“Who do you think you are? Who are you to disrespect my mother?” The anger in Joram’s voice was evident.

His wife Lilian was afraid of her husband’s anger. He had beaten her up before and she did not want the scene to get ugly. She, therefore, kept quiet and did not defend herself. Her mother-in-law was determined to make her life a living hell so that she could get frustrated and leave.

Communications Company

Lilian was brought up in the city and was an educated woman. She operated her own communications company which she started after being retrenched by a top media house in Kenya almost 8 years ago. She was pleased with the company’s growth.

The company that Lilian set up aimed at supporting brands to increase awareness about their products and services mainly through a strong online presence. It provided services such as web design and social media strategy.

Lilian initially worked alone from home the first few months after losing her job. She initially would subcontract services such as web design but the company had grown to a level that she had an office in the Nairobi central business district with 3 full-time staff and between 5 and 10 part time employees.

Lilian and Joram had been married for over 20 years and had 4 children together. The couple got married by customary law and never proceeded to get a marriage certificate either through a church wedding or through the Attorney General’s office.

Joram worked with an international non-governmental organization. The couple had invested over the years. They owned the home they lived in, in an upmarket part of Nairobi. They had also constructed a 3-bedroom permanent house at Joram’s family’s home in the rural area. They also owned a rental property in a middle-class area of Nairobi.

Marriage Based on Trust

Everything was done on trust and the title deeds of two properties bore Joram’s name. The land on which the rural home was built was registered in the name of Joram’s late father. Lilian never at any one time imagined a situation where her marriage would fall apart.

Joram’s mother had never liked Lilian because she was a modern woman who lived in the city and never helped with domestic chores in the rural home. She could not help with tilling of the land, fetching water from the spring or cutting firewood. Her mother in law also considered Lilian’s dressing code inappropriate and immoral.

Joram’s mother and sisters had always been hostile towards Lilian, referring to her as proud and lazy. Initially, Joram used to keep quite and never took sides but as time went by he became very hostile towards his wife, especially when her business started to do well. He became emotionally abusive and also used every flimsy excuse to beat her up.

Things went from bad to worse when Joram got involved in extra marital affairs with different women. He even got into an affair with a young lady that Lilian had hired as her assistant when she used to work from home. The affair became serious and did not stop even after Lilian fired the lady. With time, Joram and the young lady had a son together and he rented her an apartment.

Investments at Risk

It was not until Lilian received an auction notice for their family home from a local bank that she realized that their investments were at risk. She learned too late that he had changed the ownership of the rental property from his name to a limited company jointly owned by him and his mistress, who was the mother of his son.

Joram had taken a bank loan using the family home as security and had defaulted on payments. The home was now at risk of being auctioned. Lilian could not do anything with the rural home since it was built on land that belonged to Joram’s family and now the marriage had disintegrated.

Joram would come home drunk and hostile so Lilian would not be able to have any rational conversation with him. She had to decide what to do in order to save the family home from being auctioned. She took a loan from a Sacco where she was a member, paid some money to the bank so that the home would not be auctioned. She got into negotiations with the bank about how she was going to clear the loan.

The next step was getting a good lawyer to assist her fight for the properties. The legal processes started and when things got there, Joram moved out and settled with his mistress in the rental property he and Lilian had both paid for.

Lilian had a lot of problems proving her contributions in any of the investments apart from the matrimonial property, which was at risk of being auctioned. She had been giving cash to Joram when they agreed to buy property. Joram argued that the loan was taken in agreement with Lilian and was to finance the university education of their two daughters and to also finance the family business, which was being run by his wife.

The court ruled that the matrimonial home was jointly owned by Joram and Lilian and that they both were under obligation to settle their liabilities in order to save it from auction. Lilian had no claim over the rural home as that was property that belonged to someone else.

The court ruled that the rental property was jointly owned by Joram and Lilian but the ownership had already been transferred so the case of ownership would need to be handled through a different lawsuit.

Lilian had to struggle to pay a loan that she knew nothing about and also lose investments she had worked hard for.

