Tent man with an appetite for travel

I asked Nilesh Shah, a slight man with wispy white hair and a fantastic sense of humour, what motivated him to get into the tent business in 1978.

With his tongue in cheek, he retorted, “I figured that eventually, I would need somewhere to live when my wife one day decides to throw me out.” (Regrettably, his wife hasn’t thrown him out - yet.)

I learnt about him through his son - Asim Shah - a Top 40 Under 40 finalist who at our meeting talked about his old man’s foresight, dedication and business acumen running a tent business consistently and successfully for close to 40 years.

Tarpo - short for tarpaulin - was actually started by Nilesh’s father at a small shop in Mombasa. Now they run a big operation from their plant on Mombasa Road, making massive tents for humanitarian corporations like Unicef and luxury bush camps and many other businesses.

We met for breakfast at The River Cafe in Karura Forest on Saturday. He was hilarious.

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How was business when you started out in the 70s?

When I came back from my studies in the UK (BSc Economics), the tents business was just about to take off. We were lucky that the concept of luxury tents was just taking off. In fact, the only one that existed then was the Governor’s Camp.

We got an opportunity to do the Mara Intrepids camps in the Masai Mara. We also worked with the Symbion architects on projects and the best idea at that time for these camps was to make them very eco-friendly, camps that when you pack up and leave, the environment would not even notice. Over time , I have been lucky to work with numerous conservationists across East Africa.

Has the nuts and bolts of business changed drastically in 40 years?

Trick question. (Laughs). The fundamentals haven’t changed. Things that may have changed are the numbers, the perceptions and the tools. (Pause) Globalisation. That is the main thing. Destinations have increased, you can go anywhere in the world today, and so we as Kenyans are competing with other markets.

The time when we thought we were the preferred destination is gone. We lost that a long time ago because we didn’t keep up with world tourism. We now have to compete for tourists.

Do you find that doing business is easier now than it was tens of years ago?

No. Certainly not. In fact, quite the opposite. There is the lack of government support, I mean production costs are just too high.

What’s the one lesson you have learnt as a businessman over time?

That you have to take care and focus on the fundamentals. But if you see that word, the first three letters are F-U-N. Whatever you do, whatever business you are in, if it isn’t fun, if you aren’t having fun, it will wear you out.

Are you having fun? Do you truly love selling tents?

Yes! You know, I’m now in my 60s and its been a really interesting life. Amazing experiences and interesting people I have met. From guys like Richard Leakey doing research on Anthropology, to someone doing research on hyenas in the Mara or elephants in the Tsavo or someone filming wildlife. I have met and worked with all these interesting people.

We have supplied tents to a Toronto zoo in the 90s, when we had just opened our new email address, when internet came to Kenya in 1994. I think we might have been among the very first businesses to embrace the internet with our website coming up soon after the internet.

Around 2003, we delivered some tents to Gucci after the head of that company - then Tom Ford - faxed us an order. We have kept that fax to date. So its been interesting. I have had fun.

Do you have some unfinished business in life? Something you haven’t gotten round to doing?

I would like to do more travelling because now the world has opened up. I think travelling opens up your mind.

Excuse my generalisation here, but the trend in most Asian communities doing business is to start or take over a family business then hand it over to their kids to take it to the next generation to. Do you get anxious about handing it over, knowing that you have been running with this for 40 years, is there a sense of trepidation or anxiety?

To be honest, when we sent my son for further studies in the UK, we didn’t think he would come back and help run the business. He also confesses that it wasn’t in his plan and we were okay with it really, but now that he’s here, I’m very happy that he would take up the continuity.

How old are you now?

I’m in my 60s. I always tell Asim that I have no chance of being in the Top 60 Under 60! (Raucous laughter).

What brings you the greatest joy now, at this point in your life?

When I started out, I had no idea that we would get this far. I’m very happy that we have managed to keep about 80 people employed continuously for more than 25 years. I’m very proud of that. My regret is that we could have done better, that we could have had an enabling environment.

Is there a mistake you made in business that you regret dearly?

There are so many that I can’t even recall one. In business, you have to risk to move and many times we fail. There are things I tried that failed; we tried to run a camp near the Mara for several years and failed. I learnt something vital from that experience; that making tents for a camp is very different from running a camp. (Chuckles heartily).

So here you are, you’ve been making tents for a long time. And I’m sure you’ve put in a lot of hours there, every day. This is your baby. But now, of course, you’ll have to slow down and let Asim and his brother take over this ship. Have you thought of what you are going to do after you walk away? How are you going to fill your time? Will you sit at home or will you go to work and annoyingly hover around the office, looking over Asim’s shoulder to make sure he isn’t cocking it all up?

Here is a joke, uhm, Biko. The joke is that I was sitting at home on the couch, and I’m thinking and testing the law of gravity. I’m also reading Newton’s Fourth Law Of Motion that says that a body stays at rest until the wife notices. (Hearty laughter).

That’s a good one...

Look, I will actually have to beg Asim to let me come to the office and buy time. I might be at hand to offer advice but you know that nobody listens to the advice of those without authority. (Shrugs). Your counsel only has weight when you are in authority.

What are you reading now?

At the moment I read light things to relax my mind from the daily grind. Sometimes lots of fiction. One of my favourite books is Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse. You should look for it. It’s a very small book, really amazing. I’ve learnt a lot from that book.

What’s on your Bucket List?

Just travel. I’d love to visit South America, I have been told it’s different. But my wife would like to visit Vietnam and Cambodia and things like that.

Of course you will have to visit Vietnam and Cambodia and things like that, unless you prefer living in one of your tents…

(Laughs aloud) Of course. I love Vietnam and Cambodia and things like that.