LIONESS WEEKENDER COVER STORY
Minkoti Agencies Limited, a specialist, high-growth, Kenyan construction company specializing in building and civil works
Stacey Menga Onyango is the Director / Founder of Minkoti Agencies Limited in Kenya. Stacey is the sole director of the company that was founded in 2009 as a small enterprise business dealing in general supplies, and has since grown into a middle enterprise business with over 60 employees. Stacey has a background in Human Resources and Strategic Management but decided to defy the odds and get into the construction sector in 2018. The company offers quality building and civil construction services both to the government and private sector, and has in the past year upscaled the operations of the company to South Sudan.
Lioness Weekender chatted to Stacey Menga Onyango to learn more about her big vision for her business, and her ambitions to expand across the African continent.
What does your company do?
Minkoti Agencies Limited, a specialist, high-growth, Kenyan construction company specializing in building and civil works
What inspired you to start your company?
"When you know you are born different, you must work on standing out ". Raised in a family of career women I wanted to be an achiever both in career and in business. As a little girl, I had a creative and innovative mind and interacting with different people in my mother's networks, I would always say to her after a meeting 'If only your friends could do this, they would build a huge brand and make lots of money'. My mother admired and encouraged my creativity and innovativeness and decided to nurture my entrepreneurial spirit. Upon completion of my high school education in 2007, as I joined University for my undergraduate studies, she encouraged me to register a company to do general supplies in government and private offices, and Minkoti has since become a brand.
Why should anyone use your service or product?
The services we offer are special because of the vibrant and diverse team that work every day to turn visions into reality. The team led by female supervisors is always excited when we win a contract. They are always ready and eager to take up a new challenge and provide innovative solutions in different projects which are often adopted by clients, ensuring delivery of the best services.
Tell us a little about your team
As complimented above, I work with a vibrant and diverse team and to ensure gender representation and ensuring that I work within my goal/ objective of women economic development and empowerment, I ensure the teams put together for different projects are led by female site supervisors. The team is very flexible and never shy away from taking up new challenges, rather ask to build capacity in the new areas so they can deliver the best.
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
My entrepreneurial journey started when I was a young girl. I would sit and analyse businesses on TV shows and give my 'two cents' on what they could right. Accompanying my mum to her meetings, I often picked up conversations on her friends/networks business experiences. My mum identified and nurtured my entrepreneurship spirit and it came to pass that as I finished high school and joined University for my undergraduate studies, she encouraged me to register a company. That was the birth of Minkoti Agencies, registered as a business name in 2009, and converted to Minkoti Agencies Limited in 2018. I am the first in my family to build both a career and a business brand.
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
In the next 5 years, I plan to penetrate at least four more countries in Africa and in the long run, offer my services to the entire African continent. Plans of registering a foundation as part of our Corporate Social Responsibility are underway. The foundation will work with global partners to offer education opportunities to needy children and also offer technical and financial support to women to achieve sustainable economic development in the fight towards alleviating poverty.
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
The limitless possibilities of what I can achieve. Being an entrepreneur, one cannot have the luxury of being static because the world keeps changing, and with every change that comes, I must constantly find ways of staying ahead in the market. The opportunity that being an entrepreneur grants me to change the lives of others, both internal and external clients, is not something I take for granted, because one life changed causes a ripple effect and this gives me a sense of fulfilment.
What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
Everyone's journey is unique, don't compare your failures and successes with others. Walk your path, learn from your mistakes, identify what works for you and build your brand.
To learn more about Stacey’s entrepreneurial journey, and to talk about new business opportunities, contact Stacey via email: stacey.menga@gmail.com or visit the company’s website: https://minkoti.com/web/