People get into marriage on trust. They do not expect the spouse to do anything to harm them. However, things don’t always remain constant. What steps can couples take to ensure that their welfare and that of the children is taken care of no matter what happens to their relationship in future?

Documentation

We live in a world where documentation is required for everything. When we get into marriage, we sign a marriage certificate. When we get a job, we sign a job contract. Anything that is not documented is a big risk. Should there be a falling out later, you could end up losing everything. I advise couples to be organized in the way they manage their finances. Do not exchange money under the table; operate in a way that provides evidence should that be needed.

Operating 3 bank accounts is a great way for couples to manage their money safely in the long term. Read more about the 3 bank accounts here.

If the two of you have discussed and agreed that you need to pool resources together to buy a house or some other investment, deposit that money in the joint account and let all the monies for the project get handled from there. Ensure that there are clear records about how money ends up in that account, such as bank transfers from a personal account to the joint account. Do not assume that things will always be the same; things can change.

When a couple invests in property, there should be no assumptions about ownership. Let the documentation clearly indicate the names of the owners of the property and the next of kin. Should one party die, the property automatically passes on to the other owner. Stories about extended family members fighting over the property of a deceased family member are common place and there should be no assumptions that those things can’t happen.

Do not invest your money in something that you do not own, such as constructing a home on land that is owned by the extended family. You could lose all in case you get widowed or the marriage breaks. You might be the darling of your parents-in-law but think long term. What will happen when they will no longer be around? Will your investment be secure?

Learn from the story of Joseph in the Bible. He was the darling of Pharaoh but one day that Pharaoh was gone and there came one who did not know Joseph. His people were mistreated and disinherited. That can happen to anyone.

Calculating The Contributing of Both Parties in a Marriage

Many factors are put into consideration when a court has to rule about the contribution of each party to the marriage. Factors such as the income earning capacity of each partner and other financial resources they had, their obligations and responsibilities as well as the contributions each was making to the marriage are all evaluated.

I advise women to evaluate their roles and responsibilities in a marriage carefully, and more so should a woman accept an arrangement to become a full-time stay-at-home-mom. Don’t make that move before you read this very carefully.

The Matrimonial Property Act does not equally divide marital property upon divorce. Each spouse receives their portion of the property in accordance with what is deemed as their contribution toward the property. The Act defines contribution as “monetary and non-monetary contribution(s)” which include:

i. Domestic work and management of the matrimonial home
ii. Child care
iii. Companionship
iv. Management of family business or property
v. Farm work

Both parties need to be actively involved in building the marriage. The conduct of each party ends up under the court’s scrutiny should the case end up in the courts. The value each party brought into the marriage needs to be proven when things get there.

One might not make much monetary contribution but at the same time, the person is busy supervising projects such as constructions and is actively involved in activities. It is ok for a mother to take a break in her career in order to take care of young children but she needs to think long term.

What will her contribution in the marriage be beside taking care of the babies, who will eventually grow and take care of themselves? Will she be able to prove her contributions before a court of law should the marriage break down? If you plan to take a break in your career to become a stay-at-home-mom, read this before you make any move.

People get into marriage when they are in love and none of them can even imagine the marriage disintegrating. But these things do happen. It is better to hope for the best while being prepared for any eventuality.

Susan Catherine Keter is a life coach, mentor, motivational speaker, freelancer and blogger
Website: www.susancatherineketer.com
Quora: https://www.quora.com/profile/Susan-Catherine-Keter
Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/Financial.Literacy.Africa/?pnref=lhc
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SusanCatherineK

Unemployment levels are high. Pursuing the traditional career path has disappointed many.They spend decades in the school system preparing for employment only to join the ranks of the unemployed.

You can help your children to break away from the crowd by pursuing a path that deviates from traditional careers. If well mentored, they can turn their talents such as music, acting, art or sports into fulfilling careers.

A career in professional sports can be highly rewarding. Sports such as soccer, track running, swimming, rugby and many others can be nurtured into professional careers. My son plays rugby professionally and that is one reason why a career in sports interests me. I have watched his journey in rugby and learned a few things.

