THE TALES OF A YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR: MY FIRST CAR

During the formative stages of Joadah Consult, I learnt one lesson which has shaped my understanding of winning. I learnt that Image is an important aspect of any business. Your image will win for you 80% of the deal.

A corporate Image or identity is the manner in which a corporation, firm or business presents themselves to the public, such as customers and investors as well as employees. It is a primary task of the corporate communications department to maintain and build this identity to accord with and facilitate business objectives. It is typically visually manifested by way of branding and the use of trademarks. But also includes things like product design, advertising, public relations and the like.

A senior Engineer who learned that I had set up Joadah Consult and who knew my individual capability referred me to JOMAYI Consultants, a real estate company that wanted an Engineering Design for their Water Network in the Seguku Estates located some few kilometres outside Kampala City the Capital City of Uganda.

After receiving a phone call from the Proprietor of Jomayi I informed him that I will do the work at 60m Ugandan Shillings, of which he was fine since other more experienced firms had charged him more than 200m. He asked me to meet him at the site.

I quickly jumped in a public Taxi and dropped off at the Seguku stage and grabbed a Boda Boda (Motor Cycle). After a few minutes of ride on the hilly dusty road, the Boda Boda came to a stop. Not because we had reached, we were 1 kilometre to the Location, but because his fuel was over. I had to walk the remaining distance during a hot day and on a dusty road.

Reaching the Client, I was sweating from the head to the toe and filled with dust from Toe to Head. Just Imagine the Look I had, sweating while dusty.

My Client looked at me from head to toe, from toe to head and gave me this eye of what is this am seeing, while his personalized Range Rover was idling next to us.

Then he asked me series of questions. So, you are the Consultant? What do you do with your money? (Remember this was going to be my first Contract, so there was actually no money), Should I really pay you the 60m? As the questions were increasing, panic set in and more sweat. To make matters worse, I didn’t have a handkerchief.

He then started lecturing me, he said young man, when you meet a client, never make the client to have doubt about you just because of the way you present yourself. The Lecture went on for a full hour and ended up with my fee being reduced to 40 million, which I still accepted. I actually needed the money badly. Just because I refused to hire a car for 100,000, I lost 20 million. This became the most expensive school I went to 20 minutes for 20 million.

I eventually did the work at 40m, and as soon as I was paid, I went for a Toyota Kikumi at 5 million shillings. This car at the end moved with me all over Uganda.