Thinking Big

Yesterday was a very inspiring day for me as it was a day that I had meetings and discussions, planned or coincidental, with some three people and friends who are daring to think BIG.Two of the people are in business for themselves and are both in the service industry one each from either gender.

The guy, let's call him Jonathan, has been credited with a very unique business idea that a few years ago was thought of to be below the dignity of many aspiring entreprenuers. On one of his travels to China seven years ago, he saw the concept, had an "aha" moment when he realised how people were struggling to avail of this service in Kenya and then decided to go for it and today he is on the guest list of hundreds of social, commercial and sporting events across the country and region as one of their most important and necessary service providers.

From Jonathan's humble beginnings his business has ventured into other complementary and related business services in the process creating employment and service provision opportunities to many people and businesses that his companies deal with in Kenya. As a pioneer, many copy cats have also risen to the occasion agressively undercutting him on his pricing determined to get a piece of the action. 

To them his only message seems to be "come baby come" since he knows that his business model is sustainable, pays a fair wage, remits its taxes and contributes towards being a good corporate citizen of Kenya.

As for the lady, let's call her Sylvia, she has only recently started her own business less than a year old and a franchise of a internationally reknowned brand name represented in 62 cities across the world but with a miniscule presence in Kenya and indeed Africa. The services provided by her company are unheard of in this part of the world but are sure to be of great interest to those Kenyans that travel often and require a service that only a company with great international connections, an excellent business model and a committed team of staff willing to pander and pamper to your every whim at a price of course. She has put her corporate experiences into good use haveing worked in a number of blue chip companies as part of the senior management teams and making a difference in the organisations that she has served in.

Sylvia's plans for her business are exciting to say the least and include plans to have an end to end business model where her clients are treated to a "one stop shop" where all their needs are taken care of.

The third person is a personal friend and a source of great inspiration to an activity that I hold dear to my heart. He has had his personal challanges in the recent past that have forced him to change his life style but his positive spirit , zest for life and qualities of perfection puts him a cut above many others who seemingly have it all. Let's call him Zack.

Zack has aspirations of a grand nature in terms of his legacy to the world. He has been in touch with a team of world reknowned and international sports consultants because he believes that he can leave this world a better place than he found it. He would like to partner with them and come up with a concept that will rival the best in Africa including South Africa. Does he know what they will charge as professional fees or where the financing for this project will come from? He has no clue but believes that the place he has in mind has the space, the potential and the capacity to be what he envisages it to be as a centre for sporting excellence in this part of the world. I am convinced that his vision will crystalise into this concept.

All three, who for obvious reasons will remain anonymous for now, are relatively young and have dared to think big. To think out of the box and beyond the frontiers of rational though processes. To explore what is possible or impossible not thorough the decisions of a committee, but through the passion to discover and pioneer what no one else in this part of the world has thought to do.

The sheer audacity of their accomplishments, plans and decisions will surely catapult them into a super league of the centres of excellence in their chosen fields and their sheer strength of personality is sure to carry along any one lucky enough to see their visions and share in their euphoria and aspirations as the thread their way along the path least travelled to success and gratification.

If more of us were like my three friends imagine what kind of world we would be in and what kind of legacies we would leave for future generations to emulate.