Tales of Strength and Resilience: Ep 10 with Primerose Katena

Tales of Strength and Resilience podcast explores the boundless dimensions of strength and resilience. Join the host, Muthoni Waigwa, on a transformative journey as we delve into the very essence of these profound qualities. We will unveil the multifaceted nature of strength and resilience in heartfelt conversations with extraordinary individuals.

Primerose Katena who resides in Accra, Ghana is an entrepreneur and Project Manager. She co-founded Tendo Technologies, a couple of years ago, where she led as the Head of Operations. She founded Source Well Consulting business, to teach people how to effectively import from China to Africa. She currently works as a Project Manager at Curogens. 

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Transcript

Muthoni Waigwa:

Welcome to the Tales of Strength and Resilience Podcast, where we explore the boundless dimensions of strength and resilience. Join me, your host, Muthoni Waigwa, on a transformative journey as we delve into the very essence of these profound qualities. We will unveil the multifaceted nature of strength and resilience in heartfelt conversations with extraordinary individuals. We will empower and enlighten through these inspiring stories triumphing over adversity and discovering transformative lessons embedded within. Get ready for today's episode where untold stories of inner power and tenacity await us. Let's begin.

Hey, and welcome. Thank you for tuning into this podcast. Can you believe it? Time has flown by and we are almost at the end of this epic limited series. Just two more episodes left in this series. As we mature and gain life experience, we have the opportunity to extract valuable wisdom from the people who surround us. The decisions they make offer a glimpse into their inner reservoirs of strength and resilience, serving as powerful lessons that inspire us to cultivate our own resilience and fortitude as we shape our paths in life, careers and business ventures.

Our guest today openly shares her journey through childhood, holding onto the profound guidance of her parents while actively pursuing avenues for personal growth and the realization of her future aspirations. In the spotlight of this episode is Primrose Katena, who resides in Accra, Ghana. And she is an entrepreneur and project manager. She co-founded Tendo Technologies a couple of years ago where she led as the head of operations. She founded Source Well Consulting business to teach people how to effectively import from China to Africa. She currently works as a project manager at Kerogens. Let's listen.

Welcome onto the show, Primrose.

Primrose:

Thank you.

Muthoni Waigwa:

Who is Primrose?

Primrose:

Primrose, or myself, I'm a lady that grew up in a very big family, and I was born when my dad was retiring and at some point my mom also lost her job. She was the breadwinner, and I also lost her along the way. So I feel like I was exposed to life so early, which helped me to become matured in [inaudible 00:03:15] when I was too young, had to take up responsibilities. I had a young sister who I was somehow taking care of as well. So I feel like that helped me to understand life early at a very young age and build strength and become more resilient because it wasn't easy growing up with no mother. And also my dad retired when I was born, so it was like just having that, being born in such a family and having to figure it out ourselves. It was challenging, but it also helped me build some good traits and helped me be where I am right now.

So that's really me. I've worked my way up to where I am right now and I'm grateful that later on, because I was smart in school, I was able to secure scholarships, like Master 5 Scholarship that helped me finish my high school and my undergrad, and that just set me up for life and helped me to become where I am right now.

Muthoni Waigwa:

Thank you so much for your vulnerability and for sharing your childhood and how you've been able to keep pushing forward. And what I'm hearing in your story is a young girl who chose to not give up on herself, who chose to believe in herself. So what would you say strength is to you and resilience?

Primrose:

I would say strength to me is the ability to do something, even sometimes when it is difficult and sometimes to other people, sometimes some things come naturally to you, could be your strength, but for me, I think most parts of my life I've had to build that strength for different skills to be able to survive. Choosing not to give up, choosing to do something and try my best, and even sometimes figuring out that this is my breaking point. So that's really what strength is to me.

Muthoni Waigwa:

Hey, I tell you, sometimes life throws things at us and we're like, "Will I make it? Will I see tomorrow?" But we dig deep within ourselves and we tell ourselves, "You know what? I need to face tomorrow." So if you're able to, I know you've shared your childhood, how were you able to recognize that you had the ability to start a business? And how has resilience helped you over the years?

