#119 Serial Entrepreneur - Kevin Ashley (From the Archives)

"Within the first year of the aviation business is when we started doing the coffee business. So I was suddenly involved and being the executive director of the aviation business and the executive chairman of the coffee shop business at the same time. So I was suddenly the serial entrepreneur, it was crazy." Kevin Ashley

 

Kevin Ashley is one of the founders of Java House, an East African coffee house and diner. He attributes his success to staying flexible and having a passionate purpose beyond just getting money. We talk about the early days of Java House including how they got to the first 10 branches in the first 10 years. We also cover the further growth and diversification to eventual buy-out by private equity firms. Kevin says that building Java House was really a people story - one about purpose and dignity at work. People might think work is just about showing up. But at Java they instilled in staff that while they were at work they were actually there to serve something bigger than themselves. Kevin believes that dignity of work and a sense of purpose is the key for the future of humanity to have a functioning society.

 

Kevin Ashley is a serial entrepreneur. His early career was as a humanitarian worker with World Food Program and Christian Aid. In the 90s he co-founded an aviation business, 748, and then  a coffee house Java House. Java House, commonly referred to as ‘Nairobi Java’, opened its first store in 1999 at Adam’s Arcade in Nairobi with the aim of introducing gourmet coffee drinking culture in Kenya. The brand evolved to an American diner style restaurant. There are also two sister brands Planet Yoghurt and 360 Degrees Pizza.

 

Please note that this episode was originally released as episode #32 in March 2021. In the introduction to this episode I provide an update that has had an impact on the podcast schedule.