Thread by @wekesa_amos

THREAD 📜:
GENESIS OF UGANDA LODGES LTD- (part 2)

But anyways, part 2 is only interesting if you have read part 1 which I tweeted last week and it's for learning purposes for the aspiring entrepreneurs who follow me on here.

I am a strong believer in the power of saving, power of investing savings , power of marketing and hardwork.

Generally speaking, I am the vision guy not necessarily a good implementor of my ideas.

Like I said in part 1, entrepreneurs don't always know the end from the start, but as you implement your faint vision, things start becoming even more clearer through the trials and challenges and sometimes the opportunities.

I told you I could only afford to pay a few of the people that I needed to make the Primate Lodge Kibale( this was our first lodge) come to live. Joseph Muyeti who made the winning business plan, Allan Semakula( architect of the main building).

I couldn't afford a proper site supervisor and even if I could, I had no idea where to start from. Great lakes safaris was on the climb but needed my time since I was the CEO and marketing manager.

At that time we rented a house in nsambya Estates with small rooms and very small compound for 500k a month. Our first born was getting to 2 years then and we had bonded. Our office was another 500k a month. 20 minutes walk from our home.

My dream was to build a family home at the age of 35 years something I had communicated to my wife and I was coming to 34 years and I thought about keeping my promise of owning a home verses developing a lodge.

I had won the concession which was given to me gradingly after 12 months from the date I won.

I had something to prove to myself and also wanted to prove my critics wrong.

Not everyone will be against you when starting out but there will be those few who will invest all their energies just to discourage you.

Those will plant seeds of doubts, they will remind you of coming from Lwakhakha

I remember a guy who kept telling me you came from poverty and therefore, this isn't for you. Everytime I encountered a challenge he reminded me about what he told me. I realised I didn't need to give him audience. I avoided him, I refused to pick his calls.

When we got married, Great Lakes safaris was taking off and I therefore had a bit of savings but I shared my faint vision with my wife( she had a savings of USD 500).

I told her we were nowhere but I was skilled, armed with a business, with many soft skills like networking, I knew the importance of satisfied clients through guiding.

All I needed from my wife was patience and she wasn't a business person.

With business incomes at the time, we could have afforded a house of say USD 500 a month but she didn't complain of where we stayed. To me Wekesa, a guy from lwakhakha, anything was better than where I was coming from. I could even stay in a tent.

The savings I had accumulated over the 5 years of running Great lakes safaris could have bought us a home but that's all. I told her, it was better for us to own a safari Lodge than owning a home at that stage. She didn't question it.

Those savings weren't enough for a proper lodge and that was very clear along the way. I wasn't going to give up either.

I remember in 2005 my wife said, you work hard but you never have money in your pockets on many occasions.

My desire is to build things, I want to see a good business, a good lodge , a good safari car etc( etc means end of thinking capacity) and yes, money comes in the process. Good things attract clients, attention, satisfaction and money follows and then you do more with earnings.

Anyways, wait for part 3 which has very interesting episodes and when I remember I just laugh alone. When I woke up today morning at Primate Lodge, I just said, thank you lord , thank you Lord, thank you Lord many times with tears in my eyes.

Below are still pictures of our first Primate lodge which has now gone through 3 times of rebuilding in 14 years.

END OF THREAD

Here is a link to Part 1👇🏿

https://twitter.com/wekesa_amos/status/1436540392531505154?s=19