ABOUT MYSELF & BUSINESS EXPERIENCE
I started indulging in small businesses way back in 1979. I was a primary school student, then. Being the eldest son of a single mother who striven to put food on the table for her 9plus children, I had to learn things early in life so as to help fight the prevalent poverty that had become norm to my family’s life. Helping her in her hawking job was my duty where I was supposed to go to Nairobi immediately the school was over i.e. after 4.30pm of every day.
So, my morning school preparations were not meant only for school but for my duty, as well. I remember how I used to wear my school uniform on top of my ordinary clothes so that after 4:30pm, I would only pill off the uniform and put it in a bag thereafter board a Matatu-(our public mode of transport) to Nairobi.
While in Nairobi, I would start selling the stock that my mother had left the previous night while she’d busy in the upcountry farms searching for fresh stock. And since the profits were low as opposed to the bills that were meant to be serviced on daily basis, I would take home what was meant for supper-cum-next day’s budget, only when she arrived –which normally would be around 7-7:30pm. She would in-turn take over the running of business until around 8:30 –9:00pm. And the cycle would restart the following day until I did my Certificate in Primary School Education (C.P.E.) in 1982.
I only spent five terms in my secondary school life before dropping out to pave way for my younger siblings who needed to have a taste of education, as well.
But even though I may be termed as a form II drop-out, I have never stopped learning to date. I have done considerable online courses, enrolled in colleges and spent countless night hours trying to quench my never ending thirst for knowledge.
I run a small cyber-like business where I offer services of type-setting, photocopying and any other computer related service including repair and maintenance of PCs as well as computer-based play stations.
All these services are essential to all that surround me in that they touch on most of their daily requirements and activities. And having understood these, I have kind of localized these services to meet their expectations. i.e.:-
Owing to the fact that my business is at the entrance of an inflated cosmopolitan residential areas and whose residents come from all parts of our country and are of all walks of life, I have adjusted my working hours to readily meet their times of need; these means being there for them when going to work and when getting back and on Saturdays & Sundays as well.
We have quite a good number of schools in these areas who’s both photocopying and type-setting surpasses their capabilities. This means there has to be some off-loaders to take advantage of the spillage especially during exam periods.
College students with their large project research papers require some helping hands -as well, in order to meet their time schedules.
Unprecedented migration of teachers from one school to another- in search of green pastures has also to be put into consideration especially with their large volumes of testimonials.
All these and many more are some of the factors that made me see a need that needed to be addressed: A need that is also encompassed in my other future plans. And with my vast computer usage experience, I find it fun and enjoyable especially when I know no service and maintenance fees on my equipment are necessary –thanks to my hardware and electronics repairing experience.
My typical costs in this business includes, Rent $70/-pm, Power $1-2/-pm, Licenses $200/- pa, alongside other weekly operational costs like buying of Printer papers, ink cartridges, toners, tapes, staples plus other types of stationary and which depends on amount of work in each month.
On average, the costs amount to around $130/- pm while the gross goes to around $230/-pm. After deductions, I am left with around $100/- with a tolerance of 20% on either side, depending on the popular work on that month.
Besides this, I am also in software creation business -but which is yet to give me the big break that I’ve always yearned for. However, some of the parents who saw me featured in Television Stations, keep buying on regular basis my previous version of Jubilee kids software. There are also other times that I get a few school computer maintenance works which I must confess are mostly God sent, for they surely salvage me in some desperate situations.
Being the soul bread winner in my family, I project and distribute my earnings according to priorities. As the saying goes, he who fails to plan –plans to fail. With the full knowledge of what awaits me i.e. school-fees, rent, power bills, house hold budgetary, transports, phone credits, clothing, boarding school visits, business improvements etc., I pro-actively balance between all these –though there are times when I work on deficit.
A good example of how I project about all these is by properly understanding the seasons; I am always aware of my business trends and what to do about them. Like on where we are now, all schools are closed –which means all students are on holiday. A week prior to this, there are always two things:-
Since it is school closing time, end term exams and fees statements must be considered: quick mathematics has to be done e.g. number of students multiplied by that of subjects by the number of pages per exam paper.
I’ve also prepared my two computers to accommodate the long hour usage once these students pounce on them. These should continue for close to three weeks. Then the week which ends the holidays is the week that teachers prepare and photocopy their testimonials. And on the opening week, we take the advantage of the spillage as the schools do their opener exams. etc. etc.
