Hello, I’m Gary Shotton, I’m founder of IBBTalks, Inspiring Better Business and we’re here, my friend’s auto, repair shop in my hometown but just recently I was in the country of Nairobi in Kenya Nairobi, Kenya and I met Alfred and you’re gonna hear from him in a bit and you’re gonna, hear the first half of his story of how, he started his life, and how he loved to be a mechanic and how he Actually, was a wonderful employee he was very dedicated he had full wisdom but He worked as an employee and in this session he’s, also going to talk about when he ventured out outside his Passion outside of what he was what really comfortable doing and it didn’t work and so this is the first half of Alfred Mutua’s Life story, let’s listen to Alfred

Thank you, my name is Alfred Mutua Kamole I am born, again, I love Jesus as my lord and savior. That is 47 years old. The managing director for universal auto touch limited, a company we do car, repairs it’s a workshop, we do car repairs accidental repairs, servicing of vehicles, Ranging from small vehicles to heavy commercial. We do fabrication, we do engine overhauls all kinds of electrical works on vehicles. Let me say, Automotive is our passion. And that’s what, we do here at Universal Auto. My, story began in When I decided to pursue a passion of my heart as a small boy I Loved the repair of making cars and you could see myself collecting tins metal tins and Fabricating and small cars and toys From where I grew up in the village With the kind of economy and the family status we could not afford to buy a toy car toys so I used to fabricate my own small cars and I grew with that passion, that passion and Let say after completing, my A’levels in 1989. I decided to pursue a course that could lead me to where my heart is. That is when I went to national youth service, where I trained in auto electrical for five years from 1991 to 1995. From there I gotten a job with a A company based in the UK called Crown Work limited, where, we were assembling land Rover rehabilitating land rovers. Where I worked for one year and then I feel like I needed to go to business so I, went in the wrong side I went to the hotel industry I began a kiosk somewhere to make tea in Nairobi, in a place called Likoni road and My, father had just retired from is His walk Where he, was working and part of his pension, he, gave me some hundred thousand to begin a business.   So I thought to go to hotel industry could make Could lead me to make money. But that was not the case because when I invested, I put all the money in that kiosk Day, by, day I was losing that money and after six months, The kiosk, the hotel collapsed I could, not pay the rent I could not buy food stuff for making for the business. There 12 crates of sodas which I have bought were done and then I was there frustrated i did not know, what to do, so I went back to my Father and then I decided to go back to where my passion was i told him i want to go to driving school because I needed I had I have that passion of vehicles driving making vehicles that’s where, my heart is so I went back to driving school he paid for me I went back to driving school I Trained and i was a qualified driver and somewhere Within that time God open, the door for me With a company , Toyota dealer called Alfa Motors, Along Nairobi, a place called Enterprise Road. That’s where, I went I did an interview i was Successful and i was there now, where my heart was and for 13 years. Let me say for the first three years i was very successful very competent electrician dependable, by the company and they loved, my job because i had the passion of doing that job

And for, after five years because I still had that passion of driving and doing everything God continued to promote me from an electrician i was doing diagnosis of vehicles, I was doing road testing or vehicles and I was given the responsibility to Be picking vehicles from their senior people like the members of parliament managing directors NGO bosses and I Continued to grow in my profession 13 years down the line I’d grown to a level, where I Felt like I needed to do, to go to the next level because at that level I was just a mere supervisor and it’s like I had gone to where I could go in times of growth and I remember praying and telling God if he can open a Door to take me to the next level and I remember our bishop who Bishop William Mtumisi to preach in our church and he said he came to the church because of one person who God wanted to take to the next level. And there I was I thought God is me I want to go to the next level.   How? Which is this next level? I told God I need Now to grow to have an office to be a manager to have a secretary to have an office When I walk in so I have a secretary who can, Give me a cup of tea, I have at the company pay for my phone to have a company car. That was my desire and then, It happened after bishop left after one year I had forgotten about that prayer I had made, I had forgotten, about the desire had and Two years later, ah!

