Do you have the skills to help an impoverished entrepreneur in Nairobi? We have 9 members in need of you, a business coach!
Let us introduce you to a few of our Members. As you will see, most entrepreneurs provide services to businesses. However, we also have skilled artisans, but they are not selling directly to customers. Rather, they sell to consumer stores and wholesalers, with the potential for annual contracts. (Note: Additional photos from Nairobi are coming soon ...)
Lucy started her vegetable business in 2006. She says, I was encouraged to start the business by my Auntie, who has been in this business for over 10 years. Today I supply vegetables to schools, hotels and one small supermarket. I also do a bit of retail business. I enjoy my work very much and I have seen it grow from a very small business to what it is today. I would like to expand my business and employ several people. I believe this will be possible if I can get the proper skills in marketing and money management.I am single but hope to get married soon.
Perminus is an artisan: he creates fishing flies! He sells his handiwork to fly shops and fly fishing companies. He says, "I started as an assistant in my mothers small curio shop. I later learned about fishing flies from a friend, and I developed an interest in them. I started tying flies, and as time went on I visited the Kenya Export Promotion Council seeking to get orders from overseas. I also started using the internet to research possible customers, and sent introduction letters by mail. Currently, I am in the process of supplying an order to a U.S. customer.
I enjoy my work very much. The products are not bulky and the profit I make when I have business sustains me. But the demand is not constant enough. I would like to get more business skills and market myself more to enable me to get and fill big orders. I enjoy marketing and tying the flys. I am 23 and hoping to start a family soon. "
Jane is 37, married, and has one child. Jane offers administrative services for individuals, schools, and small business enterprises. She expects that with growing success of her business she will be able to hire people from her local community, allowing her to create employment for those who have an education but do not have the opportunity to work because jobs are scarce. She also believes she will be a role model in her community; and engage in charitable work, e.g. buy food for the community's poor people and even sponsor a poor child to go to school.
Winfred, 31, is supporting 2 children on her own. She provides secretarial services to small businesses, entrepreneurs, community based organizations, and farmers cooperative societies. She has a secretarial services certificate, which included training in typing, shorthand, business studies, and english for business. Growing her business will allow her to support her family, and as she grows, she hopes to employ youth from her local community to help reduce unemployment.
Winfred says, "I love typing and seeing the outcome of my work, being able to bring out something neat and organized out of what had been rough work. Then I feel proud of my work. When my customers come back for more services and they complement me for the work I have done then I am encouraged and eager to do more and expand my services. I love what I do. Right now what is most challenging in my work is the lack of modern facilities.
Margaret , 38, is an artist and seamstress who makes beadwork, African wear, and jewelry. She sells her handicrafts to supermarkets, gift shops,hotels and design companies. She is married, and her 3 children have given her a particular desire to grow her business so that her family is in a stronger financial position and so that she may provide employment and training to youth in her community.
Isaac sells African art and crafts to hotels, supermarkets and exporters. He is 27, married, and has 2 children. He wants to protect the local culture of his community, employ those without work, and provide training for those with no skills so they can find work. Isaac says,
I started my curio business in 2004 in my local village some 200 miles west of Nairobi. When I realized that it was not doing well because of low demand, I moved to Nairobi where the demand was much higher. I spent the first two months doing door to door marketing. I used the little funds I had to make it grow. To date, I have a substantial number of customers and enjoy my business, especially when I mingle with many people and make new friends.