More stock of shoes

James

Mombasa, Kenya

4% repaid

Entrepreneur

Name

James

Member since

December 2014

On-time repayments

157 installments  •  82%

About Me

My name is James Manji born in Nakuru County of Rift Valley of Kenya. I come from a family of farmers where my parents’ (both deceased) occupation was small scale farming. I am the third born out of 8 siblings.

I grew up in a typical rural area where there were very few amenities and my normal day was just going to school and helping my parents with their farming activities. We didn’t have luxuries such as TVs, phones, electricity or even tap water. This routine went on until when I cleared my secondary education and joined college where I did a technical course in machine mechanics.

After my college education, I got a job at big cement factory where I was employed as a machine operator. I worked there for three years and life was going on very well. I was young and full of energy but then disaster struck! I got injured when I fell from a tall machine that I was working on. I got spinal injuries that kept me in the hospital for three months.

Unfortunately, I could not continue working because the accident affected my mobility a lot. I was given some money by the employer and advised to start a business. As a greenhorn, I burned my fingers in my initial venture but I finally settled for a shoe selling business which is what I am doing till now.

I am married with two children aged 14 and 12 years.

My Business

I have done this business for the last 12 years and with time, I have created a good network of suppliers and customers. I occasionally supply shoes to schools and other institutions. I specialize in low cost shoes since most people in this neighbourhood operate on very low budgets. A pair of shoe for an adult costs about $8 and that of a child $6.

I get a flow of clients throughout the year but the business normally picks during festive season and beginning of the year when the schools reopen. I make an average profit of about $350 per month which is what supports my family.

Loan Proposal

I will use this loan to buy more shoes for my shop. I deal with all types of shoes ranging from children to adult shoes. I will be able to buy about 2 dozen pairs of different types of shoes. This will in turn attract more customers to my shop since they prefer a well-stocked shop.

I will source my stock from distributors in town who sell at a wholesale price and then make a profit when I retail them at about 30% higher. Overall, this will improve my quality of life.

Thanks.

Feedback

1

None

None



Loading...

Loan Info

Project Type

Classic Loan

Disbursed amount

$489.00

Date disbursed

Aug 2, 2017

Repayment status

Late

Projected term

115 months

Lenders

PG

Paul Graham

United States

M

Matthias

Australia

Craig Newmark

United States

The Zinc Team

San Francisco, United States

Humble Bundle Community

San Francisco, United States

M

Mark

Toulouse, France, France

Paul Buchheit

Mountain View, United States

A

Anonymous

United States

CN

Craig Newmark

United States

JG

Jake Gibson and Beverly Picardo

San Francisco, United States

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

Loading...

Loading...

Loading...