I have evaluated my experience in coaching and mentoring people and combined it with what I have observed from my son’s journey. Here are some tips to guide you as you prepare your child for a career in sports. I will largely refer to a career in rugby because that is what I am well acquainted with. These tips can, however, be helpful in other sports as well.

A burning desire

Does he have a burning desire to succeed in the sport? Is he obsessed with the sport? You need to identify this early as the younger he is when the talent is identified and nurtured, the better. Love for a sport can be instilled in a child if it is started early. Introduce the child to the sport and nurture that love. Watch the game with him and portray high level of excitement about it.

For you to introduce a child to a sport, you need to have at least some basic knowledge about it and the requirements for excelling in it. You want your child to grow up to become a professional sportsman or woman?Then invest in learning about the sport and be your child’s first coach and team-mate.

Playing professional sports is tough and the pressure is really high. If one pursues that line simply for the money, they will not have what it takes to keep going when things get tough. The love of the sport must be nurtured until it becomes an obsession.

Don’t push a child who has portrays no interest in the sport no matter what you do to get them interested simply because they can make some serious money. Nurture the interest in the sport, identify the passion then give all the support he needs to become successful. If that does not work, explore the child’s other talents and pursue what he is passionate about.

The magic of the 10,000 hours

It has been proven that to become a professional in any field takes the magical 10,000 hours. It means that one must practice that vocation for 10,000 hours. If for example, one wants to become a professional rugby player, he will need to train and/or play rugby for a minimum of 10,000 hours.

Judging from the way I have watched my son’s schedules, 2 to 3 hours of practice a day is realistic with a sports career since it is very strenous. If one practices for 3 hours a day, to attain the 10,000 hours mark would take a period of 10 years. A career in professional sports lasts up to around age 35 or earlier so the younger one is when he gets started, the better.

A youngster who is already participating in Under 13 and Under 15 tournaments is likely to go on to become a successful professional rugby player by his early 20s. Beginning the journey while already at the university might be rather late.

In Kenya, there is too much emphasis on academic grades and if you want your child to excel in extracurricular activities, be prepared to go the extra mile as the school system is unlikely to make that possible.

Get your son trained professionally. Visit different clubs and identify one where he can be practicing during school holidays. Do your research about the different clubs so that you are able to select wisely.

I must say that for us as a family, we did not do this since our son identified his passion for rugby while still in high school, did all the research about clubs and selected the club where he used to practice during the school holidays. He also did his own research and selected the club where he settled after school. He is still a proud member of that club.

I have seen my son hasten his progress by devoting more hours to rugby than just the 2 to 3 hours of daily play or practice. He will spend some extra hours every day learning more about the sport outside the pitch and gym. He will watch videos of games by top players and learn. He will also register for professional online training programs that he personalizes to suit his individual goals.

He, therefore, could set his training goals even before he became a member of a professional club and could pursue those goals even in any gym in our neighborhood. That practice has worked for him even after joining a club.

Coaches train teams to achieve team goals but every individual has his own individual goals which are not likely to be met fully by the team trainings. Each player has unique strengths and weaknesses that will not be addressed during team trainings. That is why it is important to have a tailor-made personal training regime.

Develop a Strong Belief System

To become successful as a player, one needs to develop a strong belief; in the sport, in the club he plays for, in the coach and above all else, in himself. A professional player meets with a lot of criticism; from the coaches, team members, fans, and other people in the sports fraternity.

Help your son to develop mental strength in order to withstand the criticisms that come with sports careers. Sometimes fans, team members, and the coaches feel that a certain player made a wrong move and cost the team victory. They can be brutal in their attacks.

Cultivate a strong belief in your son and transmit it to him. Be instrumental in helping him to develop a strong belief system. Remind him over and over again how much you believe in him and how far you believe he will go in life. If you do not believe in your son, who will?

Teach him to read, watch and listen to motivational material that will build and strengthen him. Spending at least 20 to 30 minutes every day in reading/watching/listening to something motivational, something that inspires and motivates, is a practice successful people have found to be instrumental in success. The sooner it is learned, the better. Visualization, positive self-talk, and meditation are helpful in developing a strong belief system.

