By Prudence Minayo
Most entrepreneurs struggle to raise capital to start their businesses. However, some just start with the little they have. When Jeff Wanyonyi started his business, he only had Sh2000. Nonetheless, he was determined to turn this into something successful and he did.
Here is his story as told by WoK.
Hawking and starting the business
Armed with Sh2,000, Jeff decided to start selling samosa. He bought a charcoal stove (jiko), a rolling pin, a frying pan and ingredients. He then made samosa and packed them up in a trolley and started hawking them. He would push the trolley as far as seven kilometers just to look for clients.
During this process, he saved about Sh200 daily for three months and was able to afford a small place which he named Jeff’s fast food. During an interview on the YouTube Channel, Nairobi TV, he said that walking with the trolley was not easy as he would face a lot including being rained on. With the saved money, he not only rented a place but he also bought a few furniture.
In the beginning, he started with selling tea, samosa and mandazi. With time, he expanded this menu to include chips, chapati, rice, smokie, sausage and ugali. During the October 2021 interview, his business located in Matangi, had managed to employ a few people. He said that he pays his workers on a daily basis. He would rather go without than fail to pay them.
Prior to establishing the business, Jeff who is an artist as well, performed in KBC’s comedy arena. When the show ended, he plunged into the world of business.
Challenges
The entrepreneur said some of the challenges included dishonesty among customers. Some construction workers would eat then disappear without paying. There was also the challenge of high prices of commodities. While commodities had gone up, people still expected the same portion of food.