I am a 37 year old barber ,i grew up in Mumias town with my father and mother,both deceased, plus 12 brothers and sisters.I am the seventh born in the family.I attended primary school at Mumias complex primary school and graduated then joined Musingu high school in Kakamega county where i studied and sat for my O level certificate.After graduating my family did not have the funds necessary to enable me to attend college and so i engaged in business here and there,sometimes selling grilled corn on the streets and helping people out others in carrying wares to the local market.I would make at least 100 kshs (1$) per day and we would share this as a family in meeting our daily needs.After the death of my parents i went into subsistence farming so that we could feed ourselves in our family.We also had a mentally challenged sister whom we had to collectively take care of and so each of us would go out and try and make a shilling or more so that we could afford to not only feed ourselves but also to be able to comfortably take care of our sister.We still do so to date.I farmed mostly maize,which we would take to mills and have it ground to make maize flour for use with cabbages or kale for our lunch and supper.In the course of my growing up and meeting various people on the streets i eventually left for Mombasa city to try casual jobs,and i worked various chores such as carrying maize and other cereal sacks on my back at the port of Mombasa filling trucks.We were not issued with loading trucks or lifts as is the case with many modern companies.We would carry 90 kilogram bags of maize on our backs and load them onto waiting trucks or offload them from ships into trucks waiting to transport them to the interior and to other markets.It was backbreaking and was a tough job for which i got paid approximately 2$ per day, and ones position was not guaranteed as you could easily be replaced if you did not carry as much bags as others or as much as they wanted filled to the truck owners and warehouse owners speed.I persevered and would send some money home to the rest of my family.Some of my other brothers and sisters had also gone to different cities and towns to look for jobs,some were succesful while others were not.Even those who were succesful managed to get only menial jobs but we saved what we could and raised the rest of our brothers and sisters back home. I saved some money and eventually fulfilled my dream by acquiring a shaving machine and started a makeshift barbershop which though it was small but helped me earn some more money to save and help my family while also enabling me to keep healthy as the back breaking job of carrying sacks was safely in my past.Mombasa mind you is a coastal town off the coast of Kenya and is quite humid and very hot, and working in those conditions without protective gear can be harmful to ones health.I eventually ,moved closer to home and went on with my barbershop business and even married and have two kids, 7 year old Keren Ochieng and my very active 4 year old son Solomon Ochieng. My business has slowly expanded over the years and i even have an assistant now, a far cry from my initial efforts.I am grateful for it and for my family and work hard to ensure that i secure a better future for my children,even a university education.

I run Stylez Gold Barbershop located in a busy location,the Chepkube Market in Bungoma town.I have two Wahl shaving machines or hair cutters and a hair dryer.I do mens haircuts for 30 US cents per head while my assistant blowdryes ladies hair at approximately 70 US cents per head. On the side i also charge peoples mobile phones at a fee of around 9 US cents per phone (most rural Kenyans dont have electricity in their houses so they pay to recharge their mobile phones almost daily).

In a day i make an average of 1 Us dollars in a day,although in other days i can make an average of 5$ when its month end and people have received their salaries in town and i pay my apprentice or assistant according to our days sales but usually 1$ per day.Electricity is expensive in Kenya and my bill costs me an average of 77$ while the rent of space costs me 27$ each month.

I will purchase 2 Wahl shaving machines/clippers (70$) and 1 hair dryer/blow dryer (20$), 3 sets of hair combs and hair brushes (5$),a water bucket for washing clients hair and hair treatment conditioner and shampoo kits(5$) .I have a savings of 170$ that i will add to improve the customers waiting section and also to get a renewed county issued licence for my business.

The above will help me to be step ahead of my competitors most of whom operate with one shaving machine and have no blowdry/hair drying machines.

The above addition will help me give quality service,which customers obviously prefer and it will also increase my sales,therefore helping me increase my savings towards my son and daughters school fund account which i deposit in every week.

I have been making an average profit of 150kshs per day (1 and a half dollars)but with the above addition i expect to make at least 500kshs (6$ per day) per day, also employing an additional assistant at 1$ per day.