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One on One with Jebet Chemngorem, Founder GreyOwl and 2009 Africa SMME Award Winner
Date Published: Tuesday November 17, 2009
A cursory glance at the list of winners at the 2009 Africa SMME Awards - held in Cape Town last month - can fool one into thinking the awards are a South African affair. But a closer look reveals a number of companies across the continent including Kenya's very own GreyOwl Ltd. GreyOwl which was the only Kenyan company to make the list, managed to trounce various well known companies in the region to win the Silver Award in the Service Sector of the SMME Awards. Jebet Chemngorem, GreyOwl Ltd founder and Managing Director joined Tujuane Network in 2007 and was one of the first entrepreneurs we profiled on Tujuane. And thus it was a privilege to revisit her story two years later, to learn more about the SMME Awards and GreyOwl.
Tell us about GreyOwl Limited. What is it, when was it founded and by whom?
I started GreyOwl, in December 2003 opening its doors to the world in January 2004.
As a design house, I increasingly felt that design was not enough in solving the business problems that were set before us in form of design. So I started developing small tools for my clients such as the Big Idea Positioning tool which aimed at presenting the competitive advantage my client's product had in the market.
Having studied international marketing and cultural studies, and then encountering the integrated branding model made a lot of sense; this was the same stuff I had studied under a different name. I later partnered with someone to build the business, but this arrangement did not fulfill its objective and the partner was divested.
Business continued and GreyOwl today offers Brand Audit (Research), Brand Strategy, Communication Strategy, Online Strategy, Product Development, Naming & Identity Design with Styleguide & brand books, Implementation planning, Execution of the strategy, Brand Sensitization (Training), Brand Management & Brand Evaluation and most recently Publishing.
To individuals who don't understand the world of Branding could you please elaborate on what it is exactly that GreyOwl does?
Our job is to transform the performance of organizations through heightening the interaction between the user and an organization. This process involves the assessment of perceptions by all stakeholders of the company, both internal and external and using that information to define the direction the organization needs to take in going forward for purposes of growth.
Why is branding an integral part of any business?
It is placed at the point of transaction - a user versus organization. This space defines the profitability of a business. Perceptions, beliefs and experiences mold the price and willingness of a person in buying a product. There are perceptions that drive away potential clients and those that increase their number or sale to such an extent; a person is willing to pay an "un-reasonable" value for it.
In a world of competitive offerings, a business cannot exist successfully without understanding this transaction point. The transaction point is the profit maker or objectives achiever. An organization must give this space its primary attention.
What sort of clientele does Greyowl cater to? (Corporate, SMEs, individuals etc?)
GreyOwl is designed to cater for the SME sector although our client portfolio is wide. We serve government sector organizations, Corporates, NGO, start-up and SME's. We enjoy working for anyone who has a business problem to solve.
What do most of your new clients gain from the GreyOwl branding experience?
Understanding the value of creating a good product. In the modern world the saying "Kizuri chajiuza, kibaya chajitembeza" (a good thing sells itself, a bad thing advertises itself negatively) stands true. Changing the visual appearance of an organization is a smaller part of the task. The larger part is in having a valuable/good product - this will build the better part of the brand. Our clients recognize the value in good products as well as the value in understanding their users. Our services merge these two areas.
What are some of the achievements of GreyOwl so far? Challenges?
Achievements: We have happy clients. On a first time project, we managed to develop a publication from scratch from the editorial phase to finish for the East African Stock Market distributed in Africa with great success. Being able to build our team's capacity. We have attracted investors local and international. We got a Silver Award at the 2009 Africa SMME Awards. We are able to see a great future ahead of us.
Some of the challenges include, getting easy/uncomplicated access to finance in comparison to companies involved in tradable goods. The service sector hasn't been adequately catered for by financial institutions in matching their risk to intangibles in these parts.
Government's participation in economic development is not enough and many times systems are oppressive rather than progressive. At the 2009 Africa SMME conference it was amazing to see the efforts the South Africa government made towards ensuring its economy is sustained and supported. They have government led training and skills development programs for businesses and even have solutions to retain people (as opposed to retrenching) on a ratio and salary scale structure during recession.
I think other challenges are map-able and workable.
What are the various techniques you have used for marketing GreyOwl?
Whereas we have been busy doing it for other people, we have not done enough for ourselves. Our commitment to ensuring and delivering high quality work has sold us by word of mouth, an essential mode of brand building. We are working on the remaining actions to market ourselves.
