Podcasts · Business

Founder Diaries Podcast

Yvonne Kanyi

90 episodes

Founder Diaries Podcast is a podcast that tells everyday entrepreneur stories. Hosted by Yvonne Kanyi, a Founder and a creator, sharing honest conversations about building, growing and leading a business. This podcast dives deep into what it truly takes to go from idea to execution the wins, the stumbles, the turning points and everything in between. Each episode offers listeners and everyone watching practical insights, raw reflections and human moments from those who’ve built something remarkable.

Episodes page 1 of 2

  1. SN3, Minisode 21: Don't Force Yourself Against Your Architecture

    · 7:11

    When we started the strengths test with the business coach we hosted in Seasons 1 & 2, the plan was to do it quickly and move on. It ended up shaping a lot of how I’m moving forward. The test led to a bigger…

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

    · 1 h 26 min

    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…

  3. SN3, Minisode 20: “I’ll Just Do It Myself” — The Founder Habit That’s Limiting Your Team

    · 4:26

    Many founders, especially Type A personalities and first-borns (first-born daughters in particular), share a trait that quietly shapes how they run their businesses: hyper-independence, the deeply ingrained belief that…

  4. SN3, Minisode 19: Your Most Asked Questions, Answered: GRWM Edition

    · 16 min

    Today's minisode is a little different. We're pulling back the curtain and giving you a raw, unfiltered look at our production set — Yvonne, mid-makeup, answering some of the questions you've been dropping on our…

  5. SN3, Episode 10: Building Africa's AI Operating System for SMEs | Ft. Abraham Mbuthia

    · 1 h 20 min

    Before Uzapoint, Abraham Mbuthia actually wanted to be a DJ. In this episode, he walks us through how that early dream led him into tech instead, and eventually into building Uzapoint from the ground up, starting with…

  6. SN3, Minisode 18: Debt Isn't the Enemy — Not Having Access To It Is

    · 7:35

    Kenyans have an interesting relationship with debt, and this minisode breaks it down into 3 categories ✅Those who've seen debt go badly for someone else and want nothing to do with it ✅Those who know debt could be…

  7. SN3, Minisode 17: Market Penetration Isn't About More Ads

    · 6:11

    his minisode was sparked by a conversation with Manish about running digital ads — and it turned into a bigger question that keeps coming up across so many businesses: how do you actually penetrate your market?The…

  8. SN3, Episode 9: I Lost Close to 400,000 | Anne Muhia on Employee Theft, Motherhood & Building

    · 1 h 32 min

    Anne Muhia is an entrepreneur, founder of Winners Arena Africa, and in this episode, she takes us through one of her earliest and most painful business lessons: a butchery story, and how she navigated employee theft at…

  9. SN3, Minisode 16: What Are Your 3 Things? Are You Maximizing Your Best Sellers?

    · 4:31

    Back in Season 1, we talked about McDonald's and how they arrived at the 3 things on their menu. This minisode is a callback to that idea, and a challenge: do you actually know what your 3 things are?Go into your…

  10. SN3, Minisode 15: The Number That Tells You If Your Second Branch Was Worth It

    · 4:24

    This minisode was sparked by an insight from someone who's worked in mergers and acquisitions, reviewing businesses being valued, bought, or sold. It's something that's easy to overlook as a founder: running a separate…

  11. SN3, Episode 8: The Host Becomes the Guest: Yvonne Kanyi's Untold Founder Story

    · 44 min

    Today's episode looks a little different. We're switching seats — Yvonne is on the guest chair this time, interviewed by Victoria, Founder of Vspa, Thao Tree, and Titii Kenya. If you've ever wanted to know our host a…

  12. SN3, Minisode 14: Why Rest Isn't Recharging You — The 5 Types of Rest You're Probably Missing.

    · 8:15

    Ever taken a whole weekend off and still felt exhausted? That's usually because rest isn't one-size-fits-all — and most of us are only resting in one dimension while running on empty in the rest. In this minisode, we…

