Leonard Mudachi is the brainchild behind Blanco’s Holdings Limited. He is a passionate, driven and innovative hospitality professional. He started his career as a Management Trainee at the Hyatt Regency Downtown in Houston Texas. He has held various positions in the restaurant industry in kenya since then. He has since developed three restaurant concepts in Nairobi, Kenya; Blanco’s Lounge & Grill, an African fusion restaurant concept, The T-spot, Kenya’s first branded tea house & Blanco’s Sports Grill Ltd, the premier sports viewing entertainment restaurant in East & Central Africa. Having studied and worked in three continents, Leonard continues to combine his overseas experience with local knowledge and innovation to continuously create new and exciting hospitality ventures. You can read his complete bio on http://www.blancos.co.ke/management.php. We recently interviewed Leonard Mudachi and this is what he had to say.
What attracted you to the culinary world?
"As much as I enjoy the culinary world, I would say that I was more attracted to the Hospitality World. I loved parties when I was a kid…the organization, the anticipation, the cooking, the serving, the merry making"
Who is your inspiration for Blanco's?
"I draw entrepreneurial inspiration predominantly from my Dad and host of other older mentors. In the restaurant industry my inspiration stems from a wide variety of restaurants I have visited around the globe."
How did you get started?
"I started by pitching my concept to several potential investors, mainly people who had taken an interest in my career since my return back home. Investors ended up being family, friends and close relatives. Once I had secured the capital and the first location at Timau Plaza we began renovations. We opened shop on Dec 21 2006."
What has helped you the most on your journey?
"A strong support network of friends and family and unwavering & commitment for what I love doing."
What inspiration (if any) did you get from living abroad?
"Exposure to and appreciation of a multi-cultural, multi-faceted restaurant and hospitality industry."
How did you make the decision of going back home?
"It was always my plan and intention from the onset. I wanted to gain the knowledge and exposure and come and apply it at home. I think Kenya and the rest of the East & Central Africa region hold great potential for those willing to take the risk. It is virgin territory suitable for developing new concepts."
What words of wisdom would you like our readers to keep in mind?
"Thirst for Knowledge but ultimately trust your instincts."
The Amazing Liza Mucheru-Wisner
Juice Your LemonsLiza has always been a fan of the apprentice. While watching the celebrity Apprentice season with Brett Michaels, she heard that Mr. Trump was interested in hearing about how the recession was affecting Americans. She had just lost a contract with a school and was mulling over what was next for her business. So she decided to write an email to the show and tell them her story. In a brief email she shared her strong feelings and attached her resume. A few weeks later, she got the call that would change the rest of her life.
Be Adaptable And Open
The call was from a producer on the Apprentice. They had a phone conversation which was an interview of sorts and after that she was invited to go to LA and audition for the show. Though she was blown away by the invitation, she had a fulltime job and a family to think about so the audition took a little rearranging and planning. After a few weeks she went to LA for the longest interview of her life. She was there for six days undergoing interviews, debates and psychological testing. These interviews were even more grueling than the actual show. Liza says that the sessions taught her to fight and defend her position. This began her journey on TV vying to be The Apprentice.
You Are More Prepared Than You Think
Looking back she realizes that her background prepared her for the Apprentice. She was involved in public speaking in high school and various student boards in college. She came to the US as an international student from Kenya and had to learn to get along with all kinds of people. Since there were hardly any Kenyans at her school, she build a new community around other international students and Americans. All these experiences taught her how to listen and communicate her point effectively which led to her placing in 3rd on The Apprentice. She says that as an immigrant; if you come across as as being open and kind and friendly, people will find something in common with you.
See A Need/Fill A Need
Liza started her company-Texas Techies because she saw wanted more for her kids. The company creates technology rich environments that inspire everyone to reach their full potential. Liza is convinced that technology is the bridge for communities because it makes all kinds of information accessible to everyone. She started the company on her kitchen table and started out by researching different ways to teach kids. They started by building a portable computer lab to take to schools to help teachers enhance their lessons. Liza shares her time between her company and her fulltime position with the Elite graduate program at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
Know Your Enemy/Know Your Strategy
Liza showed a fighting spirit on the Apprentice. Though she was on the hot seat several times, she made it to third place on the show which was quite an achievement. She says that the show taught her how to defend herself and be her best salesperson. The show also helped her learn a lot about herself and how important it is to know your competition. She had great things to say about Donald Trump and her great admiration for him. She enjoyed spending four hours on the golf course with him and appreciated his passion for his work and family. His advice to Liza was "be in love with what you are doing and you will find success." She is living that out.
