Alumni Business Month Webinar Series Part 2: How to Make your Business Bankable.
The Alumni Directorate, in partnership with KCB Bank, hosted a part 2 of the business series, a webinar under the theme “How to Make Your Business Bankable.” The webinar aimed to empower alumni with practical knowledge and actionable strategies to make their businesses credible, sustainable, and financially ready for investment and growth.
The session attracted an enthusiastic audience comprising of 82 Mount Kenya University alumni. The webinar was graced by the Dean of the School of Business, who encouraged alumni to venture into entrepreneurship and position themselves as contributors to economic development.
The webinar aimed to help alumni understand what makes a business attractive to financiers, explore the importance of formal business practices, encourage sound financial record-keeping, and foster meaningful alumni networking for entrepreneurial growth. It also served as a platform to link attendees to support systems that help scale businesses. The speaker of the night was Mr. Ephantus Gichuki, a Sales Manager at KCB Bank, with extensive experience helping individuals and SMEs position themselves for financial success. He gave deep insight into the foundations of business bankability.
Some of the key highlights from Mr. Gichuki’s presentation included:
- The importance of financial discipline, including separating personal and business accounts.
- Emphasizing structured business plans and budgets as essential when approaching financial institutions.
- Consistent record-keeping to support transparency and financial accountability.
- Formalizing operations through business registration and acquiring the necessary licenses.
- Establishing a trackable financial identity that helps build credibility even before seeking financing.
The session provided attendees with a deeper understanding of how to structure and run a bankable business. It was emphasized that bank-ability is not just about accessing loans, but building a financially responsible business profile that inspires confidence from both lenders and customers.
Among the engaged participants was Irene Nyaga, a proud MKU alumna and CEO of Hallmark Institute College. She briefly shared her entrepreneurial journey and the milestones she achieved by formalizing and organizing her business. Irene encouraged fellow alumni to be bold in seeking structure, professionalism, and growth in their entrepreneurial paths.
The webinar successfully offered clear takeaways, including
- The importance of legal registration,
- Setting up proper business systems,
- Maintaining transparent financial practices.
Attendees were urged to utilize institutional support, like KCB Bank’s business mentorship programs and digital banking solutions, to help elevate their ventures.
To continue building on this momentum, the Alumni Directorate was excited to announce that Part 3 of the Alumni Business Month which will be held on Wednesday, April 17th, 2025. The topic will be “Smart Property Investment” and all MKU alumni were warmly encouraged to attend and benefit from this informative session.
The Alumni Directorate expressed its dedication to support the entrepreneurial spirit and financial empowerment of its alumni and looks forward to seeing continued engagement in all upcoming activities.
