Craft Enterprise Incubation Program

As CEIP comes to a close [graduation scheduled for mid July], we hear from beautiful, sassy and good humored Carolyne Maina, owner of Estiira Designs on her experience at the program.

"My journey has definitely been a tough one!  
I started my business as a side hustle and a lot of the sewing techniques I use were self-taught. It

was not easy breaking out into the world and saying that this was the occupational path I would follow. I met a lot of hostility along the way, there was not a lot of belief in my craft and this really brought my morale down.

These past few months have been an emotional roller-coaster, they have not only changed my product but also my life. After going through CEIP, I am definitely more confident in what I do. My level of critic is at 1000%, I cannot look at my product without spotting a few offs and I do not stop until it is perfect. 

The program was an eye opener in so many aspects; what i am doing, why i am doing it, what I want out of life, what my main focus is... 

Disclaimer: Going through this program will require you to have thick skin...take it from someone who cried before the first week was over! The reality check was just too much too bear but I got over it. My state of mind completely changed, for the better of course... i think it is called a paradigm shift.  I have extremely thick skin now…..IT IS SO AWESOME!

One of the promises that came with the program was a Cash Back Incentive. The incentive is sponsored by Biz Baz Events, organizers of the Bizarre Bazaar Craft Festival. I was among the lucky two (coming in second with 10,000 Kshs). The money came in handy especially because i was busy preparing for the Bizarre Bazaar Craft festival, giving me the boost i needed to finish my product. Biz Baz Events also sponsored a Craft Afrika tent where students- myself included- were able to showcase our products. The craft fair was an interesting experience and it was great to interact with customers and get first hand information about my product. I am better prepared for future craft fairs. Experience is the best teacher...

Estiira Designs, my company, is definitely headed on the right path, with quality, handmade products, by Kenya, for Kenya. It has come a long way and the best part is the support i now receive is immense. Hard work does pay!"

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 During our one year anniversary celebrations on 8June 2013, we gave two students, Zaiba Sheriff (ctr)and Carol Maina (l) cheques worth twenty thousand and ten thousand respectively. The money is a Cash Back Incentive sponsored by Biz Baz Events. 

          How it works: CEIP students pay a fee of thirty thousand to attend the program. Towards the end of the program, we identify a student who has displayed potential for growth- both at an individual and business level, and award them the Cash Back Incentive worth the value of the tuition fee- which in essence means that they get their tuition fee back. In this case however, it was extremely difficult to pick one over the other. And so we split the money between them both. Although they both recorded impressive growth during the duration of CEIP, Zaiba took first position because of her background in design (she has a degree in Industrial Design), the various mediums she uses to create her accent items and the product range possibilities. 
At hand to present the cheques was Caroline Mbindyo, CEO of Biz Baz  Events. 
We are grateful to Biz Baz Events for the incentive and wish both Zaiba and Carol the very best in the design and craft world!

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          One of our more significant stories at the CEIP2013 is Deborah Wanjugu. Trained in Law, Deborah came into the program as a jeweler. However, we were always convinced that she would be a gem in the content arena of the cultural/creative sector either as an intellectual property (IP) advocate, trainer, researcher or lobbyist. However, despite our enthusiasm, we had to let her go through the self-discovery process and make the decision herself. In her guest entry below, she takes us through her mind shift. 
The passage in italics is an email excerpt she wrote to us on 21 February 2013. She wrote this email after a peer to peer mentoring session with a fellow student. I have included it just so you can get a better idea of what she was going through...

"Hey guys,

Please allow me to vent because right now I am just.... I don't even have the words to describe what I am. I think I am going through the five stages of grief...

....Craft Afrika has really burst a bubble here. And I think the issue is that it has finally hit home with all the force of the universe.... I have been in denial long enough which is why I was insisting that I can be superwoman and do everything but now the truth has finally sank in. THERE ARE JUST TOO MANY JEWELLERS OUT THERE!!!!! It's like entering a lift that is full. I am so pissed. PISSED OFF I TELL YOU!!!!!."

      "When I joined CEIP2013, i was expecting lessons on how to turn my jewelry into a real moneymaker. I was expecting to hear more about product development, financial management and stuff like that. I never once expected to have the course focus on my legal skills (my educational background is in Law). It has always been my desire to be involved in policy formulation but I never expected the push to come from this course.

Three short months later, i have let go of my jewelry making and i am instead focusing on where my strengths lay. But it has not been easy. I have had a very difficult time letting go of jewelry making. In fact, for a while, my classmates were confused as to where i was headed. On the one hand, i was still hanging on to jewelry, then for a brief moment, i considered supplying other jewelers. All the while, my mind kept taking me back to the personal SWOT analysis we had done on the first day of the course. An exercise that had identified my strengths as research and a firm grasp of all things law related. An exercise that had -unknown to me at the time- set the stage for my new career path.

