Impact Masters Podcast
We focus on the tech ecosystem by creating and disseminating knowledge. We tell authentic stories, acknowledging and preserving history, embracing civilization, and encouraging technology and innovation. In all this, we point out the impact and the actionable points. At Impact Masters we are disrupting the status quo: Body, Mind, and Spirit.
Subscribe to our channel and podcast:
https://linktr.ee/impactmasters
Michael Kimathi
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelkimathi/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/m_k_global
Follow us :
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ImpactMastersco
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/impact-masters-inc/
Explore Our Podcast
https://www.youtube.com/@IMPACTMASTERSMEDIA/podcasts
#impactmasters #entrepreneurs #africa #podcast #entreprenurjourney
Impact Masters Podcast
#46 Breaking Barriers: Charles Oduk’s Journey from Struggle to Innovation
In this episode, we delve into the inspiring journey of Charles Oduk, a tech entrepreneur whose life story remarkably intertwines hardship, resilience, and innovation. Born and raised in the challenging environments of Eldoret, Kenya, Charles faced significant adversities early in life, including the loss of family members and the constant struggle against poverty. Yet, these experiences nurtured an unyielding resolve to create impactful change, leading him to establish Beba Begi—a revolutionary tech platform providing smart storage solutions.
Join us as we explore Charles's unique approach to entrepreneurship, highlighting how personal struggles can fuel passion and innovation. He emphasizes the necessity of addressing societal issues through technology, paving the way for healthier communities and empowering young Africans to dream big. Listen in as he opens up about the mental health challenges he faced along the way, advocating for a more compassionate understanding of those in distress and the importance of supporting one another.
This conversation dives into the complexities of securing funding for startups in Africa, the pertinent lessons Charles has learned, and the importance of focusing on customer satisfaction above all. If you’re curious about the intersection of technology and social change, or seeking inspiration from someone who has turned their life challenges into opportunities, this episode is for you.
Don't miss out on the chance to follow in Charles's footsteps and learn how you can make a difference in your own community. Engage with us by subscribing, sharing, and leaving your views on the episode!
Subscribe and show some love. Ubuntu.
yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, welcome once again. Welcome to impact masters. In collaboration with uh. Africa's talking Africa's Talking is a communication company providing USSD, sms, airtime, mobile data, empowering developers across Africa and making sure businesses are scaling.
Speaker 1:Today is a beautiful day, the day of the Lord, and today we have one and only Prince Charles Oduk. The man himself A mechatronics engineer, project manager, senior consultant, tech entrepreneur, iot expert, public and motivational speaker. This one guy will tell you can start a chicken business using a feather. You need that courage to build what he has built so far. Charles Oduk is branded a serial innovator.
Speaker 1:Charles is a world-winning tech entrepreneur with diverse knowledge in the tech startup and internet of things iot ecosystem. He has managed to build iot tech innovations from scratch through all six stages of product development to the market today. Technology is his passion and he wishes to venture deeper into understanding how he can create a difference in the lives of other people across the world using technology. Charles Oduk believes in changing Africa in our lifetime by building sustainable solutions that address the problems we face as continents. Especially now, with the fourth industrial revolution, where technology is widely open source and available, young people need to be empowered to believe in their dreams of changing the African story. How are you, charles? I'm very well, sir.
Speaker 2:You good, very good.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's what is on paper. So I like starting with that. For the people who are going to search you up, I'm sure this is what they're going to see. But ideally here we like to start all the way back and come chronologically to where we are, and I would like to know where did Charles Prince Oduk started? You know, when I hear all those titles being mentioned about me, sometimes it's really like you know those Obama stories you just want to read and write about. Charles is Charles Oduk is? I don't know. They call, they say he's a jack of all trades, but I think I'm literally almost everything.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So when I look back to how far this journey has been for me, it's been. I'm one of those people who say I'm self-motivated. So some few things that people don't even know about me. I was born in the slums, Okay, when were you born?
Speaker 1:There's a slum in Eldoret called Langas, so much as my place of birth. On my certificate it's written Migori, my mother. Actually, we did live in the slums for quite a while. I had an elder sister who passed away when I was three, so those are stories that are not even known out there. So I have actually lived the life of the highs, the lows, the ugly, the beautifuls, the peaks and the lows. I've literally almost experienced everything as young as I am, and one thing that life has taught me is you keep on learning.
Speaker 1:So, I was born in the early 90s. I was the second born in our family and at the time I was literally born in poverty, so I had a first-hand experience in poverty. My mom literally used to hook groundnuts njugu in primary school in a primary school Aga Khan Primary School in Kisumu and by this time I was literally an infant. So she would carry me along and then, as life would have it I don't know what happened between them and my dad they split and then my sister got sick. My mom was not able to afford the hospital bills and stuff, so my mom passed away was not able to to afford the austral bills and stuff.
Speaker 1:So my mom passed away. I I'm sorry. My sister passed away, sorry um.
Speaker 2:Your mom is still there, though yeah, my, my mom is still there she's, she's literally my biggest support system.
Speaker 1:I can, I can, I can imagine how proud she is.
Speaker 1:Oh, trust me, my mother is literally uh, I, I'd rather not have an entire literally uh, I, I'd rather not have an entire million people supporting me, but my mom, just your mom, yeah nice, yeah so, um, so we I grew then from that, from that time when my mom and my dad split um, my mom moved to somewhere called kinder. It's a remote village somewhere near like victoria. To be honest, I don't even know where that place is Until today. Until today, there are certain places. Once you've walked, you're just like I'm done. So at the age of six, I was already fending for the family Do you know what? I was fishing.
Speaker 2:You're a fishmonger.
Speaker 1:Fishmonger is someone who sells the fish after the fishermen come.
Speaker 1:Then I wasn't a fishmonger is someone who sells the fish after the fisherman come the day. No, no, then I wasn't a fishmonger, I was a fisher boy, you will call it. So I will go fishing with, with men who go with fishermen, and whatever my salary will be one piece of fish, what? Yes, so you will go fishing at night. So at night, yes. At night, yes. So at this time my mother is selling omenas and some other things in the market, so in the evening we'll come and combine and then we have our food, and my mom was really really really hard working at that time.
Speaker 1:She just wanted everything to keep on unfolding for her. She just wanted everything to keep on unfolding for her, and I remember when she was able to take me to school, I was barefoot and then I had too much shillings. You know those two things yeah because of malnutrition?
Speaker 1:Yeah, so I never, literally, if you asked me. I never had a childhood, so I remember one very specific experience which was really, really nasty, something that I'm actively working against with every kid I ever come across who is, you know, in the children's homes or starving on the streets. There was a time I was from school, so one thing that my mother would do is she would leave some amount of money to a local restaurant, the Kibandaski, and when I'm from school barefoot, I will pass by there, but she will tell me in the morning so, charles, you just pass there, eat and then you come home. So this day she didn't leave, she didn't leave the money and she didn't tell me, and she always told me, if I don't tell you.
Speaker 1:If you didn't leave, she didn't leave the money and she didn't tell me. And she always told me if you don't, if I don't tell you, if you didn't don't. Hey, mia was starving okay so I went to this hotel and I told them. Here is the thing my mom said she hasn't paid but she told me to eat.
Speaker 1:She'll come and repay later, so I ate okay and then so later that evening when my mom was coming from work. So the hotel owner called my mom and she's like Charles said you'll come and pay when you come back. But then my mom is like no, no, no, no, no. Today I didn't leave any money. So the hotel owner just lets my mom go. Like okay, sour, I was beaten by your mom, no, by the hotel owners. These guys fetched me on the field. You know, my mom is like okay, sour, maybe you guys did it on a friendly or I'll not pay yeah, so my mom just left, not knowing what was planned.
Speaker 1:I was beaten at the age of five. I was beaten like a thief. Hey, from that day on I was like me. I don't think I will ever, ever in my entire life, look at a starving kid and judge them. Yeah, so up to date, I think that's part of what I do.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm an advocate for for street in kid I mean feeding street kids yeah children home yeah and all that stuff, maybe just a way of reflecting back from where I came from and where I'm headed. Yeah, so gradually as time will pass by. After my sister died, it almost broke my mom.
Speaker 2:At what age were you?
Speaker 1:My sister died in 1996. So at that age I was four, Four years old.
Speaker 2:I was four.
Speaker 1:No, actually 95. I was three and I remember when she died my mom had got remarried to a drunkard, so you can imagine my mom was being beaten every day and we were living in a mud house at the time and it's my sister who will try and hold the. I don't know if that should be my dad, but yeah, whoever he was, and and and for me, I will just cry because I mean, I'm an infant.
Speaker 1:I don't know anything going on so my sister died when my mom was still married to this guy. Okay and um, when when that happened, my mom completely changed, it broke her, she was done with life, she was excessively suicidal. When she tells me all these stories, I think my mom has, I think she's even a survivor than I am, because one of the stories that my mother ever gave me nowadays that she looks at me and she's seeing me on TV, you know, doing rounds all over here and there traveling she's always like do you know? I was supposed to get rid of you during birth.
Speaker 2:What.
Speaker 1:Yes, so when my mom was in the hospital giving birth to me, the doctors found a lot, lots and lots of traces of poison. So she was trying to kill herself while she was pregnant with me. So she was asked what was going on and she couldn't talk. So all those traumas, those are things that I think my mother went through. And when my sister passed away, she was like I cannot continue living here because my son will also die as well. So she ran away, went back to her mom, my grandma, and then that is together with you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, together with me.
Speaker 1:We lived there for a while and then she disappeared again. So she completely left me and my grandma. So I grew under the watch of my grandma, who was very, very strict. There is nothing that will keep that woman. She will put you back to life. But I think that's where my, my, my push for you know, basically trying to find my purpose in life, started. So I didn't know where my mom was. Uh, there were stories going around that my mother is, uh, turned into a prostitute. I wouldn't even play around with kids around me guys will be like quote unquote and trust me.
Speaker 1:at such an age it's really really devastating because you don't have your bio dad. Your mother was remarried, then divorced again and then now she's disappeared. So all those things are just hitting me one by one. I remember one of the things I used to do is when my peers were going to school. I remember one of the things I used to do is I used to do a little dance when my peers were going to school.
Speaker 1:I remember that very, very vividly well, and part of my stories are usually coming from the people who are closest to me. So my mother was born in a family of 13. And that's from just my grandmother.
Speaker 2:My grandfather was a polygamist he had a home and a couple of other wives, and that's from just my grandmother.
Speaker 1:My grandfather was a polygamist, so, yeah, yeah, he had a home and a couple of other wives, but from my grandma alone. They were 13. And all of them are still alive, by the way, wow, yeah. But, she passed away in 2022 in November. God rest her soul. So when I was growing up I kind of hated everything about life. I think I've seen all the bitterness. Those were some of the lowest moments of my life. When it gets to Christmas, maybe I was walking barefoot the entire time.
Speaker 1:During Christmas they would buy me slippers so that you can look presentable when the Nairobi are coming in. So that was my life presentable when the you know what were Nairobi are coming in for the. So that was my life for quite a while, until around 1999.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:My mom one day just appeared, and so she left you for a period of four years. Yeah, she left me for a period of was it four? No, not not exactly four years, because this was 97. My, my Two years, then Two years. This was 97.
Speaker 2:Okay, two years, then Two years yes.
Speaker 1:So she came back, and one thing I remember is I wasn't even able to deduce who she was. I was confused Like Auntie Tony, no, auntie Tony Niule. Auntie Jackie. Auntie Jackie Niule, I'm like, Because you're too young to. Yeah, I'm too young and I'm already going through enough. So and then she says I'm your mom. Wow, so I'm just like where have you been all this time? No, I couldn't ask those questions, of course, because you know you're a little. So, mom man and my grandma is there, and you know my grandma the disciplinary committee is just looking at you.
Speaker 1:So. So one thing that she did is she came. I remember on that day she came, she took a couple of pictures of me. Those are some of the pictures that I hold very dearly. Then she went again, and then she promised me she'll come back. I remember that day I was crying terribly and it was raining. So she disappeared again, but this time not for too long. She came back with, uh, brit mzungu. Yeah, so the only thing that I knew at that time is that my mother was in the was in mombasa, so we didn't know what she was doing. So whatever was being said about me, you know at that age, when you're being told that your dad is a thief, you'll believe, because you don't know where they are so whatever was being uh branded about about my mother and all that stuff.
Speaker 1:They were just hitting me like okay, so it's actually true that you're in Mombasa, but then, as the story will later come on, one day she just came back with the Mzungu and they were engaged. They were in the process of getting married so in 2000,.
