True Love's Carole Mandi is a risk taker and she believes you should be one too

She considers herself a “traditional” woman one who cooks or her husband when she gets home. But clarifies that the role shouldn’t be taken literally.

In Pulse Live's 2nd part of featuring African women who deserve recognition this International Women’s Day- Carole Mandi fit the bill perfectly as she has shaped the magazine landscape in Kenya hopefully for decades to come.

READ PART 1 HERE: Sudanese model Anok Yai becomes first black model to open for international fashion house after 20 years

Back in 2010, South Africa’s Media24 shut down subsidiary magazines in Kenya- Drum and True Love citing low sales.

This would have led to the exit of three magazines but Mandi couldn’t afford to let that happen.

She was then the publisher of True Love. In a bid to save livelihoods, Mandi bid for the embattled magazines.

She established her own company, Carole Mandi Media Limited with her husband and sourced capital to acquire the publishing licence. By July 2010, Mandi had True Love in circulation again. Drum East Africa followed in January 2011.

The magazines- whose target demographic is African women between the ages of 25 and 35- have become a part of the lives of Kenyan women. Especially True Love which is a staple commonly found in young women’s car, shopping trolleys, coffee tables and the salons where they get their hair done.

True Love has become an integral lifestyle brand among young Kenyan women. It focuses on everything that is important to a woman of such an age. From starting a family to career concerns to sex to entrepreneurship, True Love provides it all. And it all came from Mandi taking a chance and believing in her dream.

Her risk provided a platform for women in Kenya where thought provoking, humorous and inspiring stories can be amplified.

Mandi’s success so far is no surprise as she was always actively passionate about magazines since a young age. She studies Literature and Linguistics at university where upon graduating she became an editorial assistant for a magazine. She later joined Nation Media Group in 1995 where she rose through the ranks until finally being taken by Media24.

According to How We Made It In Africa, Mandi has very simple advice to any budding entrepreneurs.

“Don’t shy away from taking risks… If you keep waiting for the right time, which means the safest time, you might wait forever.”