The name game

It seems evident that we will have to incoporate as a different entity altogether, as the new investor comes in. I feel nostalgic doing away with the name Symbiotic Media, as it was born during my fsith form entrepereneurship class. I cant say that I was oblivious to the situation, as I had read and studied branding and the thought process that goes with it.

Today we threw names back and forth, giving reasons why we thought a particlar name would suit us best. I also got checking what others have to say about the naming issue.


8 Mistakes To Avoid When Naming Your Business
When choosing a name for your new company, keep these tips in mind to help you find one that will work now--and in the future.

Naming Your Business

How to Name Your Business
What's in a business name? Plenty. Not only must your name reflect your brand and be memorable, there are also a host of legal issues to consider. Here's how to choose a name that'll best suit your business.

Doesnt get any sweeter...

The weekend held some surprises for me. I told you earlier about three angel investor ladies who have agreed to put in some money into one particular product. I have a meeting with them on the morrow where they will put pen to paper on how much they are willing to invest. I am guaranteeing them a pretty decent returen at 10% per month, with full refund of capital at the end of our contract.

A development worth mention is the interest of yet another investor.The name will come later once the direction of the talks is established and the necessary papers signed. The deal on the table is a 50/ 50 scenario. The investor will pump in so much for a 50% stake in the company. If these talks go well, I may have to rethink the 3 lady investor deal, as tis one may be sufficient for the kind of growth and market impact that we need to make.

The cookie crumbles

I did coffee at Brew n Blends, with one of my partners, we are on the final mile, and are hitting the road come September. We have been running a virtual office and it's good to have a face to face chat. We have kept well despite the stresses and strains of the past months.

So today I wrote letters to all my ten retainer clients, telling them about the shift in managing their accounts. It was also a request to hold strategy meetings so I could get a pulse on exactly what workload we are looking at come the next three months.

I so sorely need to develop internal capacity. I can not ditch these clients as they have been my bread and butter and have indirectly funded the tools that are powering the next venture that will consume the next 27 months of my life fully.

Under the radar

Sometimes keeping under the radar is worth the while when you finally emerge from your cocoon.We have finally secured funding from three angel investors and our products are now ready to roll out. It's been a long eleven months of sweat and blood. It's been hard trying to sell to an aged investor group, with them being unable to see beyond themseleves...read beyond their understanding of the supporting technology, which ideally i belive they do not necessarily have to grasp fully.

We attempted to go the VC funding route in the States, via the numerous grants etc accessible to students in certain Ivy League institutions. That hit abit of a snag too...we were asking for too little ...well

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On another note it is intersting to see some of the sleeping giants rise. Telkom has called for vendors of its internet and other value added services. They wish to push down the cost of owning a .ke domain from the current 4000 sh to below 2500. This is to push businesses to gain an online presence. Of note though is that the local market is not ready to pay well for the ensuing web development process. They would be willing to spend upto 300k on a halfpage ad to appear for a day in the local dailies, but would freak out when told their web strategy would cost the same.Its a pity.

Yap, so its a new year...nothing to it so far apart from the 06. The market is looing ready for some action though, seems like I am not the only one who didnt go on a holiday this Christamas. Stocks are looking yummy and a myrad of opps just stared me in the face this morning. This is a great time to be alive, me thinks.

Looks like its going to be mzuri start.

I wonder, what would it take for a young entrepreneur to get funding from the VC firms in the United States? It seems that the VC's are stumbling over themselves to get money into creative ideas. Perhaps they should look at Africa, perhaps they should look at Symbiotic media.

This was my thought for Sunday, I thought i might share it.If any one knows of VC firms that have a keen ear for creative ideas pushed by young minds, do let me know. I don't like the thought of organic growth. I leave that to vegetables.

I find it incredibly funny...not the ha ha type that it has actually taken me this long to put up an intro. I blame the weather.It has been incredibly shifty...blistering hot followed by some darn cold.This weather has had all these years to get into a pattern...maybe its midwind crisis.

Anyway...I am Timothy Mbugua,I love marrying creativity and technology.I am what you would call a Consultant Creative or is it Creative Consultant. Actually that is what has kept me offline for like the past two or so week.Yap, I know its kind mad that one would stay offline for that long, but lets not get into that. I have been planning my entry into mainstream business.I have been in the kitchen (nimekuwa jikoni) cooking products that harness the strenght and power of the internet and mobile technology.I have been operating stealth mode for close to six months now, forming partnerships, refining business models,analysing market needs,checking out the competition, mastering the game plan.The months of waiting and the midnight oil that has been burned into the early mornings has finally paid off.The last blocks are falling into place and the birth...no no no no the birth,the emerging of a youthful kenyan entrepreneur...



I have been on school break - studying International Business Administration at the United States International University.It has been intersting though sometimes unchallenging.I got my plans for that place too. Technology is yet to be entrenched...I am there for a reason and for a season, and I must leave my legacy.I am thinking of giving the coming semester a pass coz the next three months will be chokefull of stress and strain...i can not dare disappoint my angel investors...i tell you the grief that that a young entrepreneur goes through when trying to raise seed money.Oh you kenyan banks and financial institutions what folly.With no collateral (read land...land and more land) or if you lack the approprite connections...your so sunk.That's why the old guards are still holding onto lots...money, power,control.Well, ready or not here I come.It helps to have your networks sorted, it takes care of alot of worry.


I mentioned that Africa needs to adapt to new ways of doing business.I mean, over here it would be unbelivable to hear of companies started in a garage, or an SQ and making it bigtime.That sort of thng has been left to the west.The teachers and lecturers are yet to inspire their students think outside the box. The same old,safe ideologies are taught.Go to school, get a good job at a good company...instead of get an education, birth a new idea that addresses a need, flog it!!!!Way to go!!!

It is an intersting time to be twenty something.The world is so dynamic, you got your own freedom...you are a visitor in your parents home...yah!!!What amazes me are the vast opportunities that exist for me. I come from a backdrop of exhaltation of the so called experience when it comes to work...it pissed me so that people confine youth to a box of inexperience that they are denied opportunities to contribute positively to the growth of business. Know what? The time has come for comapanies to arise from the garages or is it servant quarters in the continent of Africa. It is time for the young entrepreneurs of Africa to arise to change our communities.Our best asset is our creative capital, this is what will see us rise...
Watch this space.