Meet Gianmarco! Co-founder of Nai Nami, a social enterprise in Nairobi, Kenya that offers guided tours through downtown Nairobi through the eyes of former streetchildren. Gianmarco beautifully described the tour as a "fun, sad, exciting, dramatic, frustrating, everything all-in-one experience. It's a 3-hour movie with ups and downs." This is the story of a truly unique venture that has changed the life of these former streetchildren forever. Enjoy!
00:00 - Rapid Fire Questions
03:40 - Introduction Gianmarco and the social enterprise Nai Nami
06:28 - What does it mean to be a streetchild in Nairobi? What does it mean to be a former streetchild who is now in their 20s or 30s?
10:20 - Who came up with the idea to start this "guided tour through the eyes of a former streetchild" business? Gianmarco acted as a catalyst to co-create Nai Nami
14:40 - How were you able to build a relationship and trust with the original three guides (Kissmart, Cheddaz, and Donga)
18:40 - Embracing the skills they acquired on the streets, but for a different purpose now: Sharing stories
19:55 - First company ever and in Nairobi: How did you know how everything worked and what you needed to do (e.g. registering the company etc.)?
23:10 - Creating a strong advisory board and partnerships (spoiler alert: my former guest Manuel Eppert is one of the advisors :-))
28:23 - Innovation at Nai Nami when Covid-19 hit: Guided online tours
33:10 - NGO vs. for-profit business - why choose one over the other in this situation?
39:15 - Giving back - now the guides are role models to current streetchildren
40:40 - Why is it important to show the world this perspective, that of former streetchildren, on Nairobi?
43:43 - Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs
Find Gianmarco and Nai Nami online:
Website: https://nai-nami.com/
Instagram: @nai.nami
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCd7jBKcOA53X8Kw4k5pXfkw
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gianmarco-marinello/
Find Melissa and WalkingTheTalk online:
Website: https://www.walkingthetalk.io/
Instagram: @walkingthetalk.io
TikTok:@walkingthetalk.io
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG14T8egUwJt7e_ZSQZ0SYw