EUGENE MBUGUA S RELENTLESS PURSUITS

2019. This would add to the Best Editor award he won in 2014 Kalashas for his work in Child for Hire.

Mbugua would go on to have major shows across leading media houses in Kenya, start a company employing over 50 people (now scaled down to 30 dues to coronavirus challenges) and recently go international where he is airing shows in India, South Africa and the USA.

His star is only brightening with the upcoming reality show of one of the leading band in Africa, Sauti Sol, with whom they have partnered to create a docu-reality show named Sol Family.

The twists and turns in Mbugua’s intriguing life are endless, probably enough to make a film, however his hard work, dedication and friends helped him pull through difficult periods for instance when he battled depression in 2014. He says that most of his ventures are jointly undertaken with friends who together make them successful.

This is how Mbugua found himself venturing into other businesses, stressing the importance of friends as well as

“innovation is the key differentiator between sustainable companies and those that go under ”

diversification. According to him, the value of innovation cannot be underestimated, “it is what separates successful businesses from those that go under.”

Mbugua continues to dream big as he has ventured into other forms of business. “I’ve realized that innovation is the key differentiator between sustainable companies and those that go under.” Mbugua created a publishing business called My Yearbook Kenya Ltd, which publishes yearbooks for schools, companies and governments.

Mbugua’s success in diversification did not come without a measure of challenges, he had to close one of the Number 7 bar branches a few months after starting. He says that being new to business saw him face difficulties in marketing the new ventures.

He has also invested in beef farming after him and his friend, Victor Kagema, realized that Kenya often does not make its quota for beef. To meet this demand, they decided to join the industry to improve Kenya’s standard.

Before joining his three partners to pool resources and purchase a tractor for tilling services, he had tried bean farming in 2014 on a two-acre farm in Njoro with Ksh 100,000 capital but ended up making a loss of Ksh 40, 000.

This losses, however, he says, taught

him the value of friends as well as the need to carry a post mortem of a business when losses occur to determine where the mistake happened to correct and learn.

Venturing into the retail space has been one of the biggest challenges he has encountered. He did this through the Number7 chain of bars and car washes. Mbugua says that he remembers the business closing one of its branches a few months after getting launched.

While he did not consider the retail venture a mistake, “going retail came with a lot of challenges especially in their marketing and pilferage. Being new in the business, I have lost some money but the lessons have been more valuable than the money lost. Nevertheless, the loss was very disheartening. But over time, I have learned to carry out a thorough post -mortem of the business whenever a loss occurs in order to identify and correct what has gone wrong.”

His life philosophy is best captured in tattoo in his arm, “Life is just employer, He gives you what you ask, but once you have set the wages, you must bear the task. I have worked for a menial’s hire, only to learn dismayed, that any wage I had asked of life, life would have willingly paid.”

It is through this that he encourages everyone to change their perspective on the emphasis placed on monetary value, especially in an era where everyone focus is to make millions and replace it with aspirations to achieve happiness. Mbugua also urges people to be true to themselves and strongly believe in whatever they do, even if at times it means going against society.

Mbugua advises young people to strive to make their path in life as success stories are hardly similar and not use money as a measure of success. “So follow your path and stick to what you are doing, what works for me may not work for you. Success is not all about money.”

Work with no play and fun makes anyone dull, Mbugua knows how to balance business and pleasure. He is well travelled globally, visiting historic places in France, Italy, United States, and Norway among many others. He is also a fitness enthusiast, using it to wind up and remain fit. He insists that it necessary to maintain a healthy social life, he maintains a group of friends and lives with two dogs, Ziggy and Suki. “Even when I was starting Young Rich, I was alone. I would shoot all day, edit all night and still find time meet up with friends,” He says. Mbugua echoes the essential principle of everyone winning when you win the right way as he attributes his success to sheer hard work, reading culture and believing in shared growth. “I am a strong believer in shared success. Any business that I get into, I strive to ensure that I win, my investors win, our employees win and most importantly our customers do too.”

Interview done by Kimani Patrick, story by Christabel Airo and Philip Mwangi