Transcript
Hello, everybody. Welcome to yet another episode of my Tech Story podcast. My name is Alice Kanjejo, your lovely host.
And guys, today I am just super excited to have the guest that I have with us today in studio / session. I don't know why I call it Studio.
We actually don't record in a studio, but we move on swiftly. First of all, I just want to say a huge thank you to the reception that the podcast has been receiving so far. I truly appreciate it and it's been a journey in itself, sharing people's stories and sharing being able to provide this platform for my guests.
It's been absolutely incredible and just eye opening experience, truthfully. And I couldn't be any more grateful to you guys for tuning in and subscribing and following the podcast and supporting my guests as well. Because honestly, this is also, like, more or less a summary of their work experience and their portfolio.
So also just supporting that is also just so great. I think. Without further ado, I'm going to get straight into the episode because you guys didn't tune in to hear me rant about my emotions, but you came here to listen to Stacey's story, which is where we're getting into today.
I am joined by a lovely guest, Stacey Njimu, who I met through a mutual friend, but started quickly realizing that this is someone who has so much substance and a touch into the tech industry or her own experience in itself that I think would definitely be an added asset to this platform. And so I'm so happy to have you here with us. I'm going to read your intro because when I said write an intro, she said, bet.
She said, say less. This is one powerful woman and one powerful intro. So I'm very excited to read it.
So here is Stacey Njimu, who is a 23 year old girl in finance who doubles up in tech. Let's just start there. Okay, Stacy, our guest today bought her first shares at 13 years of age.
And it might have been KQ, but it's the thought. It's the thought that counts. Exactly.
In high school, we love that she's taking us real. Back in high school, she analyzed the stock markets often and won two awards, which were Best Portfolio Manager, achieving a 25% profit in six months on her portfolio. She also got first runners up company analysis on Mumias, which her and her team recommended a strong sell three years before it went under at the Valha Investment Competition.
Come on. We love someone who's proactive. In high school, people were what were, you know, running for, you know, mandazi, people are doing portfolio investments.
And know this, ladies and gentlemen, won her a full ride merit scholarship to Strathmore University, where she pursued a Bachelor of Science in Financial Economics. Now, that really surprised me. It didn't surprise me that oh, wow.
It surprised me you've got a scholarship but it surprised me that this is your story and I was telling the person behind the camera, hi, Giddy, just before we started recording this, that you're just working with someone every day, thinking they're casual, but someone here. Come on. I'm so excited to hear this story for today.
As the entrepreneur, she is our greatest started sorry. Our guest started several businesses with her partners while in Uni. Her deep dive into tech has been through Data Science, which she studied a certificate in Data Science while pursuing her undergrad, and had a part time job at the Data Science team in Strathmore University, which she transitioned into.
A full time role as the team project manager for two years on projects well over 25 million Kenyan shillings and has begun pursuing her master's in data science and analytics. Guys, here. Come on.
I'm even just getting a lot of words here. I am actually so happy to read this intro for you and so proud to just even be having you here on this platform right now to just share what you have to share with us. It's not even over, guys.
It's not even over. Our guest is passionate in moderating and corporate MCE, where she has hosted over ten webinars attended by over 5000 people in the past two years. In the Data is Cool series and moderated over ten high level panels at the Global Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Summit and Secure Expo East Africa with a representation of over 55 countries.
I personally know her for her forever travels and amazing destinations, which is actually true. I'm always just saying the other day she was just saying, oh yeah, we're going to Europe, or Zanziboise shared with her list of places. But this is why I'm shocked to see someone you see every other day.
You never know what they're getting into. And I'm so happy to see that she's been doing this. Not on the side, but majorly when I meet her and when I meet her in social settings.
Always a fun person to be around, but just very interesting to know that this is what you're doing as a powerful woman in tech. Like, guys, I just want to get to the story right now. But fun fact, in other life, our guests would like to be a comedian.
So I think we'll also get more into that. Oh, Stacey. Welcome to the My Tech Story podcast.
Wow. We've given you your flowers. Thank you.
Wow. I am so highly impressed by you, and I can't wait to just have this conversation with you and get to know more about not just your tech story, but even your finance and comedian story, as it seems in another life. In another life.
Okay. Wow. Stacey, where do we begin? Where do we begin? Tell us about your tech story, how it began, how you even started having an interest in finance or even the stock markets analysis.
Just tell us everything, and you can start from wherever you feel your journey began. Okay, yes. I think I'll just follow your order just to keep it in my mind.
CSI with tech, I think tech is like back when everyone got phones and back when we were kids. Absolutely. Yeah.
So I feel I had the majority of everyone in Nairobi sort of a similar experience. Probably got my first phone after class eight. Like, my parents were ideal, I remember.
Yeah, they were not big fans of giving us phones. Know, my first phone was the one your thumb can fit the screen and you could text. It was ideal.
I don't even know what it was. Honey, I hear you. So something similar to that.
I still remember going to the cyber. I don't even know what we used to go to the cyber for, but I knew I used to go to the cyber. And I remember in primary school, we had robotics, and that was like one of our you had robotics in primary? Yeah.
Which primary is this? That is it's eight four. That's all I'm going to say. Yeah.
Damn. Wow. I love that.
And it was more of like a mental PE for us. It was like, let's go solve puzzles. Let's make a machine, let's make a windmill.
