Amos Wekesa@wekesa_amos
GREAT LAKES SAFARIS LTD
25 YRS TODAY
Yesterday the birthday wishes were overwhelming and at one point I just gave up but remained grateful for all messages.
GREAT LAKES SAFARIS started on the 23rd of April 2001, a day after my 28th birthday.
I had spent my earlier years accumulating field experience and like I have always said, first thing you look for is a skill.
If money lands in your hands and finds without skills, that will definitely be a lost cause.
They say money can’t keep company with a fool. A fool with his money part company easily so they say!
The third picture represents my 3rd job, i worked as a tour guide earning about 5k every day I worked.
The first job I worked as a cleaner and second job I was an office messenger and all provided different experiences. It didnt matter that I was a leader throughout school days.
God helped me put my lifestyle in check upto today. It doesn’t matter how much you earn, how much you save, how much you invest, a bad lifestyle will always take you down!
In a good month, I would guide for about 15 days and some months I had nothing and therefore always saved for the rain day.
My rent was ushs 5k in slum room, used about 2k for food a week, katogo of beans and Casava would cost ushs 200 then.
I couldn’t afford 3 meals a day even with 2 planting seasons Uganda has, none of my friends can tell you I ever complained, needa.
The 3rd represents our 3rd office on Sussie house Nsambya when things had improved a lot, the first office was a briefcase one, then under the stairs was second.
In the fourth picture, you can see why I hate suits, I work hard to earn a right to dress how I want. We were celebrating 10yrs of Great Lakes safaris at Serena.
You can only grow money given to you when you have enough skills in handling it and that’s why the Japanese say money accounts for only 15% when starting a business.
Some people say, oh people don’t tell us all the stories, yes, imagine me telling about my daily frustrations with business? Some of you get tired by reading about my travels when am looking for business.
Yet you don’t see the whole picture!
You don’t see the lonely times we face in hotel rooms, the scary flights we continue to take, the failed negotiations, the malice some times.
We can only give you some pointers but the business experiences are very personal and different different days, weeks, months etc. Our lives aren’t predictable at all.
Business is majorly about solving problems by providing solutions. Some days one works less, some days i have to put in 20hrs of work.
Others like Rwenzori marathon days, I don’t sleep for 40hrs same as our whole team.Out there people say the celebrations and a good job done. Thats what matters!
We thank God for the 25yrs in business and can’t wait to see what God has for us in the next 25yrs.
