I am Denis Aloo, a man aged 43 years. I grew up in the rural set up as an orphan after the death of my parents when I was nine years old.

My life was full of hardship so I worked very hard in school so as to overcome poverty through education.

My efforts bore fruits when I graduated from Kenyatta university in 1999 with bachelor of education degree, after which I was employed as a high school teacher in 2001.

I have always had a desire to avail fast consumer goods which is of higher quality but lower price, so that it can move very fast and grow to become a very big company. That is why I did a lot of research on how to make bar soaps and after getting a breakthrough, I started production in the year 2016. So I have been making and selling bar soaps in Kisumu Town and its environs.

My business is about manufacture of bar soaps then I sell to other traders, these are wholesalers, retailers, and even consumers.

I use used cooking oil from the restaurants, which is a waste product in the restaurant but a very high quality oil for making bar soap.

This makes it possible for me to make very high quality soap at a lower cost of production hence my soap is very competitive in the market.

In a monthly basis, I spend ksh 52000 to buy used cooking oil,

Ksh 7500 to buy other chemicals

and Ksh 15000 to pay wages for casual workers. So I spend a total of Ksh 74500.

With this I make a total of 1440

1Kg bar soaps which I sell at ksh 80 each, making total sales of ksh 115200

This leaves me with a profit of Ksh 40700

I spend this money to expand the business and also to do more research on the business.

I have a dream of expanding the business so that it can produce more bars and have a very big company that can supply not only the whole country but the entire East and Central Africa.

That would require capital to buy machines and to import other raw materials. That is why I rely on Zidisha to help me raise the funds in the form of loans.

I buy used cooking oil from hotels and other chemicals from the shops then I use them to make bar soaps.

The soaps I make are of higher quality and relatively cheaper hence there is higher demand for my products.

The profit margin is between 20% to 30% depending on the cost of used cooking oil and the other chemicals.

Since I make my sales everyday, I am comfortable to repay my loans weekly.

The main challenge I have now is with regard to cash flow. I need some money to buy enough stock so as to meet the demand for my products, and it is in this regard that I make an application for a loan from Zidisha.