When she discovered she had a passion for  makeup at the age of 9, Muthoni Njoba had no idea that this would become her career that would see her get signed by Maybelline, New York and become one of Kenya’s renowned makeup artists.

The entrepreneur moved back to Kenya after completing her undergraduate Degree in Communications, Media, Culture and Psychology at Oxford Brookes University, England and decided to follow her passion and earn a living from it.

We managed to get the talented artiste for our After Office Hours session this month and it was quite informative. The talk revolved around her personal life and her journey to her business success and boy, does she have a story to tell!

There was a great vibe in the room that raised some very engaging questions after the session:

Do you ever feel like there is need to raise awareness in makeup?

Muthoni strongly believes that looks are important and image is everything. According to her, good looks will get you further, faster, therefore, raising awareness about makeup is very important.

Why Instagram?

Muthoni set up her Instagram page for three main reasons: To give people make up tips, push her passion as well as encourage and empower single mothers such as herself.

The artist explained that anytime you want to tell a story it is important to tell people your story because that is the only way they will believe you and the story then becomes more authentic. Through sharing her life, her fan base grew and she eventually had to privatize her account and create a business one.

“When starting your business, numbers shouldn’t worry you. Lots of brands are now pulling away from people with big numbers on social media. Just be specific on what you’re offering and you’re good to go,” she says.

Do you take interns?

The only interns Muthoni works with are those who have trained with her. This training has to entail at least 3 of the classes she offers. For her, this is the best way she is able to gauge one’s commitment.

How did you make it?

The journey to success for Muthoni was not an easy one. She had to create an alter ego that was bold and strong, total opposites of her traits. Doing this helped her overcome fear when she had to give talks in front of a crowd. Her main driving force was the need to put food on the table for her son. She admits that she failed many times but this never deterred her.

The session came to a close with Muthoni advising everyone present to follow their dreams and push on until they make it. For her, passion is the only thing that can drive an individual.  Without passion, there’s no will.

After Office Hours is a monthly business skills session where we host someone awesome to share their knowledge with our members and non-members. Want to keep up with these sessions? Sign up for our newsletter here.