This archive report was first published on 4 September 2019.
After graduating from Maseno University with a degree in IT, Earnest moved to Nairobi in search of employment. However, he soon discovered an opportunity in the cleaning business while living with his uncle, who runs a laundry business.
He sold the idea of setting up a home cleaning business to a friend, and Junest Cleaners was formed. However, the partnership dissolved just five months later due to the challenges faced in early start-ups.
Despite this setback, Earnest remained optimistic and continued to work towards turning around the business. He eventually secured employment to sustain himself while he worked towards reviving his business.
Two years later, Earnest's hard work paid off, and he was able to turn his business around. He credits his success to the valuable advice he received from Anyiti Nanyama, the founder of Crystal Africa cleaning services.
Anyiti, who has experienced tremendous success in the business, employs over 100 personnel on a permanent basis and has carved out a niche for herself in the estate cleaning business. She shared three key tips with Earnest:
- Identify and understand your core market: A business is only as successful as the market it serves. It is essential to identify and understand your core market, as you cannot serve everyone.
- Be reliable to your clients: Clients are the backbone of every business, and reliability is a crucial value proposition that can be offered to clients. Once a client can count on you to deliver, you are guaranteed long-term business.
- Create systems to properly manage your business: For a business to run efficiently and effectively, systems must be set in place to ensure that employees can execute their operations and functions in a systematic format.
These tips have been instrumental in Crystal Africa's success, and Earnest has applied them to his own business, achieving remarkable results.
