This archive report was first published on 17 June 2020.
Published on June 17, 2020, Veronica Nyabuto's business journey began with a passion for creating wigs. After working in the financial sector for six years, including two years at Iroko Capital in Nigeria, she returned to Kenya and started her business from home.
Veronica's entrepreneurial journey started with a simple idea - creating wigs. She began by making two wigs and selling one to a friend. As demand grew, she partnered with factories in Asia to create several wig prototypes. In 2017, she opened her first flagship store, Verushka Wigs, and in 2019, she expanded her brand with Verose Wigs by Verushka Wigs, focusing on affordable human hair wigs.
However, Veronica soon realized that her business was overly dependent on her. When she took a long vacation a few years ago, customers were used to working with only her, and she didn't have a plan in place for her business to run in her absence.
Veronica believes that starting the business from home was a major contributing factor to her owner dependency. She was a one-person team, overseeing everything related to the business. She shares her tips on how to build a business that thrives without the constant input of the owner.
"Immerse yourself in the processes first," Veronica advises. "At the outset, owner dependency is not totally a bad thing. It helped me gauge and assess the needs and growth plan of my business."
She emphasizes the importance of documenting procedures for all tasks, including mundane tasks like store opening and closing. This helps keep the company running smoothly and serves as a reminder of what is acceptable and unacceptable at work.
Veronica also stresses the need to quit micromanaging and allow the management team to lead as needed. She advises delegating tasks and empowering the team to make decisions by spelling out expectations and providing them with the tools they need to do the work efficiently.
"Have structures," Veronica says. "Structures are the engines that enable productivity and give your business a lifeline that doesn’t depend on your skills alone."
