When Wanjiku Muriithi graduated from Karatina University with a bachelor’s degree in Communication and Public relations in 2018, she knew exactly what she wanted to be; a PR expert wearing classy corporate clothes in a well-furnished office.

However, fate had different plans for Wanjiku.

“I applied to so many jobs and kept getting rejection emails. I remember these three particular jobs that I really wanted but did not get,” the 27-year-old recalled.

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Instead of dwelling on the setbacks, Wanjiku moved to Nakuru and set up a barbershop business, that failed terribly after seven months.

Wanjiku Muriithi serves one of her customers at her cereals stall in Top Market, Nakuru city.

Photo credit: COURTESY

Wanjiku states that apart from not having the knowledge of running the barbershop that she had partnered in with someone else, the location of the barbershop was not convenient. This resulted to its collapse.

"Together with my partner, we sold the barbershop at Sh 80,000, and each one of us went with half the money. It’s this money that helped me purchase my first stock of rice from my mother who was already in the business for many years."

In 2019, Wanjiku decided to start selling rice in Heshima area in her home, when she realized she was pregnant. She later got back to it in 2020 in March, a month after giving birth.

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"Being a mother at a young age, I figured it was prudent to practice my PR and Communication skills, by turning to social media to market my goods. Two weeks after birth, I had sold 1000 kilograms of rice," she expresses.

The mother of one highlights that everything was going well for her until 2021, when she felt that the business was becoming cumbersome for her.

Exhausted, she decided to close the business for three to four months.

" As much as I closed my business, I would get a lot of calls from my clients who wanted goods. It is at this point that one of my clients made it easy for me, by offering me a space to store rice in town, as he pushed and encouraged me to go back, in which I finally did," Wanjiku narrates.

Wanjiku started selling only rice but has since expanded to selling assorted cereals at her stall in Top Market, Nakuru city.

Photo credit: COURTESY

She shares that in the space offered to her, she tried venturing into other cereals with the Sh 50,000 that she had set aside.

Here, Wanjiku admits that she faced a lot of challenges, especially since she was not well versed in the industry.

"My first stock was hectic since I did not do market survey. I ended up purchasing low quality goods bought at higher prices. However, with my second stock, I was way better as I had already studied where to source quality products and identify goods with a higher demand in the market."

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Ms Wanjiku concludes that her mind is settled on business and that she has no regrets.

She as well notes that what has made her grow as one of the biggest vendors in Top Market, is that she offers sorting the cereals for her customers to make their work easier, something most vendors do not.

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Biz Lounge: 27-year-old sets aside Public Relations degree, ventures into cereals business in Nakuru

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Winnie Kimani