SN3, Episode 11: Half a Million Profit, Yet Zero Cash | Joan Ogutu on Building Kids Street

For our final full episode of the season, we sit down with Joan Ogutu, founder of Kids Street, a brand focused on premium baby care products in Kenya. Joan takes us through her journey from the start: her early experience working at Safaricom as an agent, and how her own pregnancy led to the idea for Kids Street when she couldn’t find premium baby care products in Kenya. She walks us through the real cost of setting up their first business location, and how the business grew from baby gear like car seats and strollers into consumables like diapers. We also get into the part of inventory businesses that rarely gets talked about: managing money well when your profit is tied up in stock, and what it means to show a profit on paper without having the cash in hand. This episode also has a deeply personal side. Joan shares, with openness and courage, the story of losing her son during a family vacation, how she has continued to run her business through grief, and how that loss has changed the way she works as a founder and the way she sees life. We’re grateful to her for trusting us with her story. This episode is brought to you by: 🔹 Beauty Square KE — Your go-to destination for premium, quality beauty essentials. Visit and patronize at beautysquareke.co PARTNER SPOTLIGHT 🔹 DigiTax — Simplifying tax and invoicing for businesses so you can focus on growth, not paperwork. Learn more: ⁠https://digitax.tech/⁠ | ⁠+254795279403 DigiTax — your tax assistant in your pocket PARTNER HIGHLIGHT 🤝 We’re honored to have Sarova Hotels as our Season 3 partner. From creating beautiful spaces to curating unforgettable experiences, Sarova is the best fit for your staycation, business meeting or that special celebration. Visit their website to check out their facilities and services at www.sarovahotels.com Our other Season 3 partners are: 🎥 Royal Reel — our audio-visual partners / royalreelph. . 💄 Makeup City — on makeup / makeupcityy. . 👗 HAWI Ready To Wear— on the wardrobe https://www.instagram.com/hawi_rtw?ig... Follow Founder Diaries on socials: Instagram / founderdiar. . Tiktok / founder.diari. . Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1CBpdVj... Follow our host on socials: Instagram⁠ / yvonnekanyi. . TikTok⁠ / entrepreneurm. .