
At the age 24, Audrey Osiri is the towering example of true spirit of hustling among youths in Kenya
Her entrepreneurship journey started way back when she was in second year at Kenyatta University in 2016 where she ventured in selling second hand clothes.
What drove Audrey to the business was the love she had for fashion and also the ability to fend for her kid and herself.
With the help of her mother who loaned her Sh.5000 and from what she earned from the ‘Chama’ “Merry Go Round” she had enabled her to start the business.
“I could get second hand blazers at Sh.100 from some women in Githurai and sell them at a price of Sh.200 to my fellow students”
Selling second hand clothes at school was very hard since she could move from one hostel to another in search of clients and end up with no one to sell to at the end of the day.
Her spirit of determination could not allow her to give up despite the fact that some students could turn her away without even listening or looking at what she was selling.
“Managing School and business is not easy because during exams I had to suspend my business a bit in order to focus on my studies,” she added.
But after graduating in December, 2019, Audrey had to move from Nairobi to look for a convenient place where she could continue with her business. She opted to settle in Migori town because it’s where her family abodes.
Today, Audrey is a different person from the University-cum- business girl who used to cruise between class and Githurai market in her life juggling game.
She has since expanded from selling second hand clothes to selling new women’s hand bags, clothes and shoes with a host of customers on tow thronging her business shop in the middle of Migori town.
From her flashy boutique one would safely purchase a pair of shoes at a cost ranging between Sh.500 and Sh.1000, handbags from Sh.1000 to Sh.2500 while the clothes sell between Sh.1000 and Sh.2000 depending with the material.
Grabbing customers’ interest towards your business is a form of growth and with that Audrey allows her customer to book her products with a down payment that is manageable and attractive to all.
“Am always motivated by good customer service and I prefer serving my customer the same way I would prefer served by others”. she told KNA recently during a brief interview with her at her shop.
However, business is always not a rosy bed to lounge on and so is full of challenges. Delayed payment of product is some of the challenges that she faces in her business but despite that she is able to get through it.
From sourcing her goods in Nairobi and the far flung towns of Mombasa and Kampala in Uganda, one requires a strong heart to remain afloat in the business. She says moving the cargo from the market to her shop has been a big problem because she spends a lot of fare and freight charges, while the police and Kenya Revenue Authority officers on your neck demanding their fees.
Although the mother of one and a wife to a loving and supportive husband has been facing rough tides scaling the width and breadth of the business, she confesses making good profit to continue with her fast rising shop.
“My ambition in life now is to expand my boutique to higher levels in order to create employment to other young Kenyans with the same passion,” said Audrey.
She also looks forward to going back to school to furthering her education to Phd level majoring in Education.
By Christine Mwita/George Agimba