponsors my dad used to be an athlete i didn't mention that just to be an athlete most of the time he was not in the country at the time but the times he would come from canada canada was one of the countries that he used to reside was very bad and those athletes knew that he had some kids in Kenya and so they decided to take up the matter of you know just schooling us and paying everything for us yeah and that happened also to my sisters yes yes not only me and they did that all the way from form one to the medical school oh beautiful so I didn't suffer imagine keep trusting in God yes keep praying he's going to make a way for you know for all of us who keep trusting in him yeah so i didn't i didn't struggle i didn't my dear yeah so you went to outspan i went to outspan i was admitted i was excited i was shaped a lot of shaping it's not a secular kind of a college or university so it's it's a presbyterian and a presbyterian and you had a very strict principle that is madam Muthoni so i was taught a lot I was such a nice person, have some very good history there. They really love me so much.

Actually, they came to visit me just this year and pray for me. And they even brought a pastor to me. at my workplace to bless me. Even Dr. Kiruhi came and saw me.

I have a very nice track record. But by the time that I was done with the school, I was so sure that I don't want to be in the hospital. I just want to do business. I'm a business person.

I come from a family of business people. All my cousins are very nice business people in the country. So I just wanted to be like them and also to get some extras to help my mom bring up.

my sisters and all that and so we had another common course in school that was called entrepreneurship and we had this lady called Wanja she had to teach us how to start from scratch that is why I can be able to teach people how to start from scratch because it was taught it was taught to me and then we used to start it when we were in school because she she would always tell us why don't you come with mandazis and start selling here in school then we started doing it mandazi sweets and all that so by the time i was done with school i had some good amount of money yeah good means not more than 70 000. oh good amount but that's good amount though good mr not less than not more than that but it was good for me it was nice and it was okay for me to start a business yeah so once i graduated didn't practice for so long went into business saved more money and because i'd been in the hospital i'd seen how non-pharmaceuticals are used. I decided to get into non-pharmaceuticals. But when I would go to Alibaba, remember I'm very young, I was like 22, 23 years old. I would go to Alibaba and search where I can get those things and I couldn't find a quantity that would go with the money that I had. Because when you're talking of non-pharmaceuticals those are things like gloves, you know, syringes.

Masks, those were not in season at that time. The price reached a box so I got a lot of them but now the problem is when I got them the quantity was okay the cargo was in order but they were not elastic didn't I give them out in the times of corona I didn't sell any imagine a glove that is not elastic who is it going any it will fit at an angle so I ended up losing now and how much had you invested I had invested more than 180. I was so young, I was like you have done a lot of work I was so rich It took me down. So when I went back to business I went into clothes.

Now I am frustrated. I went into clothes I started small with a mitumba. There is a place called Kwamaina That is where I used to go and pick my ninis in Nakuru I used to go there with a mitumba did them for some time they're not performing and i'm wondering where am i going wrong thought of doing the new ones and by then people used to go to Kampala a lot i don't know whether these days people go to Kampala yeah let me tell you going to Kampala is not a joke you get into that bus around satatu in the morning you get there you get out of the bus yeah run to the market start shopping and thinking of how you you're supposed to get done with your shopping by seven Come back, take another bus and be here at 6 in the morning. Can you imagine? Quite hectic.

I remember when I was doing those trips to Kampala, I just told God, you know what? No, this is not what I'm supposed to be doing. Not my portion. I'm really getting tired and I can't even see whatever I'm looking for.

Clothes. I hate the clothes business. I don't even teach people how to do clothes. I really hate it.

Because you you you are tired, you bring in the clothes, you try to sell dead stock, you are tired of all that They might not find it hard for me to, you know, to just explain to me how to go about it. Lynn, let me tell you, if ever someone comes to you and asks for something, just guide them. You may not know whatever you're doing.

Because when I went to that person, the people that used to get the... ...trues us from the jeans, precisely jeans. And you know what they told me?

Oh, but they were supposed to go to China in two weeks'time. And they even gave me, shown me the itinerary. They have even paid for the flight and everything. And they told me, you know what? If you get time or if you can squeeze yourself and get to fly to China at this specific date, then we can help you.

No, two weeks. I don't have a lot of money. that is how i ended up preparing myself for them they had they had done the Qatar air i used the KQ tried as much as possible to go within that time period because i just wanted to set my feet in China yes i want to ask a question this you've already imported yeah it has failed now there's an opportunity to go to China you you said i must go to China where was that part important for you Reason being, I didn't have a lot and I knew if I get my feet to China and learn how to import, Kenyans will know. I'll make money. I just wanted to know how.

I actually didn't have money to get stocks because going to Kampala you're going with like 50k, 40, 30. So I didn't even have much. But I knew if I get my feet to China and learn how people do it, I'm just going to come back even without anything. come and practice the things that I've been taught in I've learned in China yeah you understand yes so maybe courageously very young didn't tell my parents I didn't tell anyone because I knew now if I tell my mom she'll start overthinking and telling me you don't have money but me and you whatever I'm going for and I really prayed for it I'm a very prayerful person yeah and I just told God to guide me So I paid for the flight and all that.

You know how much I was left with? No. $500. That's a lot though. That's like 50,000.

Yes. That's a lot. The exchange rate was not as high as these days. You know, it was $500. Yeah.

Before I could even afford it. You're going to China. But I was not worried.

And that is why I always tell people, just start with the little amount of money that you have. In that little thing that you have. That is where God is going to come through for you.

