Founder Diaries Podcast

Imagine being able to access real data to understand your business operations, reduce stock-outs and who your consumers are. In this episode, Michelle Watiki, Co-founder of Duck Analytics takes us through the importance of data and client segmentation in business building to make better decisions that boost revenue. Duck Analytics helps retailers optimise their pricing and location strategies usin...

Welcome to Season 2 of Founder Diaries! 🎙️ In this first minisode, I take you back to where it all began—my story, my journey into business, and how we got here. From selling noodles in high school to building two thriving beauty and skincare brands, this is a raw and honest look at the process behind the progress. One thing I’ve learned? Skincare is like math—there’s a formula for everything. If...

Listen to the story of how Cellulant was built, the businesses Ken Njoroge built prior to getting investors into the business. He built with a larger market in mind and today that is a reality. Today's hustle is Komini which is a business built to create community for small business owners and helping them "arrive alive." Then hear the perspective of Kui Njoroge who built alongside h...

Hear my thoughts on how I would market my business if social media was no longer available. Social media is becoming saturated and more people sensitive to promotional content thus affecting it's effectiveness. We need to start thinking about offline ways to engage and attract new customers. What are your ideas? Engage us in the comment section. Find our host on socials: Instagram⁠ TikTok⁠ Fol...

Catch up on Waithera Mugo's story and how she went from a law student to owning her own firm and building a niche business with Ithera Africa, a tax & wealth advisory firm. I learned from here there are so many ways to legally reduce your tax liability as a business and to think through your corporate structure and the implications that has on your tax points. The true point of a business...

Find our host on socials: Instagram⁠ TikTok⁠ Follow Founder Diaries on socials: ⁠ Instagram⁠ TikTok - @founderdariespodcast   Reach out to DigiTax to make your eTIMS compliance much easier: HERE⁠ | ⁠+254795279403 This podcast has been proudly sponsored by Beauty Square Ke, and Sage Sknn. Visit and patronize at beautysquareke.co, and use the code FOUNDER10 for some coins off.

You know… running a product business will teach you math you didn’t even know you needed. Not the cute math… the painful math. The “why is my cash gone yet my shelves are full?” math. Today we’re talking about inventory mistakes , the true cost of dead stock , and why inventory turnover and run rate are non-negotiable if you want a healthy business. Inventory is a beast to master and has to be mas...

Pricing might seem straightforward — but over time, I’ve learned that most of us underestimate how many things quietly eat into our margins. We price for the product. But we forget to price for the business. Your pricing should factor in: Your salary and compensation as a founder/directorGovernment compliance (taxes, licenses, statutory requirements) Rent and operational overheads Staffing and lab...

I've been in business for many many years and I have one particular season where I truly thought about quitting. I sat down to figure out how to replace my income and actually got the ball rolling until I realized where the pain point truly was. What happens when you're faced with the end of the business you built from scratch? This podcast has been proudly sponsored by Beauty Square Ke an...

Hear the story of Liz Njuguna and how she started off with buying and flipping land at 19. She started off with one parcel being paid in installments of 20K a month which down the road was flipped into 700K pain in a lumpsum. Learn how her discipline and reinvesting grew that hustle into Risiih Investments. Five years down the road Risiih is working on putting more land into the hands of women and...

Dreaming is dopamine and doing is discipline. It's not because you're lazy or lack of motivation. Thinking about your dream life of driving the car you'd want, the freedom of time you crave and dream travel destinations is VERY easy but different to when it comes to taking the action required to achieve that. There is a physiological reason to this - your nervous system is wired to avo...

At some point, every founder has to ask:Am I building a real business… or just surviving? In Minisode17, Yvonne shares the practical shifts that helped her stop running her business like a kiosk and started structuring it properly, from paying herself consistently, building systems, delegating intentionally, to planning financially and creating cash reserves. If you’re still in survival mode, this...