And it was so cool to work with our friends on that. So I think that's where I'd say my tech story started. Okay, so take us through.
Okay, you got your first form. Now you're learning more about technology, and now you're getting an interest in this PE for your mind. So when you got to uni, I'm guessing that's when you're interested, or rather picking your course in uni.
Could you walk us through now, the selection process? Did you always know this is what you wanted to do and then now how you picked up what you picked up in uni? Take us through that journey now. Okay. I feel like for me, it found me.
I did not find it. It found me. And this is because I remember when I was in form One.
Now, selecting subjects, it's either we were to do like, French or German or do business or home science. And I was just like, I mean, I want to cook, I want to eat good food, but do I want to knit? No, I had a theme. You had the same predicament.
Predicament. I'm like languages is beautiful to know, but do I want to put in the hours? No. Then I was like, okay, probably now business is what I mean, is what makes sense.
Is what makes sense. So quickly started it, and I just felt like in one with that subject, it was coming so easily and genuinely enjoying the class. Like, I could not wait for it to be a business class and let's just talk about different things.
And I think even, like, earlier on, I was always that kid who comes with suites and sells to people. You want this? I got you. You want this? I got you.
So that was from one? Yeah. The people selling ten bob sweets for 100. Yeah.
We have a common friend here who used to do that in my high school trips these days, cool trips, 100 bob making money. And that pin bob you got from math class, I don't know who gave you for passing a math equation. Yeah, guilty as charged.
Yeah. So from two dropping subjects, I was like, I'm definitely sticking with this. And then that's when Valuha competition was by a Strathmore alumni now, but a Strathmore student then she was actually doing Bbit and just wanted to have more students in high school understand about financial markets and get them involved in that.
So started that and then they'd come to now high schools. So I remember it was like alliance Kenya high precious blood. So when I was in form two, I was like in the first cohort and then did it again for the second cohort in form three.
So the idea behind it was, one, making students more enterprising because, you know, like, with our Kenyan economy, you can't always rely on jobs and again, who's going to be the creator if everyone just wants to receive the opportunities? So wow. Got into that. Then in form three, I was about say, third year Inform three.
That's when now we're having the second competition. And from there we were given like six months with a virtual account with five hundred K and Kenya shillings. And they're like, trade it up and see what you can do.
I remember sometimes I'd even not like skip homework, but under prioritize, like schoolwork and really put a lot of priority on my portfolio. How is it doing? I'd be like on BD Business Daily, reading it and just trying to figure out, okay, what can I trade? Trying to ask friends who are also very versatile, like in the market, what do you guys think about this? I'm thinking it's going to go up, down and just putting the trades in and that's what made the 25%, which was like among the best. And we're about, give or take, 100 people who are managing their portfolios.
Then also my team, we put in like a really good I remember I was like the disciplinarian guys. We are meeting at six or seven at the library. We need to put in the work and do our analysis.
So I'd say it paid off. I was busy in the art room. I did art and design and I would and just like be in a Zen space.
Honey business was never ever in my list of things I wanted to do. And now I catch myself in the finance stuff and having such a major interest, it's very interesting. There are people who are thinking so different from me.
Oh my goodness. My high school experience was so different. But that's so interesting to know.
Just to confirm, was this a day school or boarding? It was a boarding school. Boarding. So it was a boarding school.
So now from there got the scholarship to Strathmore, but again, it was limited because the competition was in finance. Then I had to do a course that was in Finance and finance being in the school of Mathematical Science and become so I just had three options actuarial Science, financial Engineering, financial Economics. And I was like, out of the three, I'm a pick that easier of financial economics.
That's how it found. Did you feel like you were missing out on opportunities, on pursuing other courses because you had to do a course if you wanted to pursue the scholarship? Or is that in line with what you thought you wanted to do in university? Yeah, so I think ideally, my parents or my mom really wanted me to be a lawyer. And I do see why she would think that, but I didn't feel like that was the path that I wanted to take.
I feel like even from back then, I was so dedicated on a business journey, an entrepreneurial journey, a finance journey, because I kept on okay. I remember I keep hearing people tell me, especially my mom, you know, when you were like, seven used to tell your grandmother, I don't want to work in a bank. And I was like, Why would I say that? And my mom would say, Forever for life.
Yeah, that I always used to tell my grandmother, I want to be the one being counted for the money. I don't want to go count other people's money and not throwing shade. But I was seven.
I mean, you can't judge a kid. And I think also just being around because my grandmother was so very enterprising, being around her and always just wanting to know, okay, so how do you make your money? I remember I should be like, you're the one grandkid that is just always on my case. Yeah, I love that.
Wow. Okay, so now you found yourself in Finance, have a scholarship to Strathmore, you graduate. This was before you even did your KCSE.
Yes, before, when I was in form three, inform three. So you were just like I mean, you were probably performing, but you knew you were a bit in a safe space, which is absolutely best place to be in an eight for four system. Because if you didn't notice, like, the way they drill into the fact that if you don't go to uni, you are a lost cause, and that if you fail KCSE, there's nothing left for you in life.
I think that, first of all, if you get into how fucked up the Kenyan system can possibly be, we wouldn't get into that conversation, but I think it was maybe a breath of fresh air. I'm assuming to know that this is an opportunity that I have, and you're going to be able to take full advantage of it. Okay, so now you're in Strathmore.
Tell us now how your journey continued from there onwards. Yeah. Cool.
