In summary
-Earl Karanja has been behind multimillion dollar deals across the globe.
-Before venturing into this field, he worked as an automotive blogger for a German magazine where he was paid handsomely and decided to incept his own venture.
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For more than a decade, Earl Karanja has been at his elements connecting clients across the globe to supercar suppliers in Europe. Even though it has been a treacherous path, he put in an unwavering determination and has earned multimillion in commissions.
From a humble blogger to making big moves across the globe, Karanja’s story is one of patience, resilience and learning tough lessons.
The Nakuru High School alumnus also says the industry is full of conmen and his client once lost a whooping €200000 to a scammer.
In this article, we tell of his story.
Strict parents and money lessons
Earl Karanja’s parents were teachers who were strict with education and instilled the importance of being frugal at an early age. They insisted on not wasting money and planning for it. His mother would knock at his door as early as 3 a.m to wake him up for studies.
While in high school, Karanja had already figured out that he wanted to be in the advertising industry. This is the reason he started his blog while in form three at Nakuru High School. After completing his studies, he went in for mechanical engineering but he didn’t like it. He tried telecommunication engineering too but it wasn’t particularly appealing.
He then decided to pursue International Relations, ‘just to have the papers.’
“I chose the easiest thing there is – International Relations. I could cram the whole exam the morning to the paper,” he says.
However, he opines that it is the kind of course that one needs to be well connected in order to reap from available opportunities.
“It is the kind of course which, unless you’ve really good connections, you’re going nowhere,” he says.
Studying advertisement
After completing his studies, he took a short course at Zetech University. It involved advertising, marketing and public relations. As this was something he felt it could shape his destiny, he threw himself into the task with unwavering determination.
Pushing his blog
Karanja didn’t mind a flow of sweat on his brow and worked tirelessly to keep his website alive. He did this between 2009 and 2014 and he landed a life-changing opportunity.
A German auto magazine, GT Spirit contacted him and offered him a chance to write on their blog. He would spend almost 10 hours daily researching and posting car reviews. The magazine paid him between 300 and 700 Euros (Ksh 44k – 107k).
“It helped me get into the space of cars properly,” he says.
However, he decided to get out of the comfort zone and started car brokerage in 2015.
Making Ksh 405k from a single deal
Karanja’s masterstroke was incorporating his company in Europe. He approached a law firm that did everything for him, and it was surprisingly so easy.
“I found it so easy. I went online, found a company that does that and within a couple of days, they gave me all the necessary details I needed for any company,” he says.
When starting, it took him years before he could close a deal. He recalls helping a client, only for the deal to be closed without him earning a cent. He then figured out instilling a robust structure that would involve signing contracts which finally worked.
His first commission came from the sale of a Porsche 911 GT3 RS to an Argentine who was shipping it from Germany. He made a cool 2500 CHF (Ksh 405k). Since his first deal, it has been a boom for Karanja who then cemented his presence on Instagram with supercar reviews and advertisement.
Being conned
Karanja narrates that the industry is full of conmen. At one time, his client lost €200000 (Ksh 30 million) after they paid the said amount to a scammer. According to Karanja, the conman had branded himself as a legit supplier and even had friends who recommended him.
“We did our due diligence (but) he had masked himself properly. People who knew him said he was good, but it turns out he was just a proper con,” he says.
Karanja had vouched for the money to be deposited through an escrow but his client thought otherwise. A direct deposit to the ‘supplier’ led to the multimillion scam.
Extortion at the Kenyan port during clearance
Earl Karanja also revealed why the Kenyan market is not his favourite. According to him, getting a car to Kenya is quite easy, but the extortion before being cleared is a headache.
In case he has a Kenyan client, he normally doesn’t do the clearing. So if you want a luxurious Ferrari, he’ll get it for you but you will have to deal with clearing at the port.
Speaking to Financially Incorrect, he said the level of corruption at port, even after paying taxes and all the required levies is ‘insane or a nightmare.’
“Ask people who have tried to do this on their own – you’ve paid the taxes, you’ve done everything to just get that car out. The level of corruption involved, the number of people you have to pay – It’s a nightmare,” he said.