Ensure that he learns to always go the extra mile in preparation; to train harder and smarter than the team requires and to learn more than he is required to learn. He should run away from the enemy called ‘average’.

Identify together with him role models to emulate. Watch with him the role models in action. Let their stories inspire and motivate him.

The Power of the Worldwide Web

Successful people know the power of the Worldwide web. Ensure that your son is visible online. A website, a blog, a Facebook page, and Twitter are all very important. Videos are very powerful marketing tools so post some professional videos online and drive traffic to them.

You can assist him while he is still young but as he grows and develops a passion for his own success, he will get into the flow. A professionally done video can open doors to scholarships from some of the top clubs in the world. Videos are a great way to bring out a player’s unique skills and style.

The job market is shrinking by the day and as that happens, more and more doors are opening up in other very lucrative areas such as sports. Equip your children for success in a world that is changing very fast, by nurturing their talents and preparing them to develop their talents into fulfilling careers.

Be sure to check out my blog article about how people in sports careers can achieve financial freedom throughout their lifespan, beyond the years when they are active in sports. Read the article here.

Kenya Under 20 rugby team jets off to rattle the Sables

This article is written by Susan Catherine Keter; life coach, personal development mentor, motivational speaker, freelancer and blogger.
Website: www.susancatherineketer.com
Quora: https://www.quora.com/profile/Susan-Catherine-Keter
Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/Financial.Literacy.Africa/?ref=br_rs&pnref=lhc#
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SusanCatherineK

Wilson was a high flyer. He was ambitious and charming; the guy everyone went to when in need of some assistance whether one was looking for advice concerning a task or simply looking for a listening ear. He was a favorite in the family too because he was really caring. He would never fail to respond if a family member contacted him in distress. He was a darling to many.

Life at home was however not all that rosy. His wife Judith was one unhappy woman. Wilson was busy solving problems for everyone all over the place yet he rarely had any time to spare for his marriage. They could plan to go shopping or run errands together only for a family member or a friend to call seeking some assistance and he would accept, canceling the plans with Judith even at the last minute.

Team Work in Marriage

One thing that weighed heavily on their relationship was the lack of teamwork. Wilson and Judith did not plan or budget together. He was successful in his career and he paid bills faithfully. His wife and 3 children were well taken care of. Judith was, however, unhappy because since they never planned together, she did not know what plans Wilson had for the family. The children were in primary school. They were still young and needed to bond with their father but time for the family was never a priority. Many were the times she attended school functions and ran errands all on her own.

Judith used to feel neglected. She was even more lonely because she was a stay-at-home-mom and had no social life. Her life revolved around taking care of the children while they were little but when the last one joined kindergarten, she found herself not comfortable spending all her time at home. She opened a business selling clothes and other items for children. Her schedules changed drastically as she would travel to different places to source for goods.

The children’s clothes business grew and Judith expanded to traveling across the borders to buy goods. By that time, there was almost no relationship between her husband and herself. They had become strangers to each other. None knew what was happening in the life of the other.

Retrenched!

The company Wilson worked for closed down some operations in Kenya and he found himself declared redundant. He was in his mid-40s and jobless. He had no alternative source of income since he had been fully occupied at his place of work he did not have time to focus on anything else.

Being jobless hit Wilson really hard. It suddenly dawned on him that he and his wife were strangers to each other. She had a business that was doing well but he had never paid attention to it and had no idea how to fit in. She maintained her schedules the same way she did when her husband had a job. Wilson would spend long, lonely days at home. He sent numerous job applications but month after month, none came through. He did not have investments because he was always overstretched.

He did not get much in terminal dues because he had uncleared loans, which were deducted before he was paid his dues. Any efforts to discuss finances with his wife would degenerate into an argument and they would end up not talking to each other for days. Wilson looked at his future without a job and it looked really bleak.

A Busy Lifestyle Can Affect Intimacy

The modern lifestyle can kill intimacy in a marriage, if not well taken care of. Couples find themselves dealing with different schedules and career demands they gradually drift apart.

The busy lifestyle of today can destroy a marriage. Couples put the needs of everyone else – including those of their own children – before those of their spouses then get shocked when the relationship breaks down.

