The story of Ida Murugi is one that can’t go untold. She epitomises all the ingredients of an entrepreneur-foresight and daring to follow her dreams despite the odds. From being raised by a single parent growing up in the slums of Kayole, quitting her job as a teacher and later finding success in the business of selling denim Jeans.
Here is the inspiring story of Ida Murugi as told by WoK.
Ida Murugi Journey
Ida Murugi was born in Embu County. Her parents separated forcing her to relocate with her mother to Kayole in Eastlands Nairobi where she spent the better part of her childhood and teenage life. She attended St Anne’s Kiriari Girls in Embu for her secondary school before proceeding to Kenyatta University where she pursued a Diploma in Early Childhood Development (ECD) and later a Degree at the same institution. She would then become a teacher for four years before calling it quits to join the business world.
Establishing Dais Jeans Collection
After working as a teacher for four years, Ida felt that it was time to get out of her comfort zone and pursue something more fulfilling. In August 2019, she finally made the big leap after her contract with one of the local institutions came to an end. She came up with the idea of venturing in the world of tailoring denim. While speaking to this writer during an exclusive interview, Idah revealed that the idea was inspired by her mother who is a tailor.
“My mother is a tailor and so I had a background in tailoring. I thought-instead of doing the normal fabric tailoring, let me come up with something unique and so I decided to venture into the denim jeans business hence the birth of Dais Jeans Collection. The name Dais is derived from my name and my son’s name – I(da) and Kr(is),” she explained.
Challenges
She established a workshop in her hometown of Kayole where she works with other tailors in the jeans tailoring. She then opened a Facebook page for the business where she would market and advertise the pictures of her products. However, it was quite challenging getting clients at the beginning due to trust issues
“I started selling the jeans online and it was quite challenging since Kenyans hadn’t embraced the idea of online businesses at the time. Clients would order and promise to pay after the jeans are done but upon delivery mtu anakuambia sahi hana pesa. The first three months I only had two clients but I kept on going knowing that someday doors would open up. Again Covid-19 hit the country in 2020 and it really affected my business especially the first two months. But as days passed, Kenyans adjusted to the new normal and business was back again,” she revealed.
The Success
She has since established her brand into a big enviable name. Most of Ida’s clients are from her company’s social media platforms like Facebook where she commands over 9k followers. The businesslady has been able to create loyal clients who have gone ahead to refer her to other clients. She has also diversified to combat fabric and khaki.
“Ikonic & Printouch, a company that I didn’t know before, saw my products online and asked me to do the overalls for all of their staff and workers. That was a defining moment since you can imagine this company just found me online and trusted me to deliver. It’s trust for me,” she told WoK.
From the denim jeans business, she has been able to save and establish a car wash business in Eastlands and also provide for her son Kris, who she says is her biggest motivation.
