Kenyan Youth Entrepreneurs Creating Jobs for Youth

Kenya’s Orac Branding enrolled in AMI’s flagship Grow Your Business programme in 2021.
Their two youth founders increased revenue by 70% in 2022, created 10 jobs and forged partnerships with other entrepreneurs they met on our programme.

Orac Branding, a marketing and branding agency based in Nairobi, was co-founded by young Kenyan entrepreneurs Munune Githiri and Vanessa Mwaniki. Munene noted that he started his business because he is passionate about the sector, and noted that ‘back in the day marketing and branding was for the big boys with the big budgets. I saw an opportunity where micro and small businesses needed to understand what marketing is. We give them knowledge at a fair price’.

Munene commented: ‘What I found most useful about the programme was the tools. I have a folder on my laptop named MBA. Everything in that folder is the tools I downloaded from the (AMI) programme. I found them very practical and very relevant to my business. I really enjoyed how the class was being conducted – there were even networking and breakout sessions where we could discuss the topic of the day in relation to our businesses. I was added to a Whatsapp group with pan-African entrepreneurs, I have found 2 clients and 1 partner – we co-created a product together.’

Munene said that a growth in revenue (a 69% growth from 2021-22) and an ability to hire new staff was the most significant change that resulted from the programme. He attributes the growth to developing a sales strategy for the business, implementing cost reduction strategies and re-evaluating the needs of the customers in order to better understand how they could meet that need. Orac created 4 full time and 6 part time jobs in 2022, hiring 3 Kenyan youth into their first jobs.

Beyond this direct job creation, Orac uses their expertise to develop Micro SMEs with branding skills within their community – 551 to date. Munene comments that he is aware of at least 12 of these businesses that have hired 1-2 additional staff themselves.

Munene said that a growth in revenue (a 69% growth from 2021-22) and an ability to hire new staff was the most significant change that resulted from the programme. He attributes the growth to developing a sales strategy for the business, implementing cost reduction strategies and re-evaluating the needs of the customers in order to better understand how they could meet that need. Orac created 4 full time and 6 part time jobs in 2022, hiring 3 Kenyan youth into their first jobs.

Beyond this direct job creation, Orac uses their expertise to develop Micro SMEs with branding skills within their community – 551 to date. Munene comments that he is aware of at least 12 of these businesses that have hired 1-2 additional staff themselves.

To learn more about the African Management Institute and our Grow Your Business Programme, visit africanmanagers.org/gyb