And just walk with him step by step. And trust your prayers. You don't even have to be prayed for by someone else.

And trust your instincts and consult your brain. Just stick and think. So we paid for the flight.

Ready to fly to China. That was my first trip to fly and to even fly all the way to that continent. 13 hours KQ. Got to Gwanzu. Guess what?

The ones that were using the Qatar Air were already at the place. So I was found waiting at the airport. And they picked me. Imagine that thing.

They just came to the airport, stopped the business that they were doing, came and picked me, took me to a place that is called Sanyuali, got a hotel for me. They told me, you know what? You can stay here, but you're not going to stay at the same place that we are in because it's already full. Hotels in China are a bit cheap and affordable. So I got a hotel of $3,000 per night.

I paid for 10 nights. A girl has to get a place to sleep. yes yeah you you can't even go and sleep in the streets but i get one meal in a day but have a safe place to sleep place for you to sleep we have even hotels that are even much cheaper than that yeah yeah even a thousand one thousand five hundred but i decided to take that because you have to get a better place and you don't even know wherever you are anyway so i got the hotel and then these people left and you know what the following day now in my mind i was thinking no these people are going to come in the morning and pick me take me to the places you know what i they couldn't come to in the morning they never came i started wondering what's up what's going on then i sent them a a whatsapp yes i don't even have a a line or anything yeah what's up i'm using the hotel wi-fi i already got a vpn because you have to get a vpn i'd already been told by the Travel agent.

Yeah, what I need. I was able to communicate with them and all that. They told me, you know what, we are very busy. We have like three shops that we need to load containers for.

Load containers. Yes. So you can only imagine that person truly, they are very busy.

I was very busy. I had a limited time of two weeks. That's what they told me.

But they told me, you know what? Once you get your feet here in China you should teach yourself everything. Just wake up move around. You are going to learn for yourself. But let me tell you that is not how China is.

So I would wake up in the morning, prepare myself and start moving around, walking. And I am wondering where are the cheap things in China? because I'm not finding them yeah like everything was different you know how you do business in China yeah it's totally different with how we we do business here okay as I always say that I compare China with an ocean you see how calm and very beautiful it looks like yes but deep in it there's a lot of business that is up yeah unless you get someone to teach you how to do it you will just be there you join the ocean you come back and join the view and you'll never even go back to china because you'll say there's nothing because i'm moving around in a sioni first day second third fourth i just told god yeah all right just go back to kenya and i even called my travel manager he's called alex i called alex and come on you know what alex change those flights let me just come back and then the fifth day came i was supposed to go back on a saturday another fifth On my fifth day when I am in China, I always wear the same thing I am not wearing it because I am out of the country I always wear it when I am out of the country On my fifth day when I am walking around, this guy comes like a coastal guy He comes and says, Madam Mambo Can I even look at him?

I was just a little kid. I was just like, how does he know me? And then I remembered, I have my cousin. He said, another one? You were so sweet.

I told him, that's good. But now there's a place that I was getting in, a mall. Remember this mall that I was getting in?

It's not my first time to be there, but I didn't get anything that I can buy. I just came in because I had nowhere to go He asked me, is it your first time to be here? I told him yes, it's my first time. You know I am a young girl, everyone can know I am a small girl.

He said yes, it's my first time to be here He asked me, are you a Kikuyu? I said yes, I am a Kikuyu He asked me, are you a Kikuyu? I said yes, I am a Kikuyu I told him yes, it's my first time to be here I asked him why?

He said because This place that you are getting in, no one gets in here to get anything. So that's how I knew that it is your first time to be here. In that mall, they sell hides and skins that have already been you know, the people who go to make their bags and things.

He told me, I remember it was Ramadan time. You know what he told me? He told me, but I can dedicate the whole of today to teach you things that took me more than 10 years to learn. This is a stranger in China.

We haven't even spent more than 20 minutes together standing on the street. He told me, you know what, I'm going to teach you how to do it. He told me something that took me more than 10 years to learn. I will teach you in a day. I told him thank you and I'm ready to be taught.

He told me your work is to just listen, I listen to whatever he's going to say. and whatever he's going not to tell me how he's going to converse with the chinese people and take the business cards that is why i have markets for almost everything take the business cards and i write them down come on you place your machines are to flan and he can come on the curtains curtains and i preserve those business cards then the following day i should use the business cards to go to the same places that he will take me around and i'm just going to learn how to do it yeah do you know he dedicated his whole day To teach me how to do business in China. He didn't show you the numbers? We left them at almost 7 something.

The place that we met, that's where we left them. Please tell me you still talk to each other? He's so busy.

When I came back to Kenya, I realized he's a politician. Omar Shaloh. I just came, you know how Facebook brings you all the numbers? The numbers you have saved on your phone.

And I was like, Omar Shaloh. He is a politician. I never knew.

I know people out there are just normal people. He taught me and taught me, did show me all the markets. Now this is how China is.

Every district with whatever it deals with. I never knew that. Assuming you want to get phones, you're going to go all the way to Thika. Assuming you want to get sneakers, you're going to get them from Nairobi. Assuming you're trying to get things like interior decor stuff, then Gilgil, how are you supposed to know that?

And you're just in a one place. You've landed China town. So he taught me and the following day when I went back to the hotel and he told me, I remember he told me, now for you to be able to...

