Founder Diaries Podcast
Hosted by Founder Diaries
A Kenyan podcast where founder Yvonne Kanyi interviews entrepreneurs and hosts roundtables on the practical realities of building a business.
A mix of one-on-one interviews, expert roundtables, and solo 'minisodes' focused on the ground-level realities of Kenyan entrepreneurship. Host Yvonne Kanyi, a founder herself, moves between deep dives into a single founder's story and panel discussions tackling common business problems like hiring, pricing, and scaling. The show is candid about the struggles, from financial uncertainty to managing people, offering practical insights rather than just celebrating success.
“The show's blend of formats—solo host, one-on-one, and multi-guest roundtables—is unique. Its focus on the specific challenges within the Kenyan market, hosted by a founder who openly shares her own business journey and even sponsors the show with her companies, gives it a raw, 'in the trenches' feel.”
Who hosts this show
Yvonne Kanyi is a Kenyan entrepreneur and creator who hosts the Founder Diaries Podcast. She is the founder of two beauty businesses, the retail-focused Beauty Square and the service-based Sage Skin clinic, which were inspired by her own journey with acne. Through her podcast and personal brand, she shares her learnings and facilitates honest conversations about the challenges and wins of entrepreneurship in Africa.
Credentials & credits
- Founder & CEO, Beauty Square KE
- Founder & CEO, Sage Skin
- Certified Aesthetician
- Host, Founder Diaries Podcast
- Business Influencer 2025 (Award)
- Graduate, Centonomy Entrepreneur program
Other ventures
- Beauty Square KE (Skincare retail)
- Sage Skin (Skincare clinic/spa)
- Personal Brand/Content Creation
What kind of podcast
When new episodes drop
- 01
- 02
- 03
- 04SN2; Episode 11: Answering Your Biggest Business Questions | Season 2 Finale Pt 1Jun 16, 2026 · 39 min
- 05
- 06SN2; Minisode 19: The Struggle of Many Founders and ManagersJun 8, 2026 · 10 min
- 07SN2; Minisode 18: My 5 Non-Negotiable Habits for GrowthJun 4, 2026 · 19 min
- 08
Notable episodes
- 01SN2; Episode 11: Answering Your Biggest Business Questions | Season 2 Finale Pt 1
A great example of the roundtable format, where experts in marketing, coaching, and strategy tackle audience-submitted dilemmas about pricing and scaling.
- 02SN2: Episode 10: How Kamau Nyabwengi Built a Golf Academy That Has Trained 4,000+ Golfers
A classic one-on-one interview that traces a founder's entire journey, from early side hustles to building a niche business in an exclusive industry.
- 03SN2; Minisode 19: The Struggle of Many Founders and Managers
This solo minisode showcases the host's personal reflections on a common founder pain point—managing employee performance—demonstrating the show's more intimate format.
What you'll be asked on this show
In one-on-one episodes, Yvonne begins with a broad prompt for the guest to introduce themselves and their business, before asking a more personal, 'who are you outside of work?' question. She is an active listener who probes for specific details, often using phrases like 'I'm curious to hear...' to dig into origin stories, business models, and moments of struggle. In the roundtable format, she is less of an interrogator and more of a moderator, setting the topic and allowing the guests to converse with and question each other, creating a collaborative, problem-solving atmosphere.
The podcast alternates between three formats: solo minisodes with Yvonne's personal reflections, one-on-one interviews, and roundtable discussions with multiple experts. In roundtables, she acts as a facilitator, often using audience-submitted questions to guide a free-flowing conversation. Ad reads for her own businesses, Beauty Square and Sage Skin, are a regular feature and are integrated personally into the show.
Questions Founder Diaries keeps coming back to
11 cataloguedIf you're going on this show as a guest, expect some version of each of these. Each note explains when Founder Diaries reaches for it.
origin
3- Q.01
“Can you introduce yourself and tell us about your business?”
This is her standard opening question to establish the guest's identity and current venture.
- Q.02
“What were your initial side hustles or your introduction to business?”
Used to trace the guest's entrepreneurial roots and early experiences with making money.
- Q.03
“How did [current business] come to be?”
A key question to uncover the specific origin story of the guest's main venture.
personal
1- Q.01
“Who are you outside of work?”
She often asks this early on to get a sense of the guest's personality beyond their founder identity.
mindset
2- Q.01
“How do you handle business problems without it feeling like a personal failure?”
This question opens up discussions about the emotional and psychological toll of entrepreneurship.
- Q.02
“Was there any point in the journey where you wanted to quit?”
She asks this towards the end of an interview to explore resilience and the low points of the journey.
advice
1- Q.01
“What lessons have you learned, especially in building your business?”
A direct prompt to elicit concrete advice and takeaways for the audience.
process
2- Q.01
“Can you explain the structure of your business and how it works?”
This question seeks to deconstruct the guest's business model for the audience.
- Q.02
“What are some hidden costs of running this business you didn't foresee?”
This surfaces the practical, often unglamorous, financial realities of a specific industry.
money
2- Q.01
“How do you plug operating expenses into your pricing model?”
