As thousands of students enter the already saturated job market every year, one Maseno University student is making best use of his artistic talent by juggling studying and running a design and advertising company.
Student transforms childhood passion to enterprise
Thursday, 09 September 2010 14:43
Anthony Sissey, a fourth year Interior Design and I.T student has turned his artistic gift into a money making and job creation enterprise. Anthony registered his company, Kinetic Designs, two years ago when he decided to formalize and commercialize what he was born doing. As long as he can remember, Anthony has always had a keen interest in art.
“I received an art award when I was in standard two for my drawings,” says Anthony.
At Lenana High school, Anthony’s creativity was refined when he took the lead role in producing the high school magazine, which became a big hit in the school and beyond. After high school, he painting walls and branding buildings on freelance. He later got into digital printing and large format printing.
This led to his current occupation, graphic design and advertising. His company seeks to provide quality solutions in good time to clients. Many design jobs are usually under a strict deadline and he always makes sure his clients’ needs are met in time.
Anthony’s focus on quality has seen this budding student entrepreneur retain his clients, most of who are in Nairobi. Due to the distance, Anthony conducts most of his business online, mostly through email. David Tanki, one of Anthony’s clients says they have never met.
“I email him my brief, and he sends back the draft and that’s how we do business,” says David.
Because he operates from Kisumu, Anthony has employed two people to run errands for his company to cater for his Nairobi clients. According to Anthony, satisfied customers have been the number one marketing tool for Kinetic Designs.
“Most of my new clients are referred by other people I have done jobs for,” says Anthony.
He also markets the outfit through facebook and other social networking sites. Here, clients get to see some of his designs and they can conduct business with him online.
There are challenges he encounters in his line of trade. Machines pose a major challenge to him. Graphic design and other types of computer design require high end computers which are fast and efficient preferably Apple Mac or customized desktops buy expensive to acquire and maintain.
Internet connectivity is also another major challenge.
Due to the fact that most of the times he is at school in Maseno, accessing 3G connectivity is not possible as it is available in Nairobi. He has to bear with low internet speeds and this poses a major threat to his business because most of the time he relies on the internet to communicate with clients and transact business.
He travels a lot from Maseno to Nairobi and also other towns. This has a negative impact on his education but he still manages to pull through.
His capital mainly came from his personal savings and this is what enabled him to venture into the business.
The interior design and I.T degree he is pursuing has helped Anthony generate a better taste for art and hence sharpen his innovations. He is into blogs and online forums of former students who have done the course. Here he gets motivation and ideas to apply on his trade. Designing and advertising forums also go a long way in sharpening his skills.
“In this line of business you can’t only rely on classroom knowledge. To be ahead of the pack, you have to go out there and get extra information that is not taught in class,” he adds.
His advice to students who are thinking of getting into any type business is that a journey of 100 miles starts with a single step. He further says that what a person requires to venture into entrepreneurship may be what is already in the hand. So students do not have to look far but focus on what they have. “To exploit a talent,” he says, “you do not have to start big, you keep on growing”.
He unwinds by playing basketball and he is a member of his university’s basketball team. This helps him relax and deviate a little bit from business to have a peace of mind and refresh his body.
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