• The 42-year-old mother of two started her business in her kitchen
Image: Courtesy
Media personality Terryanne Chebet's business life is interlinked with her motherhood.
Speaking to Word Is on Friday, Chebet said the desire to find a solution for her daughter’s skin condition inspired her to start Keyara Botanicals.
“I was looking for a product for my daughter, she suffers from eczema. So one of her doctors said we should try something with Shea butter," she said.
"It started in my kitchen, packaging in little containers and selling at a price that I wasn’t sure of.”
After finding a solution to her daughter’s skin condition, the mother of two expanded her business by producing more than 14 products from pure Shea butter.
Having lost her job in 2016, Terryane advises the youth not to shy away from picking up the pieces when they suffer job losses.
“I had bills to pay, a child who was in school. I had a business partner who would pick me up, and take me to meetings, I had no time for a pity party," she said.
"If a job has gone, it has gone. Yes, it's hard, your self-esteem gets affected sometimes, but just get up and go. Quickly.”
In her experience as a business journalist and an entrepreneur, Terryanne advises upcoming entrepreneurs not to shy away from starting small.
“I started with a capital of Sh60,000 which I saved from my salary. I would sell around 50 products a month."
At 42 years, the mother of two still looks young and vibrant.
Her secret, she says, is having a healthy mind and a good skincare routine.
“Be in the right frame of mind, taking things as they are. If you allow yourself to be weighed down by what happens in life, you will start looking old. I don’t sleep with make-up, I use coconut oil to remove my make-up.”
However, it is not easy to balance between running a business, working for corporate companies and being a mother of two.
“There are times I have been guilty about doing many things. But I enjoy it, it gives me energy. I enjoy being with my kids, travelling, cooking. Every day has its own vibes,” she said.
With her firstborn daughter being 15 years old, Terryanne says it has been a challenging period of her parenting journey.
“The hardest was 12-13 years; she was angry all the time. I was like, my daughter hates me. But I think we were all acting the same some time. We are close, but I am still the mum. When I can’t handle it, I will call her dad to step in.”
The ex-news anchor also shared her co-parenting journey with George Kirumburu, the father of her teenage daughter.
She has made mistakes in the past due to the anger she had towards her partner but has learnt to do it the right way, through respect and putting the child’s needs and rights first.
Outside all the pressure of parenting and working, Terryanne takes Salsa classes to dance her worries away.
“I needed to do something that I enjoy, just for me. Salsa for me is a mini-vacation,” she said.