A little bit about Ian?
My name is Ian Njuguna. I’m a visual storyteller that uses the mediums of illustration, animation, graphic design and motion graphics to execute ideas. I grew up mostly in Nairobi, Kenya and my work is heavily influenced by my city and the stories in and around it.
What does your company do & how did you come up with the idea?
I don’t currently have a company perse,I work as a freelancer in the different mediums I exercise, as well as create products for sale such as prints, t-shirts, fridge magnets and buttons.
How did you get your first 10 customers for Business?
I started selling to friends and family by first making products for myself. The best way to showcase my designs was by making t shirts that i would wear to family gatherings and hangouts. This peaked the interest of some people and they then wore the products i made and posted them on social media, which brought more customers. I also used their posts and pictures on my social media platforms, which showed actual real people in the product which showed credibility.
How did you ensure your product met your customers’ needs?
Honesty. I first make sure i can deliver what i promised. I try and be as honest as possible concerning delivery times and whether or not a job can be delivered when the client expects it. I also communicate any changes in good time.
How did you get scale to many customers?
I sometimes create content within the pulse of society at the moment.If the trend or wave is close to my passions or expressions, i would make a piece that’s my commentary on the moment. This brings eyeballs, who then find my other work and then enquire about my services.
What distribution channels did you try that didn’t work?
I think the ones that worked the least, are print on demand sites, especially when they changed their terms of service. Their payments were also staggered , which was a bit frustrating.
What tools have been the most helpful in growing your business?
Social media, for getting the word out. GPTs and Ai tools for concepts or clarifying and editing ideas
- Which African Maker/Creator/Artist in you field (or not) do you admire and why?
Terence Maluleke, from south Africa. He is constantly evolving as an artist, while still drawing from his foundational skills as an illustrator/animator and still creating stories that come from his background/ upbringing. https://www.artsy.net/artist/terence-maluleke
Where would you place African Creative/Maker space and what would you wish to see in coming days?
I think it has grown significantly since i began practicing, and a larger percentage of income for makers is coming from them selling their own products than creating for corporations,which I think is a good thing. This is allowing them to have more control of the stories they tell, which then reshapes our collective culture.
What I’d like to see, is greater pride in our creations by both consumers and creators.
Government support that has deeper critical thinking around the support. We need to be more creative in meeting the support needs of creators.
Which two Artists/Makers/Creators would you like to take part in answering these Questions?
Brian Omollo
https://www.instagram.com/obrianstudio/?hl=en
Macharia Maina
Any questions we should have asked that you have answers to?
Hahaha, for me, this lies in the realm of the unknown unknown.
Any quotes you live by?
To live a quiet life and work with my hands…1 Thessalonians 4:11-12
New International Version
11 and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you,
Your links + socials
