Veronica Ntete is a Nairobi business lady pushing limits by running a local hotel, better known as a kibandaski, in her locality.
She ventured into the business following the COVID-19 pandemic that law most people lose their jobs.
Veronicah invested Ksh 400 into the business, and she rose to making up to Ksh 2,000 per day in profits.
Here is her story as told by WoK.
Background
In an interview with SPM Buzz, Veronicah stated that she ventured into the business during the COVID-19 pandemic.
She noted that she was working as a land broker but the pandemic completely halted her job as most people channelled their resources to other priorities.
At the same time, her husband was working in the hospitality sector and the pandemic also meant no job for him due to precautionary measures set by the government.
With no option left, Veronicah decided to start a local hotel in a bid to make a living and survive the pandemic.
“I was selling lands and when the COVID-19 pandemic started, people stopped buying land… Together with a friend, we walked around and after getting to this hotel, I figured out about what I could do
“I looked around and there was no one running a hotel here. However, by the time I was thinking about setting up a business, I had no capital,” she said.
Veronicah says that she enrolled for M-PESA Fuliza through a friend but she managed to qualify for Ksh 400 only.
“I was a bit disappointed but I had no option, I took the Ksh 400 ready to venture into business. I used the money to buy milk, sugar and a 1-kilogram of wheat flour,” she stated.
She noted that despite having high hopes, starting was not easy as most people were not aware of the business.
At some point, she was forced to borrow money from friends or get stuff from the shop on credit in a bid to run the hotel.
“After a while, customers suggested that I make other accompaniments apart from tea that they could have with the chapatis that I made. I added new foods to the menu, all that were suggested by the clients,” Veronicah said.
In a matter of time, Veronicah had earned trust of her clients and she was even in a position to hire someone to help her at the hotel.
She has hired four people at her hotel.
“I didn’t even think of giving up because the COVID-19 pandemic had worsen things, I didn’t have any other option,” she said.
Veronicah explained that she makes at least Ksh 1,000 on a bad day and up to Ksh 2,000 on a good day.
Challenges
Just like any other business, Veronicah has also faced challenges. She mentioned failure to sell food that she had prepared for the day as one of her major challenges.
She, however, noted that despite this challenge, her resilience pushed her to reach great levels.
Her other challenges include dealing with different kind of customers, some who have attitude and a tendency of looking down upon people.
“Dealing with customers is not easy because you have to understand every customer. Even if a customer treats you badly, find a way to handle it politely,” Veronicah who insisted that the customer is always right said.