SMME AWARDS
Recently, GreyOwl was nominated and subsequently became the winner of the Silver Award in the Service Sector 2009 Africa SMME Awards in SA.
Tell us about these Awards? What are they? Who do they target? etc
Absolutely exciting! Being nominated was a real light in the first place! The Africa SMME (Small Medium Micro Enterprises) Awards is a conference and an award with an aim to showcase Africa's successful SMME's. Other roles include:
the promotion of the role of SMME in economic development
bring together policy makers, big businesses, governments, academics, investors, development institutions and SMME's,
help promote SMME development
How did GreyOwl come to the attention of SMME in the first place?
Through a submission. One of our clients pointed us to it.
What were the Judging criteria for the winners?
Level of ownership, financial health and performance of the company, services rendered, job creation, business model and achievements accomplished, corporate governance & quality control and social responsibility.
How did it feel to be nominated for this Award?
The nomination was a wonderful surprise; getting the silver award was humbling. The other contestants were very serious businesses and in my sector, only South African firms were qualified as nominees. The award being Africa-wide there were several nominations from various parts, from Mauritius to Nigeria. The overall award winner was an indigenous car-maker from Ethiopia - Holland Cars Plc. There was also Kenyan nominee under the industrial sector.
How do you plan to utilize the opportunities this Award might have thrown your way?
In my business, credentials are essential and this we will wear on our lapels. We intend to do a lot more with our business and hopefully this will attract even more awards! The award will also allow us to offer a new product we have been working on with even more drive.
What does this mean to GreyOwl as an entrepreneurial venture?
More trust as a growing firm, means more business. This also presents a great scenario for investors. There are simply lots more to come!
ABOUT JEBET
Tell us about yourself? What's your personal background?
Born in Nairobi, Kenya to inspiring parents, I have a brother and sister, and married to a very cool Singh.
What is your educational background? What did you do before starting GreyOwl?
I did my primary education in Kilimani Junior Academy in Nairobi and secondary at Moi High School - Kabarak in Nakuru. I then did a 2-year BTEC National Diploma in design (fashion, photography, sculpture etc) and then my undergrad BA Hons Design both at Epsom, Surrey Institute of Art and Design (now known as University of Creative Arts) in UK.
After that I joined Watch, a men's lifestyle magazine (Sold in Harrods, Harvey Nichols and WHSmith) in London - Fitzroy Square, where I was charged with handling the creative of the entire magazine. For a first time professional position, it was quite a deal; I even got to select the magazine's photographers! I loved it. While the magazine was fun, the scope of creativity was limited so I went on to do course in filmaking at The Raindance Film School.
Home was calling, I knew Kenya was the space I wanted to make something. I joined Ayton Young & Rubicum for 1 and half years as a Graphic Design and in that period given the role of acting creative director of silver bullet a division of the group. I left exploring various things and doing business was the primary thing.
I started GreyOwl from my flat and officially started operations beginning 2004. I then moved to Industrial Area and now we are right in the middle of the bustle of Westlands.
What is your current role within the GreyOwl? How has this evolved over time?
I am now the company's Managing Director. My role at the start was primarily creative although I was involved in absolutely everything including accounts. My role as Managing Director is more strategic - for GreyOwl and for our clients.
What is the most challenging part of being an entrepreneur?
I'll start with what is exciting: the amount of life you learn is amazing. The challenging bit: wanting things faster than they come.
What is the most fulfilling part? What is your proudest moment at GreyOwl?
There have been many - from feeling that I am no longer required actively in the central parts of the business, to most recently; over a lunch, one of my team members said "as far as I can tell right now, I don't want to work for any other company". It made it feel worthwhile. The Africa SMME Award recognition from an African platform was a good pat on our backs - Africa said yes! to us.
Any last words or advice for Tujuane members?
When you start up you have to be ready for a wild ride. You then must learn the patterns in your business, and then create a portfolio of different types of incomes that will keep you at the finest advantage when the economic environments are unfavorable.
I am also a firm believer in innovation. Progress lies this way.
Contact Info
GreyOwl Limited
4th level, Nabui House, Woodvale lane, Off Mpaka, Westlands
Tel: +254 (0) 20 445 1887/ 4451660
Fax: + 254 (0) 4451660
Cell: +254 (0)20 3597983 / 0733 411 530 / 0718 703 633 / 0713 180 037
Email: brand@greyowl.co.ke
Website: http://www.greyowl.co.ke/
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