Many Kenyans consider a Bachelor's Degree in Medicine among the most prestigious accomplishments but according to Taii Odero, having the ability to pursue one's own passion is the epitome of success.
In an interview with Kenyans.co.ke on Monday, July 19, Odero disclosed that he had to overcome societal pressure to realise his dream in fitness and travel despite having graduated with a medical degree.
He noted that his passion lay in tours and he had an innate desire to nurture and grow his own business.
"I wanted to be self-employed and I also wanted to create employment for other people. After I graduated, I worked for three years and I resigned," he stated.
He revealed that since walking away from the lucrative career, he has spent six years in fitness and travel and runs a company called Authentic Fitness and Adventure.
In that relatively short period of time, Odero noted that he has scaled up his company and on an average month, he makes Ksh 800,000.
"Medicine pays a lot, yes, but there is something called passion. If career and passion do not move in one direction, then it means you are in the wrong field.
"Nowadays people do not look for money, let the money look for you. When you look for money, it will not come. I cannot compare medicine to what I do because I earn a lot from it," he stated.
So far he has employed 30 people in his company located in Nairobi and has managed to outmanoeuvre the challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic since March 2020.
"I have people who are working in my company and I have to have a float of around Ksh500,000 every month to make sure all the bills are paid.
"Profits average between Ksh 800,000 to Ksh1 million. That is for the low season," he added.
He noted that his business, which can be classified in the hospitality sector, suffered immensely to a point there were months without profitability.
To cope, the company had to sit its employee down and explain the situation to them besides creating new business models that would maximise digital revenue.
"There are months that I did not get even a single coin. Of course Covid-19 affected everyone. We did not fire anybody. Our employees understood what happened and there was no business. We were trying to work from home which was not possible because our job is basically field work.
"We developed an online application called Fitness at Home. We used to record all our fitness activities during Covid-19 and share," he explained.
How it works
Odero disclosed that his company does not own gyms but it outsources instructors to different facilities across the country.
He noted that they company has diversified so much it has an instructor in almost all locations. For the travel arm of the business, the company owns between 10 and 15 cars.
He disclosed that his choice to ditch medicine for fitness perturbed some of his family members who are yet to come to terms with his choices, despite him commanding a sizeable income.
"Even my mum, she does not understand what I do to date because for her she knows that medicine is the only key that can help you to be successful in life. This is the challenge I give to any parents out there, please do not limit your child's passion.
"Anybody who is coming into business, do not come to make money, do that business as a passion and money will come. The moment that you try to look for money, it will never come," he concluded