Speaker 1:They officially got married. So my mom picked me even before the wedding and we started Lee. We went to live in Mombasa, so I can actually say it was from that point that I started actually seeing life. Oh, like this normal life, yeah, like the normal life I was always living under yeah so, and this is at around age 8. But trust me, if you even look at my pictures from the wedding, I wasn't happy even was confused like is this going to last or just for a period of time?
Speaker 1:because you know you're already used to people leaving and that's part of my life. I've always been used to people leaving. I will not lie. I have proper trust issues where maybe if you come in and say, steve, you're my best friend, I usually even say I don't think I have a best friend, I just have a quintessence.
Speaker 1:I was even telling Asiela just a few minutes ago. And so, as life would have it, I started. Now, I started going to proper school, and this was in Omabe. But remember, we're living in Mombasa, so you had to go to Omabe for school. Yeah, oh, you're from Mombasa, yes, and I was. Let me tell you something I've never been a day scholar in my life. So always boarding, always away from family, okay, yeah, so I never had that personal touch of knowing you know, dad, parents. Maybe I did feel a bit of my mother because she was there for most of the time, most of the time but that connection with fatherly love, that was never there for me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so I remember at Sangu Academy in Huma Bay, I was barely eight, nine years, and one thing that will happen is I'm being told go, somebody's going to pick you at the stage. So that's what will happen, until one day a terrible accident happened. I usually call myself a miracle baby.
Speaker 2:The kind of things I've survived.
Speaker 1:So in this, bus or In this bus. These buses were called the blue, the brown buses, linear coach, I think.
Speaker 2:They were called linear coach.
Speaker 1:So we are traveling from Houma Bay and it's end of the term and we reach Mtitwandeande and then, all of a sudden, the driver loses control and hits a baobab tree and I'm seated at seat eight. That is, at night or during At night? Okay, I'm seated at seat eight. Yeah, from seat one to seat six.
Speaker 2:Everyone died.
Speaker 1:Everyone died, yeah, so they sent another bus. So my mom is already waiting for me on the other side, because, you know, at this time there are no phones.
Speaker 2:No phones, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so when I reached there it was around 2. We were already six hours late from the arrival 2 in the afternoon, yeah, 2 pm. We were supposed to have arrived by 8 am. Yeah, so my mom picks me and then she's given the whole story and she's like, hey, no, I don't want this depression anymore. My, my son will just have to come close to us. Yeah, so that's how I moved. I changed schools to somewhere in Mombasa, okay, so somewhere called Chuda yeah, and we were living in Nyalie my stepdad the bridge.
Speaker 1:He was a teacher at Mombasa Academy. Mombasa Academy is the version of Nairobi Academy, the same school that Taidi High is acted on. So we live in the southern quarters and that's where, basically, I had my primary school. So it was a good ride. One thing about everything, all this history that I had gone through and this is something that everybody says, Everybody's usually like where it's a cliche If you have gone through all these things in life, you can never back down, and that's I think there are people who call me ad-waki.
Speaker 2:Shoot you yeah.
Speaker 1:I don't know how to go back. I don't know how to, because I know where I'm coming from. So one thing that I to go back, there's literally nowhere. I usually pray and tell God by the way, it's either you or I'm nothing. So one good thing that I did do is, once I got that opportunity to step into school, I put in my day, I did the big work. So, I got my 375 marks in.
Speaker 1:KCP. But at this time mom had started getting sick. I remember when I was in class six. She had to relocate, so that's when I relocated to.
Speaker 2:Migoria.
Speaker 1:So she built her own place. So I was now again left on the other side of the world.
Speaker 2:But at least at this time. Was he your stepdad or just alone?
Speaker 1:My stepdad has actually moved. Got another job in Dubai so he had to travel there. My stepdad has actually moved, gotten another job in Dubai?
Speaker 2:Oh, okay, yeah, teaching job.
Speaker 1:So he had to travel there. Yeah, we will see him every three or six months. Okay, yeah, after three or six months. So my mom will do farming, which she does to date, still living in the same home to date. So I finished my primary school, I got my good grades and then I remember when we finished was when the PEV, the post-election violence, was going on 2007.
Speaker 1:2007, yes, so getting into high school again was another issue. So we struggled and then in February I got. In which one were you invited in? Kanga High School.
Speaker 2:Kanga is in.
Speaker 1:Western or.
Speaker 2:It's in South Nyansa Actually.
Speaker 1:I wasn't called Kanga High School, to be honest, because of the PEV, I was called to a school in Mombasa called Kamis Boys. But my mom was like that's not your level.
Speaker 2:I know how hardworking you are.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you can't just go into that. Earlier I was like, hey, mom me, Basile me, just go repeat. First of all, I was not happy with that 375. Okay, you wanted to get over 400.
Speaker 2:I mean I wanted for 50s.
Speaker 1:I wanted to appear in magazines, but my mom is like no, this is what the Lord has given you. You could go back there and get to something, so just take. That's why I was telling you earlier my mom has always been my biggest supporter. Even when I was feeling down on myself like I'm just a loser. So I went into Kanga High School for the first four years, but then I think in high school is when I started realizing there were some traits from my past that were haunting me.
Speaker 1:So and these are the really real sad stories about my life. I think that's when I realized I'm a depressed person who doesn't know how to even tell people his story. So I will laugh with you, but then, deep down, I'm hurting, disconnected.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So I remember during dawns the morning preps. Yeah, we need. Kanga High School is a national school, it's a national school, so it's a very strict school.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:If you do not appear for those remedials, they usually do a counter check and they suspend you. So I used to get suspended and guys are like what is really wrong? Because you're not suspended because you're using drugs or alcohol? You're just found sleeping Me I was taking to oversleep and die Because you're always thinking about all this trauma. Yeah, and I just wanted to escape from reality and I didn't know that that's what is called depression.
Speaker 2:To be honest, you never know.
Speaker 1:So you're just in some sort of deep thoughts. Everybody is misunderstanding you. To be honest, it even got to a point where my own mother stopped. She didn't understand me anymore Because I wouldn't talk. I was the quiet kid who was just looking at you and then I let you go and then later on I cry on my own. Life moves on, but when it comes to school now I wasn't also disappointing after going through all that. So you were the guy who had straight A's throughout not exactly straight A's. I do remember one of these times that I was caught with the pills because I was trying to commit suicide.
Speaker 2:I tried committing suicide three times in high school. By the way, which form were you in?
Speaker 1:At form two At form one and form two, form two twice Form two. It was twice because there was a time I totally slid I was a designer from 50 to 100 and something you started feeling like there's no future here. Her father comes from Dubai and says I pay for your fees for you to come here and give me this. So it was a chaos. So you can't imagine when a Mzungu is making noise in a black school and you feel like you have disappointed this man who for once stood for you as a dad.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I really did feel bad, because I'm trying to explain this story in my own way, but the words are not coming out. I just started crying. So at that point there was a teacher called Mr Moses. Mr Moses was a CRE teacher, but he would just say I think there's something you're going through and you're not talking about it. So at that time I started trying to explain what life is, and I think he's the first person to actually tell me your life is yours At the end of the day. I know you're too young to understand this and, yes, I was. So I remember one thing and this is not to paint his name in a bad way my stepdad actually did tell me that I would never make it in life During that confrontation, and I was really really hurt.
Speaker 1:So I was really really hurt. So I was like you know, he has always known that I wanted to do aerospace engineering and I did mention to him that, if at all I can get a scholarship to go do aerospace engineering, I would be perfect. Then he tells me yeah, you can do this. So when he came back and found that my results were deteriorating, he was like this is what you want me to get you scholarship in Imperial College London for you can't make it with this. Like this is what you want me to get you scholarship in imperial college london for you you can't make it with this. Hey, that was like it was a breaking moment, but it was also a turning moment. Yeah, because after that day I went back to the books. I got an a from from my high school. I wasn't joking anymore.
Speaker 1:So I got out there, much as the aerospace thing Was still in my head. My dad said this is not possible. We don't have this money. It's really really damn expensive. I remember at the time it was around Nothing less than 200,000 To study it abroad. That is per semester or no for the whole course. So I also remember we had difficulties Even getting me into campus. So me I was told we don't have money with your good grades for the whole course, okay yeah. So I also remember we had difficulties even getting me into campus, so me, I was told we don't have money with your good grades, so things were a bit tough afterwards.
Speaker 1:By the time you were completing your studies. Yeah, you know, we are now three. There is my sister and my younger brother. So your stepdad had other children with your mom.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so at this point, you can't just stand there and say you know. So everybody was just like we are really trying to understand how we can help, but it's really getting hard on us. So with your grade and I remember that was also a breaking point versus a turning point my dad goes like you know, you can just go to a local college, start any career and then you can switch later on in life. Hey, I jammed man. I mean I told them you think this is a joke. I got on a bus and came to Nairobi. That was the beginning of my life On your own, on my own. Yeah, I did come to Nairobi when almost everyone was against me. No, your life is going to change there. You're not going to be the same. You're going to get into messy businesses.
Speaker 1:You know the Nairobi half-life kind of thing I was given that Me I told mom it's better I go start struggling right now than wait for you guys to make your decision whether I should even go to school, well, I'm just here. You did not get an invitation from any of the investors. I did get an invitation from Eagleton, okay, but now it's not even about the Eagleton part. It's not even about the Eagleton part Me. I was called to do aquatic science and I'm like that's what I love.
Speaker 1:Eagleton, eventually, is an agriculture-oriented university. That's what I love, because I know Igatot Benjale is agri, agri oriented, agriculture oriented university, and they do even agriculture engineering and stuff like that, and I know they call guys who are days buses, aerospace engineering yeah but yeah, I think one of the reasons why because I did apply for JQUAT. After I knew that my aerospace engineering stuff is gone, I did try for the TUC At the time it was called.
Speaker 2:Kenya, poly Kenya, poly yes.
Speaker 1:They did have that course, but the aeronautical version was Diploma Most of those courses were. They really had good diploma courses and with their diploma you can actually go and it was that good. So when you say they had, I totally understand. But I put them as a second option. The first option was Mechatronics in Jquart. I didn't get a calling for that.
Speaker 1:Then Electronics Engineering Jquart Again not called for that. Electronics in KU not called for that. And then Aerospace in TUC not called for that. And then now you know, when all your options are exhausted they usually just throw you anywhere. So yeah, they did call me at Egerton, but they called me at Egerton because I got an A in bio but a B in physics, much as I was so much into tech. I was literally an engineer way, way when I was way from young.
Speaker 1:And for mechatronics they look more on physics and math. First of all, I think one of the qualifications I don't know if the system has changed, but one of the qualifications during my time was you must have at least an A plane of 81 points. I had 74.
Speaker 2:That is for mechatronics, yeah.
Speaker 1:So that's for the government to sponsor you.
Speaker 2:Oh, jab Jab Jab, yes.
Speaker 1:So I didn't qualify, though nowadays it's called other names. Help, koops, koops, kubs, kuccps.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah.
Speaker 1:Before it was Jab Joint Admission Board. I love Jab than the other one.
Speaker 2:The other one has so many conditions.
Speaker 1:I think I also love Jab, much as I didn't get the other one. I have so many conditions.
Speaker 1:I think I also love Jab much, as I didn't get there but I could see my fellows. It was straightforward actually and you could revise. You had this option. You could revise your course either in the same university or another university, if you find maybe first semester you know this is not it and then you ask them if everyone who was called for the other course you know they made the quarter Because you see some other guys go to Harvard, you know Oxford, others Cambridge or Stanford, and then maybe they have a few slots there, and if you had passed and you didn't make it just by a point, it doesn't make sense to deny you that chance.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So I told my peros Manze hey, the kind of things I've been through, I'm not going for something I don't want to do for the rest of my life.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So I'll just go to Nairobi find a life for myself.
Speaker 2:Start the life.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so I went started with ICDL and I was at IHRM. At the time it was at the National Bank building. I was living with my cousin and then gradually I started adapting into Nairobi life, which was difficult.
Speaker 2:I moved into Nairobi. What did you find difficult about Nairobi? Were you welcomed?
Speaker 1:officially. There is nothing that. How did they welcome you? First of all, I won't mention the name, but it's a very close person to the family who told me, by the way, you know my mom at the time he told me, when I go to Nairobi. I asked my mom, can I leave alone? And he was like we want you so you find a way.