So Instra getting to the course and realizing, okay, this was not the one plus one I signed up for. It was more. And I think for me, predominantly, I spent most of my time either reading or doing business stuff because I felt that something aside of me that I don't want to let go of or put on hold just because I'm in school, I can't do anything enterprising for that matter.
So I realized I should have probably done better with my social life in Uni as most people. Yeah. But I've made peace.
Yeah. It was just my classmates, my probably friends from before Uni and just my businesses. Yeah.
Honestly. Honestly, I didn't have the energy to socially interact with people in Uni, especially after the pandemic. Anyway, I was interacting with people, even my classmates.
Sad to say, I barely made any friends in my classmates. So it's very interesting when I hear people, a lot of people who've come here and talked, shared their stories, have just been mentioning how Uni was such a pivotal moment for them, working with their classmates or people they met in Uni and getting opportunities through that. I feel like that's something that I may have lacked, maybe not because I was also just a very upbeat person.
Probably said hi to someone here and there, but at the same time not having friends with my classmates, the same classmates that I had in higher school were probably my friends till today. Honestly. Agreed.
And then having pandemic uni, meaning working, studying from home, not a lot of time to interact people from Uni, but nonetheless doesn't mean that it was the end of the world. Yeah, true. Yes.
I think I got to second year and I'm learning a lot. It's things that I had already done, like in high school. These are the things we're covering in Uni.
But at the same time I'm like, I have all this knowledge, why don't I try apply it? So I was like, okay, shares and bonds, probably a lot of capital I need. And I'm like, I don't have that. At the same time, I want to look for something that I'm learning and is a bit new and fresher considering financial markets are always, ever changing, ever moving, and you need to be adaptive.
So decided, okay, forex is going to be my thing. So second year, went online, tried to do YouTube, one, two, three. And I'm like it's.
Chaos. There's so much content and you don't even know where is Z? What is a where do I start? So I was like, I need to invest in myself and in knowledge. So I decided to pay for a course.
Paid for a course. D for three months. Then I think after another three months is when I was like, okay, now I have the courage to even try what I have learned.
Sorry, when you say you did a course, was it a Kenyan course? Was international. Course. Do you mind sharing with others what the course was? It was an online course, era and Udemy.
I can't really remember the title, but it was online. Yeah. Okay.
Yeah. All right. Would you say it was really helpful? Was it substantial for you? Enough to say that this helped me in my journey to knowing how to do this? I definitely believe it took me from point A to probably like C in terms of I now understood the terminologies.
I now understood the sequence of the knowledge, but it didn't necessarily make me profitable. Like, it gave me the knowledge for me to now identify the tools and then now start the trading. Yeah.
So this is now December. Let's call it December of 2019. And I'm like, okay, I think now I'm ready for the live markets.
So I put my five K Kenyan shillings, and I'm like, okay, let me just try this out. Personally, I still did not know what I was doing, but I was like, Let me just try this out. I think I was buying the pound versus the USD.
So it's called GBP USD. And when I bought it, it was about 10:00 p.m.. And I sat there, I'm just seeing the chats going, this way, this way, this way.
I'm like, okay, let's see. Let's see what will happen. I decide to go downstairs, grab a drink.
By the time I'm coming, I'm not seeing, like, the trade on the screen. I'm wondering, oh, shoot, my money is gone. So when I go and check now my balance, I see, okay, it's now ten k.
I'm like, wow, I have just doubled my money. Wow. Then I wake up everyone in the house.
I'm like, Guys, this thing is for me, it's a sign I'm going to do this forex thing. And just the way it came, it left the same way because I didn't have the knowledge. But I feel like it's just the thought.
Again, I always say it's the thought that counts. So then from there, just taking more time to learn, because then I realized, okay, this is not going to be a get rich quick scheme. And I will get hurdles, I will lose some money.
Because there are days I'm trying to trade, I'm trying to make money. And then I just tell myself, should I just use that money on a booty man? Because fact, we see it, we drink. But anyway, it's learning.
It's a process. Yeah. Then 2020, as you said, COVID hit.
And I'm like, okay, so the businesses that I used to do on the outside, I can't do them anymore. What will I do? I have this knowledge I can probably try share with people. And that was the time everyone wanted to get another skill or two to really just also try increase their earnings.
So with a friend started a forex classes course. So I think this was when I was in third year morning, and we used to have online classes, and it was like a lot people don't talk about how online classes were draining in terms of being at home. I used to start now I wake up, I teach forex probably like, from six to eight, I hop into class from eight to four.
From four I have another forex class till 08:00. P.m.. And that was my life for the whole COVID period.
Yes, we're making bank. But the exhaustion was real, was really intense. When you say you took another course, I mean, you said you took another learning course in forex.
Was that now more intense than the one you did at Udemy? Or was it the same kind of course, or was it now a more professional okay, this is now a professional course. Do you mind sharing what course that was? So at that point, it was actually me teaching. So I was the one you were teaching.
Were you teaching guys who generally were interested in learning forex? So I realized I used to think that probably the target clients for the class would be, I guess from like 20 to about 30. Yeah. But I got people who are in their 40s.
In their 50s. How do you even get people to teach the forex? I just market on socials, and I think what even worked better was word of mouth. Like, someone says, oh, I'm doing this course.
I probably think you should reach out, try, see if it's something that you want to do. Yeah. So I think over, I'd say a year.
