Rajiv Mehta: How I Built Ksh100 Million Empire From Nothing

Rajiv Mehta, a little-known Kenyan tycoon, is the founder and Managing Director of Tangerine Investments, a Nairobi-based outdoor advertising corporation that markets goods via public transportation, garbage bins, and street poles.

After being written off by family members, the young and dynamic entrepreneur pushed his way up from the bottom.

“My uncle had given me the challenge to go and earn my own money and had told me that I would never be able to do so and would come back for his help that itself had given me the motivation,” he narrated to Forbes Africa back in 2017.

After his father died, he dropped out of a local college’s business management and marketing degree, and his life took a turn for the worst.

“After my dad passed away while I was in university -and after dropping out too, as usual, the family politics started and I was kicked out of the business,” he recalled.

At an early age, forced to fend for himself and with a point to prove to some members of his family, the young Mehta set out to acquire finances to start a modest business that would allow him to pursue his passion for advertising.

“I initially started importing liquid tyre sealants and accessories like car winches that I sold to clients locally for that I initially raised around Ksh100,000 for my first shipment from China in 2008 which I raised from a few shares I had that I sold and some borrowing from my mum,” he revealed.

With his growing revenue, the young entrepreneur moved out of the family home with his mother, sister, and brother, all of whom had personal costs that he had to cover.

He went on to say that this was the most difficult time of his life because he was living paycheck to paycheck.

He married the love of his life soon after and chose to find a regular job to supplement his income.

“I was working in the day and planned the orders I had in the evenings. I tried getting to save money again but it still was quite a challenge and I decided to finally quit my job and take a risk as it was getting frustrating with the slow growth,” he explained.

With some financial help from his wife, Mehta then fully immersed himself in the outdoor advertising business, going on to establish himself not only in Nairobi but Nigeria as well.

Tangerine, which was founded in 2008, has clients such as Kenya Airways, Pizza Inn, Subway, Coca Cola, HP among others.

The company has annual revenues exceeding Ksh100 million.