Fortune: I took bold step to quit my job to help others travel

It is said that fortune favours the brave; you won’t regret having a go, but you will regret not trying. Years ago, Jackline Cherop-Njeru took a bold step when she quit her job to pursue her passion. As her mind wrestled with the thought of holding onto her job for a while, so did the desire to quit and start something of her own. “Many are the times I woke up feeling drained and asked myself whether I would pull through another working day. A part of me felt unfulfilled,” says Cherop. “Having worked in the tourism industry for close to 10 years, and with a young family to take care of, I thought it was about time to start something that would give me enough time at home. Densey wasn’t an immediate venture although we had already registered the name with a friend and colleague,” says the mother of two. After she resigned from her job and was home on maternity break, she received calls from clients who wanted her to assist them with their holiday plans and flights. “At this point, I saw an opportunity of making use of the name we had already registered and that is how Densey Tours and Travel took off,” she says. However, after staying at home for about a year, Densey was growing, but not at the rate she wanted. This is when the idea of looking for another job crossed her mind. Wake up call Cherop says: “I got a job immediately, but as fate would have it, the company closed down few months down the line. This was a wake-up call, which made me decide to fully venture into Densey Tours and Travel.” The company is celebrating five years since its inception this month and has grown to become one of the leading African travel houses with clients all over the world. “I am so proud of how far we have come and the achievements we have made as a team. We have grown in numbers, customers, revenues and the team is amazing to work with,” she says. Despite the fact that there are many travel companies and new ones coming up every other single day, Cherop believes what makes her company stand out is that it offers personalised experiences for their clients. She offers: “We work with our clients to ensure they get a memorable experience, and for the organisation, they get value for their money. We must, however, agree that tourism, especially domestic tourism, is growing each and every day, hence the reason many people see it as an opportunity. However, it’s the passion that makes them succeed in any venture. Densey wasn’t started because we saw a friend starting a company or because we saw another company doing well. No. It was started out of passion. It’s something we do with so much ease to ensure each and every client gets the attention needed.” As the Managing Director, Cherop says running Densey hasn’t been very hard. Financing challenge “Tourism being my passion, it was easy to manoeuvre around, especially when the company was starting. I could literally do everything, from reservations, accounting, and marketing and handle the affairs of the other departments,” she says. Densey currently has close to 15 employees with a prospective long-term plan of expanding to more destinations. “We have also ensured that we hire competent employees who can easily fit into our culture and will embody our company’s core values. This has made it easy to run the company.” According to Cherop, just as any other young person, walking away from a steady paying job to start something unpredictable is scary. But she has this piece of advice to give. “Think through your decision logically, and don’t ignore your instincts. Financing is definitely a challenge when one is starting a business. When I started Densey, I was sure of the target market and where I wanted the offices to be located. But this needed money, which was not readily available to set up a full office. Also, joining necessary industry accreditation bodies such as IATA in our case needs financing,” she adds. Packaged service Did you also know it is lonely being an entrepreneur? Cherop says at this stage, you don’t have teammates to rely on, and you have to work extra hours to accomplish things. “There is no longer luxury of time and at times, you are forced to work 24hrs. I am also not a rule-making person generally, but you are forced to make rules because they are necessary for the business. I love working with people who will follow rules without being reminded,” she says. Most importantly, she wants entrepreneurs to work on their business. “Have passion before starting something. This will sustain you through the initial turbulences. Also, have a target market and ideal customers who you understand well and focus on them. You cannot be all things to all people. Most importantly, never compete on pricing. Package your service or product well and exceed your target market expectations. With the improved technology, ensure you have a good website and social media presence. Spend time working on your business because it is the only way it will succeed,” she concludes.

Fortune: I took bold step to quit my job to help others travel

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Fortune: I took bold step to quit my job to help others travel

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