He is just 23 and skating his way to financial freedom

He started skating by the roadside as a hobby immediately after high school. While at it, parents approached him to train their children.

The request saw Kelvin Mwangi buy three sets of skating kits from second hand shoe dealers to start coaching his skill in 2012.

Today, Mr Mwangi, 23, is an accomplished skating trainer in Nakuru and does not regret venturing into an area that is slowly becoming a popular sport among children, especially those from affluent families.

He usually charges Sh300 per session with each period lasting three hours in a day.

With the demand growing, Mr Mwangi incorporated his two friends into the booming business.

“My weekends are jammed and I have to attend church service early in the morning before venturing out to attend to many orders in various schools,” he said.

EVER BUSY

Schools keen on introducing skating as a sport have ensured that he is ever busy every evening and at weekends.

Earlier, Mr Mwangi, who is a trained chef, used to skate as a way of exercising but has slowly turned cooking into his hobby while skating is his full-time job which earns him Sh20,000 profit in a month.

“I charge Sh7,000 per student in the international schools and Sh4,500 per student in the local schools. The payments are paid per term,” he told Money.

So far, he has acquired 30 sets of skating kits which he uses to train both children and adults. Each set consists of a helmet, a pair of elbow-guards, palm-guards and knee-guards as well as a pair of skating shoes.

Flexible and swift

“I have mainly invested in children because I enjoy most when training them since they understand easily than adults. Their bodies are highly flexible and swift, too,” he added.

Apart from training children, skating has also seen him get marketing contracts with local companies to distribute flyers, booklets and posters.

“Skating helps in covering long distances while at the same time having fun. I have done it with NSSF, Orange Kenya and a number of mobile phone companies,” he said.

Like any other form of business, however, Mr Mwangi has faced challenges which include lack of training stadia.

“The county government should consider skating as an important sport that requires a specialised indoor facility for both adults and children. This will also help in creating more opportunities for the youth,” he added.

INCOME AVENUES

• Parents part with Sh300 per three-hour session for their children.

• International Schools keen on introducing skating as a sport pay Mr Mwangi Sh7,000 per pupil per term as local schools pay Sh4,500 for each learner.

• Marketing contracts from local companies.