  13. SN3, Minisode 13; More Customers Isn't the Only Way to Grow Revenue | Here's the Formula

    · 7:40

    This minisode breaks down a simple, repeatable formula for growing revenue that applies to pretty much any business model.When most founders think about increasing revenue, the instinct is usually: open a new branch,…

  14. SN3, Episode 7: The Business Side Of Makeup | O`rnella Nthambi on Building Makeup City Academy

    · 31 min

    O`rnella Nthambi wears many hats — makeup artist, content creator, beauty educator, and entrepreneur and in this episode, she takes us through the full journey of building Makeup City and Makeup City Academy from a…

  15. SN3; Minisode 12:You Already Know | The One Thing You're Avoiding That Could Change Your Revenue

    · 4:51

    There's usually one thing every founder already knows they should be doing to increase revenue and it's usually the thing that keeps getting pushed to "next week." In this minisode, we challenge all founders that…

  16. SN3, Minisode 11;The One Question That Tells You If Someone Is an A, B, or C Player

    · 4:18

    A quick follow-up to Minisode 4 ("Great CEOs Are Lazy") — this time breaking down a simple rule for evaluating the players on your team. Every team has three types of players: A, B, and C — but it's not always obvious…

  17. SN3,Episode 6; Demystifying Tax Compliance | Caine Wanjau on Building DigiTax Across 4 Countries

    · 1 h 09 min · S3 E6

    This episode carries a little extra meaning for us — Caine Wanjau and DigiTax were our very first sponsors on Founder Diaries, and we're honored they believed in this vision from the start. Watching both DigiTax and…

  18. SN3, Minisode 10; The Hidden Cost of Keeping the Wrong Hire

    · 9:02

    The one problem that will never fully go away in your business is people. The one asset that will save you is also people. That contradiction is something every founder eventually has to sit with because people come…

  19. SN3, Minisode 9: The One Number Every Founder Should Know By Heart: Your Growth Rate

    · 6:12

    If there's one number every founder should have top of mind, it's not just revenue — it's your growth rate. In this minisode, we break down why growth rate matters more than most founders realize, and how to actually…

  20. SN3, Episode 5; He Dropped out of a Top University to Help Students Find Theirs | FT. Manish Sardana

    · 1 h 05 min

    Manish earned a place at Delhi School of Economics — one of the most selective universities in the world, admitting less than 1% of applicants. He dropped out in his first semester, knowing it wasn't the right fit, and…

  21. SN 3, Minisode 8; The Unglamorous Businesses Making Serious Money

    · 7:11 · S3 E8

    Not every profitable business looks exciting on Instagram and this minisode proves it. We asked a question on my TikTok page: what are some unglamorous ways people are making good money? The comments did not…

  22. SN3, Minisode 7: Taxes Won't Wait: What Every Founder Should Know Before KRA Comes Knocking

    · 8:07

    They say there are two things that can quietly shut a business down over time: taxes and calamity. In this minisode, we get into why staying informed about taxes isn't optional it affects your business every single…

  23. SN3, Episode 4: Behind Misono's Consistency | Ft. Daniel Rea Song on Building a Family Business

    · 1 h 08 min

    Some businesses don't just survive they become institutions. In this episode, we sit down with Daniel Rea Song, Marketing and Business Development Director at Misono and son of the founder, to unpack over 30 years of…

  24. SN3;Minisode 6: The Wealth Toolkit Every Founder Needs

    · 9:42

    Paying yourself isn't a luxury it's the entire point of building a business. In this minisode, we break down a founder's toolkit for wealth creation: three things you need in place to protect yourself financially, even…

  25. SN3,Minisode 5: How I Reset: A Founder's Morning Reboot Routine

    · 6:39

    Every founder hits a funk - the days where motivation disappears and getting anything done feels impossible. In this minisode, we're sharing a personal reboot strategy: three simple things I do every working day to…

