My most memorable day in my career was when I did makeup for Awilo Longomba for his music video. It was a breath taking moment for me because I never thought I would.

My name is Ann Mwenja, a born-again Christian, and a makeup artist.

I have been in the makeup industry for five years. I have been nominated for several awards and was able to win one award, which was the Hola awards makeup artists 2019.

I do makeup as a way to evangelize and win souls for Christ. I have authored one book titled Unbroken.

I also run an organization that is called Beauty in the Closet where we offer free makeup workshops to the community, we mentor and offer counsel to the youth and we champion against gender-based violence, and speak louder about childhood traumas.

I love traveling, cooking, cycling, swimming, reading books, and playing poker. These are the things that give me joy in my free time.

My entrepreneurship journey is a funny one. It all started in 2017 when I attend a free makeup workshop by Urembo creations. My urge to learn made me attend all their 5 workshops, up until they opened a beauty school in 2019 and I went on to study for 3 months, after which I got the opportunity to intern with them.

I was then introduced to the entertainment industry and I got to understand how things are done.

I remember the many times I would go to a client, they have paid me money but I would end up doing the job badly or not deliver as per the client’s desires. I would then go to my friend and ask her to show me where I was going wrong.

I practiced how to apply makeup every single day so I could get better at it. I’d plan for shoots and work for photographers to get  professional pictures to advertise my work.

The most memorable day in my career was when I was I did makeup for Awilo Longomba for his music video. It was a breathtaking moment for me because I never thought I would. Another moment was applying makeup to our woman rep Esther Passaris which was a good thing for my career. I also won an award in 2019.

The key drivers of my success

I credit my progress in business to my willingness to learn and practice my craft. There are many times I went to other makeup artists to learn from them and grow my skill.

I tell myself that the day I stop learning is the day I stop growing. I’ve also done other business courses to understand the craft of business which has helped me a lot in my business. And yes, I can confidently say I have progressed because I do makeup way better than when I was just starting out. I have mastered my craft as a makeup artist.

Persistence, consistency, and patience are some of the key skills that have helped me succeed.

Lessons I have learned in my journey are:

• Be professional in your business and keep improving yourself and your craft, you are the business.
• Don’t say things you can’t do, be honest with your clients.
• When it comes to money or being paid, have systems or be firm in collecting your cash after working otherwise you will be working on credit and that will kill your business.
• Network with people.
• Be consistent in what you do.
• And be professional.

The people who helped me succeed.

First, it was my makeup teacher who was patient with me and helped me  master my craft. The students we studied with were also helpful. The photographers I worked with to grow my portfolio and all the directors have been useful because they’d correct me and tell me areas I needed to improve.

My mentor has always pushed me to become better and always encouraged me when I wanted to give up.

What I’d tell young entrepreneurs

We all want to be rich or get things done the easy way, but that is not life. When life gets messy, look at it with a different lens. It’s okay not to be okay, it’s okay to feel bad, but what matters is what you do after the pillow talk with yourself.

Don’t move with the crowd, move at your own pace. We’ll all reach our destination at our own time. Your time is coming and don’t forget that the only good thing in you is GOD.

What I’d tell my younger self

Dear younger self, please love God and live a life that honors God because you know what ‘kila kitu ni vanity.’ Take responsibility of your life as nobody owes you anything, even your sister or parent. You owe yourself the life you want to live, that is it.

My book, Unbroken, is on sale and it’s going for Ksh 1000. Be encouraged to make an order through this number 0731730378. Payments can be made through this till number 9166727.

We offer makeup services for bridal, baby shower, video shoots, events, advertisements, and film-related work.

You can also partner with us in the community work  we do and/or help finance our projects.

Reach out to us through our email address marbelbeauty3@gmail.com or call us on 0731730378.

Ms. Cynthia Mburugu is the lead HR Consultant and Director at Optimum Options Africa Limited with offices in Kenya and Dakar. Previously she worked as the Regional Head of HR, Talent, and Development with an International Non-Governmental Organization overseeing Kenya, Tanzania, and Ethiopia. She has fifteen (15) years of progressive experience in Human Resource Management.

Ms. Mburugu’s career journey started in 2007, and since then she has worked in several international NGOs, Consultancy firms, and Corporates. 2018 was her break-even point when she resigned from formal employment to start Optimum Options HR Consulting company.

“I started off with 2 friends who believed in my ability to redesign their HR department and through my rich network I have seen the company grow.” she recalls.

In 2020 she relocated to Dakar and registered Optimum Options Africa which is now serving West Africa.

“Your network is your net worth. This is what has helped me grow the Company.” ~Ms. Cynthia Mburugu

The key drivers of her success.

“The growth curve has been progressive, even though the starting was slow. In business, one needs to be resilient and patient.