Speaker 1:So I called one of my relatives to basically take me in, which he did, but I didn't know what was part of the package. Part of the package was when I got into HRM for ICDL, I talked to my mom again. I think these were one of the worst times that I had a very poor relationship with my mom, because we were struggling to understand each other a lot. Um so, um, so, uh my mom. I talked her into sending me fair, yeah, attend classes. So me I didn't have food. Still lunch, what, what, what?
Speaker 1:I will get like 200 per day and that's enough. But then that's my fare from Maradima to Tao. So there was one day she just said let me be sending you 2000 every two weeks. But who is my relative?
Speaker 2:Can I?
Speaker 1:be oh, give me this money, I'll be giving you. On that day he said oh, you've already paid me. I give you this money, I'll be giving you slowly On that day. That day I gave him that money, the man returned to his level properly. He was angry with your money. He was angry with my money because it was a weight. Tomorrow I'm supposed to go to class you, you, you're eating here, we're charging you. So he's a gentleman.
Speaker 2:We are friends, by the way. That's why I don't want to mention his name.
Speaker 1:This could really ruin a lot of things, so life got a bit difficult. They were also having issues, internal issues in their home and. I didn't want to. You know, come in there.
Speaker 2:So they used to live like a family. Yeah, it was a family.
Speaker 1:It's still a family. So I moved out. I went to stay with another cousin of mine who was also again having issues. Hey me from this point. I went to stay in Githurai. Hey, boss Up on the Sasa Nairobi, I'm starting to get tired. So you know, I'm attending these classes at ICDL. I'm pretending I'm happy, but deep down, man, I'm hurting like nobody's crap. What happened in Githurai? In Githurai, I used to live in a house that's half of this room and we were sharing it with a lady friend who is our family friend.
Speaker 1:At some point she got depressed. That pressure was on me. So you know you can't do anything, you're in your own house. But then I was patient enough to understand what she was going through right now she's really doing good. So I stayed there for around two months, and then I moved to another cousin's house and then luckily I got. By the time I was getting out of my cousins in Mara I had applied J-Quart. I applied I'll go on an SSP. I did not tell anyone. Remember this is self-sponsored.
Speaker 2:These guys told you they don't have money. Also, you don't have that cash. I just went with my head. I said I'll go with this later, Look guys.
Speaker 1:And that is exactly what I did. Something had just told me I'm going to get accepted and I was. So I said, hey, mom, something has happened. I need to come back home. Please send me a fare. Then I went, I presented them the letter. I told them I went to Nairobi to start a life. So here are my documents. Here's the feedback from the university. These guys want me there. So what are we going to do? It was a back and forth, I'm telling you. It almost even split the family. Everybody's like. Why are you doing this without telling us we don't have a good society. We don't have For Igaton, it was Jab right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Igaton was Jab.
Speaker 1:And the thing is, every person who was my stepdad literally assembled people to come and talk to me into just accepting that I need to go to Igaton, all of them. Okay, you know there.
Speaker 2:I shut down.
Speaker 1:Because I knew what I wanted. Then finally they said okay, fine, that's how I started, so every semester was just like. I hope next semester I'll be in school. I hope next semester I'll be in school. I hope next semester I'll be in school. And I never even failed to go for even a single semester.
Speaker 2:But one thing I always knew me.
Speaker 1:I'm not dropping, but I'm curious. So when you went to this first year mechatronics, you know there's what people hear mechatronics as before they join the course and when they joined the course and when they joined the course for you, how was it? I think one of the scariest part of mechatronics before I even got there, because I had to research. Aerospace is gone, so I had to research the next thing that will come close to aerospace engineering and then I see mechatronics, so I started researching.
Speaker 2:What is this thing?
Speaker 1:oh, this is the course where people build electronics and drones and robots and stuff, and I'm like okay okay, sounds cool, so I could still end up in the aerospace field.
Speaker 2:And it was there.
Speaker 1:I mean, this is my route to aerospace engineering. I was literally obsessed with being an aerospace engineer. So, but then life will have it. Later on, you can find, my interest is actually not even in aerospace.
Speaker 2:Totally.
Speaker 1:Me. I'm into building tech products, tech stuff. So there was my table full of electronics.
Speaker 2:And me Circuit board and whatnot, yeah, and to theaters.
Speaker 1:People throw them away Me. I end up as a savage Wow, I remove the electronic parts and then I build something nice up over there. Luckily at the time Jquart oh, it's still there. Actually, there is something called JQuad Tech Expo. So JQuad Tech Expo is where you.
Speaker 1:I can see alumni shaking their heads vigorously. I think one thing that I usually upload that school for is that was the platform. That was like literally my launchpad, because I could go there and see how people are building nice things to robots. The first year I applied I didn't get, so I went there to see what's really happening. So that's where I started. You know, drinking from the fire, I was programming literally.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Starting from 101. That is year one, year two, that's year two, that's year two, that's year two, that's 23. And that's when I started. Then I said this is now where I want to be Aerospace buy. It's been real, but I think I found what works for me and from then I had always been appearing on the Tech Expo and it kept on building me.
Speaker 2:To some extent you are featured, but you'll get there. That's where I started getting attention.
Speaker 1:So the first project you built was it was called Automatic Farm Arrest System. It was a very conventional way of you know a cage coming underground for bank robbers. So you know arrest automatically when they step into a place that they are not supposed to step into. It did work. It did work, but it wasn't.
Speaker 2:Implementation is yeah, implementation.
Speaker 1:and investment wise I mean Kenya and Africa. We are struggling with very basic things. Those are the things that we don't know. So then I went into drones and robots, and I think that's what Jquot has always known me for, until today.
Speaker 1:The prince of robots, so I will build a lot of them and present Though I never won any award at the Tech Expo, but I got to meet really, really huge profile guys Darshan, chandaria, bitange, ndemo, olive Gashara, I think William Ruto as well. At the time he was, he was a vice president, yeah and then there was this big exposure that was organized by JICA where the Japan Minister for Science. It was big, so that's like the first big publication I got. Well, but I think one thing to also mention, just in case it will ever appear somewhere on record much as it looks like I had a perfect life in campus, I was still struggling with depression. In fact, on my final year, in fifth year in 2017, february, I was diagnosed with severe depression. I was even admitted Ten days. Wait a minute, you're the second guest I'm hosting and they're talking about depression. I'd like actually going a bit deeper on this. What is depression?
Speaker 1:Because, even for you. You can actually imagine when you're suffering through all these traumatic experiences or post-experiences. You could not just point it and say this is depression, but just paint that picture for some.
Speaker 2:Maybe someone might be going through it right now, but they don't know what it is, they just feel tired, sleepy.
Speaker 1:I don't know how it is, I've never gone through it, or maybe I'm going through it and I don't know how. Can you actually say, okay, I need some medication. Attention of psychiatrist visit. I think I'll actually agree with you, because for me, I also always just thought this is a mood swing, a small thing that comes, and let us be honest with each other, guys. Yeah, the fact that people usually say man, man, man, me, me, me, I advocate for men's health, mental health to be specific. Um, I know this one is going to get me questioned, but me, me, me, fan kubo sana americs you know america, people hate america because he speaks the truth.
Speaker 1:But on the other side, if you actually look at what he says, usually he's advocating for men standing up for themselves, because for us there's nobody who goes down to the street to protest for us. Everyone expects you to show up everybody else expects you to be the good person every day and in fact nowadays the society has gotten it so obvious that if a man publicly says I'm going through a hard time, then you're a sissy. Wait, wait, go sort yourself out.
Speaker 1:But the reality of things is when you're going through this thing it's a very tough experience. This thing is bad. I remember when it was hitting me in my primary school in my high school.
Speaker 1:But what is it? What is this thing? Yeah, how do you feel? Yeah, that's where I'm coming at. So when this thing is coming, or rather when it's stepping in, it just steps in like a small mood you just don't feel talking to people. So that's why I think I was going through it in high school, but I didn't know that that's what depression is. Of course we will study mental health, but, but in campus is when I knew what was going on, like I can't sit to even watch a movie for more than 10 minutes. My mind is just thinking of its own thing, how I'm a failure. I've never had a life. People always look at me like you know, somebody who just doesn't deserve to win. At some point I was just like what is it that I'm not doing? And some, sometimes, I do tell you. I will tell you, even in my adult life, as as big as I am right now, sometimes it's just that right now I know what it is.
Speaker 1:So when it's coming, I usually just either find a way of, you know, dodging it or something like that, or suppressing it. And that's the most important part, once you've already realized that you're a depressed person, find a way in which you can cope with it. So, depression comes in different forms. It so depression comes in different forms. It could come from things that are related to your childhood which.
Speaker 1:I think were majorly my contribution to mine. But how do you know that you're a depressed person? First of all, you don't do the things you commonly do. You don't want to take calls. You don't want to hang out with friends. You feel like you just want to sleep the whole time. You don't want to take calls.
Speaker 2:You don't want to hang out with friends.
Speaker 1:You feel like you just want to sleep the whole time. You don't want food, you're literally forcing yourself to eat and at some point it hits you so bad that if you're now into drinking which I was when it gets to drinking now, it's bad. So if you're drinking, you tend to drink more than that. In fact you drink, for it's like an escape route. Yes, it's a coping mechanism. Does that also apply to other drugs? Yes, it does. I just thank God that I never go to any other drugs.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because you tend to use more to just escape the reality yeah. And I think that's a very big factor, for it's a very big contributor as to why most of the youth right now are going through depression yeah or naskiya's gene is so, and so is nowadays using drugs. Now you see, everybody will judge you when they see that. Let me tell you another thing I never do if I see somebody's, uh, excessively addicted to something, I never judge those people yeah, because you never know, maybe they're going through something they're going.
Speaker 1:They're going through a lot of stuff about their life, so I graduated. But wait a minute Before we move away from the depression part. So how do you address this? Once you realize maybe, okay, the way I'm feeling, it's not normal. Where do you start? I think I'll just go with my method. One thing I did realize is I was so much engrossed into what I wanted to become.
Speaker 1:So you start getting obsessed literally with what you want to become. There's somebody who once said in a podcast like this she said it's a she and she's a Kenyan, I just don't know her name. I was going through it on TikTok Juzi and she says if you want to be rich, you have to start thinking like you're already rich.
Speaker 1:And that's where I started. So I was just like, hey me, tomorrow I could be the next Bill Gates. You guys will be seeing me and admiring my work and things like. Even traveling was once a dream to me and I started just saying, no matter what, I know where I come from and the graph for me will never be flat or going down. It will always keep on rising. So whenever I feel low and I realize, wait, this is depression stepping in, the first thing I do is what have I not built the babegi? What have I not built? I need to add something. We need to build V3. And Kidogo you just realized six hours have gone into you thinking about this to product and something. And you just realize six hours have gone into you thinking about this, this two product and something. For some reason, I just diverted your attention into something completely different, but to some extent you feel like you don't want to talk.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And at that point I usually take long walks with a lot of music and all drives. That's when I when I used to drive Kitabu I still drive, but I don't have a car nowadays. This chief is a TSI club member with some shares and you know TSI. If you know TSI, it's a good car. You can move.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I think that focus Actually when I was coming to Africa, stalking in 20, when I met Sam Gikandi in 2018, towards the end yeah. I was going through a very hard time okay. I was depressed again, okay, but this time around I stayed one of my, my worst years in my entire life. If you, if I would rank them, that would be 2022, will rank them, that will be 2022, 2023.
Speaker 1:Last year was really bad. And then 2018, 2017. So when, towards the end of the year, I remember I was coming from a very disastrous relationship.
Speaker 2:Last year no 2018.
Speaker 1:I was coming from a very, very this is after school, after graduation. Yes, I had graduated. I had even gotten to work. So, I was Actually. You did really well in your mechatronics engineer degree I tried. Don't, don't, don't talk about it Like it's just. You know, I graduated. The dude got a second upper, which is really impressive for me as Jquot public university. Actually, that was top of my class first class in some, you know, I don't know Cambridge or Harvard or something yeah.
Speaker 1:Jquot alumni. Here they are killing me with the agreement. There is a Jquot alumni in the house. When I refer to Jquot alumni some other person who is not on the camera, but is a Jquot alumni yeah, I mean we are Jquots we love you guys, jujama, yeah, we love you guys. Jujamaika. Who doesn't love Jujamaika? Yeah, so I think one thing that I totally beat against the all odds is when I was going into first year. Everybody told me there is no way you're going to escape Uvutabangi.
Speaker 2:I was told where's the hair path. This is Jujamaika, that's true.