  26. SN3, Episode 3: "Your Business Needs Me" | Ft. Ivy on Building Scalable, Legacy Businesses

    · 1 h 25 min · S3 E3

    Today`s episode features Ivy, a business coach who works with founders to build scalable, legacy-ready businesses. Her work is centered on helping founders put the right systems in place, hire the right people, and…

  27. SN3,Minisode 4:"Great CEOs Are Lazy" — A Book Review

    · 6:46

    Being busy is not the same as being productive, and this minisode might make you a little uncomfortable. We're reviewing the book Great CEOs Are Lazy, whose core idea is simple but hard to swallow: CEOs aren't paid to…

  28. SN3,Minisode 3:The Habit-Stacking Trick for Actual Consistency

    · 5:26

    Motivation runs out. Systems don't. In this minisode, we talk about consistency not as a personality trait, but as something you can engineer. Borrowing a behavioral strategy from the author of Profit First, we break…

  29. SN3,Episode 2: A Founders Roundtable on Loss, Legacy & Letting Go

    · 1 h 26 min · S3 E1

    This week, we're switching things up with a roundtable conversation featuring four incredible founders, each building in a completely different space: 🔹 Val Njoroge — Co-Founder, Africa's Pocket & Panda Towers 🔹…

  30. SN3; Minisode 2: The PROFIT FIRST Formula Every Founder Needs to Know

    · 7:25

    We started our businesses to make money but why does profit always feel like an afterthought? In this minisode, we break down key insights from Profit First, and one formula in particular that flips things. SPONSOR…

  31. SN3; Minisode 1:The Hiring Framework Every Founder Needs

    · 13 min

    Most job descriptions are copy-pasted from Google, and that's exactly why so many hires don't work out. In this minisode, we break down performance-based hiring: a practical, 5-step approach to building your HR process…

  32. SN3;Episode 1: From Oxford MBA to Building Africa's Pocket | Val Njoroge

    · 59 min · S3 E1

    Founder Squad, We're back for Season 3!!We're kicking the season off with someone who's redefining what building wealth in Africa looks like. Val Njoroge is the Co-Founder & CEO of Africa's Pocket (a digital investment…

  33. SN2; Episode 11: Answering Your Biggest Business Questions | Season 2 Finale

    · 1 h 16 min

    What do you do when business challenges start feeling personal? How do you know it's finally time to hire? Should every business be built to scale? In this Season 2 finale, we're flipping the script and answering…

  34. SN2: Episode 10: How Kamau Nyabwengi Built a Golf Academy That Has Trained 4,000+ Golfers

    · 49 min

    One of the biggest barriers to golf is the perception that it's expensive, exclusive, and difficult to access. In Episode 10, we sit down with Kamau Nyabwengi, Founder and CEO of Yen Golf, to unpack his…

  35. SN2; Minisode 19: The Struggle of Many Founders and Managers

    · 9:33

    Hiring your first employee feels exciting. Managing them? That's where many founders discover an entirely different challenge. In this minisode, we will be reflecting on one of the biggest struggles entrepreneurs and…

  36. SN2;Episode 9: From Makeup Content to Building One of Kenya's Leading Beauty Brands | Joanna K Pt. 1

    · 56 min

    What happens when the business you've spent years building no longer excites you? In Episode 9, we sit down with Joanna K, founder of Joanna K Cosmetics and one of Kenya's most influential beauty content creators, to…

  37. SN2; Episode 8: The Business Side of The Creative Business Nobody Talks About | FT. Abel & Judy

    · 1 h 13 min

    Welcome to Episode 8: Today, Abel Mutua and Judy Nyawira share the journey behind their creative careers, entrepreneurship, and the business lessons that completely changed how they approached the industry 🎬 From…

