Entrepreneur
Name
Grace
Member since
January 2014
On-time repayments
172 installments • 9%
About Me
I am Grace Wambui Mbathi and aged 26 years. I am second born in our family. I have two brothers (john Muthama Mbathi and David Gitau) and one sister (Mary Waruinu). All of us stay in different places. I stay in Kongoni, Naivasha whereas John stays in Molo and David in Nairobi. Mary stays with my father and mother at a place called Maraigushu in Naivasha.
I have a college certificate that I was given by Kenya Teachers Service Commission in 2010. After completing my college education, I joined my uncle in assisting him carry out his mali-mali business that sells household items. In February 2011, I managed to get a teaching job in a private primary school. However, I stayed there for one year and had no motivation to sign another contract. The salary that I was getting was low (Kshs 8,000) and I had to find greener pastures. With the support of my parents, I decided to study computer packages and information technology courses. I studied them for 6 month and had completed the certificate levels by August 2012. Since it has been always my passion to carry out business, I decided to apply my knowledge in business. With little savings, I had to seek support of relatives and friends. With the amount that I raised, I eventually managed to come up with a cyber café by December 2012. The Cyber had only two computers and a printer. I was good enough to invest in a place where the market was untapped. I had to move from Naivasha town to interior, remote area called Kongoni, around 16 kilometers from Naivasha town. Kongoni center did not have a cyber café and the residents around there used to travel around 6 kilometers to the place where they could find one. As a result, my business easily and quickly became a success. By June 2013, I managed to add two more computers and a photocopier machine. Still, the demand in the area was not satisfied. I am in need of adding more computers so as to satisfy the demand.
In addition, there was no business offering instant photographs and passport-size photographs services near Kongoni. Thus, I decided to purchase a digital camera worth Kshs 10,000 in December 2013 so that I can invest in the service. Unfortunately, my current printer does not have ability to print quality photographs. Thus, on top of the need to purchase additional computers, I have a need to purchase a good machine that can produce quality photographs and other products that the current printer is unable, such as wedding cards. I am considering the printer as a priority since there is a chance to expand my revenue within a short period of time. The only challenge is that the machine is costly. I have consulted and noted that a quality printer for the mentioned purposes costs around Kshs. 30,000. Thus, I am trying to save from my earnings but it might take some time to raise the total amount. I currently use part of the profits (around Kshs. 8,000 per month) in supporting personal expenses and save the rest (around Kshs 6,000 per month) in order to be able to support my business in the future. I have intention of expanding my business to include a computer college in the future. Thus, I welcome lenders to support me in realizing my future plans.
My Business
I will be able to pay my loan from the income I get from my business. I have so far managed to clear loans and debts that I incurred initially when starting my business. My business offers cyber cafe services (typesetting, printing, internet, computer games) and other computer-related services to the local community at Kongoni area. At the moment, my business is stable and demand is high since there is no other cyber cafe located at Kongoni. The nearest cyber cafe offering competitive services is located approximately five kilometers from Kongoni. There are persons who provide photogragh services to persons in need in the area but they do not have the machines to print them. They travel to Naivahsa (16 kilometers away) to print quality photos. If I acquire a good machine, I will be able to tap such individuals and expand my business. The good thing with the cyber cafe business is that the risk of failure or incurring a loss is very low. The only running costs are electricity cost, rent, cost of cartridges, dyes, machines maintenance costs, salary for one assistant and other small cost. The only problem with the business is that it requires machines that are costly. But after purchasing a quality machine, the risk of failure or loss is quite low. I set aside money for maintenance of machines for my business to run well without any risk of failure. My average running cost over the last five months (without the cost of purchasing machines) has been 17,250. The cost may increase slightly after purchasing the quality printer. However, the machine will highly help to boost my revenue. My average revenue for the past five years has been Ksh. 31,615. Thus, my average revenue has been around Kshs. 14,365 over the months. I estimate that the new machine can help to boost my profit by more than Kshs 5,000. Thus, I am sure that I will be able to repay the loan and I am consfident to seek support from lenders.
Loan Proposal
Thank you lenders and Zidisha staff for your overall support. I am now applyinh for a second loan. My first loan supported me to add another computer dsesktop machine. I have always wanted to upgrade my business and take advantage of the available opportunity through purchasing a quality printer that will be capable of printing quality photos. There are photographers around but they move to Naivasha town (arounbd 16 kilometers away) to have their photos printed. I will use the loan plus my savings to purchase a qulity printer called Epson that produces quality photos. The machine currently costs $322 dollars in Nairobi city. I already have a plan to add my savings to the amount thaat Zidisha will lend to me to purchase the machine. If I manage to purchase the machine, I expect my net profit to move up by approximately $85 dollars every month. Step by step, I am approaching to a point where my future ambitions are becoming real. Please lenders, I will not frustrate you and I still need you in the future. I welcome your support. Thank you
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Loan Info
Project Type
Classic Loan
Disbursed amount
$173.00
Date disbursed
May 10, 2014
Repayment status
Late
Projected term
37 months
Other loans
Lenders
Madrid, Spain
Lahr, Germany
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