They say that no one can live a positive life without failing, however many experience a fear of failure despite its inevitability in life.
What would you make of a man who fails not once, not twice, but fifteen times and keeps going until he succeeds on the sixtieth attempt? Optiven Limited is making strides in the larger Africa today because of its patron’s persistence.
George Wachiuri, CEO and Founder Optiven Limited which has a portfolio of over four hundred employees, is unarguably a great leader who is set to change the face of entrepreneurship in the entire Africa.
By the year 2041 according to the CEO, Optiven limited which has been in existence for 22 years will be in 20 African countries and by 2030, it will have created 30,000 jobs.
“Optiven has been very successful over the years. We have won many awards and created several opportunities for various people. Over Covid period, our portfolio went up by 130 new members of staff and we are still interviewing,” he says
Wachiuri attributes the achievements of Optiven Limited to the belief in the power of God who works through people and a positive mentality from members of staff.
The real estate company also operates on three principles which are, commitment, consistency and connections.
“Whatever we focus our minds on as Optiven Limited we are committed to see it succeed. Our vision at Optiven is to be the champions of social economic transformation and for us to achieve it, we must be consistent. On connections, we know that we can’t succeed if we choose to operate in a vacuum and we therefore create connections that matter,” Wachiuri states
Other basic ones according to the CEO are discipline, honesty and professionalism. As he puts it, without discipline a leader cannot lead. Every leader needs to have a lot of dos and don’ts.
Honesty is key for every leader and for them who are in real estate it is most important. In his own words, honesty is currency as valuable as a dollar or shilling. Professionalism as he says ensures that people can trust you and engage with your brand.
“We also value the people we work with and are intentional on investing in their well-being. In this regard, we have refreshment areas such as pool tables where our team go for relaxation whenever necessary,” the visionary leader states
Evidently, the organization has a warm culture and to move with the trends, they are launching new technology used by Google, Facebook and Microsoft. The technology is an Artificial Intelligence system that can help one save a property without physical presentation at the Optiven offices.
The leader who loves mentoring people and delights in their success believes in daily positive affirmations that kick off his day on a very positive note and give him the inspiration to face any challenge he is presented with.
“Every hour counts. I start my day with a prayer and a verse from the Bible. I then take a swim and head to the office afterwards in time for the daily devotion we have as an organization. I go home by four to help my daughter with her homework and see my son who is in the university and once in a week I take a day off to reflect,” he states
He is also a firm believer in giving back to the society and through Optiven Foundation, he is giving back to the society that supported him through education at the time when he was young and deserving but poor.
To steer the vision of the foundation further, the organization hired a special advisor from the United States of America. They are targeting millions of people who are not able to access education and those who society regards as failures.
“Those who score E’s and D’s are most often written off by society. We are on a mission to revive their hope by sponsoring their education in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions. Because we have a construction wing, we absorb them once they clear their studies. We already have some who are working on our sites,” He states
In five years, the foundation anticipates to support between five thousand to ten thousand beneficiaries of this project. They also support people with Cerebral Palsy, and have managed to distribute wheel chairs across 47 counties.
The message they are sending out there in regard to Cerebral Palsy is that, any parent who has a child with that condition should not hide them as is in most cases the norm. They have to understand that the kids are human beings and they have their own talent.
“One of our members of staff has the condition yet he manages our social media pretty well. He works from home and we pay him monthly. He can type and is so good at it,” Wachiuri notes
Optiven is also working on the sustainability of the planet through the go green initiative. In 2021 they had an award ceremony at Sarova Stanley Hotel Nairobi where they awarded people who recycle, those who engage in green economy and those in circular economy.
The organization is looking forward to making the project bigger so that they can move to the next level. They also have a big project for girls in arid and semi-arid areas where they support them with sanitary towels so that they can be able to attend school comfortably.
“We are happy that the foundation is moving and this is not an event. We even have staff who work on permanent basis and one thing I believe is that, in the next 10 years, the foundation is going to be the next big thing in Kenya,” he notes
Even with the great achievements, Optiven Limited is not immune to challenges, the greatest one being legal systems and parliamentary policies.
According to Wachiuri, the government doesn’t look at the business perspective for entrepreneur –based organizations. They instead check for tax.
“When you advertise the first people visiting the organization are taxation officers and they come not to encourage the entrepreneur to expand opportunities that will enable people to pay as they earn, earning the government more VAT, instead, they come to assert taxation policies,” the CEO states
The visionary leader has authored two books, Unleash Your Potential and Soaring like an eagle, whose proceeds go to the foundation. Soaring Like An Eagle is a reflection of Wachiuri’s journey; a powerful revelation of the power of parents.
Unleash Your Potential on the other hand is a mentorship guide for people looking to venture into business. It teaches you how you can start small and build an empire. The book has references and lessons from Optiven’s journey.
“I have testimonies from people who say that after reading the book, their businesses went up. There is a young man who is barely twenty four years old who after reading the book, established his company and has been able to hire twenty more people,” he says
On foreign aid, Wachiuri says that Africans are talented and are able to do things on their own. However he says that for Africa to do better for itself, entrepreneurs and career people need to care more for other people.
He believes that any profitable company needs to have a foundation or charity wing for there is power in philanthropy. When you give more doors are opened.
“Optiven is very successful not because George is a professor in business. It is because of the power of philanthropy. Every time we have given, we have seen more doors open,” Wachiuri notes
Because of this power of giving as he states, people from foreign countries cannot stop giving to Africa. His concern is that, why can’t African countries develop a system that automatically gives to the people?
His advice to young people looking to venture into business is that, if they have ideas of starting a business they should go for them. He however cautions that starting a business is not easy but no matter what, they should stay grounded.
“My company is into its twenty second year of running effectively because even after I failed fifteen times, I stayed on course. Look at your God given abilities; energy, emotional stability and ability to create relationships. This is enough motivation and capital to implement your idea.” He concludes
