Zanelle Wanja just wanted somewhere to go that didn't revolve around alcohol. What she built instead was one of Nairobi's most talked-about social movements.

Nani's Cafe Party started as a free pop-up. 150 unexpected guests showed up. Now it's 11 sold-out editions, major brand sponsors, and a community that keeps growing.

But behind the branding is a founder who hit rock bottom, lost herself, and had to start over. In this episode she gets honest about the kitchen floor moments, the napkin contract, and what it really takes to bet on yourself after you've already failed.

For the builders. The creatives. The ones going against the grain.

Bonni Mulinge was 6 years old when she decided she was going to fly. By 28 she was a commericial airline captain. By 37, a seizure with no known cause ended her career overnight.  In this conversation, Bonnie talks about what it felt like to go from commanding a Boeing 777 to standing still and figuring out what comes next. She talks about the financial hit, the identity loss, the bender, the pivot, and how Jipe Apparel came out of a conversation over Jaba Juice with a friend. 

This is a story about grief and reinvention. About a woman who flew theworld and came home to build something that is entirely hers. 

So...how's business?

Akoth Aluoch is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya and the founder of Triple A Dispute Resolution (Triple ADR) and AkothAluoch Media. She left a stable law firm career to build a boutique ADR practice full-time and a media platform dedicated to humanising law.

In this conversation, she gets into what it really looks like to be in a building season, the businesses she ran on the side while employed, having her first child in third year of university, and why she walked away from a clear path to partnership to build something entirely her own.

We also unpack the world of Alternative Dispute Resolution: what it is, why there is real money in it, and why Akoth believes it is the smarter, faster future of conflict resolution in business.

Honest, grounded, and full of practical insight. This one is for anyone sitting with a big dream and a very present reality.

So... how's business?

Dija White is a multidisciplinary creative director and founder of The Block Studio, a brand design, strategy and experiential design company dedicated to spotlighting African talent. She is also part of the team running Village Creative, one of Nairobi's most interesting creative ecosystems.

This conversation goes deep. We talk about what it actually costs to build a creative business, from the 3 million shilling mistake that took three years to pay back, to the client who paid two thirds and disappeared, to the friendships lost over work that went sideways.

Dija is honest about the evolution from artist first to business first, why creatives struggle to pitch themselves in corporate rooms, and what it took to stop being the person who let everyone have a piece and start knowing her worth.

If you are a creative trying to figure out how to take your work seriously as a business, or a founder who has ever felt personally offended by a budget negotiation, this one is for you.

Tune in every week for honest, unfiltered conversations with African women building businesses on their own terms.

Yasmin started selling cupcakes at 50 bob each from her mother's kitchen at 25, with no formal training, no business plan, and no nozzle. Today, she runs Cake Hearts, one of Kenya's only internationally accredited culinary and hospitality schools, in partnership with BHMS Switzerland.

In this episode, she opens up about building from scratch, navigating a market that doesn't take young women seriously, why she teaches entrepreneurship inside a culinary school, and what it really takes to bring international standards to the Kenyan market.

If you believe that education should transform you, not just certify you, this conversation will hit home.

Dr. Becky Omodho shares the unfiltered journey of building joojoostores.com , a Pan-African e-commerce platform connecting African artisans to the world.

From getting conned twice to taking six years to break even, Becky opens up about resilience, systems thinking, privilege, male bias, and motherhood.

This episode challenges the idea of “small business” and explores what it really takes to build big in Africa.

In this episode of So, How’s Business?, Alma Mabachi speaks with certified master coach Wangoy Mongai about why procrastination, self-sabotage, and playing small are often trauma responses, not character flaws.

They explore how fear of being seen, identity shifts, and survival mode shape our behaviour, especially for women in business navigating confidence, visibility, and growth. This conversation breaks down why discipline isn’t the solution, how identity-based habits create consistency, and what it actually takes to break the loop.

If you’ve been delaying the things that matter most, this episode will help you understand why and how to move forward with clarity and self-trust.

Topics include: procrastination, self-sabotage, trauma, survival mode, fear of being seen, identity shifts, imposter syndrome, women in business.

🎧 Listen, reflect, and break the loop.

How do you build a scalable, African-born brand in the middle of a pandemic?

In this episode of "So How’s Business," we sit down with Nanzia, the founder of Roro's, Nairobi’s go-to fast-casual healthy food brand. Nanzia gets incredibly real about her journey, from launching her first salad shop in Dar es Salaam to securing prime real estate in Nairobi’s top malls.

This isn't just about food; it’s a masterclass in resilience, systems thinking, and the "unfiltered" side of scaling a business in an oversaturated market. If you’re a founder, an aspiring entrepreneur, or a working mom, this episode is your blueprint.

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#NairobiBusiness #AfricanStartups #FemaleFounders #RorosNairobi #RestaurantBusiness #ScalingUp

What really causes businesses to fail , lack of funding, or poor systems?

In this episode of So, How’s Business?, Lucy, founder of a Kenyan manufacturing brand built around purple tea, shares an unfiltered look at the highs and lows of entrepreneurship.

We talk about scaling too fast, cash flow traps in retail, the realities of manufacturing in Kenya, and why fundraising can actually make problems worse if done at the wrong time. Lucy also reflects on how a major health crisis reshaped her approach to business, leadership, and growth.

This conversation is for founders navigating growth, burnout, funding decisions, and the pressure to “scale fast”, especially women building businesses in Africa.

New episodes weekly. Follow So, How’s Business? for real founder stories and practical insights.

How Self-Awareness and EQ Change Everything for Business Leaders
with Vicki Karuga

Emotional intelligence isn’t a soft skill, it’s a leadership advantage.

In this episode of (So) How’s Business?, host Alma Mabachi speaks with Vicky Karuga, psychometric specialist and EI master trainer, about why self-awareness is the foundation of effective leadership and how low emotional intelligence quietly costs businesses through burnout, disengagement, and poor decision-making.

Vicki shares her journey from architecture to psychometrics, explains what emotional intelligence really means (beyond buzzwords), and why founders and leaders must do the inner work if they want to build sustainable, high-performing teams, especially in fast-growing African businesses.

We discuss:
• Emotional intelligence (EQ) and leadership effectiveness
• Self-awareness as a core founder skill
• Psychometric assessments vs gut instinct in hiring
• The real cost of low-EQ leadership
• Women in business, invisible labour, and leadership guilt

This episode is for founders, managers, and professionals navigating leadership, growth, and people management.

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Emotional intelligence podcast, leadership podcast, women in business Africa, African entrepreneurship, founder mindset, EQ leadership, business psychology, people management, leadership development