Before there was a company name or a formal title, there was just work. Long hours. Demanding customers. And the kind of quiet lessons you only pick up by being on the floor.
Blaise Ishimwe did not set out to build a protocol business. He started, like many young Rwandans, in service. First as a waiter, learning quickly that service is not about carrying plates but about carrying yourself.
"You learn early that it's not just the job. It's how you make people feel," he says.
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That idea followed him into his next role, handling airport transport pickups. There, time mattered, tone mattered, and preparation mattered even more.
People arrived tired, rushed or confused, and small details made the difference.
"Sometimes it's not what you say. It's whether you're ready, calm and respectful."
Without realizing it, Ishimwe was already doing protocol work. People began relying on him, asking questions, looking to him for direction.
What he was really offering was order in unfamiliar spaces.
That pattern eventually turned into Apex Protocol. Not because he wanted a flashy business, but because he wanted to formalize values he already lived by discipline, respect and structure and pass them on to others willing to learn.
"Protocol felt natural to me. I'm observant, quiet, and I believe order changes how people experience things," he says.
The road was not without friction. Communication was sometimes misunderstood, and expectations did not always align. Instead of slowing him down, those moments sharpened his patience and professionalism.
For anyone thinking of taking a similar path, Ishimwe's lessons are simple. Start where you are. Pay attention to how people respond to you. Let consistency speak louder than ambition. And remember that service, when done well, always creates demand.
Looking ahead, he hopes Apex Protocol grows into a trusted name, not just for what it does, but for how it does it.
Because in the end, his story is less about business and more about this: if you master how to serve people with dignity, the structure will follow.
