Frida’s story: turning passion into profit

Frida Owinga is the Founder of Passion Profit in Nairobi, Kenya. She’s on a mission to support job seekers in finding careers they are passionate about. Our Road to Leadership programme supported her to boost her advocacy skills so that she can advocate for sustainable work for her clients. 

“My name is Frida Owinga. I run a company called Passion Profit, where I help people turn their passion into profit. I lived abroad for ten years and then returned to Kenya. People I knew started asking me for work, many of them had good credentials but they couldn’t find employment. There were also a lot of people doing work that they did not enjoy. So that’s why I started the business. I help people figure out their passion, and then package that into a profitable product so they can make a living from it.  

I joined the Road to Leadership programme because I was particularly interested in the advocacy component. There are many programmes that teach leadership and communication, but I’d never come across one that included advocacy. Learning how to advocate for the things that matter to women, and to help other women achieve as entrepreneurs has been great. I’m now more intentional about the things I advocate for. For example, I’m now keen to foster the creation of sustainable work, so I chose the groups I work with based on this. I am a business advisor at the SME Founders Association where I mentor small business owners, helping them connect with markets and access finance. I’ve worked with some great companies through the schemes here.  

I’ve realised many women face challenges in the workplace. I believe a lot of this comes down to mindset – how they think about themselves, and how society views them. I personally don’t think of myself as a woman entrepreneur – I’m just an entrepreneur. When we think of ourselves in a certain way, it determines how we respond to situations. And I find this idea helpful for me to succeed with confidence. 

I developed my communication skills on the programme, which are vital for successful leadership. I am now clearer about who I am as a leader, and how I want to lead. We also worked on our networking skills, and how women can support each other in business. It’s important to support women entrepreneurs because up until very recently, women have been regarded as caregivers, not as professionals. But that’s all changing. And it’s very exciting.