The husband-wife unit should be the most important relationship in your life. Nurture it. Give it the attention it needs to thrive. Don’t allow anything or anyone to drive a wedge between the two of you; the extended family, career, friends, hobbies, volunteering or anything else. Once you allow your intimate relationship to crumble, it will negatively affect all other areas of your life.

You reap what you sow. If you constantly put your marriage at the bottom of your ‘to-do list’ don’t expect to reap any fulfillment from it. You will wake up one day to discover that you lost the most important person in your life at a time you need them most; maybe you have just lost a parent or sibling and really need support, you could have lost your job, been involved in a crippling accident, have been diagnosed with a serious illness, have just retired from job…

Many people complain to me that their spouses abandoned them after they lost their jobs, got sick or retired. I always inquire about the state of that relationship before the misfortune. Were you expecting to withdraw from an account that was already in the red because all you ever did was to withdraw from it without depositing anything over the years?

Marriage Takes More Than Love

In most cases, a feeling of love attracts two people and is responsible for the decision to get married. But marriage takes more than love. The determining factor whether a marriage lasts long term or fails is not the initial feeling of love or the reason behind why the couple got married. No. It is the same thing as what determines whether a piece of land will give a good harvest or not; the work that is put in after the decision to begin a life together.

Both partners – not one – must constantly nurture the relationship if it is to be fulfilling to both of them in the long run. When someone claims to have fallen out of love with the partner, it usually means that their needs have been neglected long enough to have made the marriage of no consequence.

The worst tragedy is if the neglected spouse gets a solution to the neglect they suffer in the marriage. Saving that marriage becomes an uphill task and there are no guarantees.

Raising children in a happy home environment ensures that they grow up to become well-adjusted adults. It is also instrumental in keeping them healthy. Happy children are more resistant to illnesses than their unhappy counterparts.

If you want to enjoy your old age surrounded by happy children and grandchildren, start preparing that ground from the moment you get married.

Symptoms of Intimacy Issues in a Relationship

problems with communication (quarrels and fights resulting from frustrations), disagreements over finances, parenting conflicts, insufficient sex (avoidance of sex).

The key to rebuilding the marriage is improving the sense of connection, feelings of trust and mutual respect.

Enjoy Intimacy in Marriage Throughout The Lifespan

> Keep channels of communication always open whether you agree with each other or not. Disagree on matters of principle but never ever make your spouse feel closed out and not heard unless you are ready to risk killing the marriage. Do not avoid discussions simply because you consider them sensitive. Discuss those issues even if it hurts. Your marriage is far too important for the short-term pain to be worth sacrificing it for.

> Avoid doing things behind your spouse’s back simply because you feel that he or she will raise objections. You just might never know when you spouse will reach the breaking point and opt to walk away from the relationship. It might be at a time when you need them most. It might happen at a time when you have just been diagnosed with a very serious illness and you need care from your spouse.

> Never allow anyone to come between you and your spouse; your friends, family members, colleagues, friends or anyone else. Some people allow their relatives to disrespect their spouses. This will come back to bite and in a big way. Your parents, siblings, friends, colleagues; cannot take the place of your spouse, the important role they play in your life notwithstanding.

> Make a conscious decision that you will nurture your relationship, that you will do what it takes to make it work. Here is a program that can serve as a guideline. Modify it to suit your circumstances.

* Schedule 20 – 30 minutes every single day to nurture your relationship. If you live together, let this time be for catching up with each other and bonding. That way, you will not miss the signs in case something is going wrong. Guard this time jealously even if you have relatives living with you.

Let everyone in the family learn to respect that time, and that includes your children. If you live in different geographical regions as sometimes happens because of work responsibilities, schedule this time to catch up with each other using the methods that work for you, whether telephone call, video call or chat. Purpose to give each other complete freedom to discuss issues, whether they are sensitive or not.

Issues that couples do not agree with don’t necessarily disappear simply because the couple avoids talking about them. They simply fester ready to explode in future.

