Marini Naturals CEO Michelle Ntalami landed in trouble with a section of Kenyans On Twitter (KOT), over plans to pay small business owners with 'exposure'.
Michelle Ntalami in trouble with KOT
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Netizens expressed displeasure in Ms Ntalami's plan, arguing that in this era, no business owner should give out their products or services for free in the name of exposure.
However, in a quick rejoinder, Ntalami defended her actions, saying that her plan was to partner with brands that were only willing and in agreement with her terms.
In a lengthy Instagram post, Ntakami narrated her journey to where she is now and how she has managed to establish a reputable brand over the years.
She explained that she had managed to build a Kenyan brand that has been recognized worldwide and earned her several accolades.
"That being said, my job is not to convince you that I truly want to support other brands. My purpose is to try and shed some light to you on meaningful business collaborations. Most people were excited and inspired by my post but some were triggered.
"The ones who are triggered, quite frankly have a lot of work to do. The ones who are inspired have grasped the concept of collaboration, brand value and accelerated growth,"
“I’m not perfect, but in my career, my experience working with most brands has been nothing short of amazing. After swiping through my post, I share with you below some brands I’ve worked with, ranging from small, medium to multinationals. The key thing to note here is, they gave to me in some way, and I gave back to them. These brands can attest to my value and working with me as an influencer if you ever needed to reach out to them” said Michelle in part.
Ntalami also clarified that she closed off the comments on her Instagram post over what she termed as too many comments.
In the post that triggered Kenyans, Michelle had said that she was looking for photographers, make-up artists, shoe brands, outfits, jewellery stores, hairstylists and even hotels to partner with on her upcoming Birthday.
The entrepreneur said she wanted to promote Kenyan brands during her upcoming birthday photoshoot, later this month. This entailed collaborating with brands that would avail their products to be present in the photoshoot and she would give them free marketing, something that did not settle well with Netizens.
" It is a pro-bono shoot for all the brands and people I will partner with! (I.e no charges) I only get to keep the items that I like, or whatever you choose to bless me with from your collection!😊 I’ve already got the concept, so all I need is the awesome team and brands to put it all together!" she added.