The inspiring story of Patrick Mwangi who started as Mitumba trader to luxury car dealer
In an ideal world, we all want to reach our goals and become successful overnight without all the hard work, tears, and sweat. But there’s a problem with that narrative, it is not realistic!
Nine times out of ten, that overnight success was decades in the making. We just don’t often hear about it because it’s not the exciting part of the story. The author who hit it big with their first published book has spent years crafting their skill. He or she had dozens of manuscripts and drafts rejected before hitting it big with their overnight success.
“I got into a row with one of my friends, it was so serious that it turned into a police case because it happened on someone’s property,” Mwangi narrated.
When he began selling second-hand clothes (mitumba) as a Form Two student, he did it not for money, but to buy a thing or two that his family could not afford.
Then a student at Laikipia High School, he would buy clothes from a supplier, which he would later sell to his friends and schoolmates during the holidays. He continued with his hobby, which now turned into a venture even after completing secondary school.
Thanks to his mini-business, he looked better and dressed better.
However, an altercation with a friend would see him leave his Nyahururu home to search for greener pastures elsewhere.
As he continued with his daily hustle, the need to survive was soon surpassed by the need to thrive. He wanted a better future for himself.
As fate threw one across his path. He was called to Malindi for a job with a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO).
However, it was not all rosy for him and the other applicants. Mwangi went up to seven months without pay, he was barely surviving. Luckily, another window of opportunity opened.
“I got a job as a driver in one of the hotels. The job lasted three months, and I was able to save Ksh25,000,” he revealed.
The resilient entrepreneur used the money as capital to start the mitumba business in Mombasa. He would begin as a hawker, selling clothes on the streets, before a well-wisher pulled strings for him to get a small stall.
Here, he sold ladies’ clothes and shoes and, with money coming in, he opened his first shop in 2013, which was then followed by two others. However, it was a special request by his father-in-law that gave him a new business idea.
“He gave me his car and logbook and told me that he needed money,” he narrated.
His father wanted him to sell the car. With no experience in selling cars, it took him nearly a month and a half to sell the car, and the Ksh50,000 commission was an incentive he had not imagined.
At that point, he developed more interest in the car trade. He started growing into the business, becoming a contact for anyone in his home town who wanted to sell their old vehicle or buy a second-hand car.
As expected of every new venture, the car dealership had its highs and lows. However, he still managed to save up some money from the commission he made.
Mwangi bought his first car in 2016, a Toyota Vitz, at Ksh270,000, which was a good deal. After a while, he sold it at Ksh380,000, at an even better deal.
As he expanded his network, he met a Pakistani national who advised him to start selling new cars, which had higher profit margins. He took the advice without asking how.
The young car dealer imported his first new vehicle, a Mercedes Benz C200. Although he managed to return the money, he invested, he made minimal profit.
He went back to his friend to seek advice, one that he should have asked for. When he imported the same type of car a few months later, he saw the fruits of the trade.
“I imported the same car. This time around, I made a killing,” he narrated.
Now known as Mwangi wa Mercedes, the young man who left his Nyahururu home is now a renowned luxury car dealer in Mombasa. He sells high-end brand new vehicles as well as second-hand vehicles.
What Mwangi’s story teaches us……..
Never settle for less. Always want better for yourself. Seize every opportunity you get, even if you have no knowledge or experience about it. Take the risk and learn, your biggest break is right around the corner!
