Fashion help for pregnant women

Nduta Mwangi quit employment to sell maternity apparel through her company, Everything Maternity Kenya. PHOTO | COURTESY

What you need to know:

  • Nduta is a mother of two who had been pregnant while in employment at two different firms that had very different workplace cultures. “During my first pregnancy it was easier to get dressed since my workplace didn’t have any definite formal look.
  • Her business grew through word of mouth. There were many referrals, but as time went by and as her customer base grew, it became harder for her to meet demand.
  • Spaces were scarce and expensive, though, and the first space she got ate into her profits for four months. She got another space on University Way which was more affordable, and used it to establish herself over one-and-a-half years. Earlier this year she moved back to Biashara Street, which is Nairobi’s ideal baby-shopping street.

Everything Maternity Kenya caters to the market of the pregnant woman in Kenya, from official clothing to the most casual look. The business turns three in November and was formed after Nduta Mwangi spent nine years in employment in the security, tourism and NGO sectors.

“One day I decided I was done with employment,” she says. “I had learnt a lot from my first job about being street smart, while the second job had a lot of protocol to be followed even if you thought it didn’t make sense. I just thought I wasn’t cut out to wake up every day to fulfill someone else’s dream.”

After six months of working at the NGO Nduta quit, not knowing where she was headed. She gave herself one month to think of her next move. Nduta has always had the habit of writing down stuff, even when it doesn’t seem important. While in employment, she had written down five business ideas that she thought were interesting.

During her time of introspection she found the notebook she had penned these ideas in. It had among them a food truck, farming and maternity wear businesses. She settled on the maternity wear venture.

Nduta is a mother of two who had been pregnant while in employment at two different firms that had very different workplace cultures. “During my first pregnancy it was easier to get dressed since my workplace didn’t have any definite formal look.

HUGE DEMAND

But when I looked back at my photos I realised that I constantly wore the same outfits in short rotation. My second pregnancy was worse. We had a strict, formal workplace and it was totally impossible to get nice maternity wear that wasn’t expensive,” she remembers.

It became Nduta’s passion to help pregnant women dress well. She started by purchasing mitumba items at Gikomba market and advertising on Facebook and Twitter; customers would call her and make orders which she then delivered.

Her business grew through word of mouth. There were many referrals, but as time went by and as her customer base grew, it became harder for her to meet demand.

Sizes of pregnant women vary and some customers weren’t sure of theirs. Some would quote sizes that actually turned out bigger or smaller than what they actually needed. Nduta would lose money on deliveries in these cases. Also, there is still a fair bit of mistrust for online shopping.

The most frequently asked question she would get from potential clients was whether she had a shop they could come to, look around and select for themselves. She decided to open a store in Nairobi’s Biashara Street for the clients’ convenience.

Spaces were scarce and expensive, though, and the first space she got ate into her profits for four months. She got another space on University Way which was more affordable, and used it to establish herself over one-and-a-half years. Earlier this year she moved back to Biashara Street, which is Nairobi’s ideal baby-shopping street.

Another challenge she faced from selling second-hand maternity wear was that she had to source stock from different mitumba wholesalers, getting a few pieces from each, so she couldn’t always meet demand. Moreover, UK, American,and French sizes are not made for African body types, so some outfits don’t fit Kenyan women.

To overcome this, Everything Maternity Kenya is starting a line of maternity wear. Partnering with a few local designers for the designs, body sizes and shapes, they are sourcing production in China due to Kenya’s high production costs. Nduta will visit China later this month to seal the deal.

“The people I sourced the clothes from keep asking me why I don’t also stock regular women’s clothing besides the maternity wear. I just tell them that there’ll be someone else pregnant and that this is my standard of business,” Nduta says.

 

 NDUTA’S POINTERS

  • Running a business gives you freedom to do what you think is best, and there is no ceiling.

  • You must be passionate about what you’re doing.
  • Through experience you are able to know what’s profitable and what your market wants.
  • Getting external finance for small business start-ups is hard. I financed my business myself through my savings. The first batch of stock was worth Sh15, 000. Coupled with other expenses plus rent and deposits, it came to Sh200, 000.
  • Separate your personal finances from the business or you’ll end up thinking that you have a lot of money and spending it, not knowing your profit from your income.
  • The amount of energy you put into your business determines the reward you’ll get. In employment it felt like I put in too much and got too little in return.
  • Whatever you get is what you have. Running a business makes you a better manager of time, money and other resources.
  • You must have a lot of drive not to give in when it gets crazy, or you’ll have gone back to employment before you even get to break even.
  • Marketing is key to your business growth. Research on competitors, the products they are offering and their pricing to create a better niche.
  • Go for business training to equip yourself to better run your business. I attended training organised by GOWE (Growth Oriented Women Enterprises), Federation of Women Entrepreneurs and We Create Kenya.