Trained about 50 people. Wow. Online? Yeah.
Wow. How long would the training be? It would be three months. So we used to do, like, cohorts of three months.
Three months. Three months. Three months.
Would you charge for the courses? Okay. Yes, we did. So you guys really equipped yourself with the knowledge and said, okay, we're going full on for this.
Okay. Yeah. So it was a great experience, and I think it was also, like, reinforcing the knowledge that I had.
It's one thing for you to absorb it's another for you to have to teach, have to explain to someone for them to understand. It also just makes you understand it a bit better. And you're like when they ask a question, you probably hadn't seen it in that light.
Then you do more research and you figure out, okay, this makes sense, and I should probably add it in the next classes. And even in my trading strategy then from that started to pivot to continue trading, because people used to ask me, can you take our money? Can you trade for us? And I'm like, I don't think I'm there yet. It was never a priority for me and still is not to basically be like a yeah, to jump the gun.
I don't believe in jumping the gun. I feel when the time is right, it will be right. And you'll be able to do it with ease, not in a panicky mood like, okay, what if I lose their money? What if I don't? You should have cruised past that by a certain threshold of like your 10,000 hours, for example.
Wow. So basically you could say that you had reached the point where you have the confidence to say, okay, if I put my, what, 200K here, it's going to be okay, the market is going to go this direction. I think there is something I'm more familiar with the crypto markets than I am the forex market.
And there's always that threshold of risk and risk award. So where you lie in the spectrum shows about how your investment personality is going to be like me, Badu, Nico Kwafia the recurring investments that I do that I set up very small numbers. I invest in some coins and call it a day because I don't think I have the time, or rather, I've not prioritized, rather to learn that.
Okay really want to get into this beyond just also the crypto markets. Of course, forex market, whether it's distance and that. But anyway, it's very interesting that these are the things that you are really thinking about and you are doing whilst in uni.
What's interesting is that for you, I think it's normal, but we are underplaying. Okay, maybe we're not, but let's not underplay how big of an achievement or to be able to do that and to have that eyesight whilst still in uni of. I need to still do something to elevate my career but also grow my finances.
Because majority of people in uni are looking maybe for maybe a internship or maybe even not. Maybe the first time they're applying for an internship is for their project. For uni, it's more like you go here, you just learn.
I mean, still just routine. Kind of like the same way you did in high school, whatever. Then after you finish your degree, somehow, somewhere, now, you know, you're supposed to look for a job.
Or in fourth year is when now you start getting that urge of, okay, maybe I'm about to finish school, I need to figure out what my next plan is. And so for you to have that eye as early as even when you are in high school and then by the time you are in third year, you're training over 50 people to trade forex, I mean, that is insane to think about. Are you hearing yourself? I like that you asked that.
Are you hearing yourself? This is absolutely phenomenal things that you have been accomplishing from the time you were young and I could not like, you should be really happy or just not happy. What's the word for it? Proud of yourself for the accomplishments you had even achieved. And you're not just doing it.
You're not growing alone. You have the growth, growing together mentality of how can I also equip other people with the knowledge that I have, which I think is the best mentality to have? It's like, if I win, let other people win. Even if you're making money along the way, it's like, what matters is the experiences that you're providing for these people.
And so, wow, I am in awe of the journey already so far, and I can't believe I'm sitting here with a big boy and been talking and I didn't know all this about you. Yeah. And I'll just say that I think this season, what I'm taking away a lot, especially if you're in uni, is that you really need to start as soon as you can.
You just need to start whether it's in high school, even in primary, we have coders who've come here saying, at twelve, I wanted to build games. So when you can even it's never too late. Start right now.
Whatever you have in mind, you need to start it, and then you'll get your way as you work around it. Yeah, probably to add on to that, I even did a Twitter thread just saying, your career does not start after uni. Your career starts when you decide it starts.
Yes. It doesn't start after uni, and your career started whatever you did. Like, they're saying coding, and I feel like most people usually take it like, okay, so you think you're better than us? I'm like, no, not necessarily.
But even when you're in uni, even before uni, just do things that you feel are growing you as a person, and things that it will all come full circle eventually. I agree. When I was sharing my tech story, which you guys should listen to episode one.
Just saying. I was also talking about how everything came full circle and I didn't think about what I was doing. Having an impact from me being on Instagram from 2014, and then kind of being kind of popular on Facebook as well.
And then starting my YouTube channel. Yeah, me starting my YouTube channel while still in high school, then having to learn how to video edit, audio edit, then that's how I started my first podcast, when nobody was listening to podcasts. Three years in, I'm starting my third podcast and you're a visionary, period.
It all just came full circle. And now I work in marketing for a tech company because and the work experience, or even my first work experience in a corporate job was because of the things that I had. Exactly.
That's what I always tell people. Like sometimes the jobs that you get and the places you end up, it's not necessarily because of what you studied. I keep on saying it's what you did outside of class that gets you into the door.
What you did. In class will get your CV somewhere. But what you did outside of class, yeah, honestly, the degree will just support you and know that, okay, we learnt this one thing or this course, and this is how we'll apply it.
But honestly, you're right. What you were doing whilst you were outside of class, especially when we had as much as COVID, was a bad thing. There were so many opportunities for us to elevate ourselves because we had the time well, more or less.
We had the opportunity to do a lot of things online. So right now maybe it's different because now maybe you need physical or you have to physically be in places. But that time, that is a period of time where a lot of chaff was separated from the what is it? Maze.
