Display fridge for storing soft drinks in my shop

Francis

Nairobi, Uthiru, Kiuru 87., Kenya

100% repaid

Entrepreneur

Name

Francis

Member since

August 2014

On-time repayments

68 installments  •  85%

About Me

I was born in Central province, but grew up in Rift Valley in a duty town called Gilgil. When growing up, grazing my parents' cows, goats and sheep was the order of the day as long as it was not a school day. Grazing was being subsituted with going to the farm where we used to grow maize, beans, potatoes and peas. My father used to run a retail shop and occasionally he would let my brothers and I run it. The greatest hardship I went through was lack of school fees especially after I joined high school. But I used to sneak back to school to study even after being chased away by the headmaster due to lack of fees. This gave me a determination that I must work hard at all the time and ensure my children don't go through such a difficult life. Being exposed to running my dad's shop gave me the urge to start mine. And I am glad I am running a shop today outside my formal employment. My eldest daughter who is 11 years old wants to be a doctor when she grows up. My son who is 4 years old wants to become a pilot. The last born daughter is 6 years. My hobby actually is reading materials related to running a business.

My Business

My business goes by the name Bag & Bags. The business sells new and second hand bags and clothes. It is located along Kiambu Road.
The objective is to be a one stop shop for busy shoppers who want to look good but at an affordable price. The designer bags are meant to make sure customer gets enough space to put his or her stuff but at an affordable price. This calls for stocking of smart products especially for the common Kenyans citizen who either has no time or enough cash to purchase items from the big supermarkets in shopping malls.
I ensure the customers get the items they need at affordable prices, best quality and quantities that match their pockets. Since its establishment 4 years now , the shop has attracted a huge number of customers and this is on an upward trajectory.
My plan is to expand it even further and introduce new products/items which presently are not on the shelves. But stocking of the products is primarily demand driven. After being funded by Zidisha, I introduced M-Pesa services (Mobile money service) which is doing very well. The shop is also now well branded. But with increasing sales, I have come to learn I need to buy more things to serve customers better. I need to expand the variety of products I sell. I need to stock items which customers have been asking for yet I don't have.

Loan Proposal

My plan is to spend Ksh 40,000 ($400) to purchase a display fridge for my shop. This has been necessitated by the increasing demand for cold beverage (soft drinks) for instance cold water and soda. This is mainly contributed by the hot weather in Kitengela (where the shop is located). The fridge will increase the demand for the soft drinks and increase my profit by approximately 20%. The remaining Ksh 14000 ($140) will be used to stock the fridge with various brands of soft drinks.

Feedback

3

None

None



Loading...

Loan Info

Project Type

Classic Loan

Disbursed amount

$532.00

Date disbursed

Sep 4, 2018

Repayment status

On Time

Projected term

1 week

Lenders

AltruisticSelfishnes

Chicago, United States

MarktheMormon

Sandy, Utah, United States

Pere

Barcelona, Spain

Tavin

Ottawa, Canada

Cloudways

Malta, Malta

G

Goodwill

Oakland, United States

ads68

Melbourne, Australia

A

Andy

Berlin, United States

G

glh25

Winooski, United States

mikeice

Kohler, United States

Lisbeth

Perth, Australia

Grant Xavier Storer

Seattle, Wa, United States

SuperMario28

Cudahy, United States

Mike and Jacqui

United Kingdom

E

erica

antwerpen, Belgium

Thomas

Sweden, Sweden

SH

Stephanie He

United States

JA

Joshua Axtell

United States

Ellen

Michigan, United States

HCPSPIRIT

Helsinki, Finland

Dean Suminski

Portland, Oregon, United States

Deirdre

Yorkshire, United Kingdom

JF

J Fister

United States

R

RMIM

United States

ZS

Zach Silveira

Asheville, Nc, United States

A

Anonymous

United States

MM

Mac McKiva

United States

M

Malte

Switzerland

Cambium Foundation

Kirkland, United States

Ask Francis a question about this project, share news and photos of your own, or send a simple note of thanks or inspiration.

Please log in to comment.

  • Francis    May 27, 2023

    This is to profusely thank you for supporting my venture. I am humbled. I will in the next few days put the money into use by introducing kids play items (hard ones like toys and soft ones like dolls). I also promise to repay the loan as per the schedule. Once again for your kindness and generosity. Be blessed good people.

