From being fired through a text to starting a company at 23: Mary Njoki's story

Well, for Mary Njoki, she picked herself up by the bootstraps and started her own PR firm at the age of 23.

Twelve years later, she's paying it forward and mentoring a whole new group of people on how to start their own startups. 

Citizen Digital’s She Means Business spoke to Mary about her journey, the ups and downs and how to turn negative experiences to your advantage.

Mary says, “The one thing you should have before venturing into business is a conviction. Once you have a conviction that the idea is what you are supposed to be doing, you are willing to do whatever it takes to make sure that the dream comes to fruition.”

On her transition from employment to entrepreneurship, Mary says she has been able to bounce back through several challenges life has thrown at her and emerge stronger. 

“Every challenge for me usually creates an opportunity. It sounds like a cliche, but I've a lived it out… I was fired from an IT firm, but then three days later, I started out my journey in the public relations (PR) industry,” she says.

“Even when the guy fired me, I remember I said to myself: it's not me who quit. It's you who fired me. I felt like there was so much inside of me that I wanted to express, and I wasn't at the right place.”

At the time, Mary, whose educational background is in IT, was working at an IT firm, but felt her passion was in the PR industry.

Mary said, “I was thinking, what is my purpose? What am I supposed to be doing? I could feel I was at an IT firm, but was not applying myself completely and not enjoying what… I used to enjoy what I would volunteer doing over the weekends more than the work that I was being paid for.”

She continued, “Even the guy firing me was because I wasn't performing very well. I wasn't doing, as he expected because he had gotten me from another company and I was the best employee ever. Then I came here and I was inconsistent, but it was coming from what was happening in the inside of me. I was not satisfied.”

For those looking to pivot in their careers, Mary advises people to gain practical skills in their field of choice then look for opportunities.

Watch the full episode of She Means Business here.