I don't have money I was surviving on boiled maize because they sell boiled maize in the streets That is what I survived on for 4 days But I am always okay. He told me when you want to be able to eat in China make sure you go to a Muslim restaurant because the food is halal. I am always okay. We left him.

He is a very busy person. He told me I am supposed to take trips in three different countries That is what he told me. China, Bangkok, Vietnam He is a transit person.

He wants to buy his own things We left him. We never met again after that He gave me his number and told me If you need to ask a question, just WhatsApp me. May God bless him I would really bless him.

Maybe he will remember me I know he will watch May God bless me with more than a thousand businesses I can't be like him. I will not be in that blessing and those people of that place where he's leaning i think it's called muveta yeah they have no idea how good of a leader charlo is so you you're maneuvering now china swimming yes i've seen i'm excited and i went back to the hotel now went through all the business cards excited that now i've seen where things come from that i never knew how cheap they are You know different types of markets, the European markets and the African markets because we have two types of markets in China where you can get the very good quality that is the European market and the African market and all that. Now I know everything. Now the following day I wake up to wash. I start slowly slowly.

Just like he taught me. I saw him walking me through all the places and the malls. I walk like this. and if you have the business card if you just ask someone where is this they're going to direct you wherever it is yeah as long as you have the business card yeah now i would i was so excited went through those places and started taking pictures i'm just taking pictures and just you know taking getting some conversations with them visiting different markets and then i'll go back to the hotel in the evening with very many pictures and i was like Why don't I post these pictures on my WhatsApp status? First, I posted pictures on WhatsApp status even without using Facebook I started posting pictures on WhatsApp status People were like, Hi Ray, you in China?

Yes, I am in China. Can I send you something? Yeah, hey, there's this thing that I have seen, I would want I started quoting for them the prices I always feel like that whole group got a very raw deal I needed money.

I did not have money I needed money. I was talking about very crazy prices. But still cheaper or maybe something they cannot find locally. Most of the things you find in the European market are things you can't find locally. People are sending you handbags.

We tell them it's 7,000 but when it reaches Kenya it will be something like 14,000 or 30,000. And you bought it without taking it? No, I didn't. I need the money. Just go to China and hustle.

I don't know if it's God's direction or what. But I even pity those people. I started getting the orders.

You pay me the money by M-Pesa. The following day... I will get the money.

Then you know what I will do. I'll go to the shipping company. Back then there was a shipping company that I used to use, but I changed it.

It was called Neurex. I'll go to their offices and I'll tell them, can I send this money to you via M-Pesa? The Somali guys. Then you give me in dollars.

So they allowed me to do that. So I would send money and they would give me in dollars. They would pay me. Or RMB, the Chinese currency. I would go to the market and pick up the money I had seen.

I would take it to the shipping company. They would ship it to me. They would not wait for me to bring it with me.

They would ship it directly to wherever I was. I got so many orders. So many. that I ended up staying in China for 30 days.

I told Alex to change the flights now to another whole time. He said you need to add some amount of money. I was like it's okay. No problem. It's okay.

Yeah. Alex changed the flights like three times because of the businesses that I got. I learnt more about the medical equipments.

Machines. Some people tell me to bring a cutter. I told him just see whatever you want.

I made good money. My child had gone there without money I made my clean not less than 800 profits Yes! For 30 days. And I came back because of the visa. My visa was for one month I came back because of the visa.

I made money a lot of it. And I thank God. You know what I did with that money?

More than 600. Buying my stocks of the things now that I would want to sell in Kenya. Good. You know what I went for? Shoes. The designer sneakers.

Almost half a container, 20 feet. But it came via CBM. Imagine, people did not have stocks. A lot of stocks.

And other things too. I came with so many machines. I helped to clear the university fees.

I made sure that money was for my sister. But I made sure that money was for China I came back with all my stocks and everything ready to start a business The shop that we had did a whole interior. They were doing a lot of shopping but when you call for pictures, people on Instagram think you are in a very big store I can't get rid of this. I have a bedroom here.

I will look for one and place it there Yeah. I started business. I started and I did business.

I did a second flight. I did a third flight. Now one day I got into so much invested into designer stuff.

One of the sneakers. Anyone who knows my page, that is the source where I sell the sneakers. They know that I sell very, a very unique sneaker of shoe.

If I get you a shoe, chances are you'll never find it with someone else in the country. Yeah. I was in some and that's true story yeah yeah it's true now I really got invested into clothes those not my designer t-shirts then one day people will always use God will always use people to communicate to you and to get you the information that you need yeah now one day I'm in a business flight to China I'm seated next to a very old Nigerian mzay You're on a flight.

It's a long flight. At the end of the day you're going to look at who is this next to me? You're going to look at each other.

So that old man was the age of like our parents. He told me, what do you always go to do to China? I told him I'm into designer stuff.

That is what I ship and sell. So how do you go about it? I explained it to him.

I explained it to him thinking that he wants to know how I do it so that it can benefit him. so I told him everything about the business. The husband was just looking at me, listening to me He was listening to me.

I told him, what's up? Maybe let's continue talking. Maybe he wants to know how my business is doing It will help him maybe.

