Cooking stoves, pots and food

Entrepreneur

About Me

My name is Maureen, I'm a mother of two beautiful girls aged six and and four years old. I am also a guardian to three boys. I am the first born in a family of six and a Social worker by proffession. I hold a Bachelor of Social Sciences degree from Kampala International University. Since I graduated, I have been working as a Social Worker but since July last year, I decided to quit employment and venture into Catering business. I intend to put up a food kiosk in Harambee estate, selling chapati, beef stew and beans. The reason why I decided to venture into this business is because there is ready market from workers around the estate.
I intend to hire one more person to help out with the cooking as I go out marketing the business around the estate and in establishments outside the estate.
I believe there is ready market in the food industry, besides that, cooking quality meals is my passion. I have researched widely and found that there is a gap in provision of quality food around Harambee Estate.
I intend to repay the loan through proceeds earned from the business and from the rice selling business I run.

My Business

I run a rice selling business. I transport rice from Mwea in Embu county and sell it to family and friends. I started this business in May last year when I quit employment and have been doing it since.
I buy rice from Mwea county and resell it around my estate.
I usually travel to Mwea every Friday and come back with the rice on Saturday. Initially I would be travelling to Mwea once a fortnight, but now travel weekly since demand for the rice has grown. Although there are other people selling rice around where I live, my main selling points have been packaging, door to door delivery and strong communication skills. I package the rice in brown paper bags which are more hygienic compared to the polythene bags used by my competitors. They are also environment friendly compared to the polythene bags. With increased sensitisation on environmental awareness, more people prefer the brown paper packaging. I have also recently began to do door to door deliveries. This has put me ahead of the competition. My training in Social Work and Adminstration, coupled with several years working experience has equipped me with communication and social skills that I have employed to attract more customer and retain more. I buy 1kg of rice at Ksh 80 and resell at Ksh 160. Transport costs amount to Ksh 400 per trip. Initially I would buy 5-10 kgs but with increased demand, I now buy upto 20 kgs. 20 kgs cost Ksh 1600, I resell at Ksh 3200. If I take away transport and other overhead costs, I make a net profit of about Ksh 1500 weekly, which translates to Ksh 6000 monthly in profits. This can go up or down depending on demand. The main challenge I face in this business is duplication. There are too many people around my area selling the same produce, and one has to be innovative to retain customers. It is because of this that I decided to venture into food selling to find another outlet for the business. I will now buy more rice and sell some raw, while the rest I will cook and sell.

Loan Proposal

I wish to open a food selling business and now apply for a loan to enable me buy the basic items I need to make this wish a reality.
I need to buy cooking stoves, pots and utensils all valued at $13. I have also identified a food kiosk that I will rent at $15 per month. To assist me in my chores, I will engage a temporary help who I will pay a daily rate of $3.
It has been my lifelong dream to venture into the food selling business. Help me make this dream come true. Thanks

Feedback

Loan Info

Lenders