Speaker 1:I got out there without a single puff. You, I was told where's the hair path. This is Jujza. I got out there without a single puff. You didn't meet anyone. No, I did. Even my neighbours would make a lot of noise when they're smoking.
Speaker 2:But you just chose not to.
Speaker 1:I don't know, I never got that interest. But, alcohol nayan takubari. Because at some point I was even misusing. But, I hear, like you know, if you take a lot of alcohol, bangi is not the best. I see, for some reason, I don't know, true? I don't know People in the house. Is this true?
Speaker 1:This one must have taken a lot of things, but if you observe, by the way, there's some correlations there, but it's not entirely factual or scientific. But if yeah, I don't know, you might tell me. I'm not the best guy to really say anything about that, but if you really indulge into alcohol? Really will you find the fun in marijuana?
Speaker 2:So you choose your poison.
Speaker 1:basically, I'm saying again I'm not the right guy to really tell you this. I totally, I totally, I don't know the answer to that, so you never indulged in that? Yeah, no. So you thank God for that. I thank God that I struggle with alcohol only and I know also you know marijuana in Jamaica. Some of it is laced with other concussions.
Speaker 1:So that means you might get yourself into other drugs. You know, trying to, yeah, I think I will admit I have taken that thing. Hey, I remember there's a road trip we went and we were given to cookies.
Speaker 2:Mimi, I'm eating Finally. Finally, Mimi, I'm eating these two things.
Speaker 1:Nikijua niku Cookies, Bro. We are going to Naivasha Tulifika. We reached a supermarket somewhere just before you get to, I don't know, just slightly after a kennel I was melting.
Speaker 2:Which kennel.
Speaker 1:This kennel is a thicker road. I was melting. You went to Naivasha through a kennel. Sorry, not Naivasha. What's the name of it? Abadeas or no? There's a couple, nanyuki.
Speaker 2:Sorry, Nanyuki.
Speaker 1:Not Naivasha. I keep on forgetting For confusing you. It must be the cookies.
Speaker 2:Hey, hey, by the way tell people.
Speaker 1:Edibles are more, more long lasting and severe than smoking. We got there, everybody long lasting and severe than smoking. Everybody is just like I told them guys, I do not take this stuff. Why will you do that to me?
Speaker 2:so they never told you before they never told me and I took two.
Speaker 1:I'm told that stuff you just need to pinch. It was bad. You don't know how you got back. Yeah, but one thing I will admit the feeling you're back is a very unique one. It's not like alcohol. You feel like you can do everything. You feel like flying, mara, kidogo, kidogo. And you know we are riding on a bus and everybody is checking at me and me because what is going on? What am I feeling this way? There's something wrong here. I could be damned if you did. You know one or the other. It's more available there than any other place I know of.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I think that's my basic early career journey. Of course, right now I'm a bit grown up. So you said you graduated and then you got into a relationship a bad relationship. Actually, the relationship started when I was still in the university. I've gone through three severe bad relationships In the university, not in the university in my entire life, okay. And the most recent one ended in 2022, October.
Speaker 2:Mm-hmm.
Speaker 1:But the one. Ilea Kampa said that one almost killed me.
Speaker 2:What happened? Hey, bro, it was bad.
Speaker 1:Well, see, you know, things are just not working and I also know I'm coming from a background where a lot of people leave me Okay, I'm surviving through a lot of trust issues, yeah, so anything that you'll trigger, anything that the lady will trigger that will affect my life one way or another, will definitely get bad for me. Now, most people who know my stories of course I did have friends who will see how bad things will- get for me at some point. Much as you may try to hide it one or another.
Speaker 1:People usually find out. There's something wrong People usually say that I tend to date wrong ladies, and I think that's why I've been single since then. Wrong in terms of they're not trustworthy or Like I don't know. I usually, when I'm starting to date, people come as if they're just drunk, they're in trouble, and then gradually you start to have more problems. Now you see, the thing with me is, if you're my person, mimi, literally chances of you knowing almost everything about me is very high. You literally know, even when.
Speaker 1:So you put everything on the table. Yeah, now the problem is and this is so bad In fact I was even saying today in the morning that I'm mentioning on this podcast Human beings are very bad people when they realize you're vulnerable, mimi, I've gone into places where people respected me, but the minute I took a small fault these two things you just start realizing disrespect, and then now with your trust issues, it makes it really really bad.
Speaker 1:You know, sometimes people usually treat trust issues as something that is extremely bad. You should feel bad about yourself that you have trust issues.
Speaker 2:Some of these things we are not. You never chose them actually, yeah, we never chose them.
Speaker 1:These are things we are living through and we have to accept Maybe not accept, but we have to and they have shaped you who you are, yeah, so it's something that actually, yeah, and I agree with you 100%.
Speaker 1:It's something that, actually, if people could appreciate and that's why, actually, we do this podcast like for me, I believe, most like 99% of the most brilliant people in the world or the most successful people in the world, they have a story that, if you heard about it, you would actually understand, believe and learn or look at them differently.
Speaker 2:Like you'll be what and know. Actually, this shaped them to who they are.
Speaker 1:So we start appreciating those journeys and not judge people based on their past and how life shaped them to be. We could actually grow together. I'm not saying it's a good place where you have trust issues or you take time to trust people or you realize people are hiding things from you and you're like oh, and I was up front with you Then that way you can be able to collaborate more and grow all together.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think that is entirely true. Especially, I think one of the toughest lessons I came to learn is you're easily used if people know your weakness. Mimi was used. Hey, you know me. Nowadays I'm not afraid of telling my story. If you want to call me Sisi, call me. Easily used if people know your weakness Mimi was used Me. Nowadays, I'm not afraid of telling my story. If you want to call me a sissy, call me. I'll be fine with it. But it's better I say my story the way it is than live with a lie, true true.
Speaker 1:My most recent relationship ended severely bad because things went south for me when I left ETI. So financing was not that good, yeah. So this person essentially came to you because you're doing good, yeah, basically that was it. I was on top of my career, literally when she was coming and I was being featured on KTN.
Speaker 1:And then one day, you know, one way or another, things happened and investments were no longer coming for startups around AT, so you're forced to exit yeah and you know much as I really did fight with accepting that things were done yeah and I kept on saying no, it something is going to come up and it was tough it was tough.
Speaker 1:I I went back into severe depression and drinking early 2022. Yeah, early 2022, it was bad it was. It was terribly, terribly, terribly bad to the extent that I was almost diagnosed with liver cirrhosis. I was told I could literally die of alcohol. What Poisoning. Yeah, I was taking too much intake, like mizinga ka tatu iligwa si ishu kubwa kuango in a day. And then I think I started. And here, mizinga you're talking about mizinga, I'm talking of k, I'm talking of Hunter's choice Me. I was escaping things that were almost Killing me. You walk next to people and guys were like what man I can imagine? I was here At the tea, so I didn't know this was Going on.
Speaker 1:So let me ask you, charles, have you considered quitting? You know the drink? I literally don't think happened. So let me ask you, charles, now that you're talking about this have you considered quitting? You know the drink? I literally don't think. Let me tell you this and I'll put it loud on speaker the problem is not alcohol I literally need. I think. For me, my restoration started March 2023, last year when this relationship was now over, because I took a lot of time to actually get over her. But one thing I started fixing was my mental reasoning. Where are you positioning yourself when you're going through a hard time? But, kaka, you and I know, even if you go to marry you know, wed someone and everything a woman might wake up one day and say you know what? Even they will not say you, you know you'll find someone.
Speaker 1:Just moved, you just go to us and do your day-to-day and then by the time you're going back and I have a friend who actually took his life because basically that so. So this is serious. So that's what I'm saying. If you know for sure, if someone maybe you know, betrays you, because that's what you feel Like someone betrayed you.
Speaker 1:It reminds you of the processes before that. A lot of people left in your life, no one was showing up for you and the only solace is drink. So are you more safer when there's not that drink altogether? And you have made that Because that's mental strength, of saying okay, this is my weakness. Whenever I feel down, I run to this and it makes my life worse. Why don't I just stop it altogether? Because, anyway, alcohol doesn't add much value in anyone's life, right, yeah, so, but I see like I'm throwing you off. Eclipsia is also something that you have thought about, but ideally, maybe I don't know. But it's up to you, man, you know everyone says any reform starts with it let me ask you do you drink yourself rarely?
Speaker 2:yeah, okay, same here.
Speaker 1:I rarely nowadays drink, but I do drink on a social capacity. You know, at the time I don't have my choice of drinks. Oh, I see, so I'm not concerned with a guy who drinks.
Speaker 1:I think that's why you started your statement by saying me I've never gone through depression. You know, depression is like a man who says now I want to be numb. Literally, you look at time you say why am I not getting there? I don't know. You're seeing like your entire suffering is just getting more and more. So the next thing you want to do is drink to to pass out. Yeah, but I started working on my mental capacity. I started seeing all these things I've been through in life.
Speaker 1:They were supposed to pick, to frame me in such a way that I'm supposed to realize my true potential and also realize why I exist in the first place.
Speaker 1:Bro, my reasoning completely changed. Like it completely changed to the extent. If I see a problem right now, I'm like ah wait, this, this is something that I'm just gonna get over tomorrow. And it actually happens that way because you know, initially your brain is refusing to wake up. Yeah, but I know you've seen the kind of things you've done. Yeah, me. Sometimes I just get calls when I was coming here.
Speaker 1:A Patel there's a lady who came to me and was. She was like Prince Charles, see your, I can hug almost a minute. I'm like sorry, who are you? I follow your work on Facebook and I think you are motivating, and you're motivating even my son, who is in high school. I'm like these are stories that nobody like. There's some level of change that you're doing outside there. You're going through stuff and you don't do it. You don't know how many people are depending, or rather following, your story. So I started realizing that I have a purpose, and my purpose is to first find myself, and by finding myself is to never let what is external affect my internal.
Speaker 2:Ah, nice, looks like you're doing a good work.
Speaker 1:I just had to, because from around March by then it was just like you know you're saying I'm done, this is no longer going to happen for my life, I've seen a lot of change. Yeah, and man, I've seen you do amazing stuff actually from that March, because I think we were to do this podcast, I think late 2022.
Speaker 2:And I declined because I didn't see you anymore podcast, I think earlier in late 2022.
Speaker 1:And I declined because but I didn't see you anymore. Yeah, I declined because I was going through my stuff, my moments, but right now I'm in a good mental space. A lot of opportunities are coming in. You guys will be seeing a lot on media and I think all this is just opening up because I decided that now I want to be very intentional and every morning for those who have, for people who follow me keenly, I usually post at least a word or two of encouragement.
Speaker 2:Because you never know, is it on?
Speaker 1:social media.
Speaker 2:Yeah, on social media Just.
Speaker 1:LinkedIn, but on stories, Okay. So WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram, and some people actually come back and say you completely changed my life with your way of reasoning. Guys are usually like what did you do? Because there were people who saw me going through that and they were like how did you manage to solve this entire thing? How did you manage to shift the whole boat?
Speaker 1:in your favor, but, charles, please take us through. You know, most young guys and even old guys actually go through a lot of breakups and they treat it as betrayal and both gender actually Because even if you leave a lady, she'll still go through the same Because if they really trusted you and they counted on you as a partner start even having plans like how this is going to look like.
Speaker 1:And then someone just says you know what, I'm not part of that picture. Now, what you struggle with is that man. Is it me? You know what's?
Speaker 2:wrong.
Speaker 1:How am I going to replace this picture? How is that process? One thing I know for sure is and I usually tell people this if you find yourself in the same loop, you're dealing with the same problems every day.
Speaker 2:Then just know you're not growing.
Speaker 1:Every day there has to be a new challenge. It is not possible for you to stay in a relationship where you're fighting over one thing over and over again. Now the worst part is when you're totally attached to this person and you've never been, you've experienced solitude, so now you're now alone and the worst part is relationships are usually I call them they. They're weird. It's a symbiotic kind of a relationship, but one toxic thing you're done Because there are certain people who get familiar with who you are and once they do that, some of them invest in that and I've come to realize that. The reason why I'm even single right now. I'm taking my time. I just want to build my career.
Speaker 2:Build yourself first.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I really struggled with relationships. I really did struggle. Some of them. Probably I was the problem. You never know. Maybe some I wasn't. But one thing I've always known is if you're in a relationship where you're constantly fighting over something, let's say I don't know, coming late, or even alcohol, then you realize that this thing is never going to change. You have to put yourself back on the weighing scale and say am I willing to deal with this more, or is this the point where I say no? So for me, I had to say no because it was I'm not saying it was alcohol by this.
