Michelle Ntalami, CEO of Marini Naturals, East Africa’s First Quality hairline for women, has been able to turn her passion for natural hair into a strong brand that is well known in East Africa. As a lady who has beaten all odds to set up a natural beauty brand in Kenya. Michelle, a strategic brand and marketing expert has grown the Marini Naturals to become one of Africa’s premier beauty products for natural hair and skin.
During our LLA Interview with her, we learnt that lack of capital should not be an excuse to not starting a business. She says,
“I didn’t get capital – no entrepreneur ever gets capital…lol. Capital is what investors and banks give you, and no investor or bank was willing to put into Marini at the time”…Keep reading to see 5 other things we learnt from Michelle.
- Be Ready & Willing to Invest – Michelle says, “I also joined an investment club and after sometime I was able to borrow three times what I had put in, at only 1% interest rate”.
- You Can’t Run Away From Challenges
“The entrepreneurial journey is not easy and that is the truth. It is sometimes painted out as an easy-to-do quick fix which gets you to be your own boss and life is easy forever more. Not true. I have faced a lot of emotional, financial, social and mental challenges but you have to keep pushing”.
- You Don’t Need To Seek External Validation
“Don’t wait for the world to first validate your idea. Do it and do not look back”, When I began Marini Naturals, almost everyone told me that Africa was not ready for such a product. Today, at least 60% of all queries on distributorship for our products come from Africa.
- Pay Attention To Your Instincts And Passion
“Your instincts and passion are your best guide, not people’s opinion of your idea”.
- Take Out Time To Relax
“My day typically ends around 6.30 pm where I go to the gym, then go home and relax with my family and my dog Mellow”.
Read the full interview here
