Financially Incorrect

Brian Kiriba shares the story behind building Jaba Juice from scratch, growing it into a business that now moves tens of thousands of units every month. In this episode of Financially Incorrect Business Edition, he discusses his early entrepreneurial ventures in Pakistan and the United States, the failure of his immigration startup, losing money after returning to Kenya, and his unsuccessful attempt to break into the alcohol industry.He explains how a chance encounter with khat (jaba) inspired the idea for a bottled beverage, the months of experimentation that followed, the challenges of manufacturing, hiring, distribution, and how he eventually found product-market fit by targeting an entirely different customer segment than traditional chewers.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Access all our links in one place: ⁠⁠https://lnk.bio/Financially_Inc⁠💹 Ready to start trading?🔍 Who is FXPesa: ⁠⁠https://shorturl.at/rWFqC⁠🎓 Learn how to trade: ⁠⁠https://shorturl.at/xR2Ye⁠⁠📊 Try a demo account: ⁠⁠https://shorturl.at/izDMc⁠⁠💸 Open a live account: ⁠⁠https://shorturl.at/Od2ux⁠---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Episode Time Stamps00:00 Introduction06:16 Early Entrepreneurial Lessons10:52 Immigration Startup in the U.S.13:16 Returning to Kenya & Partying Lifestyle17:10 Alcohol Business & Regulatory Challenges21:20 Discovering the Jaba Opportunity27:38 Building the First Jaba Juice Product30:40 Early Operations & Scaling Struggles36:51 Hiring an Accountant & Professionalizing the Business41:36 Key Drivers of Growth45:06 Finding the Right Target Market47:04 Events & Distribution Strategy51:17 Funding, Growth & Business Today53:29 Closing Remarks

Most people see cars as liabilities. Earl Karanja sees them as alternative assets with global demand, cultural value, and appreciating long-term upside.
Before brokering million-dollar Bugattis and rare Ferraris to collectors across Europe, Dubai, and New Zealand, Earl was a Kenyan kid raised in a strict teacher-led household where discipline, education, and financial restraint shaped everything. His first lessons around money came from selling farm produce in the village. Years later, those same principles would help him navigate one of the most exclusive and difficult industries in the world.
Earl breaks down the hidden economics of the luxury and collectible car market, from flipping Toyota Prados in Kenya to sourcing hypercars worth millions of dollars for ultra-high-net-worth clients globally.
He explains why certain Japanese cars continue appreciating, why wealthy investors are parking capital in rare analog vehicles, how social media changed the automotive business forever, and why the global collector market rewards patience, rarity, and knowledge over hype.
The conversation also dives into the realities of building an African business in a European-dominated market, surviving a €200,000 scam loss, navigating visa barriers, dealing with weak local banking support, and spending nearly five years before the business became sustainably profitable.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Access all our links in one place: ⁠https://lnk.bio/Financially_Inc💹 Ready to start trading?🔍 Who is FXPesa: ⁠https://shorturl.at/rWFqC🎓 Learn how to trade: ⁠https://shorturl.at/xR2Ye⁠📊 Try a demo account: ⁠https://shorturl.at/izDMc⁠💸 Open a live account: ⁠https://shorturl.at/Od2ux---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Episode Chapters00:00 Intro & sponsor mention02:06 Why car investing makes money
03:06 How to identify appreciating cars
06:04 The Prado flipping business explained13:18 Japanese vs German cars debate21:02 Insurance challenges in Kenya28:33 Earl’s upbringing & money lessons
35:43 From engineering to automotive journalism
52:13 Starting car sales on Instagram
59:32 Africa’s global business barriers
01:06:17 How luxury car brokers make money01:10:33 First million-euro car sale
01:13:32 Cross-border business & visas
01:20:36 Banking and funding struggles
01:23:53 The hardest car sale ever
01:29:02 When the business finally worked01:34:44 Why rare cars appreciate massively
01:41:00 Modern classics & Gen Z demand
01:48:02 Being Black in a niche industry
01:50:31 Losing €200,000 to fraud
01:53:41 Kenya importation frustrations
01:57:00 Why cars remain his main investment
01:58:30 Final thoughts & outro

Africa does not have a shortage of entrepreneurs. It has a financing problem.In this episode of Financially Incorrect, we sit down with Ethiopis Tafara, Regional Vice President for Africa at the International Finance Corporation (IFC), to unpack one of the biggest economic bottlenecks across the continent: why millions of African businesses remain stuck despite creating the majority of jobs.SMEs account for nearly 80–90% of jobs globally, yet only 25% of African SMEs have access to formal financing. Ethiopis explains the “missing middle” crisis, the dangerous impact of foreign exchange debt on local businesses, and why access to local currency financing could completely reshape entrepreneurship across Africa.We also discuss the IFC’s new $300 million partnership with BOAD, how the M300 initiative plans to electrify 300 million Africans by 2030, why tourism remains Africa’s most underrated economic opportunity, and the uncomfortable realities governments must address if they want businesses to scale sustainably.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Access all our links in one place: ⁠https://lnk.bio/Financially_Inc💹 Ready to start trading?🔍 Who is FXPesa: ⁠https://shorturl.at/rWFqC🎓 Learn how to trade: ⁠https://shorturl.at/xR2Ye⁠📊 Try a demo account: ⁠https://shorturl.at/izDMc⁠💸 Open a live account: ⁠https://shorturl.at/Od2ux---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Episode Chapters00:00 Introduction00:37 Africa’s Missing Middle Problem01:32 The M300 Electrification Initiative02:01 Breaking Down the $300M IFC-BOAD Deal04:15 What IFC Looks For Before Investing06:02 Which Businesses Scale Fastest?07:30 Why Tourism Is Africa’s Biggest Opportunity08:34 Why SMEs Struggle to Access Credit09:48 How Africa Can Solve the Financing Gap11:10 What Defines a Missing Middle Business12:13 Youth Employment and Business Growth13:09 What Governments Must Fix First14:45 Vested Interests Blocking Progress18:21 IFC’s Biggest Infrastructure Projects20:03 The Most Important Money Lesson

