My name is Naomi. I live in Eldoret Kenya. I have a passion for photography. I come from a family of 6 kids and being the first born of the family, i have always had to find ways to earn some income to support my self and help my siblings.
My passion for photography started after high school when i took my father's analogue camera and started taking photos door to door for money. I managed to earn some income but then i joined the university and therefore stopped for awhile. The passion in me did not die so i went on and found a job in an organization that dealt with video shooting, editing and photography. I not only gained skills experience but i also managed to save some money to buy myself a camera.
Mid last year, i quit my job to start my photography business. I now have a small studio in town and i have managed to create a client base and create a name in the photography industry.
My business offers the following services, wedding photography, Events, family shoots,model shoots and portraits. Eldoret town is just opening up to the idea of using professional photographers to create beautiful memories of special days and loved ones. This is a great opportunity for my business to meet the demand and grow. I offer creative and professional photos to my customers and i have managed to gain the trust of the clients i have worked with before to appoint of getting referral jobs from them.
However, my major challenge is equipment. Photography gear is very expensive and i need to buy more equipment for my studio and for my outdoor jobs to be able to meet the level of professionalism expected from me. It will also help me venture into the corporate world which require proper get tenders from them.
With the loan i get from Zidisha, I plan to buy professional lighting gear for my studio, an extra camera for big jobs and accessories from my camera such as lenses. I will highly appreciate the loan to be able to boost my business.
This is my second time to apply for a loan. With my first loan, i purchased a white backdrop for my studio which helped me save a lot because i stopped hiring one. I managed to move to a bigger office and i am happy with my business so far. However, there is great need for me to market my business. This will not only help me get more clients but it will also let clients know about my new location.
My marketing strategy includes printing business card for distribution to potential clients, make a pull up banner with my logo that i will put at the entrance of the building my new office is located, create a portfolio of the work i have done for presentation to clients, print stickers with information about my business and what i offer to be put in strategic places where many people can read it and pay for one week of each month to promote my page on Facebook which should increase the number of likes i currently have. All these will cost me about 220 US Dollars. I have currently saved 60 US Dollars for marketing purposes and i need the remaining amount to implement my marketing strategy. My dream is to see my business get to a level where the income i make is enough to buy equipment for itself and I am confident that by the end of the year i will have reached so many clients and my business should be able to bring in a lot of income. Kindly help me achieve my dream.