A while back I visited a female friend who had difficulty managing the users connected to her Wifi. I took on the challenging of seeking a device that supports guest user management. Around the same time, an associate came over to discuss on a Digital Signage solution. He also wanted to know how to set bandwidth control on users on a network. I experimented with various solutions like pfSense and OpenWRT then he later came with something different. He did his own research and made contact with a Singaporean company that makes devices with solutions we were seeking and even more (captive portal, vouchers, otp, ad server, VLAN etc).
He then established a company based around the solutions. The Singaporean company sent one of their own here as an aide. I created the company logo and the promotional infographics while also learning the system. I then decided to lean more on the media side than the technical side which had a few other people he had brought in. I made videos, animations, montages while he sought out companies, businesses and institutions. Things were going really great. I was still working from home and repair shop. I never knew how big things were until I started receiving requests for Moja Wifi, Garden City, Wazi Wifi, JTL… Then things went sideways.
I never knew he had rented office space and everyone else was there. I wasn’t receiving any payment because I was under the impression that ‘the lawyer’ was still processing the details so we could be partners. I was always in the dark having to ask to get involved with proceedings everytime. Then he wouldn’t meet me to talk. We were always using company email to communicate. Immediately I stopped working on a video and demanded to know what is going on and what my position in this business really is. Early this morning the dude came to meet me with a car, kitambi while talking on the phone with the fundi who is building his house. The argument wasn’t pretty and we now are at odds.
Despite all I did, for him and the business, I ended up not benefitting financially. I can’t believe I let myself get used in this manner. I closed shop and retreated back home while people out there are making a killing from my efforts.
I was once in a mat in Thika and I heard some guys discussing how one guy (an IT expert) and used to undercharge when he was starting. He said one time he asked for 50k and the client paid promptly. He then decided to ask for what is worth his work. He quoted 200k and was pia bila maswali. From then on, he has been charging 200plus.
In Greek we say, kurigwo ni kothi.
If you want to be taken seriously in a startup make sure you are always in the room when the money deals are being signed and discussed.
Business is about money and although intangibles help bring the money, sales ndio kila kitu esp when you are bootstraping to get the business up.
Pole boss.
Pull the plug kama deorro huku you created the system and you know the faults it has…nothing is fool proof even medications zamisha hio kitu demand for payment wakikataa uunde yako… steal contacts and connects and work from scratch…i am assuming you were smart enough to leave loopholes za kukulia juu hata microsoft has the same technique…