DESIGNA MAGAZINE DESIGNA ISSUE III 2019 2 | Page 66

days!)
In October 2015, a friend enquired if
I had any job for an upholsterer as
they knew a really good one that was
without work. Armed with his
manual Singer sewing machine,
which he'd purchased in 1976 and
was still going strong, Mzee
Meschack joined our little team. If
anyone is interested in seeing those
early pieces we did, go check out the
Facebook page: Artisan Collective.
Over the following months we
worked on pallet sofas,
refurbishments of customers'
furniture and the occasional large
contract (�ank you Kengeles
Lavington for believing in us!)
But it was all happening out of the
living room in my �at in Kileleshwa
and it meant every time we needed so
much as a single screw, I had to drive
and purchase it. Not only was I living
in the middle of a furniture-making
mess, the business model simply
could never become sustainable if we
continued to run it that way.
And so it was with excitement that in
June of 2016, I was approached by the
founders of WorkShop Nairobi to
head up a new project full-time. �ey
had received a grant from the World
Bank to establish a 'tool-lending
library' in the informal sector.
Ultimately this was not a feasible idea
and thankfully they worked with me
to transform it into a training
institute for the 'jua kali' (street-side)
furniture-making industry along
Ngong Road and surrounds. Over six
months, we ran short courses for 25
workshops; in everything from design,
sustainability, technical drawing,
customer service, pricing and
marketing. I was also tasked with
generating income for the project and
so designed a range of
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D E S I G N A
| May
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environmentally sustainable furniture
created by local artisans. �is furniture
range is still sold by WorkShop Nairobi
to this day. And yes, Evans and Mzee
came with me during my time at
WorkShop Nairobi.
I'm very passionate about the potential of
our artisan workforce, and so after my 1
year contract ended, I pulled together the
(very) little capital that I had, purchased
some tools, rented a workshop and
officially opened the doors of Love
Artisan on 9 July 2017. My aim with
Love Artisan is to continue expanding on
the principles of capacity building in the
local artisan industry and creating quality
and environmentally sustainable
furniture.
Soon after launch, Kenya was plunged
into anxiety and economic sluggishness
as a result of the protracted general
election period, which we are only now
starting to rise above. To say it was tough
time to launch a new start-up would not
be an understatement. But I also believe
that any successful entrepreneur, and by
extension any new start-up, must go
through a period of (sometimes extreme)
hardship in order to thrive. �ere's
something about the tension of not
knowing how you'll �nd the funds to
keep the doors open, that galvanizes the
strength, resilience and sheer
perseverance of an entrepreneur and sets
up a solid, unshakeable foundation. To
any budding entrepreneur I would say,
those early challenges are not in your
way, they are your way.
It goes without saying that Evans, Mzee
and myself together launched Love
Artisan and now we are joined by our
large and awesome team consisting of
George, Boni, Mwaluma, Kelvin, David,
Mark and Juliana.
June 2019
To say it was tough
to launch a new st
would not be an
understatement.