Out there you will always find people who are ready to help one another It's only here that you'll find people that are even jealous. When you get there, you will find people who will help you when I was done with the talking that Mzee told me you know what we're in this flight when you get a flight or when you're in a plane headed to China you've beaten poverty at 50 percent now when you set your feet in China you should have beaten poverty at a hundred percent you and poverty nowhere close to one another yeah but let me tell you something you could be having three thousand dollars and another person has three thousand dollars but whatever you're going to take from china determines how well have you beaten your poverty okay you you you're doing a very nice business but how What are the profit margins? You are doing a very nice business and I am being challenged What are the profit margins? You are trying to get clothes, shoes, capes, socks, everything. With your $300,000 you are trying to get rid of all those things.

There is another person in that plane. Maybe they have just gone to China. They are picking the simplest of the simplest things.

but the profit is maybe times 10 times 5 that is how they are going to sell the product if you bring jeans can you be able to sell it at times five so count on those profits and tell me whether it's a good business that you're doing and he was so happy because I felt a bit challenged and I was like you know sometimes you can feel very much comfortable I can't hear you properly he told me you know what like myself I only do in a way that the men do the bras to be precise but calculate the profits that i make in each of the things that i do i load containers of all those things think of a business that you're going to do that if you invest in 300 it's going to give you at least one point something as a profit only hey i felt so much challenged when i nilifica china and by the way when we got to thailand you know we exchanged seats yes we don't get out of the plane because it's just a stopover but the seats have to change. So I was left out and I was in another country But I went to China thinking about it. That is why I hate clothes.

That is the day I decided. That person told me it's not fair. The profit margins of a person who is always going there. I need to think of something better. That is why I don't even teach people how to do clothes.

I have to do it every day. That is why I went and thought. Ray, this is so true.

Locally you get it for Kshs 150,000. So even if you bring it, you use it for Kshs 100,000. profits so I decided to do that with a little amount of money that I had and the way that person told me I got a very big breakthrough when I got into that that's now when I did started doing the medical equipment slowly started moving around to hospitals my friends and all that medical equipments are very expensive locally if I can ship I made it so that I can sell it for half the price that they are going to get it locally and I will still make a very good profit. That is how I ended up doing it. I got invested in it, went around but still that was not my biggest breakthrough.

Oh, another one? That was still not my biggest breakthrough. You got another one? Talk to me about it. Please.

Now, medical equipment is a business that requires a lot of money if you really want to get some huge amounts of goods. So I didn't have any office, no showroom I was still operating on my small car. It's still there It's still there.

It's functional. It can't be closed. And the doctors would come, have a seat there.

They still have the dead stocks for the clothes. They are seeing them. First the dead stocks for the jeans and all that One doctor told me, he's called Dr. Mwinga of the Nakuru Specialist Group of Hospitals. Ray, you need one day to get a place where you can be selling these equipments at. And he shared some knowledge with me.

He told me, I will believe in you and I will give you your first good job. He gave me an offer to equip a whole hospital. He told me, I know you can do it. I want to see you doing it.

Imagine. That is Dr. Mwinga. He's an ops guy of the Nakuru Specialist Hospital.

He said, you know what? You prepare for me a pro forma invoice. Imagine, you prepare for me a pro forma invoice inclusive of everything that I'm supposed to pay you for you to deliver these things to me.

When we are talking of a whole hospital, from the reception to the TVs to the laboratory, wards, theaters, every part of that hospital. Can you imagine? Pediatric ward, ICU, everything. He told me, I am going to trust you in this. And I trust him.

That is what we call working with God. He's going to give you so much grace that even people will not believe you. You don't even have to say anything.

You don't have to oversell yourself. You don't even have to sit down. on a table with someone tell them what you know and always be truthful even to yourself human beings can always connect and know this person is talking the truth or this person is lying this person I can't trust or this person I will trust so he told me prepare for me a proforma invoice I need anything that is used in a hospital and then I prepared a proforma invoice for like a whole one week trying to balance the shipping cost the buying price I took the buying price and made a small profit.

I did not invest much He told me first make a nice history He told me he will give me business and open other businesses Very fast, I told him, this is what I have. He told me, no, no, no. Adjust here, adjust here, and adjust here.

So he guided me like a small sister. I told him, no, this is what someone is supposed to do. And he gave me the money in cash, because I'm in dollars.

All the money, millions, and told me, you know what? I want you to ship for me that container. I told him, I'm going to do it.

Now it's a full container of medical equipment. and I did it and when he saw the container was at the hospital he was really excited he told me I knew it you're going to make it I knew it you see now this one is going to help you to get into other levels a whole container yeah can you imagine successfully delivered successfully delivered in a span of not less than 40 days can you imagine everything Everything I wrote in Profile Mind was in the company I am so tired I don't have a lot of money I don't think I have a lot of money I don't get tired of praying this lady is really working hard let's just give him whatever you know she deserves and all that yeah and like right now you are teaching people you're not even at holding knowledge back yeah there on TikTok you teach people how to import items from China I don't know the buyers to go to, I don't know how not to make mistakes other people would be like this is my business story, I can't teach someone I can't even remember my last day in the hospital. So, and I've never thought of taking a group of people and teaching them.

So you should know that whatever has happened this year, it's under God's control. And I remember I was, I always, I have a prayer center, my favorite prayer center. It's called Heaven's Gate. Oh, we have seen it when we come here.

