He Shut Down a Winning Business to Build WorkPay | Paul Kimani on Building & Scaling Across Africa

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What would you do if the most profitable part of your business was the hardest part to scale?In this exclusive Founders Connect episode, we sat down with Paul Kimani, the CEO and co-founder of Workpay, to dive into his unconventional entrepreneurial journey, the bold decisions that shaped Workpay, and the hard lessons learned along the way.From studying electrical engineering to working as a mechanical engineer, and eventually founding one of Africa’s most innovative payroll and HR tech platforms based in Kenya but used across Africa. Paul’s story is one of clarity, risk-taking, and strategic thinking.Paul shares how he made the difficult decision to shut down the most profitable part of his business — and how it paid off. Instead of chasing traction, he chose scalability and competitive advantage. That decision changed everything.Whether you're a founder, aspiring entrepreneur, tech enthusiast, or investor interested in African startups, Paul's journey will give you fresh insight into what it means to build and scale intentionally.🎯 Timestamps00:00 - Intro03:13 - Paul's Background05:23 - Why He Shut Down His Consultancy Business06:35 - Pivotal Moments That Influenced Him10:40 - How Workpay Started17:13 - Rebranding Workpay: Name Change17:58 - Most Challenging Decisions19:56 - Raising Money and the Funding Rounds27:40 - Risks and Mistakes He Regrets30:16 - What Global Expansion Looks Like for Workpay37:44 - Final Lessons for Entrepreneurs🔔 Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and turn on notifications so you don’t miss more incredible founder stories from across Africa.Get your tickets to The Builders Summit 2025 here: https://tix.africa/discover/momentumConnect with Us:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/foundersconnect_Twitter/X: https://www.x.com/theFCshow_LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/foundersconnectshow