We’ve been sold the myth that businesses need to be revolutionary, AI-powered, or completely novel to succeed. In this minisode, we strip it back to the basics and unpack the 4 pillars of a good business — and why simple, needed, profitable ideas often win. If you’ve been overthinking your idea, this episode is for you. Let’s share about our partners, DigiTaxAs someone running a business, staying...

Many founders think they’re building businesses... but have actually created full-time jobs for themselves. In this minisode, we unpack the difference between being self-employed and being an entrepreneur, the signs your business depends too heavily on you, and practical steps to start building systems that scale without burning you out. If your business stops when you stop, this episode is for yo...

What does it take to build a sustainable catering business? In this episode of Founder Diaries, Yvonne sits down with Esmeralda Founder & CEO of Spez Catering Limited, to unpack her journey from starting to running multiple corporate cafeterias. We talk about:• Why event catering alone isn’t sustainable• How corporate cafeterias create steady daily cashflow• Turning one client into long-term i...

What if the reason your business feels stuck isn’t strategy —but mindset? In this Minisode, Yvonne breaks down Outwitting the Devil by Napoleon Hill — the one book she believes every entrepreneur must read. This episode explores how fear, drifting, habits, and lack of purpose quietly control founders and keep businesses stagnant. Framed as a psychological conversation, the book reveals how most pe...

Just because an idea didn’t make money doesn’t mean it failed. In this minisode , we unpack why founders often label ideas as “failures” too quickly and how that mindset can cost you valuable insight, growth, and momentum. We talk about:Why failure feels personal (and why it shouldn’t)How to reframe “failed” ideas What to audit after an idea doesn’t perform financiallyWhy money is not the only met...

Delegation sounds great in theory… but in practice? It can be terrifying especially when it comes to the big things. In this Minisode of Founder Diaries, Yvonne shares her personal journey with delegation …from doing everything herself , to slowly handing over responsibilities, to finally bringing in management-level support. We talk about: •Why founders cling to control (even when it’s hurting th...

In this minsode of Founder Diaries, we’re unpacking something most founders never stop to define …your job description as the founder or CEO.So many of us struggle with focus, delegation, and time management not because we’re lazy or disorganised, but because we’ve never clearly defined what our role actually is in the business. We talk about: •Why founders end up doing everyone else’s job •How no...

In today’s episode of Founder Diaries, we sit down with Murugi Munyi for a conversation that goes beyond content creation…the space most of us know her for. Murugi shares her journey of starting her first business while still in university, navigating entrepreneurship as a young mum, and growing into a founder who has built multiple businesses over time. We talk about starting before you feel read...

In today’s episode, Yvonne shares 6 lessons from 6 years in business…From hiring and money to boundaries, self-awareness and trusting your instincts, this episode is a reflection on what it really takes to build and sustain a business over time. If you’re building something of your own, or thinking about it …this one’s for you.

In this episode, we’re talking about overplanning and why it’s quietly holding you back. Planning feels productive because it’s safe. You get to keep the idea in your head without exposing it to the world. But real clarity doesn’t come from thinking, it comes from moving. In this episode, I share: •Why money loves speed •How getting the first ball in motion forces execution •Why you don’t need the...

In this episode, we talk about why founders struggle to trust their own decisions, and how constantly seeking validation slows down execution, growth and impact. If you were given responsibility early in life, you might feel the need to overthink every move, ask multiple people for approval, or wait until something feels “perfect” before acting. But the truth is, clarity often comes after action....

In Minisode 7 of Founder Diaries, Yvonne shares why going to therapy is not a weakness…it’s a leadership tool Unhealed trauma shows up in how we lead, delegate, price, overwork, avoid hard conversations and even burn out. You don’t leave your past at the door when you build a business

In this episode, Yvonne sits down with Robert, an executive leadership coach and entrepreneur trainer (also known as The Business Therapist) for a deep and honest conversation about burnout, pressure, identity, and what it really costs to “hold it all together especially as a female entrepreneur/founder. This episode goes beyond business tactics and zooms in on the person behind the business …beca...