Primrose:

So, I mean, because of how I grew up, at some point I was selling stuff with my mom who was selling at the buses, all those things. So I feel like a skill selling just, it was something that I didn't know I was learning because I was young, but I was learning it at a very young age. And then in a way it was a small business that my mom was running. And then even when I finished my high school, I went to work for one printing company and I realized I could actually earn more if I am selling chicken myself in my community. And then I quit my job and then I went to start that business. So, for me, it was really just finding the opportunities that were around me, trying to see how I can maximize or leverage the opportunities that are around me.

It could be, so for that particular selling, I'm talking about, I used to, the way my town is, it's surrounded by farms. So I used to go to those farms when they receive their pay. So I would have a relationship with the foreman who is in charge of that farm, the day they pay them, usually these farmers, they would spend 90% of their money on the day they receive it, their salary. So we would go there, a lot of people that sell staff would go there and then they would sell their staff to these guys. So, I realized it was a big opportunity. I don't have to go to work every day, I just need to, the last two weeks of the month, I just need to focus on having my goods properly stocked, going there and sell my stuff. It was really an amazing, I enjoyed it.

I really loved it because by the time you come back home would've sold all your stock and it was fun. So that's when I realized this is an opportunity I have figured out and I was able to make a lot out of that. So I feel like my journey to entrepreneurship has been, I think it's just sometimes just identifying an opportunity no matter how small it is, and I have time and I have resources to start. And then just telling myself that, let's try and see how this goes. And even when I was in school, I always found opportunities to sell stuff. I always found opportunities when I'm going home back to Zimbabwe because I schooled in Accra, Ghana. So when I'm going back home, I would go with African print and sell them back home because there, people really loved the African frame staff, the accessories.

So I feel like over time it just became part of me because I grew up selling. So whenever I identify, well, there's an opportunity, I'll just jump onto it. And I think that helped me at some point. It's like I want to do something big now that I have a degree in computer science and I also love entrepreneurship. So that's how I was like I could find a point where I could enjoy both of the worlds, the tech and the business side aspect of me. So that's how I started Tendo and it helped me to build a tech startup at the same time apply my business skills as well.

Muthoni Waigwa:

Your journey is so inspiring. I'm just hearing a young girl who watched her mother do business and then you tell yourself, you know what? I can do the same thing as she did. And then as you're growing up, you are recognizing different opportunities that are in the market. And I think that is one trait for someone who's resilient, where you are willing to keep an eye open for opportunities and being flexible enough to tap into those opportunities. Because sometimes when we are starting out in our entrepreneurship journey, we get so stuck on certain aspects of an industry where we start ignoring other opportunities that may be coming up. So, I appreciate you sharing that because someone may be listening and wondering, okay, fine, I want to be an entrepreneur, but I don't know where to start.

So it's just a simple way, as you've mentioned, people like African Print, let me buy some stock and sell to my community or to people who are interested. And that's the thing about entrepreneurship, recognizing that you need to be flexible, you need to be able to pivot as quickly as possible. So with that in mind, how have you navigated the tech industry being a woman and just knowing that it is male dominated?

Primrose:

Thank you for that. I think before I answer that, I just want to give a little bit background to that. So I think after my undergrad, I joined Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology where they train you to become a software entrepreneur. So they joined software and business aspect of it with the goal that when you graduate, you can pitch to investors and get funding and start a business. So that's where Tendo was actually born. That's where I met my co-founders. And I also think that's where I was able to navigate the tech industry because all the businesses that we were working on, the ideas were coming out with at MEST, they were ideas that were tech related business ideas. And, as a woman, I think my cohort, we had a couple of women that were in that at MEST 2020 cohort, and we had our own group where we encouraged each other to be able to navigate this tech space.

And, for me, I feel like being a tech woman who is in the tech space who was also a co-founder for a business, I've seen moments where it was just so lonely as a lady where you don't get to meet a lot of women who are in this tech space, and you have to just figure out things on your own. And I think one thing I did in my journey as a woman in the tech space, usually sometimes it's just like when I'm thinking, I don't think of things usually as I'm a woman first. Usually I just think because I'm a human being and I try to learn from men as much as possible to see from how they're approaching things, how are they doing it? And from all that observation that I did, I realized that they also have the very strong men's support in the system.

When they need something, even if they've met that person for the first time, they're like, "Bro, come and help me. I need this." And they're just so willing to support one another. And I'm just hoping that in the next five to 10 years, we'll have more women in this tech industry that when you need something and you reach out to them, they are more than willing to help you because now it's even hard to figure out or to find those women where they are, because we are few, but I know that more women are joining the industry and it'll be easy to navigate as we go because there's also that women support the industry.

