I DO NOT KNOW IT ALL- ASK MAYBE YOU COULD AVOID A MAJOR BLUNDER

Alfred Sheinwold says: "Learn all you can from the mistakes of others. You won't have time to make them all yourself" a saying that i have found very interesting and true in the past months since i started my business and more so today as i decided to ask for help from a past colleague i have not talked to in a very long time.. I also learnt to appreciate the fact that their is always something to learn form everyone around you.  How you use the lessons is entirely on you, you can either use the learning by applying it to a situation or using the learning to avoid a mistake already made by others, keep it for another day or better still ignore it all together.

Working for a man (Thanks one Mr. Ken Waibochi) of very few words and intolerant of mediocrity: a man  and Boss that i came to appreciate and regard as one who through fear, patience and many many meetings (every meeting was a torture at first) that included shredding my plans and asking that i re-do the same incorporating his observations from Zero, taught me that being criticized for a job done below expectation did not make me foolish but made a better person and enhanced my skills that have been useful in my career especially in planning and operations involving complex logistics. This man was meticulous to a dot and worse i as learning the  job yet all he could comfort me with was " i identified you for that position because i knew you could handle it" and these words gave my career as a Logistician that i so much enjoy and has span over 19 years with different commercial and Humanitarian organizations in different countries and most complex environments in the Horn Of Africa and a stint in Swaziland.

I was desperate to get a job that when luck threw me into a factory counting and packing Vicks throat lozenges and Vicks Ointment after staying at home and tarmacking for almost 3 years trying to get something to do after high school, i as more than ready to do it just to get me out of my parents list of stress factors. Within 6 months i was thrown from the factory to the Warehouse lead a team putting all the data on the stock cards into a computerized system and then after one year into Operations in the planning department and all because of being at the right place at the right time, having my then very important MS-DOS, MS-WORD and MS-EXCEL certificates from the 3 months salary in the factory and an Operations Director ho believed in me and more so believed in women empowerment in the mid 90's.

My boss always reminded me almost every day (as i could get terrified seeing him) to ask him anything that i did not understand or tell him in advance if something slipped through the cracks that i should have been on top of before he hears it from the factory manager.( Initially it felt like he wanted me to report myself to him the boss- No way......) "For what you do not know say it aloud and we will sit together and find a way" he would murmur to me as he passed by. Later on i learnt that asking as not the same as belittling myself, reporting myself or showing how stupid i was, instead he used these opportunities to coach and mentor me such that i did not have to go back next time as i then had the tools and knowledge on how to work on my own. 

This guy singly gave me 75% of the work ethics, confidence and knowledge that i have since planning and delivering all the components needed to run the factory for 24hrs a day, 7 days a week was no mean feat and he made sure i ate, slept, dreamt, sang, walked, talked the whole inventory planning, procurement and delivery schedule and also made sure  no stock-outs or machine down time that could be tracked back to lack of raw or packaging Material to a single bolt.

To make it worse he as very clear that he was not going to allow me to work over the weekends as he needed me to rest and be ready on Monday morning. Interestingly and i still hold that maxim dearly is  what he once said in my defense " what will she do on Saturday and Sunday that she should not do Monday to Friday or what will she do from 5pm to 6pm that she could not do from 7am to 4.59pm, either she is working or not if not she knows what to do"

This i have taken into my Journey and decided to ask and consult those ho have walked the journey before me. Most part people are selfish and a bit reserved with information but once in a while i have met friends, colleagues and even strangers who see the best in every question and are willing to share there expertise.

 It humbles me that i can pick a phone and call either of them and they will patiently listen, explain and even take time to look at my crazy worksheets and polish them to a document that i can present with authority to any financier and go ahead and explain every figure to the last detail in as much as i believed i am not an accounts person, today i stand a convert.

One such man is  my Husband  a Finance Guru and a Former colleague who was a Finance Manager i worked with before. This week they have taught me valuable lessons in financing and how to go about writing financial proposals, preparing cash flow budgets, sales projections that i need to get financing from my banker ( I hope he approves it as this is the final hurdle i have to go through before i begin my second phase).

Out of of all this experience i have learnt that everyone comes through your life for a purpose. You can shed those that you do not need at whatever point you are in life but do not burn those bridges as you never know what fate has for you. We do cross paths with different people for a reason and even here you have lost contact or  have nothing in common let them go but leave things open in case you need to go back to them in future.

I have also learnt a valuable lesson, that in business it is all about humility and the ability to realize at what point it ends for you and you can not go any further on your own then call for help for those with expertise. It makes things easier, simple and saves you a lot of time that you can put into better use to ensure the success of your business.

There is a wealth of knowledge on basically every single question you may have as you start your business, just be courageous enough and ask!!!!!!!!

Happy Weekend as we watch and celebrate another big event 2014 World Cup..

