Move my business to a permanent store

Robert

Mishomoroni, Kenya

1% repaid

Entrepreneur

Name

Robert

Member since

July 2016

On-time repayments

87 installments  •  69%

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

I still plan to move my business to a permanent store. This will save me a lot of time that I use to move the items from my house to the open air market.

This will also eliminate damages that the wares get due to frequent movements and exposure to the elements. I really need this transition

The store I have in mind will cost USD 400 to lease. I will spend the balance to put shelves in the store and branding.

Thanks.

Feedback

2

None

None



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Loan Info

Project Type

Classic Loan

Disbursed amount

$625.00

Date disbursed

May 16, 2018

Repayment status

Late

Projected term

7 months

Lenders

ads68

Melbourne, Australia

JL

Joao Leal

United Kingdom

MW

Matt Willis

United States

V

Vidar

Oslo, Norway

Jes-c

United States

A

Anonymous

United States

Paul Buchheit

Mountain View, United States

Ask Robert a question about this project, share news and photos of your own, or send a simple note of thanks or inspiration.

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  • Robert    Aug 29, 2018

    I can only afford KES 50 because I am unwell and out of work. Sorry for the inconvinience.

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  • Robert    Aug 4, 2018

    Dear lenders and my mentees, I h ave lost my phone but I will get a replacement next week. Kindly bear with me for the time being.

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  • Robert    Jul 6, 2018

    I still need a little bit more time since my business is in transition. I will make much higher payments in a few weeks time since I am expecting to get paid by my clients.

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  • Robert    May 31, 2018

    First things first, thank you all for the loan that has now enabled me to move to an new store. This has been my dream for a long time. I am now doing some renovation work and I hope to move in the new place in two week's time. I am spending a lot on the works and I request to be allowed to pay this small amount until the new place is fully operational.

    Thanks.

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  • Robert    May 14, 2018

    Thank you so much dear lenders for funding my loan. This will enable me fulfil my long held dream of moving my business to a permanent store. I believe this will be a game changer for me.

    I wish you success in all what you do.

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  • Robert    May 14, 2018

    Thank you BernadetteV for the good start. I am here again to pitch for my proposal. Your contribution is much appreciated as it will go a long way in helping me achieve my goals.

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  • Robert    May 12, 2018

    Many thanks to my lenders who not only lent me their money but also interacted with me. I took a partial loan because it was difficult to raise the whole amount at the time. I used the money to buy new stock which I have now sold and got some profit.

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  • Charles    Apr 11, 2018

    How are you Robert? I hope you are well. I am happy that you are my mentor, call me anytime of the day or let me know when I can call you so that we can interact more. Thanks inadvance.

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  • Robert    Mar 26, 2018

    Dear lenders, I received 8,637 KES. yesterday. I will use the money to buy more stock which I will then sell at a profit. Thank you so much for loaning the much needed capital for my business.

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  • Robert    Mar 23, 2018

    Thank you lenders for the funding. Although I had requested much more, I will make do with this amount and put the money to good use. I hope to repay this loan within a short time and apply for a bigger one and hopefully the cash crunch at Zidisha will have gone by the.

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  • Robert    Mar 22, 2018

    Into the last one hour now. Fortunately Zidisha now allows borrowers to accept partially funded loans. I intend to use this new option and accept my loan but I have to scale down my project depending on how much will be available before the bell tolls!

    Any amount will be highly appreciated at this tail end of my fund-raising.

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  • Robert    Mar 21, 2018

    Thank you so much Megan for hearing my cry. ½ day remaining but I remain optimistic since the last minute can save a man.

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  • Robert    Mar 21, 2018

    1 day left. Kindly fund this loan. Any amount will be highly appreciated and it will go a long way in uplifting my business and improving my life.

    Zidisha is about connecting people all over the world where geographical locations do not matter. I know such an amazing network of people from all corners of the world can raise the remaining dollars and help an entrepreneur in a third world county. Be part of this journey - please.

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  • Robert    Mar 19, 2018

    The sand in the hourglass is running out fast. Kindly fund my loan before the last grain drops!

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  • Robert    Mar 15, 2018

    Dear lenders, I am back again pitching for this loan. One week is gone and one more remains before the expiry of this loan. I humbly request you to fund the loan that I have waited for since November last year.

    The fact that I am still applying after failing to get sufficient funding is a clear testimony that I still have faith in you and Zidisha. This loan will make a big difference in my life since it will be a major milestone in business. I am anticipating a rapid growth once I get this money and implement my plan. That will in turn change my fortunes for the better and enable me provide for my young family.

    Kindly help me accomplish my mission by making your contribution.

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  • Robert    Mar 12, 2018

    Dear all, I always do a victory dance every time my loan gets fully funded. Zidisha loans have changed my fortune and I am optimistic that further growth will occur with more credit from you lenders.

    I am looking forward to dancing to my success once more when you fund this loan.

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  • Robert    Feb 6, 2018

    Dear all, as mentioned earlier, I have made a number of loan applications without success. This has taken a toll on my business since I had made some down payment for the store from my operations capital. I was hoping that I would be funded in good time and pay off the balance and move into the new place.

    The loan has taken too long to be funded and I have now forfeited the down payment as per my agreement with the land lord. I will now postpone my plans until when I get good capital (hopefully there will be more funds here in future). I have reduced the money I was asking for and whatever I will get will be used to replenish my inventory which has taken a beating due to my failed plan.

    Thank you all and please consider funding this loan to salvage my struggling business.

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  • Robert    Feb 3, 2018

    Dear all, I have applied to be funded a number of times now since November 7 last year. It has not been easy for me since I had elaborate plans to shift to a new place. I understand that there are many loans waiting to be funded but I kindly appeal to you lenders to fund whatever you can.

    Being a small investor, a credit line such as Zidisha can determine my survival or growth in business or not. I fall in a category that does not qualify to be funded by commercial bank because of their stringent requirement. Kindly help my fledgling business to thrive in the remaining 3 days. That's my humble appeal.

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  • Robert    Jan 19, 2018

    Thank you so much Zidisha for giving me another chance to apply for a loan. I was devastated when my loan was cancelled but you have now given me a lifeline. May God bless you abundantly.

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  • Robert    Jan 3, 2018

    I transport the items using a wheelbarrow to and from my house which is both tedious and time consuming.

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