In the world of athletics, Charles Kamindo’s rise from a Kenyan athlete to a millionaire entrepreneur in the United States is nothing short of remarkable.
He is among Kenyans who have found favour in foreign countries and are running thriving businesses.
During an interview with KDTV, the retired athlete revealed that he started the truck business in 2015 and earns north of Ksh1.8 million a year.
“The expenses are a lot when running this business and it eats into the profit especially now that I have seven trucks. However, I am left with enough for my family and a vacation from time to time,” he noted.
He explained that the business has allowed him to raise his family, create jobs and live comfortably in the US.
Kamindo while narrating his journey revealed that it was not easy starting up but with determination and hard work, he has managed to sustain and expand his business.
The former athlete resides in Wisconsin and runs Kamindos Logistics LLC which currently has seven trucks. His trucks are branded with Kenyan flags.
Kamindo, originally from Nduduri in Nakuru County began running at a tender age. His talent would later be discovered and was sponsored to go to the US in 1999.
While in the US, Kamindo continued running and participated in six races. He later secured US citizenship and flew his family out of Kenya.
After about 10 years of running professionally, Kamindo ventured into other businesses including the transport business.
At the time, he bought a street truck at 10,000 USD. Since he was not adept at driving trucks at the time, he got some training and his life was never the same again.
With this, he began ferrying items across the country which slowly morphed into a thriving business.
“I have seen trucks right now, but at the moment the business environment here is going down,” he stated.
According to Kamindo, the most crucial aspect of the job is to get good drivers who are well-trained to avoid disruption. He also revealed that he has an app to track his driver to monitor the speed and distance covered.
Kamindo explained that one of the main challenges was when a truck breaks down which may derail the transportation of the goods. However, he noted that this needs an agile person to make fast decisions and ensure the cargo arrives at the destination on time.
Conclusively, the businessman encouraged Kenyans to go to the US to put in the work and pursue opportunities in their fields. He also emphasised the importance of keeping fit adding that he was still running.
“I still run because once a runner always a runner. I go to the gym and use the treadmill daily,” he remarked.
By MAUREEN NJERI
Source-https://www.kenyans.co.ke/
