He Started A Fruit Salad Business With Sh.200, Now He Employs 8 People!

Compiled by Susan Gitonga

Most people think that they need thousands of shillings to start their business, but James Mulei’s entrepreneurship journey will teach you that even as little as 50 shillings is enough capital to start your business.

Here is his inspiring story, that will make challenge you and inspire you to be your own boss and make the most out of your life!

His Education Background

James Mulei studied automotive engineering in college and after he graduated, he ended up getting jobs with different companies including City Hoppa, City Shuttle and Kenya Bus. According to him, he did not make enough money to meet his basic needs and the desires of his heart were not met.

How He Started His Fruit Salad Business

One day while he was still working for one of the Bus Companies, their salaries were delayed so much, up to two weeks.

Once they were paid, he paid all his bills and ended up remaining with only Sh. 200. This harsh reality hit him hard and he asked himself if he was going to go another full month with only Sh.200. He decided that enough was enough, and he quit his job that day.

The next day, he bordered a matatu and opted to travel like a makanga because he knew that if he parted with Sh 50 to pay for a seat, he would remain with Sh 150 which couldn’t last him too long.

He then decided to go to Mariki market, where he found that mangoes there were costing Sh.10, and figured that he would go to uptown and sell them at Sh 20, making a profit of Sh 10 on each mango. James took a leap of faith and bought mangoes worth Sh 150 and ended up selling all of them.

During his second round, he invested Shs 700 and in a matter of two hours, he had sold out!

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Packaging Fruits Salads…

His mango business was not going to last so long because mangoes were fading in the market because of seasons, and those remaining were not in good condition. Because of this, he realized that he had to come up with a different plan.

One of his mango customers informed him that there was a vacant shop in town being sold at Sh 60,000 for goodwill.

He bought the shop and started his fruit salad business. He expanded in terms of stock and got more customers, and the old ones now realized that he was not only selling mangoes but also more varieties of fruits.

Business So Far..

James Mulei has 300 daily Customers and he spends Sh 8,000 a day on stock. He currently has 8 employees who go home with Shs 500 per day!

His Advice To Kenyans

“Sometimes you find that a friend of yours is willing to buy you a plate of chips and chicken worth 500 bob. This amount is enough to start a business. If I started my business with with 200 bob, you have no excuse not to start yours today!,” he concludes

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 Susan  is a Communications Officer at Career Point Kenya. Email: susan@www.careerpointkenya.co.ke

Source: Capital FM