Take two businessmen, Kamau running an electronic shop in Nyamakima and Patel running an auto-spare shop along Kirinyaga road. Both men take their sons to JKUAT for a degree course. Patel’s son commutes daily from parklands while Kamau’s son lives in a small rented bedsitter in Juja.
Before joining college, Patel son used to spend the days at the auto-spare shop a routine he continues every sat when not going to college. Over the vacations, he even takes over the management. Kamau on the other side believes that Nyamakima is not the place for his university going son so he should get a degree and get a better job.
The two young men graduates and goes separate ways. Patel junior now takes over the running of the auto-spare shop. Kamau jr hits the road, looking for a job. Two years and he gets a job as a bank teller, supermarket clerk etc. After six months and with meagre income, Kamau son is frustrated and decides to go back for an MBA and improve his CV.
In the same period, Patel junior has gained some management skills of running the shop with a workforce of five employees. In his interactions with fellow business men and trips to source business stocks in China and India, he meets an Indian business man who is trying to market some softwires and computer accessories manufactured in India and Taiwan. He and another accomplice form a company and agree to distribute them. At first, the company is operated from the backyard of the auto-shop.
Both men are now 28, for Patel junior, the man is now confident and experienced in making business deals. He approaches a few companies, does presentations and convinces them to take up his products.
By now, he has passed the auto-spare shop to his siblings and is now running a full fledged IT company.
For Kamau junior, he has graduated with an MBA, is now driving a car on loan and is now looking for a better job. He ends up becoming an employee at Patel’s company as a supervisor.
Guys, that is where the real entrepreneurship classes start, and a foot-holding is all our youth requires. Don’t wonder why our MBA degree holders were looking for internship at supermarkets and wonder no more how Indians are still ruling this business economy!