Building Trust and Assuring Reliability - Anthony Kahinga - WeFix Tech

Anthony Kahinga, Entrepreneur Academy & Fast Track Accelerator

Country: Kenya

Business: WeFix Tech

Industry: Technology goods sales and repairs

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One of the most essential groups of professionals in the Kenyan market is “fundis,” a word that means “fixer” in Swahili. This is the term used to refer to skilled technicians who repair everything we consider vital elements in our lives. Among these elements are gadgets, such as phones and laptops. And with so many gadget brands, Kenyans have many choices. The tech purchasing process is often seamless, but the after-sales support continues to be a service area in need of intervention. Finding the right fundi to solve your tech issues is often the toughest part.

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Back in 2011, when Anthony Kahinga was still a university student, he was aware of the value his peers placed on their phones. Mobile phones are essential to daily communication and his colleagues often purchase various affordable accessories, ranging from phone cases to headsets to add some personality to their phones. These accessories, often inspired by trends, were a great alternative for students to add some newness to their devices without having to purchase new phones. Knowing this, and having a conversation with a friend about this gadget-trend, informed his first business idea: to sell phone accessories to the students. With an initial investment from his friend, the duo started a small, informal campus business. What was important at the time was to have the business basics: ready supplies, reliable suppliers for future, and time for in-person marketing. With these set, the business took its first step and became popular among its target market.

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Anthony wore many hats in these early stages and doubled between school and business, but eventually found balance and dedicated more time to his business upon graduation. He took an interest in tech, learned from his customers, and saw recurring issues in the tech-space. People were having a hard time finding professional and trustworthy fundis. The issue once again awakened his business mindset. Anthony’s curiosity led him to learn more about gadget repairs, which sparked an idea to incorporate phone and laptop repairs into his business module.

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Sinapis training helped Anthony connect his business to his faith.

In December 2018, six years after, he started his small mobile device accessory business, renamed and registered WeFix Tech, which was a significant step in his entrepreneur journey. The first year of business had its highs and lows. He became an employer and openly began identifying as a Christian in business. One key revelation, as his roles increased, was that while he had mastered certain business skills, he was missing some. Understanding that the skills he lacked were fundamental to business stability, which opened his mind to the possibility that he needed to invest in training. Not wanting to stay stuck, Anthony began looking for professional development solutions.

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Anthony’s proactive nature led him to a business forum where one panelist talked in-depth about Sinapis’s Entrepreneur Academy and how it had helped shape and transform her business. “After the forum I had a one-on-one conversation with her and she told me more about what Sinapis training entailed and how essential it is for entrepreneurs.” After talking to the Sinapis team about the Entrepreneur Academy, he decided it was what he was looking for and applied for the program in December 2019.

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The investment proved to worthwhile from the get-go. Anthony was gaining information that applied to daily business operations and was being reminded of his purpose in business asa steward of God’s kingdom. His business was about serving people, but he felt these services needed to be cemented on Christian values.
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“In this industry, my employees and I interact with different customers and have access to information when we have people’s devices. The Kingdom Business Principles module enabled me to share the importance of these values with my team. One way I did this was by incorporating prayer and devotions into our team meetings. I knew this would infuse Kingdom values into our operations as a business and as individuals representing a brand.”

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After four months in the Entrepreneur Academy, he was among the few entrepreneurs selected for additional training as part of the six-month Fast Track Accelerator program to receive one-on-one mentorship. With this knowledge, he identified gaps in his market and structured his business to include business-to-customer and business-to-business services. This way, WeFix Tech would support not just individual customers, but also businesses in need of a reliable tech-services company.
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“This additional advising fully prepared me for business growth. I got to understand aspects of human resources, finance, and accounting, which weren’t my areas of comfort, but are important to know in business.”

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Anthony became part of the Sinapis alumni community, where sharing and support are nurtured. “There was entrepreneur peer support, which is important in this business world because sometimes you can feel so isolated. This affirmed some doubts I had because I realized they aren’t unique to me alone.”

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Anthony’s business mindset is full speed ahead. While he initially had one branch within Nairobi’s central business district, he now has another branch in Mombasa and has opportunities to expand to other cities in East Africa. He credits this expansion to the convenience and professionalism he offers his customers, and to his creative solution for people looking to upgrade their devices. “WeFix Tech incorporated an e-waste management process into our system. We buy old devices that may be of no-use, fix them if need be, and sell them if we can, which returns them to the market. We are planning to have a fully equipped mobile office where we will have a van moving around to make it more convenient for customers.”

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Anthony’s business journey is evidence that external support creates clarity in business and helps entrepreneurs plan and make strides towards growth.

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