As I continue to celebrate strong Kenyan brands and those behind them that work tirelessly this article is about Rupen Shah , the CEO of Victoria HomeStore , part of Victoria Furnitures Group . In my article last year , Issue MAL / 54 / 23 , of this magazine , titled , ‘ Building Long Lasting Brands : Is There A Secret ?’ among the brands I mentioned was Victoria Furnitures Group . And with good reason for it was celebrating 54 years in the market , and ‘ qualified ’ to be included in my list of strong brands , as per the criteria articulated in the article .
After reading the article Rupen called me and we sat for a very refreshing interview from which I took home some lessons worth sharing .
To set the ball rolling Rupen gave an abridged history of the company . The idea of Victoria Furnitures Limited was birthed by Rupen ’ s grandfather , Hemraj Keshavji Shah , who arrived on the shores of Kenya from India with very limited resources . But he was determined to make something out of this foreign land . ‘ I remember him as a simple , generous , hardworking , visionary man with an entrepreneurial spirit ’. Rupen recollected .
Hemraj was blessed with seven sons and in 1969 , together with his two elder sons , he opened a store selling home furniture on Tom Mboya Street in Nairobi ’ s CBD . The street was then called Victoria Street , and he decided to name his shop Victoria Furnitures . With time the other sons joined the business and it grew from strength to strength , for Hemraj had set a solid foundation . Today Victoria Furnitures Limited is a market leader in its category and has expanded both in breadth and depth .
At different times , and on completing their education , the grandsons too joined the business bringing fresh ideas , new energy , and a strong will to grow their grandfather ’ s legacy even further . The business has expanded with different divisions offering office furniture , kitchen and wardrobes , bespoke production , designer furniture and a hardware store . The original manufacturing workshop , Furniture International , in Industrial area has also been modernised . Apart from Kenya , Victoria Furnitures has presence in Uganda , Rwanda , and Burundi .
From the interview I picked five lessons , not restricted to the discipline of marketing but that include valuable gems on succession , leadership , and business . So let us dive right into it .
As a matter of course , when a group of people are running a business there will be divergent points of view , among the stakeholders , from time to time . In many cases this is positive , as inter alia , diverse perspectives can drive innovation and growth . However , it cuts both ways , and when consensus is not reached ; it can result in friction and become the stumbling block to progress .
Rupen noted that Victoria Furnitures was faced with such a situation when it reached a fork in the road and crucial decisions on the future direction of the business had to be made . However , there were divergent views and expectations among the stakeholders . Going deeper he said ‘ the external environment is today changing rapidly and unpredictably which can threaten the very survival of any business . We are always faced with two external changes that can impact us adversely if ignored . One is the customer , who today is more knowledgeable and demanding , in fact I refer to them as dictators not kings . The second is the snowballing of competition which has become cut throat given the low barriers to entry ’.
In response to these and more , Rupen said they needed to make fundamental internal changes quickly . At the same time , succession from the second to the third generation was nigh and needed to be deliberated . “ You can appreciate being a family owned and run business that we are a large family , across different generations , it was natural to have divergent views and expectations . Such situations are emotional , precarious , and delicate , calling for a very tactful approach to reach a point of mutual understanding ,’ he expounded thoughtfully .
He went on to say that in navigating the situation it was vital to listen and weigh the various views of all the stakeholders namely ; the family , shareholders , and business . Thankfully , we found common ground by accommodating all the sentiments , views , and expectations and in effect killing two birds with one stone . ‘ We agreed on the new direction for the business and the succession went smoothly strengthening the family bond . This was a turning point for the business and gave us the impetus that we needed to forge ahead and we look back at it with nostalgic pride ,’ he added .
Rupen admitted they could not have done it alone and credits a team of consultants they brought in who were key catalysts in professionalising the businesses . Though he did not say it , I think subconsciously , the legacy and values that their grandfather instilled in them , of family above all else , must have played a big part in consensus building .
Lesson # 1 : Harmony Matters
Harmony among the various stakeholders in a business is a critical success pillar . They must sing from the same song sheet , more so when it comes to making crucial decisions , quickly . To this end , it is important to resolve any variances in opinion amicably and as quickly as possible for if unresolved , differences can turn into a yoke that gags a business , limiting its performance .
This experience brings us to the first lesson : that harmony among the various stakeholders in a business is a critical success pillar . They must sing from the same song sheet , more so when it comes to making crucial decisions , quickly . To this end , it is important to resolve any variances in opinion amicably and as quickly as possible for if unresolved , differences can turn into a yoke that gags a business , limiting its performance . Indeed , we have witnessed many flourishing businesses stymied by the inability of the different stakeholders to sit down and reach a consensus . ‘ This calls for give and take and focusing on the bigger picture for the good of all ,’ Rupen said with the
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