During My Campus Days

During my campus days, I would say I was living in my comfort zone.. That was my cocoon.. Everything I needed or rather I thought I needed was affordable. The few people in my circle lived close to the same life as mine. I would see some people we schooled with living luxurious lives and as timid as my mind was, I consoled myself by saying, ‘They are lucky to have rich boyfriends’.. It’s stupid I know.

This changed after completing school and we parted ways with my close friends.We would definitely check on each other but meeting was seldom. In my new location.. I met ‘worse’ company.. Working friends so one had more freedom to their money, but all the money spent on fun.. ‘pesaniyakutumika, vunjamifupakamamenobadoiko, YOLO’ which we misinterpreted the meaning, these were the slogans and life was salary based.. A slight delay in salary meant sleeping hungry till you’re paid.. Things hit me when one day, I ran out of tokens on 23rd was to be paid on 27th..I stayed in darkness for 3 days.. I would charge my phone in the office and use the torch for the night.. Poor soul.. There’s also a time my monthly periods came earlier than the expected date and I had to take a debt in a nearby shop for sanitary towels…it was so a shaming.

It hit me I needed savings and started saving Kshs. 1500 per month and honestly that was the best decision I made then.. With the little savings, after  eight months, I started handbag business, selling them to my very friends then with time my market base widened. I would source my bags from Eastleigh and sell them double the price or at a price slightlylower than the double price thus making good profit.

In the business is when I got to network with new people and for the first time people in the business world. I have to admit there’s a big difference in the mindset of business people  with that of salaried people. Here, I found young determined people, old and willing to mentor people, and people who seemed to have made it in life,depending with what one considers is making it. The more I interacted with them, the more I got challenged.. I had to make effort to get out of my comfort zone.. I learnt the secrets of the businesses and I used some to broaden my business. I eventually combined two businesses, baby clothes and handbags.

To make my business unique, for the baby clothes, I’d wrap a set of clothes then top it up with a toy, I would also brand some of the clothes to put up with the competition.

I was unfortunately glued to employment due to the fear of losing a job in a country where unemployment is so widespread, I feared not getting my guaranteed monthly salary till a time I realized my business was facing avoidable challenges due to lack of my attention.. I even lost some loyal customers because of that. It then dawned on me how busy I was chasing promotions and recognitions as I help someone accomplish their goals while mine were sinking. Few months later, I resigned from work.

The first months were difficult, saving the business profits as they were what replaced my monthly salary, some days not getting a single customer some customers flocking.. The balance was honestly difficult. Later, I learnt of a SACCO where I could depositand save. After saving for a year, I took a small loan and boosted it with part of my profits and opened wholesale and retail shops in three major towns of the Rift region. The business is now stable, I created employment for some people and with hope that in future I’ll come up with my own brand of children clothes and leather bags.

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