Some people walk into a room and their presence is immediately felt. It’s a slight mixture of passion, energy and affability that few posses – Nyambura Miring’u, proprietor of Kikomo Tours, is one of them. In fact, from spending a few moments with her, one would never guess that her company is facing its biggest slump ever along with the rest of Kenya’s tourism sector. She’s on the phone making orders and plans constantly, and generally looks very much on top of everything.

Perhaps the reason lies in the fact that Nyambura has always been a hands-on go-getter. Employed at only 20 at a local airline, her eyes were always open to opportunities to do something on the side. She recalls:

“I would think to myself, if my boss decided to shut down the business one day, I’d be out of a job, and nothing to do about it. I never wanted to feel like I’m at someone else’s mercy financially. I realized I’m a very entrepreneurial person, and I tried my hand at many things…”

One of these was selling perfumes to her workmates, which eventually grew into opening her own cosmetics shop. But after close to ten years in employment, she felt time was ripe to completely strike out on her own. In deciding what line of business to go into, she opted for an industry that she was already very familiar with – tours and travel. Thus Kikomo Tours was born, and according to her, it has been one of the most exciting journeys she’s ever taken.

In an industry flooded with bogus travel agents and dominated by big agencies, Kikomo was up against huge challenges from the beginning. Developing name recognition was one of them, as well as finding ways to keep overheads low and break even. It didn’t help that this is one of the most competitive industries.

It has been said that most business start-ups fail within the first six months - Nyambura agrees, pointing out that what kept her going even in the face of no returns was the support she got from her family. Those beginning years also served to show her how different knowing about something is from actually doing it. She explains:

“After I left employment and ‘security’ behind, it hit me in a new way that I was now responsible for my success. I had to be responsible for every coin spent…As a small business person, your income is equivalent to the effort you put in. Sleep on the job and that’s it!”

Four years later, the company is still afloat and firmly holding its own against the best. Nyambura attributes their success to attention to detail and to every client that most big companies cannot give. The personal touch has ensured that their client base has spread, almost entirely by word of mouth. She explains that repeat clients are an indication to her that they’re doing something right. She’s also passionate about change and innovation, pointing out that finding new ways to do things is the only way to keep ahead of the competition. With the sector in a slump following the post-election violence, this has never been more critical, as tour companies struggle to woo both local and international tourists.

Switching to matters of faith, Nyambura is quick to give credit to God for her resilience and success. She acknowledges that her line of business offers unique challenges when it comes to personal character and accountability, and says that is where it pays to be a true believer.

“You have to maintain your integrity and stay accountable to God. Your faith may not always be obvious (spoken), but it’s in the things you do, and how you do them. It’s also in the things you say – you have to keep remembering that the power of life and death is in the tongue…Be faithful - after all, if God cannot trust you with the small things, why would He trust you with more?”

She however takes issue with believers whom she says often use their faith as an excuse for not working as hard as they ought to. It is important, she adds, to find a way of balance such that faith is not mixed with professionalism.

“Let people see your faith in…how professional you are, how much you’re a person of integrity.”

Nyambura is upbeat about the future of her business, and urges anyone who wants to get into business to take the plunge. But, she cautions, take a few elementary precautions – research well, identify your own way of doing things and develop a unique product. At only 31, Nyambura doesn’t look like she’ll be stopping anytime soon.

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