It is often said that your reputation is
the cornerstone of your success and that is why perhaps personal
branding and more importantly corporate branding come into play. Gina
Din Kariuki noticed the lacuna that existed in terms of public relations
and ventured into what was unknown territory.
When she left her job as head of corporate affairs at Barclays Bank Kenya to start a public relations firm, most of her friends thought she was committing “career suicide.” At Barclays she had a good salary, allowances, expense account, chauffeured car and the respect that comes with a senior level management job to open her own Public Relations firm of Gina Din Corporate Communications (GDCC), and today she has no regrets about it.
In an interview series, “Meet the Boss” by How we made it in Africa Gina Din-Kariuki shared her entrepreneurship journey and below is an excerpt of the interview.
1. What was your first job?
I started being an entrepreneur when I was very young. My parents owned a hotel in Nanyuki and I needed to make pocket money. So, I started a disco night in the hotel. I must have been about 15. I would have a disco night twice a week and I would charge an entry fee. That was my first job and business.
2. Who has had the biggest impact on your career and why?
I have had so many really strong shoulders to stand on, I must say that. The person that I grew the most with, professionally, is Michael Joseph (former CEO of Safaricom). We had a very long relationship and I started [working] with him when Safaricom first came. He pushed us to our limits. He made us up our game. We had a very vibrant [relationship]. If there was one person that made me grow professionally I would say it was him.
3. What parts of your job keep you awake at night?
I worry about my brands. If my client is going through something awful then I kind of tend to take on that worry. They are my partners, so whatever my client is going through transfers on to me.
4. What are the top reasons why you have been successful in business?
I am resilient. I am very good networker. I am a connector. My business is all about relationships; that’s all we have. So I am good connector… I generally connect with people at every level.
5. What are the best things about your country?
The resilience. I think Kenyans are the most beautiful people in terms of their spirit [and] the warmth. You know my children [aged 17 and 23] were raised by the same nanny. She is what embodies the Kenyan spirit. She is a strong, resilient, warm, loving person. That for me is what Kenya is all about.
6. And the worst?
I think what is very sad about our country is that we are still so tribal. We will come together at a time when we need to and then as soon as that crisis is over we then go back to our tribal cocoons. It’s sad. I just wonder when we will break out of that cycle because you see it from generation to generation to generation. That is the biggest problem that we have as a country. We need to get out of that.
7. Your future career plans?
My focus is going to be on making my brand an African brand. We are in the region already but, having travelled around Africa in the last two years extensively, I can see the need for an African PR brand. I want to take my seat at the table.
8. What is your message to Africa’s young aspiring business people and entrepreneurs?
I would say to them that they should be confident enough to do it. Sometimes we hear a lot of talk… but when it comes to that moment of saying: ‘I am going to put myself out there,’ they panic. You have to be very brave and you have to go out there. You have to be prepared for failure, and it’s not the end of the world. I look at my journey and I have failed so many times. I left my job because I wanted to create my dream job and I did. I created not only my dream job, but I created my dream life. I think that is what is so exciting about something on your own… you are not only creating your dream job, you are creating a dream life [for yourself and] for so many others.
When she left her job as head of corporate affairs at Barclays Bank Kenya to start a public relations firm, most of her friends thought she was committing “career suicide.” At Barclays she had a good salary, allowances, expense account, chauffeured car and the respect that comes with a senior level management job to open her own Public Relations firm of Gina Din Corporate Communications (GDCC), and today she has no regrets about it.
In an interview series, “Meet the Boss” by How we made it in Africa Gina Din-Kariuki shared her entrepreneurship journey and below is an excerpt of the interview.
1. What was your first job?
I started being an entrepreneur when I was very young. My parents owned a hotel in Nanyuki and I needed to make pocket money. So, I started a disco night in the hotel. I must have been about 15. I would have a disco night twice a week and I would charge an entry fee. That was my first job and business.
2. Who has had the biggest impact on your career and why?
I have had so many really strong shoulders to stand on, I must say that. The person that I grew the most with, professionally, is Michael Joseph (former CEO of Safaricom). We had a very long relationship and I started [working] with him when Safaricom first came. He pushed us to our limits. He made us up our game. We had a very vibrant [relationship]. If there was one person that made me grow professionally I would say it was him.
Gina Din Kariuki, Founder & CEO Gina Din Corporate Communications
I worry about my brands. If my client is going through something awful then I kind of tend to take on that worry. They are my partners, so whatever my client is going through transfers on to me.
4. What are the top reasons why you have been successful in business?
I am resilient. I am very good networker. I am a connector. My business is all about relationships; that’s all we have. So I am good connector… I generally connect with people at every level.
5. What are the best things about your country?
The resilience. I think Kenyans are the most beautiful people in terms of their spirit [and] the warmth. You know my children [aged 17 and 23] were raised by the same nanny. She is what embodies the Kenyan spirit. She is a strong, resilient, warm, loving person. That for me is what Kenya is all about.
6. And the worst?
I think what is very sad about our country is that we are still so tribal. We will come together at a time when we need to and then as soon as that crisis is over we then go back to our tribal cocoons. It’s sad. I just wonder when we will break out of that cycle because you see it from generation to generation to generation. That is the biggest problem that we have as a country. We need to get out of that.
7. Your future career plans?
My focus is going to be on making my brand an African brand. We are in the region already but, having travelled around Africa in the last two years extensively, I can see the need for an African PR brand. I want to take my seat at the table.
8. What is your message to Africa’s young aspiring business people and entrepreneurs?
I would say to them that they should be confident enough to do it. Sometimes we hear a lot of talk… but when it comes to that moment of saying: ‘I am going to put myself out there,’ they panic. You have to be very brave and you have to go out there. You have to be prepared for failure, and it’s not the end of the world. I look at my journey and I have failed so many times. I left my job because I wanted to create my dream job and I did. I created not only my dream job, but I created my dream life. I think that is what is so exciting about something on your own… you are not only creating your dream job, you are creating a dream life [for yourself and] for so many others.
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