Move my business to a permanent store

Entrepreneur

About Me

H I am Robert 37 years old and a father of one kid. I am a businessman in operating in Mombasa town where I relocated 7 years ago from upcountry. I sell hardware materials mostly construction materials in an open air market here in Mombasa. My clients are mostly artisans who work in numerous construction sites around town.

I was born near Mount Kenya - the second tallest mountain in Africa. It is a very cold place (by our standards) with many rivers meandering from the mountain. I was born in a farming community where rice and coffee are produced in plenty.

The main challenge of this area is over-population where the land has been sub-divided into very small parcels which are no longer viable. For this reason, I had to look for greener pastures elsewhere to give room to my younger siblings.

My child is a two years old and as such she we cannot tell what she will be in future.
I am currently doing a course in Web Development and hopefully I will change my career soon or dabble with both.

My Business

I started this business with nothing more than a dream. I started by hawking small items such as match boxes, toothpicks etc from door to door. With hard work and serious savings, I was able to buy my first stock of hardware materials in after one year. I started by selling electric cables and wall sockets. The business was slow at first because I was doing it in back streets of the city where crime was very high.

I however managed to move to a better neighborhood where I am still running the business.

My normal day entails buying the hardware materials and then retailing them from my outlet. I also buy used hardware material like pipes and electrical cables from people who demolish old houses.

I have had some lucky instances where I have been asked to provide items to learning institutions. Zidisha has come in handy to finance such projects and this has accelerated the growth my business significantly.

I like this job because it gives supports my family. I am optimistic that with credit from Zidisha, I will be able to get more business and hence increase my profitability.
Ultimately, I'd like to open a big store where people will come for far and wide to buy my stuff.

Loan Proposal

The store I wanted to move into is no longer available but I still have plans to move to a permanent place once the funds become available.

I am grateful that Zidisha has enabled me to grow in business very fast by giving me affordable loans. I have been selling my wares in an open air place where they are subjected to elements such as rain, direct sunshine etc and this affects their quality.

I now would like to move to a permanent stall which I have found within my neighborhood. I need to pay USD 300 for lease and lease document. I need a further USD 350 to fix furniture and install grill door for security.

I will use whatever will remain to buy more stock to sell. This will be a major milestone in my business and it is really going to change my life in a positive manner.

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