One day as I was walking out of the gate in Alpha motors two For lunch, I met the director’s secretary standing at the door holding a book with a letter inside and told me Alfred come This is your letter sign I opened the letter and the company longer required, my services That was the story, that was the end of the story, I looked front, beside, behind and it’s like Now 13 years I was here I’ve done nothing wrong and now the story is over I could not understand. Then I called, my wife i told, my wife now it’s over, my wife told me ask, me, oh it’s over praise, God come home And I saw, I felt a relief from me something come out to me and then I went home my Fear was how will my son feel When he hears that his father does not have a job, my daughter and its like Was going to high school how will I make ends meet? So To, cut the story short after three, days later early in the morning as i was waking up I had a call. It was a Chinese accent of a lady, calling me Alfred where are you? It was like 6 in the morning where are you Alfred I told him, I am in house come boss, Wants see you, you see that Chinese kind of language, come boss wants to see you.

Somewhere, next to Alpha motors where I used to work God has commanded a Chinese investor to come and open a big workshop For repairing cars and for two years he did not make a business. So, every time he could See me driving Land cruisers big vehicles, drive testing and he admired me and at this time he wanted to poach me from that company to his company. So I told My wife is like I want to go to business I don’t Want, I think this Chinese is calling me to give me a job so I went to that company. He had come with a heap of many Chinese around 15 Chinese technicians, engineers To, come to do business in Kenya but, did not have business so when I went to meet him he did not Ask, me for any papers, Certificates nothing I met him the director so I remember, we were We were standing somewhere and he knelt down and he was telling me Alfred I want you to come here To be big boss, big boss Me, boss you number two. You number two so I asked him, why, and then he, was telling me this, was showing me, he Was referring, to his general manager China, you here big boss. Salary how much then it’s like I was getting confused I was not remembering the story of the bishop prophesying that Somebody, is going to the next level. So I was there and I said I love to, ask for a very big salary, bigger than the managers of Alpha motors so that he doesn’t give me a job I go to the business so when I, the kind of salary I asked he told me no. In deduct a ten thousand out of the salary but, still it was too big it was a lot of money. And I said okay it’s, okay, what else? Car for boss Company car for boss he told me no you have a car. No that is for my wife. Ok He went to the office took a bunch of keys, we went to the workshop and he was holding a remote now This car for you tomorrow. This car for you then from there I asked what else what does a boss require, again, then I say the money for phone. He, asked me how much You know I was used to put to loading, my phone with fifty shillings per day was enough I told him, three thousand shillings okay Okay, yes me what else, well for car Yes how much ten thousand okay so I was getting confused so the challenge was I was to come to the company and change the fortunes of the company

So I was there and I came the following, day, we had the senior managers in the company and I was their general manager. Just to transform the company but I believed in one God, who had promised me to job promised, to give me a a job, that he was to give me grace to turn the fortunes of the company so I Was there and things, who are not working for the first few months they come but not of business the premises, was big and They, were there everybody looking at me to give them, business but, God gave me grace to go to every company to go to the insurance companies I remember He had a challenge of local people conning him and Telling him to give money so that he can, buy business from Insurance companies, from cooperates and I told him they told him that is not the way? To, go I’ll go in the name of my God and I’ll get that business and I remember I used to go to this insurance companies I go I say I want to meet the claims manager, I want to meet the general manager and they always gave me audiences. the first place I went and they told me now I Don’t promise I give you, business but, when you get it you’ll do.

And after one year I Remember I asked him how much do you, want for a month? How much business do want for a month he told me if you give, me five million, per month I’ll be ok? and we did eight million By, the grace of God so he worked and worked and worked until the workshop Was full and he had nowhere to keep vehicles and his statement, was good and things were worthy and after five years I thought things were working very, well and God still wanted to take me to the next level.