Janeth: My Journey of Building Two Businesses While Raising a Family

Running a business as a woman and at the same time having a young family to take care of isn’t easy. For Janeth Soinato, her failed job hunting led her to business as she looked for a  way to earn a living thanks to her supportive partner. 

Soinato was born in Isinya, Kajiado in a family of five. Being brought up in a Maa culture it is often hard for girls to go to school because culture dictates otherwise. Soinato was fortunate that her parents had gone to school because both of them were teachers. 

Within their neighbourhood, there were no good schools that would guarantee good education that would enable her to see her dreams come through.

“We really didn’t have a lot of exposure to the modern world living in Kajiado but thanks to my learned parents I was able to get a good education but ironically, I studied in a rescue and rehab center. This is because we were living in a very remote area where schools were so bad.  The rescue center was was rescuing girls from FGM and early marriages and therefore I joined the school because it was good and my cousin was in that school as well,” she says.

In 2013 the 25-year-old lady joined Enoomatasiani Girls Secondary School where she managed direct entry to university to pursue a Bachelor of Commerce at Pioneer University. Before graduation in 2021, she got a baby which forced her to get married and her parents were okay with it. However, finding a job after graduation became a huge problem. 

Earlier on, Soinato was interested in the beauty and salon business as a plan B. However, when her husband gave her money to start a business, she chose to venture into the barbershop industry instead. She went around looking for a suitable location to set up a barbershop, and along the way, she came across Mancave Barbershop, a barber franchising company.

She eventually became a franchisee at Mancave Man Market, opening a location at Ngong.  She says it wasn’t easy at the beginning, as she had little knowledge of the barbershop industry.

With a school going kid and a one month old baby, running a business is a headache that only the strong can endure. Even more, she has incorporated a beauty and salon business within the barbershop business premise which demands her constant presence to ensure every works well.

Despite the challenges that she faces in business she  is grateful that she has a supportive partner. She says it is important to keep oneself in the priority list while taking care of a family. This, she says, enables her to build a legacy for herself.

“I would say choose yourself every time. I have to be there for my family but at the same time I need to build myself because at the end of the day my kids will grow up and have their lives and myself should have something that one day I can point out and be proud that I achieved it. If you fight for yourself, your kids will have a mentally strong and healthy mum as well as having the ability to take care of them as well,” she says.

Soinato says that as a lady it’s important to tell your partner about your vision and never shy away from pushing for it respectfully. Soinato now looks forward to expanding her business empire while striking a delicate balance with personal and family life.

“Family shouldn’t limit your goals because if you have the willingness to work within the family set up, you will always succeed,” she concludes.