Muthoni Waigwa:

With life, at times we face challenges where we don't think we're going to overcome at all. But then in that moment we recognize that we have deep reservoirs of strength and resilience, and we tell ourselves you know what? Let me tap into this reservoir of strength and resilience so that I can overcome. So have you faced a moment where you were like, "I need to dig in deep so I can overcome a challenge?"

Primrose:

Yes. I have faced a lot, especially building Tendo, I faced a lot of that. Because there were instances where we just don't know the way forward. We don't know how to approach something, and then it's in my department. So when we were starting, there was a time, through all these BMC business model canvas, this falls here, this falls here. But then when you finally take your business model canvas and you go into the real world, you realize maybe things might be a bit different than what you actually imagined. So there was an instance where, when we were looking for suppliers to partner with for a business, it was so difficult initially to find the people that could really match what we wanted. And my team was like, you know what? You are the head of operations. I'm sure I will trust you when you figure this out. And it felt so huge.

But I didn't run away from that because I think the resilience that I've built over the years from just seeing from how my life has been, and also just seeing my parents, like my dad, even though [inaudible 00:16:18], he was a farmer, like a substantial farmer when he farms and there are a lot of things still sell the remaining things. And even if when the year is tough, let's say there's drought or there's less rain, he would still look up to the next year with a positive mindset, which I think that also helps me as an individual when I'm looking at life in general.

So one challenge that I faced was, like I was saying, is just finding those suppliers. And I had to do things that I never thought I would do, go back to. And so I had to, there's a big market in Ghana called Makola Market, and I knew that there are a lot of people that sell stuff there and I need to figure out how they find the stuff, who are their suppliers.

So I spent a whole month going to the market and Ghana is a very hot country that you don't want to be out during the day. And I was going there and trying to learn, interviewing them, observing so that I could only get the answer that I wanted. Who was supplying them? How are they getting these things? It wasn't easy, it wasn't something that I had thought would happen because I thought, oh, working in the office, figuring out things, but this required me to be hands on, to be on the ground. It was something that I didn't even think I could give to an agent because I didn't even know how to describe the assignment. I had to do it myself. I had to immerse myself in the experience.

And at some point, there was a time in my research, I spoke to someone, I was like, "The people you're looking for, they come to the market at 2:00 AM. You should come to the market at 2:00 AM." I convinced my male colleague that, you know what? I can't go there alone. I need a guy to go with. Let's go. And we did that. So you can see that I was very persistent to be able to figure out this, to find out.

And in doing that, I was so excited. Looking back, I'm like, "Did I do that? How did I find that strength?" It's because I was being driven by the vision that I had for the company. And if going to the market at 2:00 AM was my answer, I was willing to do that. If spending a whole month under the sun, and the other thing is, I even struggled to understand the language because I'm originally from Zimbabwe and I stay in Accra. So even talking to them, trying to find out the answers was even another barrier. But that didn't stop me from going for what I wanted. And at the end of the day, I was able to find and understand the markets and know where these people are getting their products. So for me, I think, that's an example where I showed so much strength and so much resilience that after I was done, I was like, "How did I even find the strength to do this?"

Muthoni Waigwa:

I'm telling you, 2:00 AM to get an answer? That is called resilience. I just think about how also being in business where you are like, "I am going to get a particular client," because our business, we offer our services to organization. So our model is B2B, and at times you're like, "Will I get that contract? Will I get the LPO?" But as you're seeing, I'm just hearing moments where I told myself, we are not giving up until we get that contract. So I totally relate with that. So is it okay to fail?

Primrose:

Yes, it's okay to fail. I think failure is inevitable, especially when you're very determined to find a solution or you want to do something great. But I think you can fail in a smart way. If you want to start a business, you can do your proper research before you invest so much money into it. So failing is you can't avoid it if you want to be successful, but I think you can fail in a smart way. You can find ways to make sure that you don't lose everything while you fail. And, start small and build on it as it goes so that when you fail, it doesn't cost you a lot.

