Buy cabbages to resell

Entrepreneur

About Me

My name is Janet Komu from Mombasa Kenya. This is a costal town with a large sea port and it is famous for its white sandy beaches which makes it a perfect holiday town. I have lived in this town for most of my adult life since I relocated here just after my secondary education.

I was born in Makueni which is in eastern side of Kenya. This is a semi arid area with a serious lack of water in most part of the year. I have witnessed this getting worse in recent years due to climate change and this has had a negative impact to my community. Most streams and wells that were full of life when I was growing up have dried up. This community is now digging up dams and water pans to mitigate the harsh climatic conditions.

I grew up in this area where I was born in a family of seven children where I am the second born. Like other children during our time, I was taken to primary school and then joined secondary school within the same area. I did my secondary exam but I did not transition to college due to lack of resources. My parents decided to give my younger siblings some education since paying for my college education would have meant denying others education since my parents didn't have enough resources for all of us.

I was dispatched to Mombasa to go and live with my aunt. No explanation was given for this, but I guess my parents wanted to reduce pressure at home ensuing from the large family. I also think my parents were protecting me from prying eyes of young boys in our village.

I lived well with my aunt who was selling vegetables in a large market and I would help her run it. I did this for a couple of years and then opened my own outlet and I am still running it to date.

I am a mother of one teenage boy who is year two of his high school education. He hopes to became an aeronautical engineer when he joins the university. I am determined to help him realize his dreams so that he can have a professional career. I raise him single handedly.

My Business

My business entails selling fresh fruits and vegetables. I started this business slightly over 5 years ago having gained some experience from my aunt's stall. Mombasa is largely an urban place so we depend on supplies from upcountry which normally arrive very early in the morning. This means I have to forgo my early morning sleep to get the best produce for my clients when they arrive in the wee hours.

These are highly perishable goods and I have to keep a good stream of reliable clients else they can easily go to waste. Ours is an open air market and we don't have coolers and so most of the products must be sold on the same day.

I use proceeds from this business to pay my bills like rent, power and food. More importantly, I use the income to pay for my son's school fees and his general upkeep. I hope to keep this business growing and help me get a better life.

Project Proposal

I will buy a few dozen cabbages from my supplier. I will then resell them from my outlet at a profit.

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