My loan proposal this time focuses on a commercial photo printing machine. Why I chose to have it, is because of several pointers to good business:
i) We are in Xmass season where families and friends meet thereby creating memorable times,
ii) The whats up maniac with the peer photo updates
iii) The youth and their selfie photography
iv) Not forgetting that after the festive season, January comes with students joining schools being required to submit their passport photos. But photos are not my only focus in this printing machine project; owing to the fact that I am in the software creation business, a good printer that can help in CD printing will come in hardy. Mostly so now that 'The government school laptop project' is scheduled to start come January next year.
What I have in mind is an Epson PX 660: a six color printer that gives customers quality end products alongside its long term service. Although Epson company no-longer produce new ones, there are some old stork here and there around the world and which, some of our local business people have identified thereby importing them for us. One such businessman is a close friend of mine and is selling them at around $450.
With this one printer, I expect my profits to rise by at least a third of my earlier levels. It will also save a lot of my customers' headache of searching far and wide for a reputable service. I currently don't have feasible competition because there aren't photo studios anywhere near me. As a matter of fact, the few freelance photographers that reside in this locality always urge me to start this service so as to save them time, money and long distance journeys in search of the same service.
I currently earn between $3 & $7 a day in profits. This means that, with my anticipated 1/3 rise in my profits, I would go to between $5 to $10 dollars a day. And given that no much overheads in forms of transport and other traveling costs are involved, I feel those figures will keep me going until I hit my jack-pot which is selling my educational software to all the schools in my country.
N/B. I have in the recent past gained much millage towards this my goal in that: i) I am currently one of our country's first batch of 25 SMEs being incubated by Mount Kenya University in collaboration with IN4IN -in an international program led by Leipzig University of Germany. -for more information, see www.in4in.net and icabumpain4in.mku.ac.ke.
ii) Also, as can be witnessed by my current profile photo, I was among the few businesses given a chance to showcase their wares in the just concluded WTO -MC10 in my country.
Currently, I only qualify for a Zidisha loan of about $150 which will definitely not be enough for my project. But, with my little savings and a few extended helps
from those that are close to me, I will get what I want. However, if I could get a whole $450 from a well wisher/donor, I would move with the speed that would see me start gaining immediately.
Thank-you. And God Bless you.
Buying of a photo printing printer
ABOUT MYSELF & BUSINESS EXPERIENCE
I started indulging in small businesses way back in 1979. I was a primary school student, then. Being the eldest son of a single mother who striven to put food on the table for her 9plus children, I had to learn things early in life so as to help fight the prevalent poverty that had become norm to my family’s life. Helping her in her hawking job was my duty where I was supposed to go to Nairobi immediately the school was over i.e. after 4.30pm of every day.
So, my morning school preparations were not meant only for school but for my duty, as well. I remember how I used to wear my school uniform on top of my ordinary clothes so that after 4:30pm, I would only pill off the uniform and put it in a bag thereafter board a Matatu-(our public mode of transport) to Nairobi.
While in Nairobi, I would start selling the stock that my mother had left the previous night while she’d busy in the upcountry farms searching for fresh stock. And since the profits were low as opposed to the bills that were meant to be serviced on daily basis, I would take home what was meant for supper-cum-next day’s budget, only when she arrived –which normally would be around 7-7:30pm. She would in-turn take over the running of business until around 8:30 –9:00pm. And the cycle would restart the following day until I did my Certificate in Primary School Education (C.P.E.) in 1982.
I only spent five terms in my secondary school life before dropping out to pave way for my younger siblings who needed to have a taste of education, as well.
But even though I may be termed as a form II drop-out, I have never stopped learning to date. I have done considerable online courses, enrolled in colleges and spent countless night hours trying to quench my never ending thirst for knowledge.
I run a small cyber-like business where I offer services of type-setting, photocopying and any other computer related service including repair and maintenance of PCs as well as computer-based play stations.
All these services are essential to all that surround me in that they touch on most of their daily requirements and activities. And having understood these, I have kind of localized these services to meet their expectations. i.e.:-
Owing to the fact that my business is at the entrance of an inflated cosmopolitan residential areas and whose residents come from all parts of our country and are of all walks of life, I have adjusted my working hours to readily meet their times of need; these means being there for them when going to work and when getting back and on Saturdays & Sundays as well.
We have quite a good number of schools in these areas who’s both photocopying and type-setting surpasses their capabilities. This means there has to be some off-loaders to take advantage of the spillage especially during exam periods.