Speaker 1:She was actually really good, she wasn't into drinking, but her lifestyle, the way she viewed life, we were two completely different people and I know there's usually that bitterness. But I will tell you, I will tell you, mk, it's not about that bitterness. First of all, understand that you could be two very good people. You're just a mismatch. You're not compatible. You're not compatible Because that's what I realized Mimi, I know I'm a good person. Yepi, on the other side, she knows she's a good person, but when we come together there's just sparks. So I tried getting out of that. Now the worst part is, and like I mentioned there's something that triggers you.
Speaker 1:They constantly use that and that's why I had to work out, because I realized, hey, that's the person I met when I was really, really good. I never ran away when she was going through struggles. I was there for her. She's going through stuff, I'm there, yeah. But then I start realizing that me, me, karyanguki, and uh, when I'm not losing stuff, I lose my car. Uh, at some point my staff were being auctioned but I couldn't afford rent.
Speaker 1:Things were bad after eight years, after it was really bad, yeah I can imagine, since you guys were so many startups, I hope other guys are okay hey maybe me, if I I usually just check up on everyone and say you know. And MK, it's not even about the lady.
Speaker 1:It's literally all my friends, every single person who knew me with the kind of lifestyle I had. I used to go to the bar to buy a bottle of wine for 20,000, 30,000. It got to a point where I don't even have 100 shillings, bro, 100 bob. Guys are giving me all sorts of excuses and these are the same guys who can go in the evening Someone is going to learn from this. I hope also you have learned from this.
Speaker 2:You see now why trust issues sometimes is good. You're seeing.
Speaker 1:Because now, if you're buying people 20 G's worth of alcohol. I was friendly with everyone who is struggling. Once, the time of COVID, there were people who literally called me Prince. I'm sick of these people. Something has just happened. You show up.
Speaker 1:Prince, please come and support my blah blah blah. Do this. Prince, please buy at our. You know, I remember there was a guy my second car, my second car was a beamer dmw. I didn't buy it willingly. My friend was going through stuff and he was like hey man, so please just take the car, give me some money if I ever get better I'll find you back.
Speaker 1:You give me back the car you completely buy. Man, when it was now my turn, everybody was gone. Let me tell you, I will look contact list young, over 1,000 contacts. I'm like who can I call? At this point I text somebody. You realize you hear, hey, man, bro, it's hard now. That evening you see a man with a JD In the same place where you were taking her. What Once and this is something I've come to make peace with, and the good thing is, once you're at peace with something, I do not hold that bitterness.
Speaker 1:In fact, when we even meet on the street and I know I can do something for you, I'll still do it, much as for you, it was easy walking out. Yeah, someone actually being bad or, you know, being the way they are, should not be a reflection of you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1:And somebody once said that do not let the things that you can control affect the things that, or do not let the things that you can't control affect the things that you can control. If you can't control the way somebody thinks about you, then control yourself. So for me, I decided I'm going to be who I am, not what they they are trying to make me become. Because for a while I was bitter. I didn't want friends. I was just like human beings are animals.
Speaker 1:I better even go and live in the jungle but, in the long run I was like this is the way life was designed. Somebody once said that problems never end, you just get better, and I think for some reason I've found so much peace.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Dealing with. You know having to. I do have friends, yes, but I no longer put people so close. So you operate like you, just prince, that's it. Yeah. And the other thing I've come to learn in life we also tend to give people too much priorities that they don't deserve. You meet someone yesterday and you go for a few drinks. You start talking about life in any business and you're like this is my friend, you're wrong looks like you learned that the hard way.
Speaker 1:I learned, I learned, but it doesn't mean that you discard these people.
Speaker 2:True, you don't discard them you just know that we were reason also. Yeah, yeah, you just know that you meet people for a reason also.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, you just learned that this person, the best we can do is one, two, three, yes, so, but my life needs five, six, seven as well. So this five, six seven, you'll get it from somewhere else. Someone, yeah, yes, and this is, this is life. So I don't know the. For some reason I came down and because I do have friends all over, yeah, but no best friends yeah.
Speaker 1:I have friends who I can go to when I'm having a business problem to advise me, but those friends probably are not the friends I can go out for drinks with, and vice versa. I have people I can go to and talk about the next journey we are going, or rather the next flight we are taking for, you know, a vacay, but those are not also the same people you can talk about football with. So if you actually look keenly, you do have friends who only fill a particular part in your life, and that's why.
Speaker 1:I say it is impossible for you to have one person who is a full package. It is impossible.
Speaker 2:I'm telling you that.
Speaker 1:And if you keep on discarding that, you know it's good for this and that, but if you don't want to associate with this person, when that time will come in life where you now need that person's advice because you discarded them, though you also need to realize if the toxicity is too much, then the benefits are a walk. One thing I never entertain is toxicity and drama. Nowadays, even where there are fights literally even if we are just drinking as friends and then fight, you talk. You guys will just contact me when you're done with your drama. So let me ask you then, prince, does this you know, focusing on the positive side of things apply to you know, life partners for you or just friends? Yeah, right now, if you ask me to draw a perfect picture for the perfect partner, I wouldn't reason the way I was reasoning in campus, you know in campus we were free for the first time.
Speaker 2:you know there are so many guys in campus. You know in campus we were free for the first time. Please take us through that. You know there are so many guys In campus, if you're dating a beautiful chilebana.
Speaker 1:Everybody's just looking at you like, yeah so but, and that was my problem in my first relationship, bro Mimi, I went for a very beautiful girl, Okay, and guys are actually praising me on the side.
Speaker 1:Hey me on the side hey prince, hey prince, but deep down, stress, stress, stress, stress, stress, stress, stress, stress, stress, stress, stress, stress, stress, stress, stress, stress, stress, stress, stress, stress, stress, stress, stress, stress, stress, stress, stress, stress, stress, stress, stress, stress, stress, stress, stress, stress, stress. I'm now going through a hard time, okay, and I need her to stay Through this, but she's like me. My benefits that I was getting from you are no longer here.
Speaker 2:So, nowadays.
Speaker 1:If you ask me right now to you know, just say what is my perfect type of potential. Hey, the first thing is drama free. What is this drama, please?
Speaker 2:create a picture.
Speaker 1:Like, right now I'm at a podcast with you. If I get a call right now, I won't pick up.
Speaker 2:Yeah Me, I've been with people, so that would be a problem.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I've been with people. That is a serious problem too. Why are you ignoring my call? You should have even take. I'm like, wait what? And then I realized, as I was growing my career, it was difficult to balance the two. I need to attend meetings, I need to be with investors at some point I need to.
Speaker 1:Life is not just about yeah, life is not just about me being with you, taking you to IMAX. Hey, bro, let us kind of plan some. Let us have a plan and also realize that you know, coming into my life, my life does not cease to exist because you came into my life. In fact, in fact, if anything, a relationship, is you accepting me the way I am, me accepting you the way you are?
Speaker 2:It's a merge of the two.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's a merge of the two, Much as there is no one who has no level of toxicity. Even I am toxic. Oh, you're the one who had a problem when your calls were not picked.
Speaker 2:No, no, no.
Speaker 1:My toxicity is there Because now that one I'll tell you, maybe visit your friend Amelix a bit. Let me tell you one toxic trait about me. I don't want to talk to you. I'll tell you. I'm in a meeting Now. I'm watching TV, yeah. So some people find it really as an escape. I don't know how to say. Nowadays I'm learning to. I never knew how to say no and that's why I was bullied. After 18, I had lost funding completely.
Speaker 1:But, then my chile comes in and says Manzes, you should go to Machaoma. And but then my chile comes in and says where, manze, you can go to Machaoma? And I'm like, hey, manze, I don't have money. So and then I'm guilt tripped. Hey, I will be guilt tripped. So you know what I do. I go to Talas, manze, by the end of around May May 2022, I was in loans of around 150,000 which you don't know how we will pay yeah, I mean, I just say it's god because you know, at the time I was the sole proprietor.
Speaker 1:So yeah, actually we'll talk more about that, because there's another part of you that we have not talked about? Yeah, so I think once I got that deal, I paid all my loans and I said enough, wow. So I just said whatever money I'm going to get right now nobody has control Because I realized wait, this is my money. I'm the one waking up every morning Go and struggle there.
Speaker 1:Or wherever you're bringing in with your demands. You're not trying, and so the other thing is so toxicity and drama free, please. Yeah, we will have disagreements, but we have to have a mature way of solving them, and that can only be seen during the dating phase. So I'm not usually in that hurry of where I know today we're getting married next year Total disaster. So how long do you stay before you get married with Prince? Right now, if I actually get into a relationship, two years I'm still young, but it depends on the see because people know how to, but it depends on the person.
Speaker 1:Yeah, people know how to hibernate who they are. Oh okay, yeah, people are really good. People are so good they can act. People know how to dramatize who they are. Like you know, when someone comes to you they usually say what, what in a sheep's skin, something what in a sheep's skin, something like you come, you're an angel and then one day you know from A to Z, you unleash, you know all the vulnerabilities yeah where you can all the buttons.
Speaker 1:Yeah, hey, at some point me in that relationship, my wrong buttons were being pressed any time I didn't come. So, hey, do you even know what I'll become? You know, at that point now you're like, you know you're chasing a future CEO who's going to be on Times magazine. But the reality of things is, if you also give people too much chances of coming back, they will use you because, you see, I was that designer we have broken up. You're done two days, bro. I went to look for him first. He will be the one going driving there to him.
Speaker 1:So it became a, it became an attitude until one day. So you know much as you're saying, hey, manze me, one day I'll walk away, but the person is seeing you're still coming back, obviously. So later on I started realizing, hey, man, I think this life is about me. So you became a student of Americs. At what point? I think I've always been wanting to get this chance of talking about why I'm a strong believer in Americs, not a strong In everything. Yeah, no, no, no, no, no, no. I want to categorically agree that I relate with that guy's advice up to 60%. Okay, that's fair.
Speaker 1:There's a time he posted something against hey Americs. If you're going to see this.
Speaker 2:Shout out to Americs yeah.
Speaker 1:Shout out to Americs. There was a time Americs said that men cannot be depressed. Men are just not disciplined. Hey, I went to him in a comment. He said bro, you have no idea what you're saying. I've been following your post, but today you've posted nonsense. If I'm a strong advocate of mental health and there's no way you can just say I mean, depression is lack of discipline, that's not true. I don't know. He didn't respond there, but some few days later on he posted something about how to avoid depression.
Speaker 2:So at least he listened, he listened.
Speaker 1:He weighed in on my thoughts. Now that was one case where I disagreed with him. But on the parts where I actually agree with him are some of the parts where he's saying do not entertain toxicity just because you're a man, don't. Sometimes I use technical, or rather hidden, language for people to understand, but in the long run you get. Now I don't know why ladies tend to hate that guy, but maybe if I was a lady I would. But do they? Ladies do not like that guy.
Speaker 1:In fact every time I even retweet his stuff, guys are like, hey, where are the Americans? They hate the guy because they're not getting the fare. I don't know.
Speaker 1:Let me just say that his methods, his methods are severe when he wants to talk about something negative, about women, he goes all the way. But is it because ladies don't like the truth or it's because people tend? The society has trained people to kind of escape reality. And even right now I don't even want to comment on it. Oh, the one, that where ladies go to Airbnb and get killed. Because you see, right now there are two sides of the story. Oh, we are women, we are being killed, but on the other side, you're being killed. On what purpose? You are in private with somebody Because they are now saying women went to streets and said we are supposed to be protected, so this is someone's problem besides the person who is in the problem. Yeah, you are now accusing an entire. The biggest thing is that you are a cuckoo. So when you say men are killing women and you need, you see, two people.
Speaker 2:Maybe they are telling the government.
Speaker 1:The government should do what, maybe take good care of them.
Speaker 2:Government, you should pay taxes.
Speaker 1:Is there anywhere where you usually sign that, okay, I'm going to meet so-and-so in private? Of course not, but you see, it's your right for government to keep you safe. How, providing security? Oh my God. Let's say you meet a lady right now in the evening and you go for drinks and then you disappear. How is the government supposed to protect you on that? I'm not defending the government, they're hurting me in a way right now, by the way. Or rather, how should another man protect you in that case?
Speaker 2:This is a tough conversation. It's a tough conversation.