It's very nice to just go there and just meditate. You know, it's just a nice place to just go and meditate and pray. Yes. Far away from the babies. and just speak something to God even when you don't have anything that's really a problem that you're going to pray for take yourself in there just go communicate with God I can tell you for free all the people have hosted in this segment inspire global there's just something about prayer center God yeah type in yes yeah there is no shortcut unless you choose now the places that you'll be going to get whatever you think that is going to help you yeah you have to have God that is the rule number one never be shy talking about him be proud of praying and prayers and when you ask Christians most of the time you really don't want to be seen like oh you're so spiritual but never even feel ashamed of that let him know that you acknowledge that he is the one who has made you to be wherever you are yeah and you have to walk with him being in a situation where you don't have a mom who can help you a dad who can help you no one that you know that can help you really have to put your trust in god and also he is the giver of the wisdom on how to create and also the giver of that gift yes Actually it is written in the book of Deuteronomy 818 or 816. It is he who gives you the wisdom to create wealth.

Can you imagine? I remember last year in December I went to pray just thanking God and I just felt that I need to be active on social sites but I really don't know whatever I'm supposed to do. I was there at the chapel at night because at night you pray at the chapel not at the gardens. because of the security also in everything and i was there on the floor and i'm praying and i had this thing telling me you're supposed to teach them the same thing that you do the same way you do it not leaving behind anything imagine teaching them the way what i do every day the way i do it from a to z that means you give them the suppliers All the ones that you've been taking flights to Dubai, to wherever, those countries, you give them the suppliers, you teach them how they're supposed to ship the things in the country, how you sell. Remember right now, when COVID came, we fully, like myself, most of the time, I fully rely on social media to do my sales, Instagram.

So I got really invested on social media. Most of my sales, I have so many social media accounts, Instagram accounts for sales. I don't post.

that is not how it is done most people pay the influencers they mention them but they don't make any sales yes so i teach them how even to create those pages and all that and i created a telegram group and i started teaching yeah and i've mentored not more than not less than 1200 people 1 280 something people in your telegram group yes all who have just paid kidogo entry subscription fee just to come and get knowledge. Can I ask you what are some of the misconceptions we have about China? Like the things about China, people making jokes.

Is this even from China? I'm telling you, you know most people think that China has very fake products. At some even in my telegram group think that getting something from Amazon is of good quality than getting it from China.

But I always tell them you're not supposed to be buying something from Amazon, you're supposed to be selling. because even the people most of the people that are doing selling in amazon they vote in china china i've even taught them to do a comparison they take a screenshot of the thing that they saw on amazon go search for that for that thing on alibaba and see the pricing wow times three times four times five because those people are getting things from china yeah and uh and you know shipping things from us to kenya is a bit hectic yeah not compared from maybe Dubai to Kenya or China from Kenya so I always teach them how to go about it the biggest misconception is that they are fake and in China you get whatever you want and you can determine whatever you want yeah you can get a pair of sneakers at 150 I can get a pair of sneakers at 5 000 Kenya shillings but I've taught them how to determine there's a specific document that you have to get when you're trying to ship your things okay you you cannot pay for your items in china without that specific document yes that gives a description of the item that you're buying earrings what types of earrings do you want what are the what are the metals and all that so i've taught them a lot but that is the biggest misconception china is the real deal china is the real deal even for the people that get their things in dubai dubai doesn't produce anything dubai doesn't produce anything you're supposed to get it from china but go mostly also i have very good connections with the european market markets and that is where things like from dubai the the arabs get them from those markets european markets yeah now Being humble has taught me a lot. Don't have some attitude. Put your attitude aside. Be a very humble person.

Someone who can talk to you. Someone who can hear you. And be ready to learn. You don't talk a lot. You just look at the other person and listen.

You talk, you see and you hear. Even if someone said something that you know, just keep quiet so that they can proceed to put you in a position to talk to you. to continue talking or telling you whatever they know is something that you're going to get from them and be a trustworthy person, trustworthy. Yeah, integrity is the key thing.

You can go anywhere without integrity, my dear. Yeah, integrity. Integrity. Yeah, we used to be told back in my school at the outspan, integrity, and never go below your standards.

That is what we were taught. And it's the key thing and working with God. I hear you telling people that you will teach them to start a business with a lot of money and not just a little bit I do the classes on TikTok I tell them to come and join the Telegram group from TikTok So when I am talking to them even in my Telegram group because we do lives there every Friday We are there to teach ourselves, not to be with them from 8.40 we can go all the way to 12 at night as I hear from them asking me questions and all that I always tell them make sure the business that you're going to start start with a little amount of money that you have with I you know give them a minimum of four thousand Kenya shillings and above you can start doing your imports very practical very practical you can even download Alibaba and can see how cheap things are in China yeah shipping is not a problem yes the government our government do support us yeah I've heard that people say shipping is the problem it's customs, KRA is so expensive, KRA, KEDS, no it's not like that yeah our government is super supportive of us how most people don't know but the government that was there came up with this thing that's you know even with your five pieces of shoes and with my three pieces of studio watch they can get consolidated in china and they are going to be shipped to wherever you are yeah it's the government that came up with that strategy there there were days that shipping things from china was for the very rich switching yeah but now these days things are very very you know and our government do support us you don't even get anywhere into contact with the customs The consolidator is going to do that for you.

So everything is being taxed? Yes. Tax included. Everything?

