A Pearls for Her Interview With Isabella Katwesigye of Fresh Kyenyanja.
As interviewed by: Shandie
Shandie: Hello Bella, please tell us a little about yourself and your business.
Bella: I’m Katwesigye Isabella, a mum, a dedicated wife and also the founder and CEO of Fresh Kyenyanja.
Shandie: How do you do that effortlessly?, share with us how you balance love and business.
Bella: I strongly believe that having a team and creating a solid structure saves me a lot of time which contributes a lot to my family life.
Plus there’s something about passion. That passion for what you do is everything. Your partner might not be all hands on deck i when it comes to what you’re passionate about and that shouldn’t kill your mood because with time he or she will come on board and that will be after observing what that all means to you and the effort you put in it.
My husband is my business partner as we speak and that has got a lot to do with how much effort he has seen me put into my business. He supports me, keeps tabs on the business’s performance and this gives us some bonding moments and some time on our hands for the family.
Shandie: I see, do you have friends who are in business but their partners aren’t big on entrepreneurship! Do you see the contrast, does it make you more grateful that your husband is supportive?
Bella: Thinking about that, I don’t think I have friends going through that or I haven’t really noticed it. But what I’m certain about is letting your partner in on whatever is going on in your business. They might not seem interested but always talking about something and sharing details gets them curious and soon enough they’ll be the ones subtly asking about all the details you usually talk about and what a better way to know someone’s been paying attention?
Shandie: How do you make your employees/ clients feel love and appreciation?
Bella: So for the employees, especially for a startup, I start off by providing some clarity on what’s expected of them so that they know what to deliver.
Here’s a scenario where 2 of my employees were burnt out and there was some slacking though with the kind of work we do that’s bound to happen. So being clueless about the situation I thought that adding them some money would get things back to the norm. Eventually one came up to me and requested a chat which brought me to the conclusion that indulging them goes a long way.
When it comes to the clients, better service, listening, sharing and sometimes familiarizing with them is a good start.
Shandie: What are your go to tips compromising as a business woman and one in a relationship?
Bella: On the other side of personal relations before I tackle marriage is that when you have all these other things going and in some way, you eventually have to compromise. You’ll have to set boundaries when it comes to certain conversations, friendships and programs.
As an entrepreneur the very people you spend your day with matter a lot. You keep asking yourself are we on the same path, do they see my vision, are they discouraging me?
When it comes to marriage, that’s a partnership where we survive the worst and celebrate the good having it at the back of your mind that there’s that other person rooting for you. I feel like if you can have that healthy relationship with your person then a lot of things fall into place.
Shandie: You have talked about boundaries, how do you go about setting some healthy boundaries as a business woman?
Bella: When you start a business, all you have at the time is a vision with so much thrown at you along the way ranging from friendships, marriage, parenthood and so many other things. But if you keep at it you will find that something’s just got to go.
Time tells all.
Like I always say: I’m running a race and I don’t want to be distracted. So whoever is in my race or leading me to the other side is who I’m running with.
As women we mostly thrive through networking. There are organizations that will help you along your entrepreneurial journey like:
- UWEAL – Uganda Women Entrepreneurs Association Limited
- BNI – Business Network International
- BLN – Business Leaders Network
Shandie: How do you think you can shower your business with a little more love?
Bella: I realized that the business isn’t mine, it’s for those out there. So to love it more, I need to put up more structures and systems that’ll push it to the level it’s supposed to be at.
In conclusion, love to me is when someone gives you the liberty to be who you are!
Takeaway #1 Having a supportive partner or friends and family is really important but when you don’t have their support, you shouldn’t waver. Give them a reason to eventually see the path you see.
Takeaway #2 Boundaries matter if one needs to keep their sanity.
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