* Schedule some time together every week. This could be in form of shopping together, attending a religious program, attending to household chores together or just taking a walk. Let this weekly rendezvous be at least an hour or two. Bonding really happens when a couple does things together. A wife does not have to do all the chores in the house all on her own as the husband reads the newspapers or watches TV. There is so much the two can do together to facilitate bonding.

* Schedule an annual getaway for just the two of you, even if it is just for a weekend. It is very important that this happens away from the home and from the usual duties and responsibilities.

Happy and fulfilling marriages don’t just happen; they take effort.

Would your marriage benefit from couple mentorship? Book a free session here.

This article is written by Susan Catherine Keter; life coach, personal development mentor, motivational speaker, freelancer and blogger.
Website: www.susancatherineketer.com
Quora: https://www.quora.com/profile/Susan-Catherine-Keter
Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/Financial.Literacy.Africa/?ref=br_rs&pnref=lhc#
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SusanCatherineK

John and his three friends were gunned down by Kenya police after a botched robbery somewhere on Waiyaki Way. They were all in their early 20s yet they had terrorized Nairobi residents for years. They were ruthless and did not hesitate to main, kill or rape if a victim did not cooperate with them.

What pushed these young men into a life of violent crime? Shouldn’t they have been at the university or at least some other college like their age mates?

John was born in a small town just around 50 kilometers from the city of Nairobi. He was the first born of five siblings. His father was an advocate in the city while his mother was a high school teacher in their home town. Their family was an ordinary Kenyan family.

Upbringing

Rose – John’s mother – was a hard working but humble woman. For as long as John could remember, his mother was instrumental in ensuring that the family was well provided for. 

He never bothered to pick his children from their grandparents’ place where Rose had moved with them before her demise. They were mistreated and neglected by relatives and they dropped out of school.

John was in the first year of his secondary education when his mother died. By age 16 he had run away from his grandparents’ place and into the streets of Nairobi.

That is how John found himself in a life of violent crime at a very young age.

What is Leadership?

Leadership is the action of leading a group of people or an organization. The leader is not all knowing and neither does he micro manage everyone in his team. 

A home is an institution with many members. The success of a home is dependent on the cooperative effort of all the members.

This article is written by Susan Catherine Keter; life coach, personal development mentor, motivational speaker, freelancer and blogger.
Website: www.susancatherineketer.com
Quora: https://www.quora.com/profile/Susan-Catherine-Keter
Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/Financial.Literacy.Africa/?ref=br_rs&pnref=lhc#
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SusanCatherineK

Financial Independence Africa

Alice and I had been in the same university years ago. We were in different departments but shared the education classes, so we did not get to know one another well at all. Just a simple greeting once in a while and nothing more. She was not one of the people I kept in touch with after campus as we barely knew one another at all.

I am quite visible on social networks and I have made lots of connections on those platforms over the years. I get many people contacting me about all manner of issues mainly through the Facebook platform.

I read the long Facebook inbox message from this woman who was having relationship problems. From the way she expressed herself, she seemed to have a badly damaged self-esteem. She did not believe in herself or her worth at all. She seemed really helpless. 

Kiprono sat on the hard bench, face in his hands. He was a worried man. Would his younger brother come on time to bail him out? Was his brother already tired of his endless woes? Would he opt to let him suffer the consequences of his reckless life? A feeling of panic crept into his heart but he struggled to remain hopeful.

A door opened noisily. Kiprono was jolted out of his thoughts by the appearance of a fierce-looking police officer whose large frame filled the entire doorway. He called out a name and a man who was standing next to Kiprono made his way to the door. This ritual had gone on the entire morning and only 3 men out of the original 15 still remained in the stuffy police cell at Eldoret police station. Kiprono’s anxiety heightened with every departure from the metal door that separated him from his freedom.

Kiprono allowed his mind to wonder, as a feeling of nostalgia overwhelmed him. He closed his eyes and let out a sigh. He savored the moment as if it was happening right now. He remembered the swelling crowds at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi and how proud he felt as he pushed a trolley with his suitcase, scanning the crowds for familiar faces. The gold medal he had won at the World Athletics Championships held in Thessaloniki, Greece was visible for all at the airport to see.