That is how we have ended up growing. I started business 8 years ago. So I have been able to grow even with the small amount. I have been able to grow in a container.

and people need to understand there's a specific way of shipping your things as a business person there's a very specific way you know most people think that you're going to use maybe the postal call postal address the poster yeah i'm a courier service like dhl ups and all that yeah you you're supposed to use consolidators they have been put there by the government to help us if you use dhl and those other things to ship your things you will be frustrated my dear you are not going to be able to sell your things yeah there is a that use consolidation yes people don't know how to go about it but i've taught them thank you i've taught them yes i will let them come to your telegram i will put the link here so they can join so they learn yes i've really taught them yeah and it has been a good one we thank god yes so we've made millions from china We have made some small millions here. Are you proud of yourself? Really, but when you get there you don't even feel it because the amount of hard work that you have put in it, you don't even recognize it. Like, how I have done so much. No one will see it.

you might even get it at half the price that you're going to get it yes maybe locally yeah and the same specs and a very good one and we have a company that you know does the servicing and all that yeah you are gotten out to that you are you are great geez you know you say be humbling you are also there Yes, now it's beautiful. You know business is business. And you've really manoeuvred.

But have you ever been conned? Yes, a lot of money. How much?

A lot of it. Almost a full container. So that question comes in handy.

Over trusting people and being naive. Naivety is bad. Really bad.

Someone gives you a job. You give them a job. You go for it without putting the right documents in place. And once the goods are here, there was a specific doctor, I won't mention their name. And once the goods were in the country, he decided to just get his way up with his very good lawyer.

I had to deliver the goods to the hospital without being paid. And I lost it like that. How much?

Because that person died. So I just paid millions. Sweetie? Yes How did you get her? It was a word of mouth Did you know?

Not knowing that someone would come and take those things but I gave up on those things completely. I just told God to fight that battle for me I didn't even stress myself and when I left it, God gave me other jobs and He paid me for that. The thing was get the right documents in place don't trust people even if it is your best friend Even if it's someone who has referred you and you don't know who they are and protect yourself in so many ways when doing business that is what prompted me to start a company. It's hard to get robbed when you are under a company because you have to get your whole team, put them on that conference table sit and discuss and sign all the documents I never did any delivery from there and secure yourself.

First Kenyans can be litigious I can tell you that. As you are trying to place your order, ever converse with those people over the WhatsApp in a way that you can even use it as evidence. Don't delete things, messages, everything.

Put it on your phone. I am removing all of them from here to Timbuktu. I am not a person who goes to chat, what picture, everything. Please don't ever try that.

Put it on. You may need it after like three years. What legacy are you looking into leaving behind?

The legacy? Yes. I just want the world to remember that I was there.

You know, like you, the world will always remember that you were there. Even when you leave, you know, we are not here to stay. No.

We are not here to stay. A day is coming. A day is coming, sweetie.

Yeah, and I'm ready for it. Even me, I'm ready. I'm always ready for it. I've already given them the best of the bestest. I just want them to remember.

that I was there. And I know the best sacrifice that I can do even for my generations. I'm the matriarch of my whole generation.

I want my greats to eat the fruits, to reap the fruits of the things that I did today. When they are in situations, they are stuck. God is going to send someone to help them.

They will understand. They will say I even don't know whatever happened. They won't understand that I made a covenant with God.

They are great. I got into a covenant with God. I just want God to remember that he has blessed me.

I have enough, not for myself. He can keep them for the hour. For the generations to come you don't know about tomorrow and we are living in the end times It's closer home.

It's closer home than you may think. It's closer home. I don't know how it will be tomorrow But I know God is going to remember.

Yes. Yeah, I like that you say that with so much conviction Yeah, like with just so much conviction. Yeah, and it's beautiful. I just want that.

How is mom now? Mama is good Yeah, I just called her before we did the interview I told her I am going to sit and pray so that i can speak things that are going to be helpful and they're going to change people's lives out there yeah the same way i prayed about the telegram group where it has really changed yes so many people yes and now you just need the whole consultancy farm you told me i know because i know this episode people will listen but they will want to come and just ask lots of questions and all that and you know there is where you set up your consultant i'll give you an email address I am even putting it right here right now they can get you through here thank you for that and thank you Ray I think I've had one of the best conversations this year true story you're just so cool you're just so welcoming you're just so easy to talk to thank you you know you're out here passing knowledge understanding that the cake is very big for everyone I'm telling you like what yeah even if we all did business You can't even... You can't even finish it. Like me, the things that I sell, I enjoy a lot of monopoly but I can't even feed the market. It's more than like what I can handle.

Even right now that I've mentored more than a thousand people, more than 1200 people. There's no changes that I've gotten. But from my pages on Instagram and everything, no. Because we are so many. And remember, there are so many things that very few people do in the country.

A business like... A business like selling car accessories, forget about even the spare parts How many people do you know that sell car accessories at import? Very few. That's a business you can start even with your 30,000, 40,000 Most people think of clothes, electronics Those are the three things people think of. And the fridge will come and eat your money, it's heavy It's bulky and heavy at the same time There's no way to save a lot of money You are not going to get some good profit margins and go for the smallest The small things that are just in the market Start a page and start selling for us water bottles Get them from China Guys I am selling water bottles from today I am already selling water bottles You can order in advance You can arrest me You can order I am selling water bottles from China don't stop giving me ideas, you will get some with linseed bottles, water bottles and laundry bags you will get me these ideas.