UPCOMING EVENT - LET'S JOIN HANDS AND SAVE A LIFE NOW!!!!!. (update)

We are donating our Precooked- fortified Philani Yabantwana (Good life for Children) Maize/Soya Porridge to a family in Pokot and Turkana affected by malnutrition and Hunger through the Catholic Disocese of Nakuru through theire "Okoa watu wa Pokot na Turkana (Turkot)".

 To get back to their full health the children require  5 pkts a month. 1 packet (5days) of 1kg each gives 100% NRV required,  2 servings a day for children and one serving a day for adults

We would like to reach more including adults with Philani (Good Life) and a packet will cost ksh.452. You can sacrifice and give a fellow brother, sister or child get a life saving supplement.

 Inbox info@bradsupplies.com or inbox our face book page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Brad-Supplies-Logistics/281950418634064 for more details on how you can purchase a pkt for either a child or an adult and save a life.

UPCOMING EVENT - LET'S JOIN HANDS AND SAVE A LIFE NOW!!!!!.

Latest news that has gotten muzzled up and ignored in the midst of all the noise in my beloved Country Kenya today is the fact that there is hunger in some parts of the country, Children and adults are dying of the effects of hunger, malnutrition, lack of food or even the strength to move to the next village to borrow if there was while we all go along with the usual. Death, hunger, malnutrition is not usual and is not normal and those facing the same surely are not interested in anything else apart form seeing their loved one survive another day. African traditions recognized neighborliness and growing up my neighbor would share food with us whether you were their child or not. Mothers would cook extra and give out however small to the neighbors and my mother would tell us " you can not hide the smell of food and besides you never know how much blessings you will have called upon yourself by sharing your food with the neighbor even though they cooked meat and you cooked sukumawiki"

 My pain for children comes from my past experiences where i have lost two of my own thus shudder when i think what a fellow mother goes through when they see themselves loosing their child and more so to hunger and malnutrition which is very slow and painful yet they do not have the means or ways to means to do anything.

 This got me worried and thinking and i sent out word through my social media pages  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Brad-Supplies-Logistics offering to help at least 2 children affected by malnutrition Philani precooked Maize and Soya Porridge which is one of the porridges' that we offer for addressing malnutrition and mass wastage of the body as a result of hunger or low immunity. As i waited since i have not been to the affected areas of Pokot, Turkana or Baringo i was surprised that this could go unnoticed for 2 days yet occasionally on social media people would use that situation as a reason to hit out at others who do not support their position in the political arena.

So a good guy from Waumini Communication (Managing Director) i have only met on social media two days later if i have got any response or are still looking for someone. I quickly whisper a small prayer and respond that we have not yet found a family and he tells me The Catholic Diocese of Nakuru has launched an appeal and that they need contributions in terms of food stuff and money. He emails me the appeal and lo and behold, i read the first time and its beyond my two children i wanted to help, read a second time and  i give my colleague in the office to read as it is bigger than what we thought and the statistics shocking.

"The statistics are that (FEWSNET report for Kenya) 34% of children under the age of 5 are at risk of malnutrition signifying an increase of 7% from the five year average and the predictions are much disturbing and are expected to continue rising as a result of the  drought. In April 2014 Rotu Mission recorded the highest rate of malnutrition for children under 5 at 46% while Kositei Mission recorded the highest rate of loss of livestock. The effects of prolonged dry spell combined with a short, belated rainy season have caused widespread hunger. A larger proportion of people within the jurisdiction and mostly in East Pokot are in dire need of emergency food assistance. It is for this reason the Catholic Diocese of Nakuru ahs dedicated the month of June 2014 for a campaign dubbed Okoa watu wa East Pokot na Turkana (Turkot)  in which an appeal is being made to the general public to donate either foodstuffs or give cash contributions towards this noble cause. We are therefore appealing to you for financial, technical or any other form of support to assist the Pokot fraternity"

Dear God i asked for a small challenge, i am just starting up my business but you dropped a bigger plate or is it a bucket that i need to fill but i cannot do it on my own. I am looking forward to doing my part but i need to bring in a few more people on-board to help me get one full container of 1100 cartons (110,000 pkts of 1kg each) within the next 15 days to  be used by both adults and children for usd 47,000 broken down as  follows:-

FOR PHILANI PORRIDGE PRECOOKED FORTIFIED MAIZE AND SOYA PORRIDGE).

Is a tasty pre-cooked and fortified Maize and Soya Porridge for adults with compromised immune, at risk of malnutrition and restore body mass wasted by malnutrition. Mix with hot Water and ready to drink. It is fortified with Zymmune (amylase, Phytates and Oxidants) which lowers the viscosity of the porridge aiding with quick digestion

FOR CHILDREN

1.       One packet is 1kg (mix with hot water and ready to drink)

2.       One packet gives 10 servings they need 2 servings a day meaning they would use it for 5 days ( we need to give 5  packets for a whole month)

3.       One serving is 100gm (there is a scoop inside) add 250ml of water.

FOR ADULTS

1.       One packet is 1kg (mix with hot water and ready to drink)

2.       One packet gives 10 servings they need one serving a day meaning they would use it for 10 days ( we need to give 3 packets for a whole month) we are assuming they have a separate source of some sort of meal if not then they will also have to take it twice.

