He started selling Ice cream along the streets of Eldoret Town in 2020 after he completed class eight but failed to further his studies for lack of finances.
This is the story of 25-years-old Collins Shirabula, a resident of Langas in Uasin Gishu County.
“I had an idea but the challenge was how to raise the starting capital which was around Sh5, 000. I tried the best I could to seek for support from friends and neighbours but my efforts bore no fruits. No one was willing to help me. I had to think of other means of raising the required capital,” he recalls.
“That’s how I ended up taking a loan from one of my neighbours, a driver. I immediately swung into action, selling and supplying ice creams to different places along Eldoret streets. I used to undergo a lot of challenges in this business the most daunting one, being walking for long distances selling and supplying ice creams to different places which was tiresome. Sometimes I arrived to my customers very late after they had already bought from other vendors which was very demotivating,” he says.
He said he saved some little money on daily basis and eventually managed to clear the initial loan and also opened a small shop in Eldoret Town that he used for ice-cream production.
Collins says he has employed two people who help him in ice cream production while he does the selling by himself.
“When I employed two people to help me run the business, my income increased, enabling me to make a profit of sh1,500 on a busy day. As a result of that I am able to pay my workers and meet my family’s expenses,” he says.
As customers increased, Collins says he purchased a bicycle and restructured it into tricycle to ease ice cream transportation. “The tricycle has enabled me to reach my customers on time unlike when I used to walk while supplying,” he explains.
KNA met with him at Imara Street of Eldoret town as he sold the ice cream on the bicycle. He says ice cream selling does not require much academic papers and can be done by both genders. “It only calls for hard work and passion,” he stated.
To succeed, he advises, “dealing with customers requires one to wear a smile on your face no matter the obstacles encountered at workplace. Some customers may just try to disappoint you by even using abusive language but as a business person you will have to bear with that and move on as you need to build a good relationship with them, so that they can continue buying your products.”
Collins believes that nothing good comes on a silver plate, it must be worked for. He says he is determined to train many jobless youths out there on how to succeed in business.
“I am pleading with the huge number of idle youths across the country that they can become self-dependant by being innovative. They should venture in business instead of waiting for elusive employment,” he adds.
By Phelix Kipsang