I want to say a powerful saying there, but Nikama mini talker. Yeah, no, let me not say like that. Rather, a lot of people got onto the other side of taking opportunities and grabbing them while they were still there.
A lot of people did the otherwise. But of course, we can't underplay how terrible that experience was and lives were lost and maybe you didn't have the opportunity to do so. It doesn't mean that you don't have the chance.
All we're saying is that if you haven't yet started, it's time to start. Long story short, and just if you look deeply into who you are and the small things you used to do from when you were younger, you'll get to realize what you think you should be pursuing. We are veering off the big conversation.
We digress. I think we can take it back to your story. And we were just discussing now when you were in uni and then you were training people and still doing the forex.
So how did it go after that? What was your next step? Okay, so my next step was actually trying to figure, do I want to? Because I'd just say, I think so far there's only one company that has been licensed by the Capital Markets Authority to actually trade forex for clients. And that happened last year. Wow.
So it's an achievement, but at the same time, you can see it's just not things that are being done out there and also like, the regulator having approved it. So from there, I just started thinking about other things. What else can I grow in? But I call it Skill Stacking.
What other skill can I add on to this? Because I believe everyone has their perfect combo of skills that make them who they are. Like for you, the things that you did and how it came full circle. So I realized I never used to mind public speaking because my mom was always the, yeah, my child will be the one to go and yeah, she will.
She used to volunteer me before I even have a chance to say, I love that. So it used to just build okay, that confidence. Yeah, the confidence in me.
And also doing, like, poems when I was a kid. So it was something that just came to me. So I was like, okay, so what can I do with this? And I wanted to know that.
I wanted to define me and to be something that I can use, even career wise. I was like, okay, then probably moderating. I think I should try that.
So got into it's. Kenya, national Chambers of commerce. It's more of, like, community of businesses as varied as possible.
They are SMEs, mid sized, and also the large players and just holding different forums to cater to different people's needs. So we were having one on financial inclusion. And I remember volunteering, they're like, okay, now we need someone to moderate.
We need this, we need this. And I was like, I'll do it without even ever done moderating, ever. And the people on the panel, CEOs of the market, the players, the big boys.
And I was like, okay, I need to make this work. So what I said is, sadly, most people's age plays against them. Like, when you start by, oh, Stacey, like, the way you know my age.
And people are like, okay, they'll already downplay me. Absolutely. And I was like, I'll make sure I'll mention where I am in life at the end so that people don't put me into a box.
And no one deserves to be put into a box. So started the moderating. Everyone is so jazzed.
Lived it's very animated. And at the end, I'm like and my name is Njimu. I'm glad to have hosted this amazing panel.
Just to let you know, I'm in my fourth year in Strathmore University pursuing this and this and this. Immediately after we were networking, three or four people came. I need to get you in touch with our HR.
I need you to get in touch. We need to have you on our team. And at that point, I was like, okay, this could work.
This could really work. And at that point, I remember picking what was convenient for me, having in mind that I was still in school and it was physical, so I couldn't have a full time job. I needed a place that is part time and can also cater to my student needs.
So that just ended up being my university, being Strathmore. Had a chat with the head of Data Science. Was like, I see your vision.
I see what you want to do. And I think, coincidence. He was the dean back then when I got the scholarship.
So he had met me when I was in high school. And he's like, oh, my God, this is you now. So it was more of like, okay.
It came, like, sort of full circle in that regard. Got into the Data Science team part time. So what I used to do is organize their events and that gave me a platform to then host the webinars and just also just harness that skill as well as I was like, okay, let me try do a certificate.
So when I was in Forthea, I did a certificate in data science, liked it and decided, I think, before jumping back into the world of finance, which is my passion, let me see what this place has to offer. Let me see what I can learn and what I can. Yeah, okay.
So now you're in strathmore and you are stacking up the skills, which I think is something so interesting and so pivotal for so many people and crucial, maybe for people to do. I think as adults, sometimes once you finish uni or you don't get about high school or just whatever you end up doing, you kind of lose touch with what education does for you. Two ways you start to get a deeper appreciation of education because growing up, you look at school as a curse, as, why do I have to do this? What's the benefit of this? And then now when you start learning things that are in line with what you're interested in and doing courses that you actually want to pursue, there's something so fulfilling about wanting to do a course because you'll really just put your 100% into it compared to when it's forced onto you.
You're choosing a course you have no idea about when you're entering into uni. So there goes two ways you either get a deeper appreciation or you just lose touch of the education completely. But I think you're one of, again, from the guests that I've had this season of the people that I'm realizing, you really take the education aspect of it still very seriously.
And I love that because a lot of people these days are very against the principle of going to uni. Pursuing your master's PhD, of course, 100% valid. It's what you do on a daily cadence that matters.
It's what you do in your life. Like Eli sign up for Wing. Nairobi is so difficult to sustain your living in that sometimes it's completely understandable if that's not the direction you go.
But I think those short courses, the skill stacking is something so crucial to have, and it's something that I think I'm very inspired to actually take up even more because I also think about it by passing. Not of course, I didn't necessarily enjoy school, and it's okay, but I was somehow good at it and I did my degree and then eventually I started liking it because it's very in line on brand with where my career is right now. And I have a better appreciation of the education that I learned whilst in uni.
