About |
My name is Caesar Waganagwa and I have 8 years experience in the Machine Cut Stone business having started from scratch in the year 2010 in Kilifi County, Coast province. I was instrumental in the process of mobilizing quarry owners to form the Kilifi Quarry Owners Association which I served as the Chairman from the year 2012 to 2016. The Association is credited for having instilled discipline and order among industry players and other stake holders including authorities and transporters.
I started with Locally assembled electric machines and later diversified to diesel machines. My project was initially financed by a venture capital firm. Having made enough share of start-up mistakes, the business eventually started thriving and I was able to pay off the loan. Eventually I was able to save enough money to buy 2 diesel machines. I have since seen so many newbies join the business, majority of who have had to exit pre-maturely having fallen victims of the obvious start-up goofs.
Having state-of-the-art machinery and equipment does not guarantee success in the business. There are so many hidden critical points of success that a start-up business can only learn through experience. The lessons can however be very expensive at times. I walked through the same path and learned my lessons the hard way. Looking back in retrospect, paying for consultancy services by a seasoned mentor would have saved me millions of shillings not to mention the time lost. This is what inspired me to start offering consultancy services for both beginners and those who have already started but struggling.
The Machine Cut Stone business is the most lucrative businesses that I have come across. With the current shortage of 250,000 housing units annually in Kenya, the demand keeps overwhelming supply year after year. In my 8 years experience in the industry, I have never spent a dime for marketing purposes. To the contrary, trucks could take up to 3 days before getting loaded in my quaries due to the high demand of building blocks in Coast region. The same scenario is replicated in Ndarugu, Athi River, Nakuru, Meru, Kericho etc. The challenges of all quarries are related to the ability to sustain a given production capacity due to occasional machine breakdowns, lack of a good yielding rock or a combination of these two factors. This business can be a double sided sword if you miss out some fundamental initial steps including choice of the right machine for a given nature of rock, compliance issues, ground preparation and production techniques, machine maintenance etc. You do not have to go through the mistakes many investors go through (including myself) if there is a way around it in the name of practical consultancy. I highly suggest that you factor consultancy services into your budget before embarking on this project. I offer my consultancy services on different levels. Pick the one which suits you best.