For decades, Suzanne Gachukia Opembe sat at the center of Kenya’s creative economy. Producing music, managing artists, negotiating distribution, surviving industry politics and helping shape an entire generation of Kenyan sound.But behind the success stories were delayed payments, collapsing partnerships, broken royalty systems, visa denials, debt pressure and years where even groceries became difficult to afford.In this episode Suzanne opens up about building studios from scratch, landing a $10,000 Pepsi buyout in the 90s, producing artists during Kenya’s CD and cassette boom, managing Camp Mulla during their meteoric rise and witnessing first-hand how corruption and poor systems continue to cripple creators across Africa.She also reflects on marriage, separation, financial independence, family privilege, land investments, failed business ventures, selling property too early and the emotional cost of staying committed to a creative industry that rarely rewards people fairly.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Access all our links in one place: ⁠https://lnk.bio/Financially_Inc💹 Ready to start trading?🔍 Who is FXPesa: ⁠https://shorturl.at/rWFqC🎓 Learn how to trade: ⁠https://shorturl.at/xR2Ye⁠📊 Try a demo account: ⁠https://shorturl.at/izDMc⁠💸 Open a live account: ⁠https://shorturl.at/Od2ux---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Episode Chapters00:00 Introduction01:42 The last thing Suzanne failed at04:26 Her first experiences with money06:14 Family business, farming and Riara’s growth11:26 Lessons from her parents about money15:52 Building studios and producing music21:05 Financial struggles in music production27:04 Music distribution and River Road lessons28:38 Land investments and surviving debt32:36 Marriage, separation and money dynamics40:12 Managing Camp Mulla’s rise48:07 Why Kenyan music struggles financially55:09 Second marriage and financial independence01:01:50 Corruption inside music royalty systems01:09:25 Suzanne’s definition of financial success01:12:13 Her happiest and saddest money moments01:14:17 The financial principle everyone ignores01:16:53 Managing young artists and fame01:23:34 Camp Mulla’s BET nomination setback01:24:08 Why Camp Mulla connected with everyone01:26:24 Clarence Peters and music video evolution01:28:53 Closing thoughts and upcoming projects

For decades, Suzanne Gachukia Opembe sat at the center of Kenya’s creative economy. Producing music, managing artists, negotiating distribution, surviving industry politics and helping shape an entire generation of Kenyan sound.But behind the success stories were delayed payments, collapsing partnerships, broken royalty systems, visa denials, debt pressure and years where even groceries became difficult to afford.In this episode Suzanne opens up about building studios from scratch, landing a $10,000 Pepsi buyout in the 90s, producing artists during Kenya’s CD and cassette boom, managing Camp Mulla during their meteoric rise and witnessing first-hand how corruption and poor systems continue to cripple creators across Africa.She also reflects on marriage, separation, financial independence, family privilege, land investments, failed business ventures, selling property too early and the emotional cost of staying committed to a creative industry that rarely rewards people fairly.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Access all our links in one place: ⁠https://lnk.bio/Financially_Inc💹 Ready to start trading?🔍 Who is FXPesa: ⁠https://shorturl.at/rWFqC🎓 Learn how to trade: ⁠https://shorturl.at/xR2Ye⁠📊 Try a demo account: ⁠https://shorturl.at/izDMc⁠💸 Open a live account: ⁠https://shorturl.at/Od2ux---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Episode Chapters00:00 Introduction01:42 The last thing Suzanne failed at04:26 Her first experiences with money06:14 Family business, farming and Riara’s growth11:26 Lessons from her parents about money15:52 Building studios and producing music21:05 Financial struggles in music production27:04 Music distribution and River Road lessons28:38 Land investments and surviving debt32:36 Marriage, separation and money dynamics40:12 Managing Camp Mulla’s rise48:07 Why Kenyan music struggles financially55:09 Second marriage and financial independence01:01:50 Corruption inside music royalty systems01:09:25 Suzanne’s definition of financial success01:12:13 Her happiest and saddest money moments01:14:17 The financial principle everyone ignores01:16:53 Managing young artists and fame01:23:34 Camp Mulla’s BET nomination setback01:24:08 Why Camp Mulla connected with everyone01:26:24 Clarence Peters and music video evolution01:28:53 Closing thoughts and upcoming projects