But I think now I have a very big interest in the tech industry. I have this big interest. Of course, I have a tech podcast now.
I'm an interviewer. So learning how to even do interviews better, I'm there learning courses or YouTube tutorials on okay, this is how you do your tones. This is how you do this.
But more than that, I have a big interest in now finance, because I'm like, of course, I shared with you a podcast that I listened to recently, just what's happening in the current markets? What's this like? That's a big interest. And I've been pondering a lot about doing something in finance, but still pondering. But I think you've just found that it's something that maybe I should do to build my skill stack.
But yeah, the very interesting journey you've shared with us there. So now you're in data science and security. And so what has been your experience in that side of your tech journey? Yeah, so I think that's what I regard now as, like, my tech journey, like, getting into data science.
And I think now is when it's becoming, like, hotcake. Everyone wants to get it off the shelves. What is data science for someone who's cool yeah.
To get into it. So data science is the part of tech where you're trying to get because data is enormous. Data is everything, and anything can be data.
And then it is all collected. And once it's collected, there are people who have to sort it out. There are people who have to make inferences from it.
So probably getting to a co working space and identifying what time do people come, when is the peak hours, what is the feedback? What's the clientele? That can also inform, like, marketing for you. So even when you're putting out your marketing, so we are able to see okay, so we are seeing this is the group of people that come here. This is the company size.
So it looks better if you market to these sort of people, they're most likely to be your clients. And different kind of this is just an example. I get you.
Yeah, I've had maybe a small experience there. There's a time in once upon a time, I was working in management consultancy, and we did a lot of data research on a healthcare company that was trying to figure out how to optimize their processes so that we reduce waiting time for our clients. So for about two months, we really did a deep dive, going to the places, talking to the workers.
And it looks so small. It actually looks so small. Why is there a delay between the doctor coming to you to give you this or the nurse giving you this, or what are the problems you're experiencing here? And then compiling that data, all that data into Excel sheet and then deducing it to figure out, okay, so these are the problems, and this is how to solve the problems.
And I found that very interesting, but also, it is a lot of work. Okay. And it's looking so small.
Yanni, I'm writing number of people, number of clients in a day. This is amount of people that are getting this branch, this branch, this branch, that branch, that. Cumulatively, I see the vision.
So I think I'm sorry, this was meant for me to kind of figure out what data science is, but yeah, okay, so that's data science. And I think also for me, as you've mentioned, my favorite moment is the inferences. Like, when we're able to see surprising facts that we didn't even expect from this.
Like, okay, we came in here with this objective, but unlike research, you end up with a different outcome and you're like, this is so interesting. And then that placed me in a role of then being like a PM, which is a product manager at the data science team. And the idea behind it is also since we had consultancies people coming in, they want data solutions and it's foreign, it's relatively new.
So they come in and like, yeah, we want to use our data, but we don't know how. Figure it out for us. So then trying to be the person who I put it on my LinkedIn, I synergize stakeholders and ideas.
So the ideas from our team, the ideas from them, let's see what we can do. And stakeholders is the clients, us as the team, the organization, what's currently happening in terms of trends, markets. Yeah.
And I find that very cool. So I hear your story and I'm like, okay, let me do research. Let me see what would work here? What can we do as a team? Where are our bounds? What can we push? Yeah, so I find that cool.
Data is cool. Data is cool. Okay, that's nice.
So how long have you been in data science? And would you say that that is where do you see your tech journey evolving into now that now you have an interest in data science, but there's also this finance aspect that you have within you? Are you still intending to keep up with the finance? Is there a place where your tech journey is going to ultimately mesh together? What basically is your current journey? And where do you see your journey getting towards? Okay, it's a learning curve. Like it's a process. And I think for me, it's more so when you get into something and you realize, okay, this works well for me.
I thought this would work well for me, but I'm not enjoying it as much and just accepting this is the facets that make you. So from now the data science, I realized, yes, I was here to skill stack, but I just don't want it to be the only thing I really wanted it to because I was wondering a lot on how can I make the two work? And I realized that my journey in data science was to propel me and to help me get back into the finance world. And particularly, I like calling it wealth tech.
Wealth tech being like wealth management with the aspect of tech. And it's not very big here, but I believe we will grow to get there just like the fintech grew and chums as you had one of the guests come in here and talk about the same so wealthtech. Okay, sorry.
Just to get that clarity, what would you say is the difference between fintech and wealth tech? Okay, so fintech is offering financial services with tech in it and just that's like Lehman, but in terms of it could be do you want to in terms of money transfer, it could be in terms of a marketplace, it could be in terms of just making people have easy access to financial solutions, yes. But in terms of wealth tech, it is management of finances, management of wealth, management of people's money and them being able to be part of the process. Because I feel currently with the traditional systems, it's more of you'll give me your money and I'll just share a report with you or a statement or an organization.
You just give them yes, you have the app, but you cannot interactively. See, these were the trades that happened on my account. And this is giving you updates.
You see, like the way you said you're a tech and you see that you're gravitating towards finance. Probably if you are on a welltech platform, you would be getting updates. Hey, Alice, this is currently what's happening in the management field and this is so far what we're doing on your portfolio because I've realized more and more clients want to be involved in the process.
