When Rachael Wangechi was employed as a sales person at a phones dealer in the Nairobi’s Mfangano street, she would see people frequent her boss shop in search for mobile phones.
At the time, feature phones were the hotcake and her boss who was sourcing them from Dubai, would run out of stock very fast.
So lucrative was the business that she earned good commission, and also left with a business idea that she years later actualized.
Today, Wangechi runs her shop christened NEXT level communication in OTC where she sells original smartphones and accessories.
The entrepreneurs also sells lipa mdogo mdogo phones to customers who do not have enough money for a smartphone, allowing them to stay connected as they pay for the device at a small fee daily.
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“We sell quality phone that are durable. We also sell through lipa mdogo mdogo services. Customer comes in pays small deposit and walks away with a phone only to be paying small amount from Sh20 per day. Small installments of 1 month to 12month,” she says.
Wangechi attributes the success of her business to good networking. She however says she has had to deal with the challenge of convincing customers to buy original over fake devices.
In addition, the challenge of dealing with unfaithful employees who also tend to be rude to customers has taken a toll on her business.
She has however installed CCTV cameras at her shop to monitor performance when she is not around. With the changing business landscape, Wangechi says accessing loans has become easier than before, coming as an advantage for businesses.
The entrepreneur advises people intending to venture into entrepreneurship to be ready to work hard and be disciplined in their work.
She projects to have her own brand of accessories charger, cables, and power banks in the next five years.