Daring abroad in Dakar which is French speaking, has pushed me off my comfort zone in a good way” she says.

Passion, consistency, integrity, and excellence have been the key drivers of her growth. Having mentors who have ventured into the same industry has also been pertinent to her success.

“At Optimum Options, we believe that our work should do the talking for us. We strive for excellence in all our projects, this has helped us with additional projects from happy clients” she states proudly.

With the shift in the workspace, remote working has also helped her to maintain clients in Kenya.

“My family has been very supportive throughout my career in all aspects.

I am also grateful to my career mentors who believed in my ability during my earlier career years and guided my steps.”

A key decision she made in her career was resigning from a full-time job to start Optimum Options without much capital.

“I have learned that it is necessary for one to step out of their comfort zone and the universe has a way of rewarding the brave.” ~Ms. Cynthia Mburugu

Her tips for success for entrepreneurs and the youth

• Networking is important to thrive in consultancy.
• Excellence in service delivery, staying informed on any changes happening around global labor laws, and organizational efficiencies.
• Building your brand and brand visibility is key. Thank you to ORAC BRANDING, last year they helped us brand our company.
• Have a career mentor, don’t limit your options. There are lots of opportunities around the world. Find something even if it’s internships or volunteer work to keep yourself busy before you land that dream job. When someone gives you an opportunity give it your best shot.

At Optimum Options, we offer career guidance, Cv designing, and Interview tips as part of our CSR. Visit our website for more details on our services.

Optimum Options Website

Optimum Options LinkedIn

Meet Munene Githira, the Co-Founder of ORAC Branding, an Integrated Branding Company that launches, grows & re-invents businesses through Digital, Experiential & Promotional Branding. In his comments to CTW, he underscored the importance of branding to the growth of businesses.

“In Kenya alone, we have over 17 million MSMEs. 18% of these businesses close down because they don’t know how to market or they can’t afford marketing budgets. To solve this problem, my Co-Founder and I, Vanessa Mwaniki, decided to set up ORAC Branding to consult and train businesses on the following areas:

• Digital Branding (Branded research, social media marketing, mobile marketing, Google marketing and content marketing);
• Experiential Branding (street & mall activation, flier distribution etc.);
• Promotional Branding (billboards, TV, radio, giving merchandising items such as, t shirts, caps, water bottles etc.).” he said.

“We have been in operation since January 2018. Currently, we are based at the Innovation and Incubation Centre at USIU-Africa, where one of our Co-Founders, Isaac Bugeri, is an alumnus. We also receive support from Women in Business Kenya to accelerate our solutions and train entrepreneurs on integrated branding,” he added.

“We are also on an exciting mission to reach & help 1.5 million African MSMEs in eliminating marketing constraints as a reason for business closure. One way to achieve this is through knowledge & skill transfer. This led to the development the Integrated Branding Curriculum, which has four courses on how MSMEs should cost effectively grow their businesses through marketing & advertising.

We started training for free, then the demand went high, we started charging an affordable fee, but the demand for the training is still high, “he notes.

The Integrated Branding Course started in February 2020 and includes the following modules:

• The Brand Identity Design – Designed to help entrepreneurs understand logo types, the right colors, the right packaging, the right typography, identifying target audiences & the right messaging;
• The Digital Branding Curriculum – Designed to help entrepreneurs understand the 25+ strategies for social media, mobile, google & content marketing, the advertising promotions types, the audience targeting types and how to measure your online marketing efforts;
• The Branding Scorecard – Designed to help entrepreneurs understand how and when to integrate your digital branding, experiential branding & promotional branding for your marketing campaigns, understand the basic marketing aspects and data collection methods;
• The Branding Calendar – A master-plan for connecting your brand marketing strategy with your customers seasonality e.g. months, events, holidays etc. understanding content schedules and developing a content plan.

The company has plans to automate, customize & digitize the curriculum through an App that will be called Easy Branding, which will help entrepreneurs in Kenya & Africa to take 5-minute lessons on selling, marketing, advertising, customer experiences, analysis & much more on their phones.

Some of our clients include; Flex Money Transfer Services, Women In Business Kenya, Bunson Travel, Arope Group, Web Risk Consultants, ASIS Kenya, Educate Learning Centre, International Supply Chain Solutions, Okito Foundation (Uganda), and Global Solidarity Corporation (DRC).

Munene, who holds a degree in Animation and Media Science, also sits on the KEPSA Youth Sub-sector Board and the Women in Business Secretariat and is also a youth leader at KKREW.

Through their business solutions, the team has received a full scholarship from IU University of Applied Sciences, Germany to do a degree in International Management as a way to accelerate the business.

The team is reachable on +254 727 305 261 and on the following contacts:
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