The Unfiltered Reality of Building a Manufacturing Brand in Kenya | Cherie Kihato

Rejected after a six-month internship.A year later, she started building furniture.Seven years later, she runs one of Kenya’s most intentional design brands.In this episode of Entrepreneurial Minds, Vaidehi sits down with Cherie Kihato,  Founder & CEO of Savannah Space, to unpack what it actually takes to build a Made-in-Kenya furniture brand from scratch.From selling at pop-up markets to building a full-scale manufacturing workshop and showroom, Cherie shares the realities most people don’t see.Including:◼️ Starting before you feel ready◼️ Securing sponsorship from Safaricom & Hiva Fund◼️ Why she stopped doing custom furniture to scale◼️ Building a workshop in Kenya — and the day it flooded on move-in◼️ Managing payroll, pressure, and a growing team◼️ Growing a 50K+ audience while battling the fear of being seen◼️ Why entrepreneurship often feels like “death by a thousand cuts.”This isn’t a glamorised founder story.It’s a conversation about grit, identity, scale, and staying in the game long enough to build something meaningful.InstagramYouTube