How Nani’s Cafe Turned Sober Parties Into Business | Zanelle Wanja | Business Edition episode artwork

EPISODE · Sep 6, 2026 · 1H 7M

How Nani’s Cafe Turned Sober Parties Into Business | Zanelle Wanja | Business Edition

from Financially Incorrect · host Financially Incorrect

What happens when you remove alcohol from the party business?Zanelle Wanja’s answer was Nani’s Cafe Party, a Nairobi social experience built around music, coffee, wellness and community.But before Nani’s, Zanelle built Azana Collective, a fashion business that generated strong sales but struggled with high production costs and weak financial controls. The experience taught her a crucial lesson: revenue means little if the economics don’t work.After a year in fintech, she returned to entrepreneurship and built Nani’s differently. What started as free events grew into 350+ person experiences, with paid tickets, major brand partnerships and a flagship home at Gigi Social Club.In this Financially Incorrect Business Edition episode, Zanelle breaks down the lessons from Azana, why free events failed, how Nani’s built a sustainable business model, and whether sober socialising can become a scalable African business.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Access all our links in one place: https://lnk.bio/Financially_Inc💹 Ready to start trading?🧑‍🏫 Learn how to trade: https://lnk.bio/fxpesa📲 Open a demo trading account: https://bit.ly/DemoAccountYT 📈 Start live trading: https://bit.ly/LiveAccountYT---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Episode Chapters00:00 – Intro00:27 – Inside Nani’s Cafe Party00:53 – The Rise and Fall of Azana Collective05:26 – Building a Business, Then Losing It13:22 – When Sales Outgrew Financial Discipline16:51 – The Fintech Pivot That Changed Everything18:17 – Why She Bet on Sober Parties26:06 – Can Sober Parties Actually Make Money?31:36 – Why Free Events Failed39:45 – The KSh 1,500 Pricing Breakthrough42:27 – The Event That Finally Sold Out45:20 – Oatly Covers 70% of Event Costs49:37 – Finding Nani’s New Home at Gigi55:32 – The Event That Made The Most Money01:01:46 – When The Business Finally Pays Them01:05:42 – Can Sober Parties Scale Across Africa?01:07:00 – Closing Thoughts

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How Nani’s Cafe Turned Sober Parties Into Business | Zanelle Wanja | Business Edition

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