Name
Stephen
Member since
February 2015
On-time repayments
326 installments • 77%
My name is Stephen Kimani, but my friends call me Steve. I was born in Kiambu County in the central highlands of Kenya twenty three years ago. I was born in a farming community where most people are involved in food farming as well as livestock keeping. My parents are such farmers and I spent my childhood years in our farm helping them in their farming activities.
I went for primary school and later joined secondary school for my basic education. I did a course in electronics maintenance later and I am a qualified technician in mobile phone repair. However, I did not pursue that career because the I found the work too demanding and with very low income.
It is then that I decided to relocate to Mombasa town to live with a relative who had a business of selling motor vehicle spare parts. I worked for him for two years as a shop attendant and then decided to start my own business of selling second hand books. This is what I am still doing to date.
I deal with selling of second hand school books. I normally get the old books from parents whose children graduate to the next classes. This is a common practice in Kenya where old books are passed on to those who are in lower classes instead of buying new books which are more expensive.
I also sell new books when I run out old books stocks but this is very rare. The business is quite profitable since my profit margin is about 40%. The main challenge of this business is that it is seasonal and it normally peaks when a new school term begins usually in the months of January, May and September.
My business gives me a net income of about $200 per month. I spend this money to buy more stock and for my upkeep.
I run my business from a roadside structure but my dream is to have a secure store where the books will be safe from thieves and the elements.
If given this money, I will spend it to buy a new batch of second hand books to boost my current stock. The most popular books that I sell are dictionaries and atlases. I intend to buy 4 Oxford dictionaries at a total cost of $40 and 3 world atlases for $30. These are fast moving books and I am sure I will be able to sell them within a very short time.
The expected return will help me grow my business at even a faster rate and bring my dream of moving into a better place even closer.
Positive
1
Neutral
None
Negative
None
Project Type
Classic Loan
Disbursed amount
$100.00
Date disbursed
Apr 13, 2015
Repayment status
On Time
Projected term
4 months
Ask Stephen a question about this project, share news and photos of your own, or send a simple note of thanks or inspiration.
Amount repaid
$105.14
Amount remaining
$0.00
Date repaid
Aug 11, 2015
Status
Fully repaid
Expected Payments | Actual Payments | ||
---|---|---|---|
Apr 26, 2015 | $5.53 | Apr 28, 2015 | $5.53 |
May 3, 2015 | $5.53 | Apr 28, 2015 | $0.02 |
May 2, 2015 | $5.51 | ||
May 10, 2015 | $5.53 | May 2, 2015 | $0.04 |
May 8, 2015 | $5.49 | ||
May 17, 2015 | $5.53 | May 8, 2015 | $0.07 |
May 19, 2015 | $5.47 | ||
May 24, 2015 | $5.53 | May 19, 2015 | $0.09 |
May 24, 2015 | $5.44 | ||
May 31, 2015 | $5.53 | May 24, 2015 | $0.11 |
Jun 1, 2015 | $5.42 | ||
Jun 7, 2015 | $5.53 | Jun 1, 2015 | $0.13 |
Jun 6, 2015 | $5.40 | ||
Jun 14, 2015 | $5.53 | Jun 6, 2015 | $0.16 |
Jun 16, 2015 | $5.38 | ||
Jun 21, 2015 | $5.53 | Jun 16, 2015 | $0.18 |
Jun 26, 2015 | $5.36 | ||
Jun 28, 2015 | $5.53 | Jun 26, 2015 | $0.20 |
Jul 4, 2015 | $5.33 | ||
Jul 5, 2015 | $5.53 | Jul 4, 2015 | $0.06 |
Jul 9, 2015 | $5.48 | ||
Jul 12, 2015 | $5.53 | Jul 9, 2015 | $0.08 |
Jul 12, 2015 | $5.46 | ||
Jul 19, 2015 | $5.53 | Jul 12, 2015 | $0.10 |
Jul 21, 2015 | $5.43 | ||
Jul 26, 2015 | $5.53 | Jul 21, 2015 | $0.12 |
Jul 27, 2015 | $5.41 | ||
Aug 2, 2015 | $5.53 | Jul 27, 2015 | $5.53 |
Aug 9, 2015 | $5.53 | Jul 27, 2015 | $0.02 |
Aug 1, 2015 | $5.51 | ||
Aug 16, 2015 | $5.53 | Aug 1, 2015 | $5.53 |
Aug 23, 2015 | $5.53 | Aug 1, 2015 | $0.07 |
Aug 11, 2015 | $5.47 | ||
Aug 30, 2015 | $5.54 | Aug 11, 2015 | $5.54 |
Loading...