- Fred and Purity Mwangi quit their well paying jobs to found the tissue company
- Crystal Lux was officially opened for business in 2019 with their savings as startup capital
Entrepreneurship is a rewarding journey for those who get it right. This is the case with Fred and Purity Mwangi, a couple who quit their jobs and sought to become entrepreneurs. It was not an easy journey as they hadn’t tried it before and did not have people who could hold their hands and offer guidance.
Today, their products can be found in various small retailers or delivered straight to their customers.
Here is their story as told by WoK,
The Genesis and Growth of the Business
Purity pursued Mathematics in school and thereafter joined the banking industry where she proceeded to work for four years. Her husband, on the other hand, is a trained engineer who has worked in several countries across the globe.
Purity decided to leave her job since the family was moving. The business idea took shape as they were having lunch in Kamakis. They observed the quality of serviettes and thought they could come up with a better quality.
They also felt that they could offer their clients delivery services as some of them were too busy to keep rushing out to buy
In 2018, they started doing research and Crystal Lux officially opened for business in 2019 with their savings as startup capital. They started with their flagship serviettes called Daneel. Unfortunately, as the business was beginning to pick up, the pandemic hit.
This became especially hard for them as their focus clients were eateries. It became hard to sell as most of them were closed hence they had to re-think their entire strategy.
Today, they also produced tissues and another brand of serviettes called fair soft. Purity’s husband, the co-founder, mainly deals with the technical aspect of the business.
Challenges
One of their biggest challenges was finance. While they have gotten funding from institutions, it is not always easy. The machinery and capital required to run the business is expensive. There is also the lack of qualified staff. This has forced them to train their workers.
Initially, they began with four employees and had to do most of the work themselves but they have since expanded to more than 20 staff members. The other challenge is marketing and the procurement of raw materials.
