In a recent viral interview with Dr Ofweneke, Bernard Odote disclosed that at one point in his life, he lost his house and car and had to live in his cousin’s house.
However, rather than succumbing to depression, he decided to use the skills and connections that he already had to pick himself up again.
According to Odote, who is best known as the billionaire behind The Odote Group, House of Procurement (HOP), and Homeboyz Entertainment, his only resources at the time were a laptop, wifi, and his skills.
Within two weeks, he had leveraged his resources and skills to organize for the musicians who would be performing at one of Kenya’s most popular entertainment events, the Masaku 7s Rugby Festival.
The event, which was launched in 2012, was a sporting and entertainment festival that drew rugby fans and revellers from all corners of the country to Machakos County.
Odote said that he made serious money by bringing in renowned musicians and entertainers to the Masaku 7s festival.
He estimated that within the two weeks during which the festival took place, he made at least ksh 12 million, which helped him leave his cousin’s house and start life afresh.
“Two weeks after losing everything, Masaku 7s was happening, and I was the one who was bringing the musicians. I made a lot of money out of that. I even bought a new car,” he said.
His message was that starting over can begin with one useful skill, one job, or one connection. “You may have lost everything, but you have not lost everything you know. Just start again,” he said.
Unlike many Kenyan tycoons who build their businesses by focusing on one line of business, Odote built his business empire by building a diversified business portfolio.
He is a major shareholder in Homeboyz Entertainment, which owns brands such as Homeboyz TV, HBR 103.5 (Homeboyz Radio), Soundtraxx, Activate, Publicis Africa Group, and Tikiti.
He is also the managing director of The Odote Group of Companies, which operates under the VOVO brand.
His other business, The House of Procurement, deals in the supply of agricultural products and renewable energy as well as microlending and equipment leasing.
In Dr Ofweneke’s interview, Odote disclosed that he began making money during his university days.
During one of the holidays, he formed a team which went around schools in Mombasa showing the film The Passion of the Christ. He said he charged about KSh50 per screening and also sold revision books to students.
By the time he joined university, he said, he had about KSh1.7 million.
However, he did not allow his business to distract him from his studies. He revealed that he graduated magna-cum-laude with an average score of more than 96% across 80 units.
He told Ofweneke that he was not surprised by the result because he had put in the work.
“When you put the work, you’re not really surprised,” he said. “There’s an expectation already that you had of it.”
Odote also revealed that he was a heavy drinker at some point in his life.
He said he worked in a brewery and drank heavily for a couple of years, but stopped taking alcohol when he realized that the drink could damage a person’s health, relationships, and future.
“You cannot be a good father, a good businessman, a billionaire drunk,” he said.
He argued that the cost of drinking is not only financial, and that it can consume one’s time and affect a person’s ability to follow through on important opportunities.
According to him, quitting alcohol has helped him make massive strides in life, while many of his friends have stagnated.