Of course, I mean, people fear money, but if you can show them what's happening or they appreciate it, of course, especially you have a different appreciation for how the process works. If you're able to have that personal touch into it, of course it's easier to give someone else to help you grow your wealth, whether that's through forex trading or any kind of wealth tech solutions. But when you have that personal touch to your money and understand the processes, then you have an empathy towards if things don't go your way and understand that this is exactly the reason why and this is why things are going good, it also gives maybe a room for more avenues for people to be more financially literate into that aspect.
Because I don't know why it's become such a taboo or it has always been. I think it's becoming less and less these days. It has always been a taboo to figure out or such under the covers conversation on how to manage your money and how to grow your wealth.
Kind of even when you're asking people about it, they're shy to just do business, just do business, just try. But when we have these systems that also force you to learn how money management works, how wealth is built, then I think it gives us even a step further towards financial literacy and inclusion and a better way to grow our economies and ultimately live better lives honestly. So, yeah, I love that that's where you're trying to pivot into or pivoting into, because I think it's very much in line with your financial goals, but also the skills that you've gained while doing your data science and the courses and also the Masters that you're pursuing right now, which can we talk about that? What made you decide that, you know what, fuck it, let's do a Master's as well.
Right? And what's crazy is I started it even before I graduated from my undergrad. But let me put it out there. I get fascinated by learning.
Yeah. But what's crazy is I actually prefer the learning outside of class than the learning inside of class. I prefer learning from people.
I prefer just learning in general, but outside of class. But you realize that sometimes you need to go to class, like, you really need to go to class. And the reason why I decided I want to do this Master's in Data Science is, as I told you, the skill stacking that I highly believe everyone should consider.
And with the skill stacking, I realized, okay, I did a certificate, but it makes more sense to do the masters and see, to get the wide scope and see, okay, what is it that I can carry to finance out of this wide scope? And it would in terms of, let's say, algorithms, how can I automate the processes for trading that would create such huge efficiency? How can I build my own chat bots? How can I not even chatbots trading bots? And that requires another gatekeeping. Yeah, there's such a gatekeeping. So that requires another level of understanding that I, as a finance person, might not get.
But I need to understand the data aspect. Even by the time and I kept on saying, there's nothing as bad as probably you want to be the entrepreneur, you want to be the person who's the founder, and you want to have people buy into your vision and come and help you build. But at the same time, they're telling you, we can only go so far.
And you're pushing because you don't understand exactly the fundamentals. So I'm doing it mostly just to understand the fundamentals of how this works. So even when my data scientist comes and tells me, stacey, we're having a problem with this and this and this, I can offer solutions, I'm just not like, okay, how many more weeks do you need? I think you should do this.
I can suggest this. I can suggest this. Yeah.
So it's more of information is everything. Absolutely. I think I just have a question or something to think about.
Do you think I feel? Okay. A personal analysis is that maybe the trading platforms are gatekeeped or how the markets work sometimes are get kept because of the monopolization of the markets, of it all the big boys, the companies that are in the hedge funds, basically the people who have a huge chunk piece of the stocks and the markets and then the downplayers. It's like, okay, by the way, people, you're trying to do forex trading, okay, you're going to get just some piece of the pie.
But do you think that now getting scaling wealth tech and getting bots that are able to automate or get people to quickly learn how to build their wealth or manage their wealth? Do you think the challenge with the biggest challenge, perhaps the biggest challenge could be that the companies with the power and the authority and just the people with the money themselves would want to shut this down because it basically means that they have to share a piece of the pie with the common people. I feel like that could be one of the biggest challenges that you face because the nature of these people being powerful, then of course the battle of trying to kind of get their piece of the pie might be a big constraint. What do you feel about that? I feel with every change, it's hard for everyone.
It's hard for the people who are doing different things. It's hard for the people who are trying to bring the change. And just like the internet, there are people who are very fixated on how life should be and if they're here now, or if they were here now, they'd be like, damn, we were really gatekeeping from such a beautiful thing and such is life.
I don't think there's ever a point where change happens and people 100% are comfortable and it's actually in our psyche to not be comfortable with change. So that's how I feel about it. I think it's inevitable and there are always forces, there are always forces in play.
I think change always has to start from somewhere. So I'm wishing you all the best in your journey in Wealth Tech thank you. And your journey in your Masters in Data Sciences as you build your stack.
Because the way it's sounding, babe, the sky's the limit. It sounds like you are going for it and I'm happy to hear it. I love hearing inspiring stories of women in such industries because as we all know, of course there's that gap, gender gap in such industries.
So I am absolutely happy to see the lovely women representation that we have and I can't just wait to support you throughout your journey and to see how well off you'll be because genuinely right now I am fully inspired by you. Mostly also because we are more or less around the same age and sometimes I get a bit of those comments of, wow, you're doing amazing and I'm starting this podcast, I'm doing this and I'm doing that, but it's also just very lovely to hear and I'm not. Okay, that sounds like I'm bragging about myself, I'm not.
But I'm just saying that it's just very powerful to hear that there's someone out there who's even doing more than I am and in their own field. And those are the type of people that I would love to surround myself with. So 100% on board with this, and I'm just happy to give you this platform to also share your story.
Yeah. So as we wrap up this episode, I have a few closing questions to ask you so that you can end your episode on a high note, even if it's been on a high note. So the first question I have for you is what is one word to describe the journey to get to where you are today and why? I don't want to use one word.
Damn. Let's see. I think I'd say adapt.
Adapt. Adapt. I was telling my mom the other day, the reason I think because she's my role model, the reason I think she keeps like, her life has changed a lot, and it's because she chooses for you to change.