    Log in to reply • Share
  • Ronald    May 26, 2023

    All the best

    Log in to reply • Share
  • Noviandri    May 26, 2023

    Kids go go... Yey...

    Translated by Google     Show original

    Log in to reply • Share
  • Moses    May 23, 2023

    Hope this can help you.

    Log in to reply • Share
  • Yusuf    May 23, 2023

    Let’s use the little we get to improve lives

    Log in to reply • Share
    • Francis    May 26, 2023

      Very true, and we positively change the communities we live in.

      Log in to reply • Share
  • Francis    May 13, 2023

    Greetings. First thank you very much for being on my side in backing my business. Your generosity and kindness is unparalleled. Last funding, I was able to purchase some of the equipment that I needed for my business. For instance the fridge I purchased that time to cool beverages doubled sales for the same. This is because where I am, it gets really hot and customers want cold beverages from the shop. This doubling of sales has enabled me to now expand my ventures to now run this clothes and bags shop. This is how your generosity is transforming things here in Kenya. Each of these shops, I do employ two people. This is how your generosity is creating employment here on the ground.

    Log in to reply • Share
  • Francis    Jun 29, 2020

    Thank you very much for the loan received of Ksh 50,000 (including the fees/charges). I have managed to restock my shop and added more clothes.
    I do appreciate for the support.

    Log in to reply • Share
  • Francis    Jun 15, 2020

    Thank you lenders for being this kind. The loan will enable me boost my business by adding new stock (mostly clothes). I truly appreciate.
    Regards,
    Francis

    Log in to reply • Share
  • Ed    Jun 10, 2020

    Hi Francis, hope this helps!

    Log in to reply • Share
  • Francis    Jun 2, 2020

    Dear Lenders,
    This is to let you know that the loan I had applied for and which you helped me get helped me immensely. I was able to introduce more things at the shop, attract more customers and boost my sales more. Thank you very much for you support.

    Log in to reply • Share
  • Chepkoech    Sep 23, 2018

    Mr. Gatimu is said to pay off the dues the coming week.Thank you.

    Log in to reply • Share
  • Francis    Sep 10, 2018

    Thank you very much. I received the loan, purchased the display fridge and stocked it. I thank you very much.

    Log in to reply • Share
  • Francis    Sep 3, 2018

    Thank you very much lenders. I do appreciate. This will go a long way in boosting my business.
    Kind regards.
    Francis

    Log in to reply • Share
  • Kenet    Aug 28, 2018

    congratulation in your business keep it up.

    Log in to reply • Share
  • Camm    Aug 27, 2018

    Enjoy your fridge !
    Best

    Log in to reply • Share
  • Francis    Dec 22, 2017

    The last loan helped me in adding products in my shop. In boosted sales as customers started getting a variety of products. The increased sales has led to increased earnings of about 30%. This earnings have helped me to keep on restocking to ensure I don't have empty shelves. The earnings have also helped me to keep on adding new products at the shop.

    Log in to reply • Share
  • Francis    Dec 21, 2017

    I used the last loan to purchase additional stock for my shop. Proper stocking in a shop is very key. This made customers realise the shop had more items compared to the other shops in the neighbourhood.

    Log in to reply • Share
  • Francis    Dec 21, 2017

    The last loan has helped me expand the business tremendously. This expansion was mainly through the purchase of additional products. Money raised from these sales has increased too and virtually every shilling is ploughed back in a bid to expand the business.

    Log in to reply • Share
  • Francis    Dec 21, 2017

    Dear lenders.
    The loan which I have just concluded repaying really boosted my retail shop. Apart from adding the float for Mpesa, I was able to purchase more stock, hence expansion. 2017 was a very different year for the country because of the political campaign and the presidential candidates . Many businesses were closed because or registered losses. But my shop, despite the challenges, registered good sales. The money borrowed from Zidisha really helped the shop to grow. I do really thank and appreciate the Zidisha team for this good work.

    Log in to reply • Share
  • Francis    Sep 21, 2017

    Thank you deeply for being my lenders. I truly appreciate. I promise that I will put the money into good use as captured in my application.

    Log in to reply • Share


Loading...

Loading...

Loading...