Business lessons from Muli Musyoka IAT, a certified trichologist

Muli Musyoka IAT was the first certified trichology in Kenya. He started his clinic, Hair Hub, in 2014 to provide hair transplant services for those battling with hair loss and balding. For the last five years, he has organically grown his business into a hair transplant hub, employing 11 people and service a global client base. He says he’s yet to settle, despite his impressive milestones. How did he do it?

Hustle east Africa Magazine sat down with him at his Ngong Road office to learn more about his entrepreneurship journey. Here are his tips to succeeding in business. Excerpts.

What inspires you?
Passion. My drive is the joy to see change. I want to impact. To see change. To provide a solution.

What makes a successful entrepreneur?
A successful entrepreneur innovates constantly. Innovation is the lifeblood of thriving businesses. You have to be on the lookout for new creative ideas that you can implement. As an entrepreneur, I keep on crafting new ideas whenever I see a gap in the industry.
For instance, I founded the TRICHOFORT line of hair care products after realizing that not many hair care products were made with the African hair in mind. I wanted to provide a solution. Today, Trichofort hair care products are specifically formulated for the African hair. Our products are manufactured in the US and are sold to a global customer base.
There are other qualities that make a successful entrepreneur, including the ability to take risks, to show up, to think and to make decisions.

Does school prepare you to be an entrepreneur?
The Kenyan 8-4-4 education system trains children to work hard to get good jobs. It doesn’t teach children to be creative or how to create wealth. It focuses on getting, and not creating jobs. Despite this, there’s hope as a new education system is being implemented. I went through the 8-4-4 system and like others; I studied hard and got a job.
However, unlike most people, I wasn’t settled as I was always looking for solutions. Entrepreneurs should aspire to be solution seekers because that’s what makes them stand out. That said, you also need to get then right skills set to thrive in any field. I enrolled for courses in hairdressing and trichology as I knew I wanted to be in the hair care industry. School doesn’t teach you how to take risks, how to run a business, or how to diversify. You have to learn that through experience.

How about employment?
Yes. When I was employed at Haco Industries, I gained skills in product development and marketing. I still use these skills in my business.

What lessons have you learnt in business five years later?
Entrepreneurship is different from self-employment. As an entrepreneur, you need to grow people. At Hair Hub clinic, every staff member shares his or her ideas and we work as a team. They all feel empowered to be the best they can be.
Innovation is a key aspect in business. You need to be innovative. You have to refuse the temptation to be a master of what you’re good at. You need not to settle for less. Always aspire to get wings, to diversify into other areas. Hair Hub was the first clinic to do a hair transplant in Sub Saharan Africa, in 2014. It was also the first to set up a hair restoration clinic in the region. Through innovation, we have grown to manufacture hair care products. We also host two hair events, the African Hair Awards, and a conference.
Another lesson I learnt; you can’t know everything. You need people to help you. I have outsourced human resource management and finance aspects of the business for a smooth sail.

Get the right talent for the job.
Your success or failure as a business depends on the kind of talent that you invest in. by all means, get the right people for the job. I don’t hire skills, but attitude. With a good attitude, I believe skills can be taught.

Plan. Plan. Plan
When it comes to business, you must plan everything. Take lots of time planning and doing, then check and test your plan.

Take risks
Take calculated risks. If you don’t, you’ll never grow. The same goes for money. If you don’t lose some, you won’t make some.

Do you have a work-life balance?
As an entrepreneur, you need to have some time off. I aspire to get some work-life balance by engaging in non-work activities like working out in a gym or playing competitive football.
At Hair Hub Clinic, we also have an unwritten rule; no one calls after working hours for work related issues. When not in the office, I take some time off to travel, touring the mountains or the beaches.

What does the future look like for Hair Hub Clinic?
The first five years, we made mistakes. The next five years are for growth. We are planning on venturing into other countries like South Africa. We also intend to launch a world-class hair transplants theatre that will cater for global clients.