Pauline Rahab best exemplifies the values of hardwork and resilience. Having tried her hand at a number of businesses, she was finally able to open a jewellery business named Bridget Bracelet. The name Bridget belongs to her sister.
Here is his story as told by WoK.
Background and Education
The businesswoman was born in Ruaka and also partly grew up in Banana. She then went to school in Murang’a and finally joined the University of Nairobi in order to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics course. In July 2019, she graduated with her Bachelors degree.
Jobs
Pauline Rahab began working while on campus. In an interview with Glow up with Makena, she revealed that she started working full time while still on campus. First, she would do promo jobs which she got through her late cousin. Later, she got a job as a merchandiser.
Her next job was in real estate. Although the job paid very little commission, she once made Ksh400,000 from the sale of one house worth about Ksh12 million. When COVID-19 hit, the business went down and she started selling clothes.
The entrepreneur would first start selling her own clothes by posting them online and then sending them to clients who liked them.
Then, she started sourcing clothes for her clients in Gikomba. At one point, she received disappointing bales and it really discouraged her. Lastly, she settled on selling new clothes sourced from Eastleigh.
This also became a challenge as sometimes when the clothes reached the clients, some would claim the quality wasn’t what they expected.
Jewelry
One day, she saw someone online with branded jewelry and had a light bulb moment. She decided that jewelry would be her business. Initially, she would purchase jewelry from a friend at about Ksh200 and re-sell it four times the price.
It helped that her contacts consisted of people who could afford to pay the price. Her friend Dorea Chege, who has a huge following, also posted her work bringing her some traffic. At one point, they began making some of the jewelry on their own using brass, which would fade over time.
One day, a cousin who was abroad asked if she would like to try out stainless steel jewelry. It seemed interesting so she sent money and received the jewelry. Since it wouldn’t fade, it became a wonderful idea.
Today, her clients love the jewelry, which are all imported. Some of the people that have shown faith in her pieces include Xtian Dela and BNN.
In future, she hopes to grow the business to a point where they make their own branded jewelry. One lesson she has learnt along the way is the importance of hard work.