Speaker 1:But now the problem is society is picking. People are making noise on it. Maybe the ladies should have been here to tell us more about this. Yeah, I feel like we are not facing the real issue. The real issue is let us face these facts as they are. If you're a parent, as your kid is growing up, teach them basic life lessons. Do not disappear into Airbnbs and private rooms with somebody you just met online. People are different. Somebody is not me and me am not somebody else, and this also should cut across men as well. Over 70% of suicides in the world are men. There are people who go out on the street to protest and you never, hear us saying oh, you know, women are causing us to kill ourselves.
Speaker 1:We don't do that. You come down and you settle down and you say you know I need to fix my life. And the reality of things is as it looks. Things are a bit tough on how the society accepts certain things. Mimi, I'm not saying that I will never in my entire life support somebody else being killed, woman or man, but there are some GBVs that are actually hurting men more in Central. How many cases were reported of a lot of these things happening? You'd be surprised, not only in Central.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's a lot.
Speaker 1:It's all over, yeah, but it's just that a man is conditioned not to say you know what I'm being hurt, or even there are no organizations actually to take care of this. But even right now, if I tell you to mention three women organizations you could really mention some of them, but if I tell you to mention even one.
Speaker 1:maybe for men, you never know where to start, and I think that's where the problem is. The problem is not that this, this case, is for lack of. I wish there was a better way to say it. These things will still continue happening if people don't want to face facts, but it should not. For me, how I look at it, it should not be men versus women.
Speaker 2:Yes, it should be the wrongdoers versus the innocent souls. That is exactly my point, because the fight right now is against men versus women.
Speaker 1:Oh, men, women this way, this way, the reality of things here is every single person is vulnerable. Every single person is vulnerable. There is nothing like Mimi. Because I'm a man now, Mimi, I can just go into a Airbnb with somebody and know that tomorrow I'll be safe. There is nothing like that. Let us face reality from the do some due diligence with someone. Hey, me busing with you. Me know my shingi life funny. I wish there was a lady with this. I have a couple of questions around this issue that I would love to ask a lady, but now there is none, Because over time I've realized as men, by the way, we overlook a lot of things.
Speaker 1:And one of those things that our women think and perceive things, because for me, yes, I've been brought up as a man to protect a woman. At whatever cost, but over time they're willing to be protected. Now even you have to ask for consent for protection. You know there are all these underlying factors that are coming up that I would have to get some clarity from a woman. But even besides that, I feel like there's more problems than we think. Yes, beyond even this killing and whatnot.
Speaker 1:It's the way people have been brought up. That also. We need to take a step back and say, okay, look, people are getting killed people are getting butchered.
Speaker 2:No one deserves that.
Speaker 1:Whether it be a woman or a man.
Speaker 2:That is the message we should take out there.
Speaker 1:Not that we need to fight this gender.
Speaker 2:That's not going to solve this.
Speaker 1:That has never been what this world has been. Yeah, apparently. I mean, I was in Cambridge two months ago and those people are protesting about things that are literally affecting everybody. There is no one on the street saying you know this government. They were protesting against this Palestine stuff that was going on the other day and their demonstrations were they were. I even posted it on social media, is it?
Speaker 2:the.
Speaker 1:Gaza. Thing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was the Gaza thing, gaza getting, and they were holding very peaceful protests.
Speaker 1:The other day it's I think less than a week ago farmers were protesting against the EU. Nobody went there to make noise. They're not getting paid or what is happening with the EU. They were complaining of some competition, about them not making money with their agri-produce and blah, blah blah. The EU promised them that they'll be buying from them, but then, I don't know, they're buying from somewhere. Maybe it's America or Africa, I don't know. I see these guys. They just took their tractors, they parked them.
Speaker 2:I see these guys, they just took their tractors and packed them on the road. That's enough. Protest the economy stopped.
Speaker 1:You listen. I like the way the whites protest, so were they told. Like guys, we'll buy from you. Please take your tractors.
Speaker 2:Yes, somebody had to come and address it.
Speaker 1:This thing was trending for a very long time. Sometimes last week those guys just took their tractors and this was across almost all EU companies. I mean any countries Germany, france, belgium I'm not sure about London, but Bulgaria, all those guys. They were protesting in a way that you can clearly tell that these guys are hurting and if you don't correct this, they will go back there.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:But let me say one thing before we shift gears to them All the men who are listening and all the ladies who are listening, please stop killing our beautiful ladies. You know, Africa's the most beautiful women in the world. Hands down, Please. That's true, do not kill our beautiful women. Also women do not kill our beautiful women. Also women do not kill our handsome men.
Speaker 1:Let's all live in peace. If there's a conflict, let's find a way to resolve it. We can go dancing, you know, release the energy, try to address it in a different way. Or just, you know, go for an exercise, walk or something that actually distracts you. But I know it's not as simple as I'm putting it, but all, in all, please. And if it's not working, just split.
Speaker 2:There's no scene in that.
Speaker 1:I'm just saying it's not as simple as I'm trying to put it because I know by the time someone decides to kill someone else, there's so much that actually happened. So seek, maybe help, try to live. And I know also economy is contributing a lot in these issues whereby people are getting killed. So I hope we can create more opportunities, because now you see why we are using you as a better way of demonstrating because, those guys.
Speaker 1:actually, their worry is not where they'll get the next meal, Whereas we know our sisters here who have graduated. They don't have a job. It takes 10 years for someone to get a next meal, Whereas we know our sisters here who have graduated they don't have a job. It takes 10 years for someone to get a reliable income. So they have to go there in Airbnbs to get an extra coin. Maybe they have siblings back at home who need their help.
Speaker 1:So there's more besides just saying guys, stop killing each other, go for a dance and all that.
Speaker 2:And those are the issues.
Speaker 1:Those are the issues I there are a couple of issues here and I like you're here because with Beba Begi and other innovations that you have, can create even two, three more opportunities for everyone else right. So I'll leave it at that and I wish next time we get a lady here to check these conversations, because for us we can say you know, men are the ones who build structures. I don't know what we are building, the nation Trains and whatnot, but we never ask ourselves.
Speaker 2:Ah why do we?
Speaker 1:can disabled people access these, these structures? You know, we don't think beyond what we just imagine at that particular point.
Speaker 2:So imagine at that particular point yeah.
Speaker 1:But nevertheless, you are an innovator, Charles. Now that you've, heard about your life and you've built so many. You started with robots in school and there's this product that I actually knew through it, beba Begi and it's really a game-changing product. Guys, if you think about Beba Begi, we're talking about a locker that you can place your goodies. But we'll talk about it more. But for those who are listening to us from maybe other places, I'm sure people have picked their Amazon delivery.
Speaker 1:And you get a pin that you key in your locker and you get your package and close it. So Charles actually figured this before, maybe before Amazon, or just together with Amazon.
Speaker 2:It was the same time.
Speaker 1:I wouldn't necessarily take that credit, but I will say I'm the one who figured out how it can work for over 85% of Africans. Ah, very nice.
Speaker 2:It's huge If.
Speaker 1:Amazon was operating here, we would not be. I'll be waiting for them. We would not be talking here without something to drink.
Speaker 2:I'll create conversations with them. The only problem is but.
Speaker 1:I hear they're coming soon. They started with the data center, I think, last year.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So things are looking good. Man Don't think like it's always lost. So please tell us more about Bebebegi. How did it start? You know the wins. I know you have provided your services and the infrastructure in different events big events actually in this country.
Speaker 1:You have sold to the government, you have raised funds, there is an investment in your company. Please take us. You know people are thinking ah, charles, heartbreak. You know depression. No, charles has done some amazing things since he left university. Yeah Well, I think my journey in life was always written even before I started knowing what I was meant for.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Because, to be honest, employment has consistently failed on me. Have you ever been employed? Yes, I've been employed before Africa Stalking twice. I've also been employed after Africa Stalking once. So what happened before Africa Stalking?
Speaker 2:Before Africa.
Speaker 1:Stalking. It was just a matter of again stepping down Because I just felt I wasn't growing. It was around 2018. This is when I was actually building the first prototype plastic model of the Babegi, and there was just some push and pull back and forth. I wasn't growing, so I was even taken to the management and given a warning that you know if you do not stop building this thing during. To be honest, I was working during work hours, yes, but you see, the thing is, this is a casino. In a casino, when people are playing, what else do you do? Some people write code.
Speaker 2:Serve them drinks yeah.
Speaker 1:No, yeah, maybe that's what they want me to do, so I just felt like there was no growth for me, were you a software engineer there. No, I was an electronic engineer, so one of the things I will do is to basically make sure that I'm maintaining the electronics in the casino. But one way or another, there are some very sensitive cases there. Oh, I wasn't doing something right. You know this competition for ranks in enterprises.
Speaker 1:Mimi, I've never, ever, sat in a place where I'm employed looking up to how we like to become a manager, and I think that's why I'm saying employment is not my thing, so I quit, and I quit for a manager, and I think that's why I'm saying employment is not my thing, so I quit. I quit for a whole month I did not know anything to do with my life, until I was called at Africa's Talking.
Speaker 2:At the time.
Speaker 1:I didn't even know Africa's Talking who called you. I was called by a lady called Felicity Gloria, and some guy called Martin Martin is part of Lake Hub. He's running a business called Fab Lab Winam, big up, martin Martin who? Martin Olo? Okay, he's the MD at Fab Lab Winam. Okay, so they were also looking for a mechatronics engineer to run for them a project. But then I went there and I was honest enough. For the first time in my life, in an interview, I told them here's the thing If you're employing me, just know there's something I'm building. This is Felicity Bencher. Gloria Curere, maginolo yeah, I think those are the ones I remember. Okay, yeah. So I told them the reality of things is I'm coming from this employment that I'm from, yeah, Because I quit, because they simply told me I cannot continue building my stuff there.
Speaker 1:So if that is the case with this job, I'll humbly turn it down and I'll just go back home. And they said you keep on mentioning that you're an entrepreneur. I didn't even know anything about Africa. I didn't know about Africa's talking labs or anything like that. So they're like do you have anything to show? So I showed them my website and they were like wait, you build all this stuff. So at the time it was mostly robotics and stuff.
Speaker 1:But Kumbaya, africa Stalking, was building an IoT product and they wanted some few products to test with it. So they said, hey, you can't be employed here, you just come in as an entrepreneur in residence. So I helped build the product, the product and at that time it was just I don't know, it was just the perfect timing. So Beba Begi was officially launched in Africa Stalking. We got some small funding that we launched the product with. So gradually over time we've seen it grow. So basically, if there's somebody outside there asking what is Beba Begi, I got the name simply from the fact that I got tired of carrying my bag. So Beba Begi stands for carry your bag in Swahili. So when we went to market, we were trying to resolve the problem of people working with their baggages in town, an experience that I and my friend went through in 2013. I just didn't know it. Five, seven, eight years later, I will actually be the one solving that problem. So we built smart, connected electronic lockers that offer short-term storage as a service. Who is?
Speaker 2:we.
Speaker 1:Beba Begi team. So there is Kennedy Jonyo, who I also happen to know at Africa Stalking. He was actually the head of product design in IoT department and there's Benson Mushemi, who was building the PCBs the motherboards called them. So we later formed a team on the outside and we've been building the concrete product until today. So these are just lockers, but then we automate them in such a fashion that you can use them to either store or handle last-mile delivery and over time it's not been easy. Of course, it's entrepreneurship and this is a startup. Yeah, so we started off as a storage company, basically short-term storage for security, but the market has been demanding us to also explore the avenues. Yeah, so right now we are doing what we call last mile delivery, where you find these lockers in town and you can rent them from as little as only 1500 shillings. So when you're selling your stuff online, you just go put them in the locker. Then you tell your customer you know what, go pick them from the locker and the message is sent to the customer.
Speaker 1:So we've created a different conversations. A lot of things are coming up. Um, we are going to explore the Kigali market. So we got, uh, an interested party in Kigali, so we're going to see how handling last night delivery, can you know we can tap into that market and I think it's really, really interesting because in the long run, we're targeting the whole of Africa. Now the question is and I usually get this a lot what makes you different from DHL and Amazon?
Speaker 1:DHL and Amazon have actually dominated the Western market, which is good, but you see the what's the payment method in the Western market Plastic money. Cards yeah, cards and electronic and stuff. When you come to Kenya, 85% of transactions go through M-Pesa.
Speaker 2:Mobile money yeah mobile money.
Speaker 1:So, in fact, if you myself, I do have Visa and MasterCard, but if I'm in Kenya, I will never use it. In fact, I don't work with my Visa card. Why? Because I know literally almost everywhere I go, m-pesa is accepted. This is a different conversation when you look at it from the other markets. So we launched with M-Pesa, but right now we are working on incorporating both. In the long run, beba Begi is going to be this brand where we can literally deploy in minutes anywhere on the globe and you use it.
