Margaret Kariuki is the founder and director of Amani Apparel, a locally established clothing store located in Nakuru City.
I started my business in 2016 as a side hustle. My startup capital was Sh. 200,000. Initially, I used to sell new clothes from Kampala, Uganda, but due to the 2020 travel restrictions, the supply went down, and forced my business into the second hand clothes market for affordability and uniqueness.
I am a social worker by profession. I had been in employment for 11 years, and used to run my business as a side hustle. I went into full time business after losing my job. My social work skills have come in handy when serving my customers.
I have become very aware that women don’t shop for clothes because of lack. Women love to look unique. My driving force to start this business was also an urge to provide an alternative for unique, quality and affordable clothing.
It took me 6 years to break even. I previously had a business that failed because of 2020 pandemic. I didn’t give up on my business dream. I changed tact and started my clothing business in the middle of the restrictions.
This was a time when the government had banned second hand clothes. This ban quickly became my biggest challenge. There was a short supply of suppliers and it took quite some time to get a reliable supplier at the right wholesale price.
My biggest money mistake was starting a business with a loan. Almost all my sales went to repaying the loan, especially when business was down. I was forced to survive on loans for the business to thrive. Over a period of time this has changed and made my business self-reliant.
I got a scholarship by US Embassy to be trained on entrepreneurship in one of their programs (Academy for Women Entrepreneurs). This has been my biggest business moment so far. Through this training, I realized that I was driving my business when I had not gone through a business driving school. I didn’t have the skills to run the business as properly as I should have.
I learned about marketing skills, how to price my products, record keeping among others. Currently I have a business plan in place for my venture and have seen profit lows and accelerated growth than I previously experienced.
There are certain things I would change if I were to reboot my business journey. I would do a thorough feasibility study before starting the business to determine its success. Key areas I would look into are financial, market, operational and technical aspects.
I had a challenge navigating through the second hand clothes market. When you’re a rookie, you don’t truly comprehend that you need to be at Gikomba Market as early as 3am. Then there’s the language of sale you need to be assimilated into.
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Add brokers in the mix and you’re lost. Due to these challenges, I would find myself without adequate supplies in my shop. This meant no sales that resulted in loss of many customers.
Previously before I enrolled for entrepreneurship training, I used to plough back all the money in the business. Currently, as an employee of the business, I am paying myself a salary and I am now able to do personal investments.
When in employment don’t settle in a comfort zone. Try to see as far as an eagle. My side hustle really saved the day when I lost my job. Get a side hustle but run it so independently from your job that it doesn’t end up affecting your contractual obligations to your employer.
When doing business, do it out of passion and not purely for money. In business, there are some really bad days, and if you’re not in it out of passion, it will be very easy for you to quit when things get tough.
A version of this profile feature on Margaret Kariuki was also published in the Saturday Magazine. The Saturday Magazine is a publication of the Nation Media Group.