Aimed at getting tactical financial advice, particularly in roundtable discussions.
- Q.02
“What has been your most profitable venture so far?”
Used when a guest has multiple businesses to compare their relative success.
Signature segments
- · Host ad reads for her own companies (Beauty Square, Sage Skin)
- · Roundtable discussions with multiple experts
- · Solo 'minisodes' from the host
- · Audience-submitted questions
- · Host reminders to subscribe/follow
Topics covered repeatedly
Who gets booked here
The show features Kenyan founders from various industries (e.g., beauty, tech, professional services) and business experts such as leadership coaches, marketers, and strategists. Guests are typically open to sharing specific details about their business models, failures, and lessons learned.
- Robert Buraleon SN2; Episode 11: The Founder Mistakes That Silently Kill Businesses | Season 2 Finale Pt 2
- Michelle Ntalamion SN2; Episode 11: The Founder Mistakes That Silently Kill Businesses | Season 2 Finale Pt 2
- Kamau Nyabwengion SN2: Episode 10: How Kamau Nyabwengi Built a Golf Academy That Has Trained 4,000+ Golfers
- Victoria Muthamaon SN2; Episode 11: Answering Your Biggest Business Questions | Season 2 Finale Pt 1
- Joanna Kon SN2; Episode 9: The Business Side of Scaling Joanna K Cosmetics | Ft. Joanna K Pt. 2
Where to find this show
Audience & reach
The podcast is primarily sponsored by the host's own businesses, Beauty Square and Sage Skin, with ad reads delivered personally by Yvonne Kanyi. This creates a unique angle where the podcast serves as a content marketing engine for her other ventures. The show also features external sponsors like DigiTax and Sarova Hotels.
Subscriber and view counts are pulled live from YouTube and re-verified on a 30-day cycle. Listener estimates for the RSS feed aren't published here unless they're host-verified.
Pitch Founder Diaries
k•••@•••.comFree: limited reveals · Pro: unlimited reveals + CSV export
You’re only charged when we return a verified hit.
People also ask
- What is the host's real name?
- The host is Yvonne Kanyi.
- What is the format of the show?
- It's a mix of one-on-one interviews with founders, roundtable discussions with multiple experts, and short solo episodes from the host.
- Is the podcast still running?
- Yes, the podcast is actively releasing new episodes.
- What are the host's other businesses?
- Yvonne Kanyi is the founder of skincare retailer Beauty Square and skincare clinic Sage Skin.
- Who is the podcast for?
- It's primarily for current and aspiring entrepreneurs, especially those in the Kenyan market, looking for practical advice and relatable stories.
- Where can I listen to the podcast?
- Founder Diaries is available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
Built from the show's public RSS feed, YouTube, the host's own websites, and the cited sources below. Computed and AI-extracted fields are labelled. Facts only — no private info, no fabrication, no transcripts republished.
Sources & how this page was built
This page is AI-assisted, grounded in the public sources cited below, and host-verifiable. We publish facts only; we do not republish transcripts. If anything here is wrong, the host can claim and correct the page above.Model: gemini-2.5-pro · high confidence
- [01]Founder Diaries Podcast - YouTube Channelyoutube.com
- [02]Founder Diaries Podcast on Apple Podcastspodcasts.apple.com
- [03]From Almost Closing to Expanding: A Founder's Journey Yvonne Kanyiyoutube.com
- [04]Inside the Journey of Beauty Square & Sage Sknn ft. Yvonne Kanyi - Peer Pressureyoutube.com
- [05]Yvonne Kanyi's Success Story On Building Beauty Square & Sage Sknyoutube.com
- [06]Ambition, Pressure & Perception: Navigating Business & Growth With Yvonne Kanyiyoutube.com
Podcasts like Founder Diaries Podcast
PARANORMAL EXPERIENCE
PARANORMAL EXPERIENCE
Um podcast brasileiro de longa duração onde dois apresentadores entrevistam médiuns, mentores e especialistas sobre suas experiências paranormais e estruturas espirituais.
Silicon Valley Girl
Silicon Valley Girl
An entrepreneur interviews the founders and scientists building the next wave of AI to uncover practical strategies for career and business growth.
The Arena
The Arena
A daily sports debate show where 3-time NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas and a panel of former pros give unfiltered takes on basketball news.
Backstage with Millionaires
Pankaj Chauhan
A weekly news show and documentary-style channel breaking down the biggest stories and trends in the Indian startup and venture capital ecosystem.
Thomas Brush
Thomas Brush
A podcast for aspiring indie game developers, hosted by a solo dev who interviews peers about the practical and emotional journey of making games.
The Founder's Dream | Abhishek vyas
The Founder
A Hindi-language business podcast featuring long-form interviews with Indian startup founders about their real-world journeys and industries.
Rusty Quill Podcasts
Rusty Quill Podcasts
A network feed from a London-based production house specializing in full-cast speculative fiction and horror audio dramas.
HAHA Podcast
Three Korean-American sisters and YouTubers bring their chaotic, unfiltered group chat to a weekly video podcast.