Catherine Chepkemboi popularly known as Mini Cheps Is an entrepreneur, brand influencer and visual artist.
She said her nickname is inspired by how she manipulates the images to turn herself into a tiny human being doing strange activities that create a visionary allure.
As an entrepreneur, Minicheps runs a fashion business which he launched in July 2022, and it has so far proved to be a success.
Here is her story as told by WoK.
Despite making a name for herself in the creative industry as a visual artist, Minicheps has always had a passion for fashion.
She runs Minicheps Collection, specializing in tailor-made clothes.
In an interview with TUKO, Minicheps said she established the business after constant disappointments by tailors.
“I would take my fabric to tailors, and they would tell me to go back after two weeks, only to find they had not even started. Some also mess up, and the outcome looks starkly different from the design,” she said.
She also mentioned that entrepreneurship was tough, and shared challenges that she experienced in the course of her entrepreneurial journey.
“Fashion is a seasonal business, and we launched right before the elections. Many people were hoarding money and spending only on necessities. December is our most profitable month,” Minicheps said.
At the same time, Minicheps explained that at some point, the income does not match the business needs forcing her to use her personal money to offset bills.
“Sometimes the client and tailors I employ miscommunicate, and the result is unsatisfactory for them. This means I must purchase fabric and make another outfit for the client. Client satisfaction is key,” she said.
She invested Ksh 1 million into the business.
Minicheps grew up in Kapsabet, Nandi County.
Having grown up in a family of six, she was unable to proceed to secondary school after sitting for her Kenya Certificate of Primary School Education (KCPE).
With no hopes of furthering her studies, Minicheps left Kapsabet for Embu where she worked as a house help.
“I saw no need of going to high school because I knew I would be chased home by the management due to lack of school fees. I then told my mum to keep taking care of the rest so that I can hustle for myself,” she said.
She worked as a house help for a while before quitting and travelled to Nairobi where she started working at construction sites.
This was shortly before she quit the job to go back to being a house help.
”I always dreamt of becoming a model, I actually had hoped that I would go to school and do that after clearing my education because I loved taking photos
“But because that dream of going to school never materialised I picked up other things. Now, while working as a house help again at the end of 2017, I met my better half,” she reflected.
Minicheps shared her ideas with her lover, Meshack Korir, who vowed to support her. Her idea was taking pictures and sharing them on social media.
“Then he asked me, what if you make those images different, and instead of sharing them as other people do, you make yourself appear smaller in the photos,” she said.
Minicheps posted her first photo in 2019 but it did not get as much buzz as she had hoped for but this did not deter her drive and ambition.
Her breakthrough came after she made a photo of herself eating githeri during Valentine’s Day. She was surprised when her friend called her saying how she was trending on social media.
“”I remember I used to post my pictures on various pages on Facebook but no admin would approve them, that Monday morning those admins were the ones posting my pictures on their groups. At first, I was surprised and then got excited,” Minicheps shared.
Minicheps has since worked with among other top brands Pwani Oil, Fanta, Indomie, Toss washing detergent and GOtv among others.
