1.Give us a brief profile of yourself.
I am a digital marketer, and writer based in Kisumu City. My expertise spans content creation, web design, social media, and digital branding. I have a passion for new technologies and one thing I love the more is to teach others how to integrate them in their daily lives and businesses.
2. Share something interesting about yourself.
I am actually an engineer by profession, but not practicing anymore.
3. What attracted/inspired you into blogging/ being an influencer?
I came to Kisumu City in 2009 for work, just after clearing college. Then, Kisumu was still recovering from the effects of the 2007/08 post-election violence. At this time, there were no beautiful stories of this city to write home about. The only news content you’d get were stories of violence and rowdiness in the city. This made me hate the city more and was looking for every available opportunity to leave, which didn’t come to pass, fortunately.
Then later in 2010, I got a job offer out in Busia, which I grabbed just to get out of Kisumu. Little did I know, that the opportunity would send me right back into the crocodile’s jaws: Kisumu.
I had to cut my losses, and decided to stay and explore the city, to learn about its hidden gems. It is only then that I realized the amazing underbellies of the city, and of the good nature of the local people. This pushed me into yearning for more of the city, and took me online to find welcoming content about the city, which were never there, unfortunately.
That was my Eureka moment. I then decided to start writing content of the city, and also to rewrite the negative content online about the city. That’s how my writing mojo got kindled.
4.What is the name of your platform and what is it about?
I run a platform called Amazing Kisumu. It has since morphed to become a real business, helping and supporting local businesses in Kisumu and the region with tricks, tools, and skills on the digital space. We also provide news coverage for what’s going on in and around the county.
5.You could have concentrated on anything else why did you take this specific influencer route?
There was a huge gap of digital technology when I stated the writing journey. So, when I started Amazing Kisumu in 2011, I realized that I could fill this gap by helping local businesses and individuals go online, and then I fell in love with this opportunity. I can proudly say that I actually put Kisumu in the map then, since very few people at the time were even online, no businesses, and no blogs in the city/region.
My curation of the local stories which were positive and different from the always negative ones at the time received lots of nods from locals and even from the other community members in the Diaspora. This opened so many doors for me and made me quit my engineering job later in 2015, to focus 100% on my newfound love: Amazing Kisumu. Which, I afterwards registered as a business and later on, as a company.
6.What accomplishments are you proud of most?
I literally put Kisumu on the map.
7. If you could sit down with your 13-year-old self, what would you tell him?
Never settle.
8.If you had to describe yourself in three words, what would they be?
FAB – Forthright. Ambitious. Brave.
9.If you could time travel, where would you go?
To the beginning of the world.
10.What is the weirdest food combination you have ever tried?
None yet out of the ordinary. Am always very choosy about what I put into my mouth.
11.If you were not a blogger/influencer, what would you be instead? Do you have a day job?
I would be practicing as a water expert/engineer. Currently, my day job is running my performance marketing company.
12.Of all the posts/gigs you have ever written, which one is your favourite? Why?
This one about Madaraka Day 2021 celebration in Kisumu. It was one story which I did after a long time, showcasing my Kisumu City in a way, for people to appreciate the beauty of Kisumu in pictures, and what the government is doing.
13.What is the most difficult thing you ever had to do?
Sales. Am not good at starting conversations with people
14.Have you ever had any challenges that had you quit? And how was the come back?
Not really. But I’ve tried my hands in many businesses, some moved away from, not really quitting, but taking the best practices and lessons from those perceived failures and integrating them into my current gig.
15.Anything new we should expect?
Yes. Watch this space
16. Who is the most influential person in your life and why?
My dad. He inspires me on many levels. His sacrifices and support he’s given me can’t be valued.
17. Besides blogging, being an influencer and media personality, what else do you do? What is your obsession?
Am also a digital marketing expert (certified by both Facebook + Google), training businesses on how they can effectively use digital marketing tools to power their businesses in this digital time.
18.What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
Never to lose sight of what I desire to achieve.
19.Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I have envisioned myself running a bigger company, if not a conglomeration of other companies that supports the growth of local businesses in the Lake Victoria region and also across Kenya. I also would like to own a sports club.
20.Is there a quote/mantra you live by?
Yes.
“As long as there are those that remember what was, there will always be those, that are unable to accept what can be. – Thanos”
21.If you would be a superhero, who would you be and why?
I would be a Thanos, of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He had so much power that destroyed half of the world. One person who had the fate of the world in his hands, unfortunately, he is also the villain.
22.What lessons have you learned the most from 2020 and how do you plan to make a difference?
Most of us were unprepared for the digital reset that was 2020 forced on us by the pandemic. In that regard, I am committed to upskilling our local SMEs with the necessary skills in digital marketing so that their businesses can continue to operate optimally leveraging the use of the blended tools currently available and necessitated by the pandemic.
23.What is your greatest achievement?
At the moment, is to run a company that started as a medium of communication, but now is supporting the growth of local SMEs.
24.What are some of the changes in the blogsphere between now and when you started out?
The first one would be the diversity of content that I have seen being created. There’s so much topical stories wrote down from very many diverse topics, which were not there initially, we didn’t have vlogging, which now is a big thing. Podcasts too are also pretty new.
My number two will be monetization, which has now sweetened the deal. Many people are able to earn money from blogging as a business. I think that this is a very big business opportunity for many writers.
25. Advice to the budding blogger?
Be patient and consistent in your writing. It will pay. Never lose the focus.
Main site: amazingkisumu.co.ke