Patience Nyaoga is the owner and managing director of Tintoria, a laundry company that provides dry cleaning services to individuals and businesses throughout Nairobi.  Armed with an MBA from Nairobi University and a commitment to addressing a “gap in the market” Patience has successfully built Tintoria into one of the most prominent laundry service providers in Nairobi.  With 50 employees and a fleet of delivery vehicles Patience provides dry cleaning services to various hotels, international organizations and corporate offices throughout the city.   The executive services that she offers to individual customers cater to the burgeoning middle class of Kenya—maintaining a level of quality and high standards that has resulted in a loyal and growing customer following.

Despite her many successes Patience is very conscious of her role as a woman in business, and acknowledges the challenges that she and most Kenyan women face in a developing economy.  She notes that women often lack access to collateral and as a result they are unable to access the finance needed to grow their businesses.  “People don’t take you as seriously as they should because they probably think you don’t have the capability.”  Patience is confident that upcoming policy reforms in Kenya combined with supportive networks of women in business (like KAWBO) have the potential to improve the status of women in Nairobi and strengthen the country as a whole.   Although she acknowledges that women in business have a long way to go, Patience also emphasizes that the potential is enormous; “it’s possible, it can be done with focus, determination and setting out the right goals for yourself.  It’s possible.”  Patience, as they say, is a virtue.

Watch my video profile of Patience below:

Tags: business, dry cleaning, entrepreneur, Inequality, KAWBO, Kenya, Nairobi, strength, women

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