Speaker 1:Because we will now be incorporating both Visa, mastercard, ip you name it all those payment methods into one basket, so giving almost anyone in any location, the capability to use the storage services.
Speaker 1:Do you use NFC technology or how does it work? Yes, we use NFC technology, but not necessarily for a one-time user. So we have those guys who are just visiting town for two, three days. They wouldn't need to register with us to get the NFC, you can just plug in your M-Pesa number there. You pay via what we call the STK, prompt payment and it's automated 100%. But if you want to become a loyalty, you want to use your loyalty card, then you can. And actually that's where the point of global, global expansion comes in.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:God. God helped me to raise enough funding to scale globally. So we are looking at a platform where you can become, you can have a loyalty card and you. The only thing you need to do is top up that card, either via the same M-Pesa or Visa, and then that card. Even if there's a Bebebegi in South Africa, you just go tap it and you use it and that's it. Yeah, so Can Bebebegi be used for long-term storage?
Speaker 1:Because I think also that's a problem that I've not seen proper you know solution for it. Across Africa I see like when you go to you know Europe, us, there's storage. Even you can go and put all your furniture in one place, lock it and then be paying monthly.
Speaker 2:More like a rental subscription.
Speaker 1:And then when you come back, you can just come to move your furniture, go in and use it wherever you want to use it. So here right now, if you want to move, like in Africa, and maybe you should pay me for this idea, if you want to move like in Africa, and maybe you should pay me for this idea, if you want to move abroad, you can only maybe donate those items to someone or sell them or leave them with your relatives, but there is no place for storage and I think I heard of one.
Speaker 1:there is a business center along Mombasa Road I was about to mention that besides that, if it exists, that's what I mean, and and I heard it from someone who was staying in an Airbnb. Yeah, so I'm wondering that could be a very big solution. Yeah, well, it's actually a conversation we've tried lifting with the storage central the guys along Mombasa Road but that looks like it's for very heavy stuff. One thing the reason why we can't do heavy storage like I can't store your furniture for you is because we do not have a physical shop, so we use dead spaces in people's offices okay um, so we do storage, for, uh, the biggest stuff we can store is, let's say, the tv, that's, that's, that's like one of the biggest items, or a traveling bag.
Speaker 1:But if you want to put it in the context of long, long-term storage, yeah, it will not work because, uh, we are not in, we do not have that huge level of space, or rather the ability to, to magnify to that end. However, the way we will attack that angle and we have actually, we are actually in the process of doing that is partnering with people already in that angle, and we are actually in the process of doing that is partnering with people who are already in that business. So we give them the tech, so it just becomes the tech for us, for accessibility, so you could be having some go down in Mombasa or somewhere where people can store their items when they're traveling out. And for us, we only just charge you for using our technology to monitor the whole platform, if anything. We we are not exactly a manufacturing company.
Speaker 1:The lockers, we produce them, though, locally, but we don't physically take part in the manufacture. We design, send our hardware design. So these are the electronics, the lockings, the electronics, blah, blah, blah. They come here, we assemble, program them, connect them to our back end and we deploy. So you assemble them in China. No, we do not assemble them in China, we design locally and then so the whole infrastructure. It's an IP protected design. So we send this to China. China produces, so these are the electronics, the only place that's cheaper to produce them. This to China. China produces, so these are the electronics, the only place that's cheaper to produce them from is China.
Speaker 1:So once the electronics are ready, or rather they've been produced, they're shipped to Kenya and from that point we take over. So we assemble them, we test them, we program them, we assemble with now the physical locker that we produce from industrial area. Our partners, our production partners are Ashut Limited. So once that becomes, that goes to the client as a one package. So now the tech part. The tech part is the most interesting part is not even the hardware.
Speaker 1:I mean well, yeah, well, people call us hardware company, but I really don't think we are hardware. In fact I think we are 95% software, because hardware is just the metallic stuff that you're seeing there. But the magic goes. The magic happens in the lock itself In the lock and the whole technology, the whole infrastructure, how you integrate M-Pesa and payments and all that stuff, and the ecosystem is looking good. I see Morris Betza is building some production. I don't know, it's an industry or something.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Morris, there's Gearbox Eroplacer. The good thing is, Morris and Dr Gashigi, these guys are really friendly. The good thing with people who are growing, you can always see they're not in competition.
Speaker 1:They're usually like oh yeah, we can do that for you. The problem is, these startups don't have issues. We are always the ones fighting each other. The people at the top don't fight, they collaborate. So Maurice Mbetsa is really doing some really huge job. I applaud that guy. He's my friend. That's the same conversation I will take to Akina Latif, Dr Gashigi. I happen to visit Raspberry Pi Center in Cambridge as well. It's just amazing how you can hear them talk about a product that comes from Kenya in a place where you know Dr Gashigi is the same doctor. Yes, we are, we work really close with him. So it's a really interesting conversation on how digitalization of creating I mean the use of digitalized solutions in solving Africa's problem, and that's why I usually say tech is my food. I can feed Africa with it in a heartbeat.
Speaker 1:So these vertical conversations are happening. The good thing is, a lot of people are starting to actually understand the importance of embracing tech solutions and yeah, so there's a lot that is happening, just like I've mentioned. I can't disclose everything, but there's some really, really interesting conversations. I think the next news that will be coming from us is the partnership we've made with SpotOn Ventures, so SpotOn will be having that package of storing your item if you're visiting and using their vacation packages. So you can use the lockers there their vacation packages.
Speaker 1:So you can use the lockers there. They also have some sponsored events where we will be giving storage as a service and I think those conversations keep on growing. And then, like I mentioned earlier, this conversation in Rwanda is really interesting and I understand you have used Africa Stalking technology extensively. Please expand on that. Africa Stalking technology extensively. Yes, please expand on that. Africa Stalking is a part of the sponsor of this podcast. I think Africa Stalking is always my home.
Speaker 2:First of all, let's even start with Sam Gikandi himself. Shout out to Sam Gikandi man. He showed up for so many guys.
Speaker 1:That guy Me. I usually just say if there's one person I usually pray for. Asigoye Anguka, no matter. I usually just say, if there's one person I usually pray for, I listen to his podcast and I inbox him on that day and tell him boss, you've gone through all this stuff, even when you're with us. You were under that umbrella. That guy, sam, is literally my mentor and Sam has taught me things in life, either through directly interacting with me or sharing his stories with me. The good thing with him is he never he will not sugarcoat stuff.
Speaker 2:He'll just tell you things as they are.
Speaker 1:So Sam has really come through for me. Even right now we don't have we're still at Africa Stalking, so this is still home for me and I really need to bring it across that Without I don't think, to be honest, I really need to bring it across that I don't think, to be honest without Africa's Talking, we would be where we are.
Speaker 2:Our story would not be possible.
Speaker 1:We started using all those services from them. At the time there was Payments, there was IoT, there was SMS. Literally 70% to 80% of Bebebegi's infrastructure was hosted here and even right now we're still using your services. So we are heavily using SMS. We are progressively advancing to USSD in the future because obviously we will want to expand our use cases, and I don't see any. The good thing is, Africa is stocking us good footprints all over Africa, so it gets easier for us to even expand in another market, scaling becomes much easier.
Speaker 1:You can imagine if I have to start with a messaging company in Tanzania and then another one in Morocco and then another one in Egypt. It will be hectic, but then if you know that you're working with a company that is already in these markets it becomes very easy that's one.
Speaker 1:The second part is the kind of resources Africa's Talking gives me, even up to date. The people I interact with I mean, you're one of them and the linkages, the conversations that you know lift from one place to the next. It's just amazing, I think. I think this is a place I call home and it will always be my home for a very long time.
Speaker 2:For sure, man, anytime be my home for a very long time, for sure, man, anytime, anytime.
Speaker 1:It's just that sometimes things get busy. We want more prints in this ecosystem, but ideally we'll have all our IT users and, you know, especially devs, because you know devs actually can power the whole ecosystem. They can power more businesses, but also even for businesses. You have a special place for them because they create employment. So everyone who uses Africa Stalking, everyone who has a business in Africa, maybe originally from Africa or out there I think that's part of the solution as you're talking about other problems that are facing, including gender-based violence, and you know, when people are doing business, they never think about it.
Speaker 1:Everyone is like how much did I make this quarter?
Speaker 2:How much did I make this year?
Speaker 1:But beyond that, there are people who are giving a job, there are people who actually wake up every day, innovate give them that freedom. There are people who actually are living through these jobs. So shout out to everyone who actually believes that Africa business could be sustainable. They're doing it. Shout out to all the innovators you know who are actually building new opportunities, and I like what the hardware industry is doing when it comes to.
Speaker 1:You know innovation, so maybe in future I'll see people like Moritz Mbeta here. You'll see Dr Gashigi telling their stories also, because I know all these guys when you sit down with them you'll be amazed.
Speaker 2:Already we had Sam Gikandi.
Speaker 1:He's continuing to do an amazing, amazing job. The other projects that are coming up that actually we'll be sharing soon.
Speaker 2:So big up to everyone.
Speaker 1:So, Charles, what next for Beba Begi? But before that there's something I meant to ask you. You talked about raising funds. Please take us through that journey. How much have you raised so far? I go to equity. What do you need to raise? You don't have to go to specifics, but just giving someone a bigger picture about raising funds. Are the customers the best investors versus venture capitalists? There have been that conversation in the ecosystem.
Speaker 2:I don't know what your experience is, you know, venture capitalists, you know there have been that conversation in the ecosystem.
Speaker 1:So what are your experiences? So yes, I will be very honest. I am fundraising.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:On the lower ticket of a pre-seed. I've never fundraised before. Okay, so I'm raising on the lower ticket of a pre-seed at $500K, but basically this will be funds that will be used to scale in Kenya only, okay, funds that will be used to scale in Kenya. Only the reason why we are trying to basically reduce it to that level. Initially I was raising 1.5, which I still am raising 1.5 on a larger ticket seed round. This will go to expanding all over East Africa.
Speaker 1:But, over time, we've realized that one of the things that has been happening around with investors is startups don't get far, because fundraising is not an easy job. How many of us even started in Haiti and how many are still operational? Less than 30% of the startups are left.
Speaker 1:It's basically because we do not get those opportunities, but a lot of things have been turning up. There's the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation that is actively investing into African startups, and I think it's interesting. However, I will also be very honest. Most of the funding that has come into Beba Begi has either been from our own pockets or from the reinvestments we get from our customers.
Speaker 1:So I would say the first option for any business is obviously your customer is the best investor you can have, because at the end of the day, the person you need to impress is not even the investor, it's the customer. The investor can give you 10 million shillings, but the market slaps you with with. We don't want your product.
Speaker 2:Or you don't create value for them, and then they end up not using you.
Speaker 1:So I think the bootstrapping journey has also come up with a lot, because most of the time I'm usually the one even on the ground studying how things are and gradually you start realizing that even if you would have had money earlier, you wouldn't have learned all this stuff. So I'm fundraising, and I'm fundraising in more or less two or three ways. One, there is the crowd, through the VCs and the staff. But there is a model with the Beba Begi that is called a franchise model. The franchise model allows anyone at a wherever you can invest in Beba Begi right now, if you have $1,000, you just basically put in and then you have a locker of your own, you deploy it to an area where you wish, or you let us deploy it.
Speaker 1:Have a thousand dollars you just basically put in, and then you have a locker of your own, you deploy it to an area where you wish, or you let us deploy it for you, and then you earn from the locker. And the good thing is, you monitor everything on your phone and we take care of everything else so it's some.
Speaker 1:It's some form of an organic marketing and we've gotten two people already investing using that model. They buy one locker and they see it's working and they're like, hey, give give me 10. So and that's how we continuously push the business. So if we can actually push the business when we don't have funding. So my dream right now is to expand all over East Africa.
Speaker 1:And I want to do this within the next two years. If I can actually dominate the East African market, then within the next five years I can potentially and confidently say that I'm now ready for the African market as a whole. And yeah, so in this case you're saying if you have $1,000, you can buy yourself a locker. Yes, from $1,000, you can have a locker station for yourself. You can even put it anywhere. If you feel like you need to put a locker at Village Market for you guys moving in, out of the Sarit meetings and the expos, you can purchase a locker, we'll deploy.
