Stacey Auma’s journey to becoming a successful businesswoman is a testament to the power of determination, perseverance, and hard work.
Her story is an inspiration to anyone who dreams of achieving their goals despite facing daunting challenges.
Stacey used to sell secondhand clothes on the streets of Nairobi, but this was a risky venture as county government officials often arrested her and her fellow traders.
Undeterred, she continued searching for ways to make ends meet, dropping copies of her CV in various places, but unfortunately, nothing positive came her way.
After failing to secure employment opportunity, Stacey had to find new ways to make ends meet. She started by washing clothes for people in the Greenspan area in Nairobi but had to stop due to severe back pain.
“I used to wash clothes for people at Greenspan area in Nairobi, but it reached a time when I was not able to do that because of severe back pain,” she narrated in a past interview.
Her mother then urged her to start a food vending business, which she did, but after four months of incurring losses, she gave up.
”I’ve been doing multiple businesses before settling on Mitumba business. I was a mama fua, then went to hawking clothes. I’ve also been a fish vendor. I was a very good hawker in Nairobi CBD when a friend talked me into selling mitumba bales,” she told Bizna.
She decided to visit the Gikomba market to see if she could find something to sell. Armed with just Sh. 1,000, she bought 30 pieces of sweater tops for Sh. 30 each, and sold them for Sh. 100 each, making a profit of Sh. 70 for each piece.
She later moved on to selling jumpers, and even though she was arrested on her first day, she persevered and went on to sell all the jumpers the next day.
“I was arrested at 6 pm and released at 9 pm. I had to call my mother to send me bus fare because I had not sold anything. The following day I was there again, and this time, I sold all the jumpers. This boosted my morale so much,” she narrated.
Stacey’s success in selling jumpers inspired her to join forces with other women to contribute money that enabled them to order a container of bales. After they received the bales, they subdivided them among themselves and began selling.
Today, she owns two shops, one in Gikomba Market Orange House’s first floor selling mitumba bales, and the other in Ruiru Town Mathigu Rd opposite Coca-Cola Depot. She sells her products in both retail and wholesale.
The businesswoman says she uses social media to advertise her products, which include second-hand clothes, shoes, and toys, among others.
One of the challenges Stacey faced when starting the business was raising capital. She explains that she had to take a loan to start up.
In addition, getting bales that contain low-quality clothes, which results in losses has also been a challenge.
In such cases, she shares the weight of the loss with the customers. However, she also has to deal with difficult customers who are not satisfied with her products.
”Some customers don’t understand that Mitumba Bales can disappoint at times. That makes me offer free mentorships to those interested and willing to join the business team,” she says.
Despite these challenges, Stacey has been able to build a thriving business, thanks to her determination and hard work.
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In addition to running her business, Stacey is also a qualified football coach. Currently, she serves as an assistant coach at Weprosa Unified, based in Ruiru, Gwakairu.
”Since we are not open on Sundays, I use that time for our league matches at 3 pm. We close at 5 pm. We start our Daily training from 5:30 to 7 pm,” she says.
To anyone intending to venture into business, Stacey has a word for you: ”Go for it anytime, any day the best will come once you are ready to invest your time and energy. God first.”
In the next five years, her dream is to own several branches across the country as well as be the most trusted brand across East Africa.
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