College students with their large project research papers require some helping hands -as well, in order to meet their time schedules.
Unprecedented migration of teachers from one school to another- in search of green pastures has also to be put into consideration especially with their large volumes of testimonials.
All these and many more are some of the factors that made me see a need that needed to be addressed: A need that is also encompassed in my other future plans. And with my vast computer usage experience, I find it fun and enjoyable especially when I know no service and maintenance fees on my equipment are necessary –thanks to my hardware and electronics repairing experience.
My typical costs in this business includes, Rent $70/-pm, Power $1-2/-pm, Licenses $200/- pa, alongside other weekly operational costs like buying of Printer papers, ink cartridges, toners, tapes, staples plus other types of stationary and which depends on amount of work in each month.
On average, the costs amount to around $130/- pm while the gross goes to around $230/-pm. After deductions, I am left with around $100/- with a tolerance of 20% on either side, depending on the popular work on that month.
Besides this, I am also in software creation business -but which is yet to give me the big break that I’ve always yearned for. However, some of the parents who saw me featured in Television Stations, keep buying on regular basis my previous version of Jubilee kids software. There are also other times that I get a few school computer maintenance works which I must confess are mostly God sent, for they surely salvage me in some desperate situations.
Being the soul bread winner in my family, I project and distribute my earnings according to priorities. As the saying goes, he who fails to plan –plans to fail. With the full knowledge of what awaits me i.e. school-fees, rent, power bills, house hold budgetary, transports, phone credits, clothing, boarding school visits, business improvements etc., I pro-actively balance between all these –though there are times when I work on deficit.
A good example of how I project about all these is by properly understanding the seasons; I am always aware of my business trends and what to do about them. Like on where we are now, all schools are closed –which means all students are on holiday. A week prior to this, there are always two things:-
Since it is school closing time, end term exams and fees statements must be considered: quick mathematics has to be done e.g. number of students multiplied by that of subjects by the number of pages per exam paper.
I’ve also prepared my two computers to accommodate the long hour usage once these students pounce on them. These should continue for close to three weeks. Then the week which ends the holidays is the week that teachers prepare and photocopy their testimonials. And on the opening week, we take the advantage of the spillage as the schools do their opener exams. etc. etc.
My loan proposal this time focuses on a commercial photo printing machine. Why I chose to have it, is because of several pointers to good business:
i) We are in Xmass season where families and friends meet thereby creating memorable times,
ii) The whats up maniac with the peer photo updates
iii) The youth and their selfie photography
iv) Not forgetting that after the festive season, January comes with students joining schools being required to submit their passport photos. But photos are not my only focus in this printing machine project; owing to the fact that I am in the software creation business, a good printer that can help in CD printing will come in hardy. Mostly so now that 'The government school laptop project' is scheduled to start come January next year.
What I have in mind is an Epson PX 660: a six color printer that gives customers quality end products alongside its long term service. Although Epson company no-longer produce new ones, there are some old stork here and there around the world and which, some of our local business people have identified thereby importing them for us. One such businessman is a close friend of mine and is selling them at around $450.
With this one printer, I expect my profits to rise by at least a third of my earlier levels. It will also save a lot of my customers' headache of searching far and wide for a reputable service. I currently don't have feasible competition because there aren't photo studios anywhere near me. As a matter of fact, the few freelance photographers that reside in this locality always urge me to start this service so as to save them time, money and long distance journeys in search of the same service.
I currently earn between $3 & $7 a day in profits. This means that, with my anticipated 1/3 rise in my profits, I would go to between $5 to $10 dollars a day. And given that no much overheads in forms of transport and other traveling costs are involved, I feel those figures will keep me going until I hit my jack-pot which is selling my educational software to all the schools in my country.
N/B. I have in the recent past gained much millage towards this my goal in that: i) I am currently one of our country's first batch of 25 SMEs being incubated by Mount Kenya University in collaboration with IN4IN -in an international program led by Leipzig University of Germany. -for more information, see www.in4in.net and icabumpain4in.mku.ac.ke.
ii) Also, as can be witnessed by my current profile photo, I was among the few businesses given a chance to showcase their wares in the just concluded WTO -MC10 in my country.
Currently, I only qualify for a Zidisha loan of about $150 which will definitely not be enough for my project. But, with my little savings and a few extended helps
from those that are close to me, I will get what I want. However, if I could get a whole $450 from a well wisher/donor, I would move with the speed that would see me start gaining immediately.
Thank-you. And God Bless you.