Nila Baby Shop CEO Norah Muendo recently shared her humble beginnings in entrepreneurship having started as a hawker to currently owning five baby shops across the country.
In a video on the Nila Baby shop TikTok account, Norah emotionally recalled the struggles of growing the business from scratch, while thanking her husband for supporting her dreams. She was speaking during the opening of her fifth branch in Meru.
”If you ever doubt what God can do, look at me and stop doubting! 2019 i was out here hawking baby clothes 2024 i am out here opening the 5th branch!’’ she wrote on her Facebook page.
In a past interview, the bold businesswoman revealed she started her business in 2018 with a capital of Sh14,000 inspired by her previous struggles in finding baby clothes when she was pregnant.
However, she ended up using all the clothes on her daughter. Undeterred, she received additional capital from her husband, which she says was between Ksh 100,000 and 200,000, which she used to set up her first shop.
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“I didn’t make much out of the initial Ksh 14,000 stock, I kinda gave up but my husband gave me another money that could help get another stock,” she said.
She utilized social media platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp to market her products. Currently, Nila Baby Shop has branches in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Eldoret and Meru.
According to her, the secret to making it in the baby shop business is meeting customer expectations.
For dissatisfied customers, she has implemented an exchange program with full refunds to ensure customer satisfaction.
She takes pride in offering clean, top-quality merchandise at affordable prices, making her mitumba goods stand out in Nairobi, Mombasa, and Eldoret.
Norah, who has over 40 employees, advises aspiring baby shop owners to conduct market research, identify a market gap, and target specific clientele.
Additionally, she emphasizes the importance of prayer, believing that hard work alone is insufficient.
