Creating a Cash Cow in Kenya: Adventures in Starting a Social Business and Living in Africa

by Nat Robinson

What started as an eight-month assignment turned into a six-year adventure and the creation of a social business to help Kenya’s farmers lift themselves out of poverty. The social business, Juhudi Kilimo, provides microloans to enable smallholder farmers to buy productive assets, such as cows, tools and so on. Since its foundation in 2009, Juhudi Kilimo has provided over 50,000 loans worth $30 million and financed the purchase of 23,100 cows by some of Kenya’s poorest farmers. In its six years Juhudi managed to rack up an impressive list of international investors — The Rockefeller Foundation, The Ford Foundation, Acumen Fund, Soros Economic Development Fund, Grameen Foundation, Deutsche Bank and Kiva.org. The company also won a Charles Schwab Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award and part of CIO Magazine’s top 100 list. The challenges faced by the company in its early years reveal a dark underbelly of investor greed, corruption and the deep multicultural misunderstandings that can lead to conflicts. The company was driven by a young entrepreneur from the US, who admits he had no idea what he was doing but learned along the way. The lessons he presents here can help guide those starting new ventures or trying to defy the odds with a new social business in East Africa. The business stories are intertwined with his adventures, racing camels, running from rhinos and much more.

Genres: Africa

298 pages, Paperback

Published January 15, 2016

Reviews

[Monica]

Honestly I would not have picked up this book if it were not written by a mutual friend, but it was very insightful! The challenges of building sustainable income for developing countries is something I had not considered. The pace and dedication described by the author in gaining funding, ensuring compliance, tracking the numbers, and outfitting an office properly sounds exhausting! Mr. Robinson adds some levity by describing adventures in the Kenyan outback and cities. Anyone that finds themselves in the comfort of their home thinking, "Why can't [insert developing country name] just do [insert business idea]?" should read this book!

[Anand Sampat]

Fascinating first hand look into the challenges of building a social enterprise in Africa. The format of the book as a timeline frames the journey while the little tidbits of experiences Nat explains throughout the book keep it interesting. As someone with no experience working in Africa, I found the stories helpful to paint a picture of the challenges of building a business in Africa (corruption, incentive mismatch, low-tech market) as well as the positives (people, culture, willingness to learn).

Would highly recommend for social entrepreneurs interested in starting a business in Africa, or for the African market.

[Nick Sowden]

Fantastic read. Must have for anyone starting a business in Africa

Best book on social enterprise in Africa. Period.

Great stories about starting the business and the whole roller coaster, but also mixed in with all the stories of living in Kenya. Really entertaining read but also massively useful about fundraising, hiring, systems, etc.

Also the most realistic book I've read about social enterprise in Africa and I know because I run a social enterprise in Nairobi.