Sh200 treat blooms into lucrative venture
Mr Norman Kuria at his stall that he started after being released from jail. Photo | SULEIMAN MBATIAH
After he was released from jail and without a cent, Norman Kuria bumped into a friend who gave him Sh200 for a meal.
In 10 years, Kuria had turned the Sh200 into a multi-million shilling project.
Kuria invested the money in a few pairs of socks, which he hawked in Nakuru town.
The business has now expanded to property such as land, houses, and car firms. “It was still early in the day when I was released. I was confused since I did not have even a shilling.
A long-time friend offered me Sh200 to buy lunch. I quickly approached a hawker to introduce me to the business,” Kuria told Money.
His aim was to make a little more money to pay for his lunch and fare back to his parents’ home.
GOING BACK HOME
The hawker led him to a wholesale kiosk where he bought a dozen pairs of socks at Sh190. He headed to the busy bus terminus where he started hawking the socks.
“In half an hour I had exhausted my stock. With the profit, I bought one-and-a-half dozen socks, which I also exhausted. I even lost interest in going back home, where I had nothing. I wanted to focus on making a living,” said Kuria.
Within a week, he had upgraded his stock to include undergarments and handkerchiefs, making a net profit of Sh10,000.
His aggressiveness in business and new perspective of life saw him rent a house for the first time.
This, he said, came after spending cold nights in hotels and streets for about a week.
WAS ON CRUTCHES
A month later, Kuria had expanded his business to include watches, phone covers, and spoons, which saw him earning a tidy profit of over Sh50,000.
A few years later, however, Kuria was involved in a road accident on his way home, injuring his leg. For a while, he was on crutches.
“But this did not stop me from doing my work. I rented some space in town where I could operate as my leg healed,” he recalled.
Gradually, Kuria’s business expanded. In 2007, he managed to buy a piece of land and a taxi.
Besides paying school fees for his four children in secondary and primary school, he has managed to buy another piece of land and a motorbike.
He has also opened a rabbit and chicken business for his wife. “Through her business, my wife is able to invest in other family projects,” he said.
UNTAPPED OPPORTUNITIES
His developed plots within the suburbs of Nakuru town are worth over Sh5 million. His other businesses have also grown over the years.
According to Kuria, the obsession with white-collar jobs among the youth needs to be addressed.
“The youth should not just fight for jobs in big offices; they should open their minds and start businesses of their own. In turn, they will employ others,” Kuria said.
He has, however, engaged many youths from Nakuru County in his businesses, giving them ideas on how to utilise their untapped opportunities.
“There are many business ideas. The youth should be aggressive in taking advantage of them,” he said. Kuria now wants to open a wholesale market and expand his businesses in Nakuru.
