From Selling Yoghurt to a Celebrated Serial Entrepreneur, Meet Njeri Rionge.

With the level of unemployment in Africa, I have decided to bring stories of people (Africans most times) who started from the scratch and made some money for themselves and their families. Below is the story of Kenyan, Njeri Rionge. She started very small and today, she's celebrated. Enjoy.....

“My first business was selling yoghurt from a friend’s car trunk to the International school of Kenya and Loreto Convent Musongari High School over their breaks” says Njeri. 
When she started, she would always act on any business opportunity that she came across, determined to turn it into a reality. She was also working as a hair dresser when she started, before recognizing another business opportunity which entailed selling of luxury merchandise to high net worth clients. In order for her to buy and re-sell the goods, she had to fly regularly to London using discounted courier tickets. She says that she didn’t necessarily feel a compulsion to take these business opportunities, but instead had a passion for selling and creating a business. 

In 2001, she co-founded East Africa’s first mass market oriented ISP, “Wananchi Online”, which made internet connectivity affordable for the average household for the first time. “This is perhaps the company that my name is most synonymous with in Kenya, and why I’m known as a ‘tech entrepreneur’ in some circles” she says. With her business partner, they grew from a typical start up to become the largest ISP in East Africa, with a network of five regional offices, and a recognized brand. As CEO, she raised a first tranche of $500,000 and a second tranche of $3M for ‘Wananchi’ and eventually went on to raise up to $238M. 

Currently, she runs Ignite consulting, a firm that specializes in coaching, strategy facilitation organizational effectiveness and skills training. Business Lounge, another one of her ventures, acts as a business incubator for start-up companies and as a business club for established firms and individuals. She encourages other entrepreneurs to be resilient because according to her, having a strong backbone that can handle challenges is the key to successful entrepreneurship. ( Source: The Founder Mag)

This lady must have worked to improve herself. She must one who reads and spends her time wisely. How do you spend your time? What book have you read in the last 90 days? What are you doing to improve yourself?