How I built a business empire at age 21

…declares an enigmatic entrepreneur whose Air travel firm rakes in millions from flight bookings

History will remember Patrick Ngotho as the third Kenyan to acquire an International Air Travel Consultant (ITC) license in1981- accreditation often issued by air travel trade association, International Air Transport Association (IATA) to certified individuals yearning to make flight bookings through their agencies.

How else it will remember him is still an open question.

Ngotho began his travel agency career at Kenya Utalii College as a travel agency technician and soon after completing his A-level from Kapsabet High School, he got a part time job almost immediately with the same institution two weeks after graduating with a diploma in Travel Agency Techniques, but had little time to savor the accomplishment.

He rejected a fulltime employment offer from the College after only 6 months of working as a part-time tutor where he earned Ksh 1,500 monthly and privately went to pursue a higher diploma in International Air Travel Consultant (ITC); he successfully concluded and was awarded an IATA accreditation in South Africa to commence flight bookings for IATA member’s airlines.

“My advice is not to rush things. It’s incredibly tempting to accept every opportunity even if you are not ready,” advices Ngotho, founder and Managing Director of Good Hope Travel Agency.

Upon his graduation he got several job offers and worked with seven different travel agents in Nairobi in senior positions before settling at Bunson Travel Agent as a Travel Operations Manager.

Prior to this he had secretly managed to register his own company, Good Hope Travel Agent at a tender age of 21years but only focused on transport and tours business before expanding it into air ticketing and bookings as an independent agent after seeing the potential from his previous jobs.

“Air travel business is a profitable, all one requires is patience,” he opens up.  

He terminated his contract in 1999 with Bunson a few years later and made a decision to concentrate on his company.

“I had gathered a lot of experience in the industry as well as referrals and contacts from colleagues and friends and felt it was time to go it alone,” says Ngotho, a father of three.

Just like most entrepreneurs, Ngotho now 56 years began from humble beginnings in dire financial straits, turned into his savings and borrowings from the bank and made Good Hope Travel Agent what it is today.

Fifteen years in the business, he’s still a humble man, running a multimillion travel agent firm with millions in revenues, having started off from a mere sh. 2.5million start-up capital which he partly used to set up an office in town, hired staff and purchased tours vans.

Today the company is ranked 9^th in Kenya out of 700 registered travel agents and hundreds more that are unregistered, and works with all IATA airlines in the world, and has about 60 permanent staff based in Kenya and 7 more in Rwanda.

In December, 2014 South African Airlines (SAA) awarded the company for its consistence in the business in terms of services and pricing.

“Honesty is very important and you should regard your customer as the king, through that you will reap the results,” he says.

The business has not been all rosy, he says constant terror threats, travel bans from international countries remain the sector’s biggest threat, but he remain upbeat the situation will improve.

He plans expanding his services beyond Kenya and has commenced operations in Rwanda and other EAC nations including Juba, South Sudan.