One serving is 100gm (there is a scoop inside) add 250ml of water



 Doing this calculation i just could not start to imagine how i would do this but i trust God, my friends and all those of good will around the world who read my blogs that it shall come to pass. I hope that this will come to pass and that someone will pick my call and partner with me in this response. so that we can get the supplies in the next 15 days to our affected brothers and sisters.

It's time to act now and prove that our strengths are much more than our differences and that we are our brothers keepers.

Send me your suggestions on how we can contribute towards getting that 1100 cartons (usd 47,000) within the shortest time possible. You can also give your time towards this noble cause and lets support the Catholic Diocese of Nakuru respond to this crisis.

You can also buy and donate to the church directly, we will then collect and send to the church and also get in touch withWaumini communications for more details.

Info@bradchelinvestments.com or inbox our Facebook page, send us a tweet or Whatssapp 0733749203 with your suggestion.

SOLDERING ON DESPITE THE DIFFICULTIES

This week has been exciting and exhausting all at the same time. On Thursday I was actually so tired that I could not lift my head up and had to sleep in 3 extra hours than I usually do. I think being the super woman has finally caught up with me and put me in my place.
So far things are still falling into place but at a much more slower pace than i expected or had played out in mind. Financing is still a challenge and we are able to bring in half a container from our personal resources meaning we still pay more in terms of transport and this really troubles me as i have to weigh between bringing in half and still sell at the cost of the full, counting the losses and maintain the unit price same as if we had brought in a full container where the freight cost is evenly and fairly distributed.

On a personal level (and i would wish those who have traveled this route could write back to me on this) i feel lonely and abandoned by friends and those who all along encouraged and always believed that i could do it. As i worry and think through things i look around and have no one to talk to except my family who are also as anxious as me and yet i do not want to get them more worried for me. I need a strong fort to come back to at the end of the day.

I have learnt that the road less traveled is very lonely and when it comes to comfort no one is willing to offer that. I have also learnt that if i have to get this through this first phase then i have to toughen up and march on focused on the final destination. I somewhat think i will find all of them at the end waiting to celebrate and enjoy with me (not sure how i will receive them at this point). My constant friend has been articles from http://www.linkedin.com and http://www.40billion.com/  with interesting articles that have kept me going for the time being besides my family. Not having my very close friends for two months and not even one picking a phone to ask me how i am doing its sad....

On to other matters we are bringing in small amount of supplies and hope that we will turn around within a short time and do two of such small within the month of June as we invest back the profits to increase our capital.
 And as we were talking to our neighbors within the office park and introducing ourselves and what we do and deal with since the building is still new and most tenants are still moving in, we met a couple of interesting  neighbors and one who loudly wondered what we ever did in that space (Nyumba Kumi initiative should extend to office buildings). Talking to people and selling your product can yield interesting results and this made add two more products for commercial use unlike the first 5 products that were targeting Humanitarian agencies.

A lady asked what do you have that my sister can use since she is a vegetarian and does not use dairy products. Immediately we went back and was able to find out that our manufacturer has a commercial wing that produces Powdered Soya Milk and Powdered Soya Milk as regular and normal drinks. Meaning we now have 9 products Including Philani Precooked porridges and Nutrimil for both children and adults, RUSF/RUTF (not for Kenyan Market), Powdered Soya Milk, Powdered Soya Milk Plus ( for diabetics) and  Powdered Rice Milk.

We are hoping that in the next coming week our products will be accessible to all of our clients including Humanitarian Organizations, Health Centers and at a retail store for the commercial products.

Next i will update us on what we are planning to do as part of our entry into the communities to allow organizations benefit from the goodness and benefits of our products in partnership with different organizations as they respond to the current drought in Kenya.

In the meantime we are calling on all organizations that are responding to the crisis to partner with us as to help provide the required food supplements those affected by malnutrition and hunger. We are willing to go an extra mile and provide the supplements at affordable and lowest cost you can find in the market. We have a lead time of 15 days for delivery from the factory thus making your response timely and effective.

Email us on info@bradchelinvestments.com or call us on 020 2306839.

For use by humanitarian organisations in addressing malnutrition, body wastage  and low immunity.

 For Commercial Use

UPCOMINNG EVENT

Dear Friends, lets give back to our children, brothers and sisters who are staring and Hunger,malnutrition and starvation.
According to FEWSNET 34% of children under the age of 5yrs are at risk of malnutrition and is bound to rise as the drought continues. The Catholic Diocese of Nakuru has sent out an appeal "Okoa watu wa East Pokot na Turkana" (TURKOT) for donations in terms foodstuffs or cash contributions for those within their jurisdiction particularly Rotu and Kositei Mission.
Find out what we are doing and how you can partner with us to give a pkt of fortified Maize/Soya to the Catholic church for this noble cause.