When Ken Omwoyo got employed at a popular restaurant in Nairobi CBD, he never imagined that a time would come when the job that was so dear to him would end up leaving him jobless.
This was the sad reality the man who has over the years feared entrepreneurship, faced early this year when his contract was terminated.
“I’ve always feared entrepreneurship because of the uncertainty and risks involved. I have a family that I was afraid would suffer if I quit my job for entrepreneurship. Sadly, at the start of this year, I received news of my contract termination and I had no choice but to take the risks of entrepreneurship,” he said.
The father of two revealed he had no savings when he received the sad news at the start of the year when all his children were expecting school fees.
He visited various places searching for a job that bore no fruit. When the 28-year-old was left hopeless, the idea of starting a business popped into his head, but he did not know how to execute it without money.
“I informed my friend that I wanted to start a business and he advised me to take a loan. I went to so many banking institutions but my request was declined. I had a Timiza app on my phone so I decided to try them and in just few minutes the money I wanted was already in my account,” he added smiling.
Asked about the entrepreneurship journey, Omwoyo revealed the business which involves the sale of potatoes (wholesale and retail) is promising.
“I can’t regret so far. The business has been good and I can say that I have made good money since I started. When the business peaks I plan to open more branches and I’m sure I’ll make more than what I got in employment,” he said.
He advised anyone intending to venture into entrepreneurship to go for it without the fear of failure or funding.
“If you don’t have capital like me go for a loan. For instance, if you get funding from Timiza you’ll enjoy a low interest rate and you can borrow up to Sh150,000,” Omwoyo advised.
Timiza is accessible via USSD (*848#) and mobile app on Google Play Store &App Store. To qualify for a loan, one must be an M-PESA subscriber for more than 6 months and actively use Safaricom services such as voice, data, and M-PESA.
In addition, they need to have a good rating and not be negatively listed by the Credit Reference Bureaus (CRB) or blacklisted by Safaricom on Okoa Jahazi.
