My name is Mariam Chengo from Kaloleni - a small town along the Kenyan coast. I am a businesswoman where I do hairdressing and beauty in my beauty shop. I am a mother of three school going children.

I was raised up in a rural set up, went to school and later joined a college where I learnt skills in hairdressing and beauty therapy.

I spend most of my time in my business but occassionally I get time to visit my friends. I started my business mainly to support my family and so far it has sustained us.

All my kids have big dreams about their future and I am working very hard to actualize their dreams.

My business revenue is generated by the work I do on my clients. I mostly do hair styling, pedicure and manicure. My charges range from USD 2 to USD 20 depending on the needs of the client. On a good day I can get a large group of people to serve where I can make about USD 70. Howerver, those days are few and far between but on average I make USD 90 per week.

I always try to keep my overheads low so as to increase my take home amount. Most of my expenses go to paying electricity, consumables and occasionally I get a helping hand when my business is busy.

I will use the money to buy beauty products in my salon as listed below:

1. 5 dozens hair pieces at a total cost of $40.

2. 5 litres shampoo at $9.

3. An assortment of beauty products at $5.

This will definitely give my business a big boost and this will increase my profits.