Speaker 1:The good thing is we are very fast nowadays. We are not like before. We've already, you know, perfected our skill, so we can be able to deploy a locker within a week from the day you set up. You make the initial payments and even if you don't have the full amount, we do offer payment plans. Yeah, we can give you up to 10 months of payment, very nice. And this lock has how many compartments? So it depends. We have different versions. There is a version that only has one, another version has 10, another version. So for $1,000 you get how many compartments.
Speaker 2:That question is still relative, because, you see, it could be just one cabinet but it has one big compartment, so it's be just one to you to say, okay, please give me this compartment of this. Okay, I get you, I get you yeah, that's nice, that's nice.
Speaker 1:So, um, when you're raising funds, what do you need? When I'm raising funds, what do I need? See, of course I need the funds. No, no, I mean mean, like, what do you go in front of that investor with? Besides, you know we have, okay, maybe you have the product, like you said, but what else? I think the most important thing is that my investor to understand the African story.
Speaker 1:The story we're trying to create value for Because we are not going to say that we are such a fancy you know fancy business trying to change everyone's life, but we know there's a niche that is literally begging for this solution. So when we go to an investor, or rather. I would also appreciate if there's an investor listening. The first thing we want you to understand is the story we're trying to create.
Speaker 1:It's not even that we have a fancy technology. Okay, we know we are smart, but in the long run, being smart doesn't it's part of the job.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's like 10% or 10%.
Speaker 1:Smartness doesn't put food on top of other people's tables.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So, first of all, it's changing the African narrative because, like you said, you have traveled places.
Speaker 2:Maybe Mimindo and Meanza could travel A bit, a bit.
Speaker 1:I see you there. But the reality of things is we are suffering, yet we have the skill set here, the only thing is the only thing that I personally find hard with fundraising is it's very hard for investors to trust African startups. I don't know why it gets easy when there's a person from outside.
Speaker 2:When you have the white, yeah the white syndrome.
Speaker 1:They call it the white founder syndrome, but that's I mean. I am the one who was born here. I am the one who goes through this problem every day. I'm the one who understands it, so I think it's a journey that we need to travel together. Let's not put it that you know I'm not going to give you my money because you're from here. I'm going to give somebody else who can trust you. And it's not been easy, because explaining yourself to investors and that has actually been a serious part of my problem, because I'm always talking the customer language, not the investor language I know if I talk to a customer, the chances of customer committing to use my product is very fast.
Speaker 1:In fact, chances are you won't even wait for me to finish two minutes. You'll be like where are your lockers? But for an investor they'll be back and forth. And now the worst part, and this is something I've gone through this is very sad. There are investors local investors who are manipulating how startups are raising.
Speaker 2:It's a very sad thing.
Speaker 1:I will not mention names, but how do you give me a ticket? You say I'm going to give you $100,000, but I'm taking 14%, no questions asked, because you got $100,000. Yeah, so would you say? This is bribery. This is literally robbing me of my company. Fundraising is a negotiation. Wait a minute. They take 14% of your company for $100,000, or they take 14% of $100,000? No, they give you $100,000. They take 14% of your company, no questions asked, no bargaining. So you raise how many times?
Speaker 1:That's the question, because Nine times you have no company, nine times you have no company and you have a match a million dollars. Yeah, so it's just like saying, chief, let me give you a million dollars.
Speaker 2:Forget about this, it's for years, but I'll be using your technology your mindset, your IP, everything that, yes, so I tend to feel like that's robbery. Are they?
Speaker 1:Africans.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's an African.
Speaker 1:In fact, I think it's kind of. But don't forget, even when the colonizer was here, there were chiefs. They were not white, they were not colonizers. They were the ones who actually used to whip you and sell you. So all these things. Actually, if you study where we have come from, it's very important to be cognizant of what actually happened. We actually live with them. We live with their children's children. All these people are there. Maybe the mindset is still the same, where they believe that if anything has to happen in this country or throughout Africa, we have to get something out of it. Yeah, so it's so sad to see it, but it's the reality.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So be careful for any vet out there raising funds or building solutions. There are people like that yeah, yeah. And I think that's the one narrative in the fundraising field that I know. If I can strongly stand against, it's that but do you think if?
Speaker 1:africans should, uh, come together and, you know, start investing in ourselves. That's the other problem. The problem again is there are african vcs, in fact kenyan vcs, but then there are their term sheets and you know the the conditions of invest, pushing investments into you. It's like they're telling you you're doing your favor. The truth of the matter is, when an investor comes into your company, he's not doing your favor. You're doing them a favor. In fact, it's a 50-50 kind of thing. You're bringing in your money. I grow it, okay, as I grow myself, yeah, as I grow myself. So, basically, it's not like, eh me, you've caught me on the streets, you're giving me money that's not what I'm doing.
Speaker 1:That's. I think that's a very bad narrative. So, do you think poverty, mentality, you know, stigmatization that you went through when you were a kid is still even there, even at this level? Well, I wouldn't look at it from that angle. When it comes to business, I usually put everything I've gone through in life candle Because in the long run the story could be good, but you could have gone through the worst parts of your life. But if you're building a solution that creates no value for the African person, yeah.
Speaker 1:I trust you, it's a done deal, yeah, and the other thing is the other thing I will also strongly say about investments Western investors come into Africa and push money because of a good pitch. It's a very sad story. And then you push money into companies that you have. No, totally. They are telling you that they have done their statistics and their homeworks and you fall for them.
Speaker 1:And then there's maybe a company too up at Chini. Nobody knows much about it, but it's actually doing things. So you push money. I could literally go into a pitch with someone else and they raise Mbele Angu and then they die after two years Maybe. I've been in the market for three. This is my fourth year. And I think there's not enough data or other research that is put into investments. Now the final one these guys who put up a pitch battle in the name of grant, supporting climate resilient, blah, blah, blah.
Speaker 1:And this is not specific. Now. This is almost all of them. In 2022, november 22nd, I won a grant of $3,000 thousand dollars. To date, I've never gotten that money. Where did it go? I don't know.
Speaker 1:So are we being used to, basically, you know, pitch our ideas there and then, because every time we we try to raise, because you founders go through a lot, so when you tell them that you know what you have won three thousand dollars and it will be dispersed to you in three months a founder is already writing up that000 and it will be disbursed to you in three months. A founder is already writing up how that money will be channeled now. So when you don't give them money and the excuse you're giving are quite lame, our partners have not disbursed the money, and so the question is, were you putting up something that you didn't have money for? Then that's suspicious. The worst part is, we've even tried directing this all the way to the governor, nairobi County. They say you know, when somebody says that he wants to put his money wherever, you can't control it. But I'm telling you I really did try and argue with them.
Speaker 1:I believe you know he recently just resigned. What was his name? Agola, victor Victor. Yes, I've had a very, very intense conversation with Victor on the same and I did tell him. Hey, man say you guys need to have some sort of way of regulating which accelerator programs are being accepted, Because some of these guys are just idea mining. Do they come in with the county government? No, they don't come in with the county government. If you come in with the competition called People are just saying that it's a competition called Africa's Talking.
Speaker 1:Podcast, For instance you come in and present a few videos of your podcast and then you're told you won. These guys are just I call them idea mining, because if you're not giving me money, then what are you doing? You want to hear my pitch? You tell me I sent you my pitch, deck my traction, blah, blah, blah. Do you know it's? It gets very easy for you to steal my idea from that. True, true, yeah.
Speaker 1:So I think this is a battle that I've fought for so long. Nowadays, I'm just like. Nowadays, I'm just pitching and moving. So I think, because you no longer believe in it. Hey, startup founders, some geek. For you to be a startup founder, you must be crazy. You're not a normal person, the kind of things you're dealing with. So, finally, what next for Charles? I think we right now one of the biggest things we are about to release a version 3 of the product, another Beba Begi, and this will see the product having diverse use cases that solve even the problems of the new use cases we are exploring is using a solar-powered technology for the lockers in handling last-mile delivery for fresh vegetables. The problem is right now, even in Northeastern, is food has to move all the way from central, all the way there, and then, when it comes to that, people are rushing to take it to the market. What if we could put the ATM lockers but now refrigerate them using solar, in even remote areas?
Speaker 2:Are you?
Speaker 1:considering to partner with Kooza Freezer from Mombasa. We were in the same project with them Africa's Prize. We were with them in London. Well, we haven't entirely initiated that conversation, but there's a conversation going on with Jumia, but it's a slow one. There's a conversation I on with Jumia, but it's a slow one. There's a conversation initiated with Maidawa. We want to use the lockers to dispense medicine. There's a conversation we've started, we've initiated with a couple of other startups, but one thing that has come into light is our biggest market is actually the SMEs because, it takes a shorter time for approval, and Jumia for lack of a better word, Jumia have been up to Mekotukiongana for a very long time.
Speaker 1:We've been talking to them since 2019 and we're just getting back and forth, back and forth, and tomorrow a startup in logistics comes and says we can use this. Please deploy it for us. So that's one. And then the other one is we are taking lockers to the coast.
Speaker 2:So if you are pirates, you can now work with your laptop.
Speaker 1:If you know you will be locked there you will not lose. Because pirates, you know they can lock up to over 4,000 people in a single day.
Speaker 2:But let me ask you something.
Speaker 1:Now that you've talked about pirates and the context, is it possible to carry the whole locker if you wanted to take whatever is in that locker? I've seen people actually carry the whole ATM and go to deal with it. Yeah, that's always a question. I have never, ever gotten into an audience where somebody failed to ask me. If I'm serious, I know what is being stored in those lockers. Maybe somebody is selling iPhones on those lockers, they can carry them. That's worth millions of shillings.
Speaker 1:But, one thing that we constantly do and we usually tell our customers is we do not deploy these lockers just anywhere. The first thing we do is we conduct a site visit to. We conduct a mandatory site visit to. We conduct a mandatory site visit to ensure the security of the area is up to date. So we put the lockers in areas where it's frisking before you even get into the enterprise.
Speaker 1:So, if we go to Pirates right now, we won't put it next to the water there. We'll go and talk to KWS, put them in their offices or talk to Moonshine, and these are the guys we call agents. So even right now in Nairobi, with our four spots active on including Africa Stalking, that would be five we have to make sure that if you want to become an agent, we have to come to your site. We approve that. Okay, security is checked. There is free skin at the entrance. We train the agent on how to operate the lockers in the event there is any eventualities, because, much as it's automated, we still anticipate the weird cases and we try to cut them as soon as possible. So mandatory site visit is a must. Very nice, very nice. So, prince, thank you so much for gracing our podcasts. Thank you very much how was?
Speaker 1:your host, michael Kymathi. Mike is great. I think taking this conversation a notch higher on a podcast is really, really great. I must admit, this is my first experience in a podcast. I've never done this before. I usually just see people wearing these two big things. Yeah, but thank you so much. I think this was also. The good thing with these things is you do realize when you're telling your story, you do realize what this is actually me telling my story of how far I've come.
Speaker 1:So this was very also, you know, informative session on even finding myself even more. So, yeah, I do appreciate and I hope my story reaches out to somebody who may need it. They usually say that whatever it is that you've gone through in life will be somebody's map into going or getting through something hard or a hard time they're going through. So, yeah, very through something hard or a hard time they are going through. Very nice, you want to shout out to our listeners, fans and whatnot, and encourage them to share? Yeah, I think young people, particularly the youth, I usually say I'll never stop being a youth.
Speaker 1:The youth, the thing is, we both have we all have stories and I think sometimes trying to tell the world about these stories because you tend to feel like there's some sort of stigmatization and this is not just about gender-based kind of a story you need to tell. Come out If something is holding you back. Based on what you have been through, I want to tell you that I really did conquer a lot of things. That and some of them still do happen, but nowadays I'm just like this is something I've tackled before.
Speaker 1:So come out of that shell because sometimes, like I said, if you're in a loop where you feel you're not growing, you need to start finding a way out, because that loop is remaining in one place the whole of your life is not how you are predestined to you know, to grow beyond.
Speaker 1:You'll never realize your potential if you're sitting in a comfort zone so yeah, step out of your comfort zone, find your place in the world and create a difference. Very nice, very nice. So thank you so much again, prince. So please subscribe, share like. Very nice. So thank you so much again, prince. So please subscribe, share like. This is Michael Kemadi for Impact Masters, in collaboration with Africa Stalking. So for me, I've made it a habit to part shots using African proverbs or proverb from the wise men, wise ancestors, and today's proverb is Proverbs or proverb from the wise men or wise ancestors. And today's proverb is a man's honor is like an egg If he does not hold it properly, it falls and breaks. That's a proverb from West Africa. Until next time, see you.