A faint smile appeared on his dry lips as he remembered that moment when his proud mother had placed a gourd of mursik (traditionally fermented milk) to his lips as crowds clapped and cheered and cameras from various journalists flashed. At that moment, he felt like the most important person in the world.

Growing up in a rural village in the outskirts of Eldoret town was a struggle. Many were the times he missed school because his alcoholic father had not paid his school fees. Being selected to represent Kenya in the All Africa Games held in Algiers, Algeria had been a dream come true. It had opened doors to a successful career in athletics. He had represented Kenya in at least 10 international competitions over a period of 5 years and had brought home 3 medals; 2 gold and one bronze. His total earnings in the 3-year career was not less than KShs. 20 Million.

He was now sitting on the hard bench in a prison cell, arrested when police raided a chang’aa (illicit brew) den. He had been arrested on numerous occasions in the past 3 years since an injury forced him to retire prematurely from the sports career.

How did he sink this low? He used to have an endless flow of cash and had been nicknamed ‘mheshimiwa’ (honorable member, a title popularly used to refer to politicians). His home could be mistaken for that of the area member of parliament because of the number of people who use to flock there every day. He was the area’s newest millionaire and he was well known for his kind heart and listening ear. However, a series of misfortunes followed in quick succession, changing his fortunes in a short period of time.

He had a dream of long career in athletics but that was not to be; an injury killed that dream. That injury was the beginning of his woes. As though that was not enough, his mother developed health complications and was in and out of hospital until her demise 5 years ago. He spent dearly as he sought treatment for her. It did not take him long to find himself completely broke. The house he was constructing for his family was still incomplete and he no longer had any money to continue with the project.

He started drinking alcohol to forget his problems and as time went by, he got hooked and could no longer control himself. He no longer had money and so he relied on cheap local brews. He was now sitting in a miserable police cell, arrested for drinking illicit brew. He was hopeful that his younger brother would pay the cash bail to get him released.

Financial Independence Tips For Professional Sportsmen and Women

Careers in sports don’t last very long; 10 years if you really do well. You will retire by the time you are around age 35. Winning some large sum of money is not an every day thing so if you do win once, take good care of that money. There are no guarantees that you will ever win such an amount ever again. Do not begin to spend that money without a plan or you could mess up big time and end falling from grace to grass in a few short years.

Put aside a modest amount in a regular bank account, an amount that can take care of your needs for six months or so and nothing for any project. You are not yet ready to undertake any major project as you still do not have a concrete plan for that. Put the rest of the cash in a fixed deposit account for a minimum of six months.

Give yourself time to get used to the fact that you are now the proud owner of a large sum of money, before you do anything with it. If you make mistakes during this period, the money at risk is not a substantial amount so you will still survive. You will learn some lessons from those mistakes without any major damage being done.

Goal Setting

Plan like you will never win again in your life, like the money you have won is the only one to last you till retirement. Set goals:

* Short-term goals: Up to 1 year
* Mid-term goals: Up to 5 years
* Long term goals: Until retirement

Make your goals as clear and specific as possible. Come up with very concrete steps to their achievement. Be very clear about what you will need to do in order to make your goals a reality and what resources you will need, not just monetary but all resources. Have a very concrete plan about how you are going to move from where you are to where you want to be. How will you access all the resources you require? Who will you work with?

Your Priorities

Be very clear about your priorities. What are your career needs for the next 5 years? Condition yourself that you have no sponsor such that should you find yourself without a sponsor, your career will not suffer. Should the end of sponsorship signal the death of your career? You are your number one asset and your survival is dependent on your ability to win races so guard that jealously. Nothing should put your sports career in jeopardy, not even the lack of a sponsor.

• Training gear
• Gym membership
• Diet
• Nutritional supplements
• Healthcare/health insurance
• First aid supplies
• Your livelihood and that of your family (day to day needs)

Long Term Plans

You will not always be able to run but you will always have needs even long past retirement. How will you earn income long after your sports career is gone?

