Construction Business Kenya: What business can you do to make  Sh. 3 million in two years? Well, here is an opinion breakdown on how achievable this is as was written and published with permission by Kyrgitt Kalya:

Question:

I’m looking to start a full time hustle from January. I’m based in Nairobi and I want something that can make me grow money so that I open my own restaurant one day. My target is to raise 3M in 2 years ( I know that’s too ambitious). I bought a car for Uber but currently, the business isn’t paying me enough. I’m ready to sell it and start afresh. Any ideas?”

Answer:

On Flipside Hustle, I recommend that one retires their egos for it to work. Let me break down your issue.

You want to save 3m in 2 years. That’s about 1.5M per year.

You want to open a restaurant.

You want to grow your money.

Since you’re based in Nairobi, I’ll advise this way.

There are too many high-rise construction sites operating. Each construction site has a minimum of 20 Fundis and some skyscrapers have as many as 100 fundis.

Drive around, and find sites.

Be presentable. Be courteous. Be professional.

Propose to cook food for the fundis. They normally eat food worth between 50 -100 bob in Nairobi. This is mainly chapati, githeri, Vegetables etc.

How Sh. 200,000 can give you Sh. 1 million within two years

The pitch you give the site managers is that you’re bringing sanitized food delivery to the casual workers on a timely and non obstructive manner. You may need a flip side masterclass on presentation making for hustlers. Agree with the site managers to pay you directly for the fundis who sign up for meals. They’ll deduct 50-100 bob per fundi per day. Fundis eat a lot because of the work they do. The daily wage for fundis in the city goes as high as 800bob a day or as low as 500bob a day.

Do this in 10 sites around the city.

Buy big sufurias and go to the market and buy grains.

Hire a 2 cooks and 1 dish washer and get space to begin your cooking.

If each site gives you 20 meals at an average of 70 bob per meal then in 10 sites you’ll have 200 meals per day giving you 14000 bob.

From each 70bob plate, deduct 35 bob for preparation and labor.

So you save 7000 per day.

In 26 construction days, you’ll have saved 182,000.

In 24 months, your savings are Ksh 4,368,000.

Here are the factors.

Get busy construction sites. Preferably sky scrappers or large projects.

Do a professional pitch. Make the site managers believe in your plan.

Pack the food in disposable containers, that cost about 10bob each.

Have a casual worker in each site delivering, serving the meals and collecting the disposable containers for disposal.

Be punctual. Deliver your meals at the exact time in each site.

Gather feedback from the fundis on what they like. Give them options of a menu per day. Add Vegetables and a piece of fruit per serving. It won’t cost much.

Use your Uber vehicle to deliver the meals to the sites yourself. Plan the trips to meet the deadlines. Alternatively, dispatch 2 bodabodas to the sites, it will set you back about 200 bob per bodaboda per day. Calculate your net after such deductions.

Improve your services as time goes especially on delivery.

Retire your ego and hustle hard.

There, you have a good way to start your restaurant in 2 years.