Inventory of cereals for a cereal store in a semi-arid area
Teresah
Kiptangwanyi, Kenya
100% repaid
Entrepreneur
Name
Teresah
Member since
January 2013
On-time repayments
217 installments • 100%
About Me
I was born in the Central Province of Kenya (Nyeri). My parents were peasant farmers with some coffee plantation, only, to tend to. It was challenging for them to guarantee us a decent lifestyle. However, despite these limitations, my parents believed in my education. They did their very best to ensure I went to school. It’s heartbreaking that they are not here anymore to witness the results of their hard work and faith in me, but wherever they are, am sure they are smiling and proud of their efforts.
I ended up a teacher, teaching in primary schools. I taught for over 25 years until I decided to seek early retirement to focus on making my small business work.
I am married with four children. My husband is a primary school teacher. Thanks to God, my eldest son secured a job and is working towards cementing his career. The second born has just started his small business. My third born is in his 3rd year of university. He has been helping me out so much over the holidays in running my cereals business. He is very interested in joining me after university to try and scale this business. My only daughter, the last born, is in her 1st year in the university. She's studying for a career in the tourism & hospitality industry. It has been quite a struggle educating my children, but it is with God’s glory that we have managed.
Zidisha was very pivotal when I decided to start my business. A business, for me, was not only a means of meeting the needs of my community and creating a source of income, but also a way of liberating myself and empowering more of the people around me. I have always had a passion for helping people in need. Throughout my teaching career, I have lived with and accommodated different persons and treated them as family; ranging from a few orphaned kids, a HIV Positive girl, a son of a single mother, to my nieces who needed financial support. I do not do all these because I had any adequate financial capability, but rather because I felt it was the right thing to. That is why I look at my business as a means of not only empowering myself, but most importantly, a way of empowering my customers and persons I care about. That is my passion.
My Business
My recent loan application was intended to purchase motorcycles, which would help transport my products to far-flung remote areas. I tested this distribution model first by leasing out a couple motorcycles to do the transportation for me. It quickly became clear that motorcycles wouldn't transport the bulk of my products as efficiently as I would have liked. I, therefore, looked for and acquired a second-hand Toyota Carina sedan car for about $1,500 (I paid $1000 in cash and the rest in 10 monthly installments). Well, it's a cranky old car but it did the job...most of the time!
I managed to distribute loaves of bread (Elliot's) to retailers in my countryside. The year wasn't so bad either. Although the Kenyan elections affected my business a little, I managed to forge ahead by the trust of my customers and by the Grace of God.
My retail business grew into a wholesale business, and I saw a need to establish another shop on the opposite side of the road. Currently, am dealing in foodstuffs including flour, cereal, loaves of bread, and beverages like sodas and juices. This being a pretty semi-arid area, foodstuffs have the greatest demand. I also introduced clothes and kid's shoes. Oh, and I managed to send my youngest daughter to university! All thanks to the business and you, Lenders!
Loan Proposal
Once i get this loan, the breakdown of its usage will be as follows:
Purchasing 10 bags of maize cereals, where each goes for $26.8= $268
Purchasing 5 bags of beans, where each goes for $53.5= $267.5
Purchasing 5 bags of green grams, where each goes for $96.3= $481.5
Purchasing 2 bags of sorghum, where each goes for $96.3= $192.6
Transportation costs ( I will finance this with the profits realized from the one and a half months period i operated the store)= $183
The balance shall be held as a contingency against any unforeseen costs= $173.56
Getting this loan will be of invaluable importance to me in that i will be able to meet the pending orders. It will be of much importance to my customers in that they will be availed with an opportunity to purchase food products within reasonable range of prices as well as ensure food sustainability in our area all year round.
By purchasing in bulk as indicated above, my costs will be lower than they have been in the past months and therefore this will enable my profit margin to increase to an average of 30%.
I believe that a worthy business project is worth supporting since the benefits often trickle down ultimately to the consumer. This, according to me, is one such project and i believe is worthy of your support; be it your consideration or recommendation. I seek your support to help people within my locality by providing them with quality at affordable prices.
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Loan Info
Project Type
Classic Loan
Disbursed amount
$1,450.00
Date disbursed
Jan 30, 2015
Repayment status
On Time
Projected term
23 months
Lenders
Atlanta, United States
North Carolina, United States
Shanghai, China
Orlando, Florida, United States
Melbourne, Australia
College Station, United States
Chicago, United States
Heber City, United States
Columbus, Oh, United States
Logan, United States
Lincoln, United States
Fontvielle, Monaco, Yemen
Longueuil, Canada
Singapore, Singapore
Oslo, Norway
South Bend, United States
Mountain View, United States
[email protected], United States
Montreal, Canada
United States
Corona Del Mar, United States
United States
South Africa
Australia
United Kingdom
United States
United States
United States
Germany
United States
United States
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