  38. SN2; Minisode 15: Money Advice for Founders ( From My Experience)

    · 13 min · S2 E15

    Most founders learn money the hard way. Most of us figure it out through pressure, mistakes, survival, and experience. In Minisode 15, we unpack practical money advice for founders from years of building and running…

  39. SN2; Minisode 14: Signal Vs Noise | Why Most Founders Stay Busy But Don't Grow

    · 13 min

    Back-to-back meetings, Constant notifications, Supplier issues, Endless tasks, New ideas every hour 👀 And somehow… at the end of the day, it still feels like you’re not moving the business forward. In Minisode…

  40. SN2; Episode 7: Money Trauma, Debt, Business & Self-Worth | Ft. Susan Wanjiku

    · 1 h 36 min

    In Episode 7, we sit down with Susan Wanjiku, founder of The Legacy Hub, a platform focused on making financial literacy simple, accessible, and personalized. From growing up in poverty, accumulating over 1 million in…

  41. SN2; Minisode 13: You Don`t Have To Do Everything

    · 9:37 · S2 E13

    As founders, every day we discover another thing the business needs.Another task, another responsibility, another thing added to our plate. But what if the answer isn’t working harder but building systems? In Minisode…

  42. SN2; Minisode 12: She Built a Beauty Empire With Just 4 Products | The Estée Lauder Story

    · 10 min

    One determined woman, Four products, One counter, and a Relentless belief in herself. In Minisode 12, we unpack the incredible backstory behind Estée Lauder, the founder who built one of the world’s most iconic beauty…

  43. SN2; Episode 6: From Doing it For Free to Charging KSH.3,500 to KSH.600,000 | Coach John Paul Nyiha

    · 55 min

    What does it actually take to build a successful coaching business? In Episode 6, we sit down with John Paul Nyiha, an online fitness and dietary coach who has spent over 9 years building a coaching business tailored…

  44. SN2; Minisode 11:Systems Before Scale | The McDonald’s Story Every Founder Needs To Know

    · 11 min

    In today`s minisode, we break down the story of how two brothers transformed a simple drive-in restaurant into one of the most scalable business models in the world—by doing something radical. In 1948, Richard and…

  45. SN2; Minisode 10: When Should Founders Pay Themselves? And How Much?

    · 15 min

    When is the right time to start paying yourself as a founder, and how much should you actually take home? 🤔 A lot of businesses are started with one goal: to make money for you. But somewhere along the way, many…

  46. SN2; Episode 5: You’re Not an Entrepreneur (Yet) | Profit, Value & Wealth ft. Waithaka Gatumia

    · 1 h 17 min · S2 E5

    What if everything you thought about profit, business, and your personal value… was wrong? 👀 In Episode 5, we sit down with Mr. Waithaka Gatumia, a financial literacy coach, who breaks down the realities of business,…

  47. SN2; Minisode 9: Why Kenyan Founders Fear Funding | The Truth About Bootstrapping

    · 14 min

    Why are so many founders determined to use their own money to build businesses? 🤔In this Minisode, we unpack the deeply rooted mindset behind self-funding and bootstrapping, especially among Kenyan founders, and ask…

  48. SN2; Episode 4: Tara Nicole | Turning Creativity Into Income Streams

    · 55 min

    In this episode of Founder Diaries, we sit down with a creative entrepreneur, Tara Nicole as she shares her journey of building, evolving, and reinventing herself across multiple creative industries.From painting on…

  49. SN2; Minisode 8: Opening A New Branch!

    · 14 min

    Opening a new branch sounds like growth but it can quickly become pressure if you’re not fully prepared.In this minisode, we’re unpacking the real conversations every entrepreneur needs to have before expanding,…

  50. SSN2; Minisode 7: Sage Sknn At 1 | Key Decisions I had To Make When Building

    · 13 min

    Sage Skin officially turned 1 last month and in this episode I get to share some financial decisions that almost cost me the business and how we've managed to pivot since then. Partner Spotlight;We’re honored to have…

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