Muthoni Waigwa:

Thank you for sharing that. Thank you for sharing that way. We can fail in a smart way by starting small, not putting all our eggs in one basket, but doing market research. Like you went to the market for that entire month, just to ensure that you have the right answers to the questions that you're seeking. So someone is listening to this conversation and they're trying to overcome a challenge and they just can't figure out if left is right or right is left. How would you encourage them?

Primrose:

If someone is still trying to figure out which way to move forward, I think the best thing to do first is to pause and really analyze your situation, right? Check the pros and the cons. Speak to people who are experts in that field, in that industry, so that you make an informed decision before you invest your time or resources into it. I think that would help because there is nothing new under the sun. Everything that's happening, somebody has already gone through that. They have better experience. So you just have to network more, talk to people, look for the people that have walked your path before and they can guide you and show you. You know what? There's a hump there and there's a mountain there, and this is how we can overcome that. Sometimes we don't have to, talking about failure, it's not every failure you have to experience. Sometimes you just learn from other people's failures and avoid that. And it saves you a lot.

Muthoni Waigwa:

Yes, it does, because there are others who have done it before us, and I like how you said there's nothing new under the sun. So seek help, look for the people who can guide you accordingly and also believe in ourselves. Sometimes we may go through difficult situations and circumstances that we can stop believing in ourselves because we can't see ourselves on the other side of the valley. So to whoever is listening, just continue believing in yourselves and how Primrose has said, take a moment to just pause and reflect and something may pop out from the entire situation that you're facing where you recognize, "Aha, I could try and do something differently in this area." But the thing is this, do not give up on yourself. What are your future aspirations?

Primrose:

Thank you for that. So my future aspirations, I have a very big dream. I've not even started working towards that, but my future aspiration is I want to really impact, positively impact the research, the medical research for women, black women on African continent. I feel like it's an under-researched sector, and there are so many issues women go through health-wise, that could be solved if we do a lot of research. Things like fibroids kind of things. So my passion really, I think one thing I would love to do in my next 10 to 20 years when I have built my career and I'm very comfortable, is just to focus on having a foundation that helps to just improve women's health. Do a lot of research for black women in Africa.

Muthoni Waigwa:

And you shall do it. And it's such a untapped market, figuring out women's health. And it's something that will truly, truly transform this continent because honestly, I'm sure there are medical solutions for fibroids, there's medical solutions for preeclampsia where women are not carrying to term. So kudos to you for seeing that and for pursuing that as your vision.

Primrose:

Thank you.

Muthoni Waigwa:

You're welcome. As you wind down this conversation, how would you end this conversation with one sentence?

Primrose:

For me, as an individual, sometimes if you are resilient, people are sometimes quick to label you as someone who is stubborn, arrogant, or opinionated. And I get that a lot. And because sometimes you're pursuing, I've just told you a big dream that you're like, "How is this achievable? How is she going to do that?" So sometimes people find that to be like, "Oh, you are very stubborn with your dreams. They're big dreamites. It's not possible." So you find people labeling you along the way because you carry such a big vision. But that should not stop you from pursuing your dreams because somebody's short-sighted, they are not seeing what you are seeing. So, for me, that's what I would leave you with, that if you're resilient, it means you keep trying. Things are changing, environment is changing, but you still know that you are pursuing your goal. You want to reach your goal and nothing is going to stop you. People might think you're crazy or you're arrogant or whatever word they use, but stay calm, keep pushing. It's possible. It's doable. It may take a long time but it's doable.

Muthoni Waigwa:

Let me tell you, you've said that we get labeled. I'm like, "Yes, I totally relate." Where you're told you're being stubborn. Can you minimize and make your dream smaller? And it's like, "No, I'm not reducing my dreams. It's okay. You label me." And just to that person who is facing that, where you're being labeled. It's okay. It's okay to be misunderstood. It's okay to be overlooked, because sometimes we are overlooked because we are being different. But I just want to let someone out there, it's okay to pursue that big dream because ultimately, your dreams are valid.

I invite you to carry the lessons learned in this podcast into your own lives, embracing your inner strength and nurturing resilience in the face of adversity. Let's forge a future where we support one another and celebrate the triumphs shaping our journeys. Thank you for listening and stay tuned for more inspiring episodes that will continue to ignite the flame of strength and resilience within you. Until next time, I'm your host, Muthoni Waigwa, bidding you farewell, but not goodbye.