One Friday, while i was still trying to figure out how to get into supplies, we had Ms. Gathoni Muya as our guest speaker. She is the Deputy Director at the Department of Culture, Ministry of Culture & Heritage. That one talk was all i needed. The very next week, i shared with Christine (one of the instructors) my decision- i was going to focus my energy on the legal and policy formulation opportunities within the Creative and Cultural sector. I can honestly say that i have not had this much focus and peace of mind in years.  

I know it is not going to be a walk in the park. If anything i am in for some real challenges. However, i am quite excited that i discovered this opportunity at a time when the country is paying attention to the creative sector. There is no better time to be an advocate within and for the sector.

The opportunities are immense. In fact, they are so many that i now have a new problem - where do i begin?! There is just so much to be done!!!. 

CEIP has saved me at least five years of aimless wandering, because i would never have had this clarity of mind and laser sharp focus without this course.

To all the creative intellectuals out there, please apply to be in the next cohort. I promise you, it will be worth every penny!"

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It is exactly one month since we started CEIP2013 classes. We are done with module1- Introduction to Craft Entrepreneurship and are on course to finish module 2 & 3 which are running concurrently and which cover product development and marketing respectively. In terms of field trips, we have visited the Kenya National Archives, Kenya Weaverbird workshop and this week, the Export Promotion Council (EPC). We have also hosted Sylvia Gichia, director, Kuona Trust and Ben Handa, CEO, Woodley Weavers.

We look forward to hosting Kiva representative Pascalia Kitusa as well as fashion designer Wambui Mukenyi before we go on election break. The acting director, Department of Culture, Ministry of State for National Heritage and Culture will be our guest immediately after the break.

We asked one of our students, Gillianne Obaso (R), to guest blog regarding her experience of the course so far...

"...I ran into Christine (co-founder, Craft Afrika) when I was pushing my fashion line called The African Boudoir at the Bargain Box craft fair 2012. I accepted an invitation to Jumpstart Thursday out of pure politeness and with few expectations. 

The first thing that struck me was the positive energy and the genuine sharing that took place. I felt somewhat out of my depth because my business was just taking baby steps and the colleagues round the table seemed to have gone round the block a couple of times. I was nonetheless encouraged and inspired because most everyone had been where I was.

Then came an invitation to apply for CEIP, which I did not hesitate to do, figuring that a regret letter would do just fine, but I would keep applying until I got in. It was therefore terrifying (to say the least) when I was accepted!  The decisive moment was here. It was time to walk the talk. It required a commitment of six consecutive months, which meant total focus and an end to all waffling.

The very morning we had to report to the CEIP class was a close call. I had a life drama running parallel and I found myself thinking of every excuse not to take the class. The fact that I was dodging the landlord was the only reason that made me attend that class.

We hit the ground running. Here again was this wonderful ambiance of generosity, vulnerability and sharing- elements that have become a hallmark of CEIP. The shock was on us when the first module turned out to be on self-analysis. I had figured I would go in there and learn about the ka-ching ka-ching, make a bundle and walk into the sunset. Apparently, your business practices are a reflection of who you are....whudda thunk it?! It has been a mind bending, eye-opening, gut-wrenching experience and I love it!!

About the tutors…Christine is a warrior guide/sage/coach/kindred spirit. So invested is she in the program that we have no option but to excel. She understands intricately the tools and information a craftpreneur needs to succeed. Jacinta is the firebrand-marketing expert whose kid gloves came off so suddenly, I am still reeling from the shock. Rob is the gentle sage in the room with economical well-timed nubbins of wisdom. 

Taking the course is easily the best decision i have ever made and the best investment yet. Watch this space and I will tell you in five months how it went."  

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 Application Deadline: 30th November 2012

The Craft Enterprise Incubation Program or CEIP is an exciting 6month partially sponsored coaching program designed with one goal in mind- to support you build a successful craft enterprise.
With international  funding partner Kiva (US), the program combines one-on-one business training, networking & mentoring, market entry services, funding opportunities, exchange programs and access to legal, financial and design professionals.
Combining both individual and group sessions, you will spend a minimum of two hours each week  articulating your business aspirations- and our work is to ensure you achieve every one.

And that is not all, during the 6 month coaching period, we will make available to you a ZERO PERCENT INTEREST loan that you can inject into any aspect of your business.
 
Download the application form by clicking this link. Once you have filled in the necessary information, send both the form and your statement of interest to craft@craftafrika.org before November 30 2012.