My people go to Ray's group and we will get these tips and think that i'm going to be depressed i don't come from a family you know i you know i'm i'm a stay-at-home mom i have to sit around and take in everything so the sake of my babies oh i'm in the university my parents can't provide enough for me yeah i can get another way of making money but there's always the straight way of doing things and do something because you have to have something yes that god is going to use yeah yes don't you see even in the bible it is written when Jesus was trying to feed the 5,000 people there was a lad that he asked and there was a lad there with five loaves of bread and two fish and that is what was multiplied there must be something that you're doing yeah and start small with a little amount of money and these days people are lucky not like not like when I started business monetize social media social media is equals to money instagram is equals to shops even if you're in the corporate world you Just start a business. Business is everything and we are living in times where things are thick. People think that it is only here in Kenya.

Take a flight all the way to China, US. Things are not as okay as you may think. Knowing that we had COVID, we are getting the aftermath of the COVID and the fights and all that. Do something.

Start a business. I always give them a minimum of 4,000 Kenyan shillings for them to start importing things from China. No excuse. No excuse. I always tell them, you just get yourself a page on Instagram that sells only earphones.

Yes. They'll never understand. How much is earphones in China?

You get it at 35 shillings, you're going to sell it at 150. No, how much is that? Wow, that's a lot. They will never understand that this page sells earphones because they don't have money.

He had 3,000 to start a business. They will just see very nice unique earphones. They would want to start shipping them and selling them.

You ship them and you sell them. And you get your profits and you see the profit margins. Interior deco stuff we are living in times where everyone wants their house to look beautiful beautiful see how much those things are sold out in China you can just get them if you just learn how to ship your things so I just want to tell them to start somewhere yeah they stay at home moms mostly the people that mostly women my heart goes out to all the women yes that are in the situations that maybe my mom was you know my mom used to tell me I was not sure that if I left, I would not be able to get it These days, we should not do that. Get something for yourself As long as you have a smart phone.

A person with a problem has no smart phone And if you don't have a smart phone and a good camera A smart phone with a good camera doesn't mean that it is an expensive phone I use a 15,000 phone to go live on TikTok I use a 15,000 phone to go live on TikTok So we can use a good camera, post your things, import them. Paying for things in China via M-Pesa, you can even do it at the comfort of your house. And at two, chuck out suppliers, do it the way I've taught you. Create a page on Instagram that you expect to do your sales in there. Start importing.

And with that and reminding God that this is what I have. You better come through for me. You better come through for me. This is what is supposed to feed my kids. Come through for me.

But he is not going to come through for you if you don't wake up. Stay clean. Do something that is clean. Don't even try to get money.

You know that it is not clean. You have gone to the palace and you have been looking for money. Just go back to the palace. Talk to the people who have failed in business.

for someone to start a business and succeed in it and the majority of you the same china they went and they failed terribly and they had visions of big shops to talk to the people who are failed in business and i've also failed several years so i know where the problem is yeah because even the Kampala ones they were not doing well yeah and when you're failing in business you feel like I think I need to do this it's going to work. I think I'm going to do this it's going to work. You go to the shop and ask them how the jeans are made. I understand where they are coming from.

The number one thing that people who fail in business is lacking the knowledge of how you're supposed to go about it. Knowledge is important. If it takes you to spend 20,000 Kenya shillings To pay people to get questionnaires and get whatever it is on the ground to go out there and do some research for you before you even bring that thing go ahead and pay it.

But we know in Kenya they think that is just wasting money If you have to enroll in a class and learn how you are supposed to do it the right way. So it's not just trying When you are getting into imports, this is what you are supposed to do This is a step that you are supposed to take This is the shipping cost you even expect to pay for your goods once they are in the country before you even pay for them in China so that you can determine the profit margins and you always learn from the people that are in it. Even if you have to pay some fee, just pay for it. I remember back in the days, I wanted to get to learn how to do investments. This story of telling people to buy land and invest, I knew it had passed by.

I paid KSh 29,000 and some money at St. Onomi and I went for a class yes because I just wanted to learn because they were teaching I wanted to know what are other ways someone can do some investment apart from what we know we don't get money to buy a farm I just want to learn and you start building yeah when you try to liquidify them after 10 years they will not get money really? they will not be able to survive yeah you try to liquidify them when you have a problem If you're a movie person, you know me, I don't watch movies. I've never watched a movie in my life.

I will take you to watch Woman King. Wakanda or wherever. Even I have never. No, me, I will take you to watch a nice movie. It's called Woman King.

It will be my first movie. I've never watched a movie. But I read books.

In Cape Mesquite? Yes. I will help you here.

You read? you can watch a movie related to whatever you want to do or maybe watch a show that is related to the problem that you're trying to solve yeah get the right knowledge that is the key thing up on the water and i feel that that is a kid you don't have we don't want to keep upgrading ourselves we want to be comfortable and you just want to invest maybe even 400 000 in a business that you really don't know about energy you know what you're gonna end up with is turkey and you are going to Turkey You can even take a trip to just go there and learn fast. It's not wasting money. Once you get to learn how to do that thing the time you get into it, you know whatever you are doing.

You are not at all in panic You are not scared to do business. You are actually eager That is what happens to the people in my Telegram group. They are eager to start doing it Even the bus is being driven by one day from the shipping company, they are going to clear it and they are like, it's almost done, I want to sell it Yeah You replace your fears with the knowledge that you need to do the thing that you want to do. And actually business requires a lot of skills. It's an art.

You see how singing is an art? Business is an art by itself. So you have to know how to scheme the moves, the do's and don'ts and all that. It's a good one.

