Njoki’s Fruits World is the brainchild of Njoki Daniel. The business, located in Kitengela, was founded by the 24-year-old when she joined university.
The aim was to use profits from the business to help pay her way through university. She trended on Twitter after marketing the business which sells fruits, fruit juices, milk shakes and detox juices.
Here is her entrepreneurial journey as told by WoK.
The Beginning
The mother of one began the business five years ago with Ksh600 as capital. She would hawk fruits in different offices.
Sometimes, she was chased away since hawking was prohibited in some of these offices while other times she would get lucky.
“I ventured into the business five years ago after investing Sh600 and started hawking fruits in Kitengela. I would go to offices and be chased away as hawking is not allowed in offices but some days I would be lucky and they would allow me to sell the fruits,’’ she told Capital FM.
Opening her Outlet
After hawking for a while, she managed to save some money and to build a network of loyal clients. She wanted to build a physical shop and stop hawking fruits and this dream came to pass in 2021.
“From hawking to opening a shop was a blessing for me, all those times I was chased away from selling really taught me resilience. I saved enough and got this space where I now sell to my existing clientele and I get customers who would be walking and out of curiosity they buy from me,’’ she said.
Social Media and Challenges
Social media has been one of her greatest assets. Through online platforms, she has been able to gain a lot of clients and through online delivery, her products have reached those who cannot be able to access her physically.
She has been trolled by social media users but that hasn’t stopped her from advertising her brand.
The other challenge Njoki Daniel faces is when unfavourable weather conditions make it difficult to find fruits.
She said that during cold and rainy seasons, it becomes very difficult to get her hands on fruits and suppliers also hike prices. To deal with this, she saves three months worth of rent so that she doesn’t find herself in trouble.
In future, she hopes to expand her business and open branches in other places. This will give her a chance to provide employment for other women.
Her advice to young people is that they should not sit down waiting for a white collar job but should look for something to do. With determination, resilience and social media they can be able to come up with something.
