At a Glance
- Nelly Mwikamba is the founder of Tajiri Luxury Properties Limited.
- She founded the company in October 2022.
- Her company deals with selling, buying and managing real estate properties.
- She says entrepreneurship isn’t easy yet doable and encourages up-and-coming entrepreneurs to believe in themselves.
Nelly Mwikamba, born and raised in Mombasa, she says her family has never before involved in entrepreneurship, instead all her siblings are graduates and the idea of becoming luxury properties entrepreneur only came in 2022.
Being the last born, Mwikamba never understood that the only way to earn a living was through employment, therefore she, just like her siblings, worked hard in school and graduated with a degree in Communication and Public Relations.
She ended up getting employed in a radio station in Mombasa where she worked for a decade. She says working in a radio exposed her to advertising and marketing products and she realized the power of communication in driving sales. Unknown to her was that her job was about to come to an end when the station she was working for closed business.
The skills that she acquired in the media gave her the much needed knowledge to venture into the real estate business. She started Tajiri Luxury Properties Company where she is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). She says her passion for luxury apartments ignited her business venture.
“I love luxury houses, so when I was looking for a house to rent, I went from place to place looking for a house. I felt that most of the apartments that I came across were not of the standards which I wanted. So I realized there was a gap in luxury properties,” she says.
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How She Got Started
Contrary to common belief that a company must have substantial seed capital to get started, Mwikamba says she started as an agent. Shecorporated her company in 2022 after learning the ropes of the properties industry where she works with developers and property owners. She says her company helps clients to buy, sell, build, develop, invest and even manage properties.
“When you are a realtor there are many opportunities that comes along. We have developers who do a very good work building but are not good in marketing and that is where we come to help them in marketing. We also help property owners to manage their properties including doing repairs, improvement and collecting rent.”
Nelly Mwikamba, Ceo Tajiri LUXURY Properties LTD
Luxury properties Industry
The 34-year-old entrepreneur says that the luxury properties industry is growing at a fast pace as many people now aspire to live in modern houses. She shares that technology and competition is helping expand the industry.
“Some years back developers were developing common houses but now people have now embraced modern houses which has made developers invest in luxury products and good finishing including interior and exterior designing,” she notes.
Business lessons
Mwikamba says running a business is a process of learning and adjusting each time. For her, professionalism has kept her moving since real estate is male dominated and therefore as a woman, she has to act professionally so that she doesn’t feel intimidated by men in the industry.
With resilience and patience she has been able to remain strong despite teh challenges that comes with running a business.
She says: “Doing business is a process that requires patience and resilience. Sometimes you have to undergo the most painful circumstances like being ripped off by agents. But I have understood that clients want you to be trustworthy and deliver on promises. It’s good to be honest because that’s what has enabled me to keep clients.”
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She say many of her clients are in diaspora, thanks to a good reputation that she has built she she started in 2022. She opines that the real estate business is anchored in trust.
Balancing business and personal life
Being a mother and wife, she says business can take a toll on one’s personal life. She says that with time she has come to understand the importance of separating business life and taking care of her family.
She says she’s working to expand her business empire not only all over Kenya but internationally. She advises up-and-coming entrepreneurs, especially women to start small, arguing that getting started is a step in the right direction.
“If you want to be an entrepreneur you have to understand it’s not easy but it’s doable. Therefore you have to start small and believe in yourself because by doing so people will believe in you as well. I would encourage women to become realtors because it’s amazing to be in the real estate industry and to be at the table with men and to challenge them,” she says in conclusion.
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