Your Passion Is A Gift
Liza says she always wondered why she always felt like she had to take action; she just could not let it go when she saw injustice or inequality. She has learnt to see her passion as a gift and quotes Gandhi saying "we must be the change we want to see in the world". She loves technology and loves helping people. She is glad opportunities for her business have opened up and has a vision of expanding it to Kenya. Since the show she has had a lot to think about and is working on a life plan and a rollout plan for expanding Texas Techies.
Her Parting Words
"It is tough to live your dreams and sometimes you want to throw in the towel and live a mediocre life but don't. You will face adversities but push through them. If you climb the mountain, there are great things on the other side."
Profiles: Jean Marc Dedeyne
Never Forget Your Dream
Jean-Marc's dream to come to the United States began when he was 18 years old. One of his cousins gave him a brochure of a US College; he fell in love with it and decided he wanted to come here. He started researching the possibility of coming to study in the United States in 1993 but it was not affordable at the time. Therefore Jean-Marc opted for studying in France, where he attained a Masters degree in Sales and Infrastructure. He started his career in the software industry where he did infrastructure sales for various companies in France. All the while he tried to convince several employers to send him to the United States. This dream was not realized until 2006.
Turn Potential Disappointment into Victories
In 2006 HP France was going through a workforce reduction while Jean-Marc was working for them. He saw this as an opportunity to take the severance package and pursue his dream. By this time the dream had grown from coming to study to starting a business in the United States.
Take Charge of your Journey
In helping his dream to become a reality, he decided to network with Americans in France. He finally connected with an education agent who helped him find and apply to UCLA. Jean-Marc says he spent his first two years on a mission to learn two things; the language which would enable him to understand the culture; and the system which would enable him to thrive in business.
Sometimes the Dream is Veiled by Challenges
Jean-Marc experienced many challenges on his journey to the USA. The most difficult being
- The Immigration process
- The language barrier
- Finding a program and school
The greatest challenge was starting over and proving himself. He had to lay down all his preconceived notions and past experiences and retool based on his new set of circumstances. He realized the fact that nobody cared about his background until he could prove that he could add value.
Everyone Needs Cheerleaders
Jean-Marc spent a lot of time with his teachers and classmates his first year as he learned English. He also credits his Filipino-American friend and his American roommate for teaching him how things work in the US and also helping him learn how to get around. Jean-Marc joined organizations that students do not typically join to network with other expatriates and the business community. He says, "What helped me the most was living off-campus surrounded by a wider community of people who had similar experiences."
You Can Realize your Dreams
Jean-Marc started U in the USA while he was still in school. Realizing that he was surrounded by people who faced similar challenges, his goal was to provide foreign students and expatriates a service to help them adjust to life in America and also provide opportunities to interact with Americans. He wanted to inspire a global mindset and simplify life for them. For some of the services offered by his company visit U in the USA.
Sometimes the Stars line up
Jean-Marc started the process of applying for an investor visa because he was determined to stay in the US and run his business. While he was still working with his lawyer, he applied for the DV lottery and got the green card. Until then he was running his business on his temporary work visa (OPT). In order to increase his chances of success, he pursued more than one avenue to reach his goal.
Jean-Marc's Nuggets for People who want to Emigrate to the US
- Visit the US before making a permanent move if you can
- Start making connections and reach out
- Spend some time as a student. It will help you learn the culture
- Understand why Americans do things the way they do
- Spend some time researching your market if you want to start a business and work on a business plan
- Have a year of savings
- Do not be afraid to lose yourself in the culture
- Visit different places
- Go beyond the conventional
- Above all---BE VERY CURIOUS!
Jean-Marc Dedeyne is the President and CEO of U in the USA. Originally from Martinique, a French island in the Caribbean, he is also an accomplished International Sales Professional with an outstanding record of success selling enterprise solutions with $43 million of revenues generated at SAS France and HP France. He also has expertise in international business with an aptitude for transitioning foreigners to the United States. He acquired international experience by working and traveling in 25 countries around the world. He has a Masters Degree in Sales & Infrastructure Technology Services from Euridis Ecole and a Certificate in General Business Studies - Entrepreneurship from UCLA.
What Inspires Us?
We are inspired by people’s stories....how did they get where they are? how do they do what they do?Every month we will bring you stories of people, fellow immigrants like you and me, who are doing remarkable things.
Let their stories inspire us to reach for the best within ourselves.
Artist Unknown. Source: www.mymodernmet.comShare your stories with us at: themakutilounge@gmail.com.