There are many different lines of business that you could set up, but refrain from getting into ventures that you do not understand well. Family members and friends can easily tell you some very rosy stories about how much money you can make by buying into businesses such as restaurants or schools, or investing large sums of money into investment schemes that you really don’t understand. Their businesses might actually be in trouble and they are tricking you to bail them out under the pretense that the businesses are great.

Do not allow yourself to be lured into pumping large sums of money into businesses that you know nothing about. Consider building a business around what you do best.

Sports will never go out of fashion so you can bank on building a business around sports. What steps can you take to build a long term career around your sports talent?

1. Set up a foundation that supports upcoming athletes. Get the foundation legally constituted. You do not have to invest heavily in the foundation initially. Start small and grow.

That way, you will not tie all your money in the investment before it reaches a point of giving you returns. Look for a ground you can use for training of the budding athletes. A public stadium can do. Set up your camp in an area that is conducive for training of athletes such as Eldoret or Ngong area. The athletes should be able to train without unnecessary investment in a training ground.

You do not even need to have a residential place for the athletes you are going to support. Start with what is workable for your circumstances and grow gradually. If you can afford to rent a modest place that can double up as the office of your foundation and a residential for a few athletes, probably 3 to 5, that would be a good way to begin. Such a place should not be too costly to rent.

Make sure that you plan for a minimum of 6 months in rent before you get started. Set up a very basic gym for training. Invest in some very basic equipment such as kettlebells and weights. With proper instructions including clear images, a good jua kali artisan should be able to construct some of the crucial equipment for you at a modest fee.

2. Scout for talent. Attend sports events in schools and other institutions. Sponsor some events in the community in order to attract runners. I know that many times when the word sponsor is mentioned, we shy off thinking that it takes a lot of money. Sponsorship could be modest, such as offering a KShs. 10,000 award to the winner of race.

Identify talented young people and sign them up with your organization. Nurture those you select. Start with a small number, what you are comfortable with. Be their mentor and help them to become professional athletes. Have your own training program and use it for the upcoming athletes that you are nurturing. Connect them with opportunities to compete so that they develop the competitive edge.

3. Facilitate them to participate in such competitions. Facilitation for them is likely to be quite modest, probably in form of bus fare to travel to such events, some money for expenses such as food and some personal effect such as what to wear during such events.

Start small but plan long term. Your plan is to have a fully fledged foundation sponsoring top athletes by the time you retire. The foundation should have a training camp of international standards by that time, complete with boarding facilities, professional coaches and other employees, a fully fledged gym and everything else that athletes need for a successful career. Budget for that growth and plan how you are going to finance your business over the years.

You are an athlete; not an experienced business man or woman so hire professionals and pay them well. Work closely with them so that you are always on top of things in your business.

4. Grow your business. Visibility is critical for business success. Borrow a leaf from big companies. How do they grow their businesses?

Top companies use some of these strategies to market their businesses:

• TV/radio/newspaper/magazine advertising
• Billboards/banners
• Social networks
• Being visible in the community: sponsoring sporting events, coming to the rescue of needy people, publicity (ensuring that they are visible even if it is a dinner for their staff).

Borrow ideas from this. However, do not invest a lot of money in advertising or you could run out of funds before you achieve your goals. Hire a marketer so that you are able to focus on what you do best. Make use of this person to publicize your activities. Seek for opportunities to feature in the media for free.

The marketer can be in charge of all your marketing from taking photos and videos during the trainings of the team you are mentoring, to ensuring your visibility on social media, representing your foundation in events, booking engagements for you to attend and coordinating activities of your team.

Secure Your Future

When you win a substantial amount of money in a race, consider that as your seed money. Do not eat the seed. I know that it is exciting to win a large sum of money and more so if it is the first time you are handling such an amount. It is tempting to rush to change your lifestyle and that of your extended family.

It is easy not to say ‘no’ when people come to your for help. Some of the cases are really needy. But doing that will rob you of a future. Plant that seed for future harvest and eat the fruits. That will enable you to keep on eating for many years to come, even long after your sports career is over. Secure your future and that of your family for generations to come, with a sports career.

This article is written by Susan Catherine Keter; life coach, personal development mentor, motivational speaker, freelancer and blogger.
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