And I told her your greatest gift is that you're a quick adapter. Like, when things change, you change, you change with them. Because I feel it's very hard to accept it.
And such is life that situations change. I thought that I'd probably be a PM and it would be a thing I wanted to do for a very long time, then quickly realized, oh, okay, I think I want to go back to finance, and I want to take the skills that I've learned, and I still want to pivot in that direction. So being able to adapt with whatever life puts in front of you is super crucial.
Oh, I love that. Being adaptable. I think that's a message that has been very said, loud and clear this entire season as well.
And what advice would you give to someone who's aspiring to get to where you are today? Yeah, I'd say learning is your friend and not the class type of learning. I believe I learn more outside of class, like the classes, just because, I mean, I'm in Kenya, and I need qualifications for people to actually take the things that you're doing seriously. It is important.
But I'd say the learning is actually outside of class, and that is how are you growing yourself? Yes. You're willing to spend this amount of money on other things? Are you willing to do the same for your growth? And that's where your trajectory begins to come up. Then again, I also realized that if you want things to work for you, you also have to delay the gratification.
I personally fall into that pitfall that I'm like, I want it now and now and now. Then I realize when you're starting, like, in your 20s, you need to dedicate your time to learning, and not just from class, but learning from people. Learning from people who are like, mentors.
And if you read the book Mastery and you listen to probably Alex Homozi, who is really really big. And he just says, like, your life has different stages. You have the learning stage, you have the application stage, you have where things start clicking and then that's where you can start making things, building things.
Yeah, but I feel like sometimes we jump into the earning because wherever you are in life, it's either you're learning or you're earning at a job, at the company you're in. Absolutely. Wherever you are in life.
So, yeah, pick the learning where you can as hard as where you can. Because again, we can't ignore the economy in life, you have to make do with what you have. And honestly, learning, I think people take learning something new every day very like, it has to be something so intense, something so simple.
Listening to a podcast. Yeah, genuinely, that's my favorite learning, actually. There are so many podcasts out there, including this one, that there's so much knowledge out there for you to learn, even if it's just, I don't know, ten minutes of something I think can take you a great way, a great place.
Even just going out, meeting people, going for these webinars, going for those events, learning something new every day, I think is my takeaway from that. And you really emphasized on learning this whole episode, so I really believe that for sure. It's one of your philosophies as well.
Do you have any regrets or anything that you wish you would have done better or could have gone a better way for you? I like doing things fully so that I don't have to regret. And I'm a strong believer of just give it everything. Even if it doesn't work out, you give it your everything.
But again, in hindsight, I see I have been taking very long to accept that some things are not for me. And when you come in with a new idea you have Psych, you're like, this is going to be my next big thing, then you get on the path and you realize it may not be the next it may not be the next big thing. For me, it is a good idea, it's just not my great good idea.
Yeah. So the journey of accepting that not everything will be for me, and just always reminding myself it's a good idea, just not my good idea. It's a good idea, just not my good idea.
What's interesting? It's interesting you say that, because one of the guests that came onto this podcast said that don't fall too much in love with your product. Because of course, they're trying to build products every other day and of course that experience of building and then the product failing and then trying to build another app or something and then failing and then doing one that does great. Or you start with this idea and then the product complete the idea you initially started with, and then the app you have today are completely different things.
So his. Messaging was, don't fall too in love with your product, because that will be the beginning of your downfall. Because you need to be adaptable.
Like you said. You need to be able to accept the changes of maybe that the product you thought was your killer product, it needs to change so that it provides a practical solution or something of the sort. So 100% being I think that's also just tied to you being adaptable and you being able to accept that maybe this is not my idea, but I tried, and there's always something you'll pick up for everything that you've tried.
You don't have the question of what if because you tried it or you did it or you've come to the conclusion that maybe it's not for me. Yeah. I think the last thing I have for you is do you mind ending the episode with a powerful path shot? How do you want to end this episode of yours? What do you want to tell our audience? I just want to tell them that it's interesting to see how things unfold for different people and just being willing to discover yourself and trying new things.
Yeah. I think for me, the key thing is just try, fail, adapt and move. The most important thing is the skill and not even the achievement, because sometimes you end up feeling okay.
Probably I've done too much. Probably because with my journey and where I am at currently, sometimes I feel I think I've overdone it. Sometimes I feel, is this the end of my story? Exactly.
Because people are like, you're a high achiever, you're doing too much and you feel probably it might be the end for me, but I keep saying that it may feel this way, but at the end of the day, even if everything goes away, it's the skills that I have that I'm relaxed. Even if everything goes away today, absolutely, I will rebuild and I will be fine. You will be fine.
You will be adaptable and you will adapt. Yeah. I love that.
Thank you so much for being on this podcast. I think our audience, if not them, at least me, but I'm sure they will we really enjoyed this episode, guys. If you did enjoy this episode as well, make sure that you give it a like and follow from wherever you're listening from.
It's absolutely free. Subscribe if you want to follow up with Stacey, I'm going to leave some useful links that you can follow up with right in the bio or in the description. Wherever you're listening from, this has been an amazing episode.
And once again, thank you, Stacey, for coming. My name is Alice Kanjejo, your lovely host, and I shall see you in the next one. Bye bye.
Bye. Thanks for having me.
NB: Transcript may be inaccurate