It's a good one. I love that. It's beautiful. God I feel like I can just sit here and talk with you the whole day for myself but we gotta wind up anything else you would like to add?

no I just want to tell the people out there just do something for yourself just do something for yourself and don't pity yourself there's no time to throw for yourself like a pity party even if you are married that you are beaten every day no time to pity yourself you should consider your children yes and that is what most people who are victims of violence don't consider i tell them when i'm talking to them that's being selfish remember your child if you're a woman there remember a child that doesn't have another mom another dad can't provide for themselves and live on top of their you know their heads food that one will give you the courage to get to the next level do something you're a student you're in the university waste yourself but you're going to Once you are as old as me Once you are 29 No, 30 is the third floor So you are going to reap the fruits of the things you did in your twenties Just do something for yourself And don't be so greedy Once you see sin, think of sinning You even get nauseated You are like, money? I can make it for myself I can do it I don't need to do something just do something and do business and do business love you where can people find you where can people come in for the telegram link i will put it on the comment section guys it's pinned the telegram link but where else can they find you on my social sites yes yes on my social sites yeah if i give them my office yes i'll stop even working yes yeah true story that's true story i'll stop working my YouTube? Just Ray. Instagram?

Just Ray. TikTok? Just Ray.

Facebook? Just Ray. opening and widening your doors we have said we will receive the gift of glory the things that you do here on earth they not only have a gift here but also in heaven the people that are doing ministries like the one that you do it's a ministry and you have been blessed you get the unfading crown of glory unfading Crown of Glory.

When the Great Shepherd will appear and just come, He's going to give you the unfading crown of glory. You know people think that just going to heaven is the ultimate goal. No.

It's one of the crowns that you're supposed to get. There are four more. There are five of them Do you know the other four? That is what everyone knows, that is our goal you're there cursing God and all that you rejoice in all seasons yes you are going through a very dark phase in your life you tell yourself you just tell yourself I know this is a testimony in the making this one is a testimony there are people who are going to get that good the imperishable one are the people who forfeited all the earthly things that are perishable you are the one who says I am not going to do this it's sinful You have viewers in heaven. I don't think there are many.

Wow, you are just so... You are just so chilled. We are just going to study. But you are just so chilled. And there is something that I forgot to tell you.

If you would want to help people successively, you have to participate in it. That is part of management. So I charge them 2K. I don't want them to join for free. Yes.

If I do it for free, it's not going to meet. They won't appreciate even. Yeah, they won't. Even if you want to do a charity out there in your shago, you have to make the people that you're helping to participate in something. Even if you're trying to get them some water, tell them to just, they come and do the, what is it, to clean up a little.

That is what we call helping. Yes. They'll feel like I'm in this group because I paid for it. I deserve it.

And I'm going to. I am going to take advantage of everything I learn I always tell them if you are here and you haven't started doing your imports just know you are wasting your 2,000 subscription fee so when they feel that, they are just doing their orders and starting selling so people come and they have already paid but good job though, allow me to wind up good job, as I was saying may God actually broaden and widen your doors yes me feel some type of way beautiful energy energy energy beautiful vibe you know you're just seeing things in a different way in a different perspective yeah and understanding there is nothing wrong when you keep constantly helping people yeah your reward is in heaven and also here and also here on earth here and in heaven yeah yeah thank you you're looking lovely again love love you thank you for going with that house it's okay yeah but again my people thank you so much for tuning in and i hope you've learned a lot on today's episode of inspire global if you have any questions in the comment section i want to know from you what was your take home have you felt challenged have you felt motivated are you inspired do you feel like waking up right now and chasing your dream those are some of the things i want you to tell me on the comment section should we bring ray back i know as a matter of fact we will be seeing her soon i don't want to disclose for you yet people because i'm planning but i have you guys in mind especially people who are seriously like kabisa invested in business i have you guys in mind so you will be seeing her soon and a couple of other people i've hosted here on inspire global like in wachinima lisa cupica and you want me new ambia and if you want to get hold of her her contact there's an email right here on the screen with her social media handles also and i will also be pinning the link to her telegram group on the comment section so that you are able to join and learn i always tell you before i sit on this chair and bring you something it's because it has benefited me even before it gets to be discussed on this show and i only hope you guys can continue keep fighting for your dream keep fighting for your dream don't let go because of the many challenges that you are facing and of course guys you can see me sitting here how beautiful this place is therapeutic i kind of missed filming outside you know just sitting here and just in this place we are at sarova wood Lance here in Nakuru met amazing people Emily, Teresa such amazing people who gave us permission to just come and film here and knowing that they love our work makes me really happy so you know what we do here if something is good is good I see they have conference places they haven't asked me to do this but I'm gonna I had a hot chocolate which is really beautiful which means that oh yeah Let me finish If you are passing through Nakuru but i'm gonna do it anyways because a good deed deserves another thank you keep shining thank you yes and of course i want to say thank you to myself for successfully hosting the show and to my amazing team that's our camera person edwin ochi and our men's desk host and producer joshua j karanja for being here today and making sure that no i have to mention our editors are back at home that's kelvin Edgar and Sam for the incredible work that you guys are doing and making sure our content keeps reaching people and impacting their lives one step at a time. My name is Lynn Kamakawa Kamadawa This is my email, if you want to share your story with me, if you have a successful business story that you want us to feature on Inspire Global, that's the email. My name is Lynn, till next time.

Bye-bye. Bye. Yay.

You've done a good job.

Transcript for:Lessons from a Business Journey

Transcript for:
Lessons from a Business Journey