We all use pillows in our homes to lay our heads on or to support our backs when seated. Other than acting as support for our head, neck and spine, pillows act as our cuddling buddies when it gets cold and you snuggle up with a warm blanket and a cup of hot chocolate or beverage of your choice.
This was the case for Florence Kirai as she needed pillows for her house. Being a creative and also interested in learning new skills, she thought it best to buy herself a sewing machine and get to make the pillows herself. She used Youtube to learn how to sew, highlighting that we can learn quite a lot from the Youtube tutorials. The internet has a lot to offer for an individual looking to perfect a skill or even learn a new thing, which could improve their lives and even help them earn a living.
“I got really good with time and was finally able to make my pillows. The good work I was doing really showed, since a few weeks later my friend came to my house to visit and was really impressed by the pillows that she wanted to carry them. I then offered to make her some pillows of her own since I could not quite part with the batch I had made for myself.”
Her company Kuddly Pillows was born from the instant she made her friend those pillows. Her family members and friends came on board and placed orders for their pillows. This came as great support and show of confidence in her product. Florence used her savings as starting capital at the beginning but later, she would use the deposit amount paid by her clients to purchase supplies she needed to work on the pillows.
Samples from Florence Kirai’s Kuddly Pillows
“Kuddly Pillows are not only fit for households but are also custom made for the hospitality sector and office set up to be used in lounge areas. The pillows are custom made throw or toss pillows which are beautiful and exquisite that you can even gift to friends, family or clients. The pillows are made from pure and soft fiber making them very comfy. The bed pillows are customized to the type of sleeper the client is whether they sleep mostly on their side or on their back.”
For Florence, giving her clients the best service is her selling point. She makes sure to involve her clients in the process making of the final product, be it in ensuring the right fabric is picked, the print, pattern and size is correct. She then makes sure to personally deliver the pillows and put a smile on her clients’ face when they see the work done. As an entrepreneur Florence says she has learnt to be more patient, prayerful, persistent and flexible in her business.These values have also helped her grow the business to where it is today.
Asked what are some of the challenges she has faced running Kuddly Pillows, Florence says, “Consistency in getting orders for pillows as not everyone needs pillows as often, being able to get more clients other than my friends and family members to buy from me and also the fact that Kuddly Pillows is not very well known to some organizations and they are reluctant to place orders with me.”
Ways in which she markets Kuddly Pillows include use of Social media platforms that is Instagram and Facebook. She also gets referrals from clients she has worked with and social events that she attends where she gets to meet with fellow entrepreneurs and exchange contacts.
Word of advice Florence would like to give to the university students and anyone wanting to venture into entrepreneurship she says, “Entrepreneurship is not for the faint-hearted. It will test you before you get to enjoy the fruits of your labour. However, it is worth it.”
