Most students when in college take up an activity that helps them make an extra coin. Most of these activities stem from their passion in the various fields, it could be drama club, participating in beauty pageants or sports. These activities come in handy after graduation since it is a well-known fact that getting a job after school can be a bit hectic and so having some form of income generating activity as you wait for that dream job can be very helpful. Sometimes the part time activity ends up becoming the full time career path for some.
Francis Ochieng discovered that there is an opportunity in the fashion industry after participating in the college beauty pageant and assisting his fellow contestants to dress up. He left the competition not only with a crown but also with a business idea to sell clothes since during the competition he was able to observe which clothes trends were most loved. With the money he had been awarded as the winner he was good to go.
“Having the capital and an idea were not enough. I had to find a suitable location that would guarantee me clients. So the search for the perfect location begun. I visited my brothers who were studying at Kenyatta University and lived near the university. I observed how the many students liked keeping up with the latest fashion. I knew that was the market I needed.”
Francis Ochieng at his shop
The money was not enough to secure a shop and so Francis was off to a humble beginning of selling his merchandise alongside the road. Specializing in men’s wear most of his clients are the university students but still he gets clients from other areas other than the university. To get that many clients he has to rely on social Media.
“I mostly use whatsapp to market my business. I keep my clients coming back through communication. I make sure to update them on all the media platforms that is facebook, twitter and instagram about new stock and respond to their queries instantly.”
The business has its challenges just as it has benefits. Some challenges he has faced include petty theft at his shop and some clothes staying in the shop for too long without being bought. For the former he tries to be as vigilant as possible to avoid losing some of his clothes. As for the later, he gives out the overstayed clothes out to charity and for clients who buy clothes exceeding a stipulated amount of money he gives them the overstayed clothes as complementary goods.
Francis hopes to open his designer shop in future “I went into the clothes business with the aim of one day getting to design my own clothes and its because of that that I am undergoing some training in tailoring so I can be able to design and make the men’s suites. I anticipate a brighter future because am putting in the hard work, am committed and I trust in God.”
