By Betty Luke
Many of us would love to own a business but very few are ready to take that bold step of starting off what those eking a living from self employment call an unpredictable venture.
We all love formal employment, don’t we? But how fast or easy is it for one to shift to self employment where you are your own boss and is responsible for the business’s success and failure?
After completing an Accounting course seven years ago, Ms Millicent Wambui had the desire to start her own business to create job opportunities for local youths in Isiolo but lacking starting capital, she was forced to look for a job to save some cash.
After some years of hustle, she landed a Managerial job at one of the petrol stations in Isiolo in 2018 but still kept hopes high that she would one day start her own business.
Besides the job, Ms Wambui started buying peanuts in small quantities to local shops, residents and teachers at local schools as part-time hustle.
Two years later, she resigned in December 2020 and secured a Sh250,000 loan which she topped up with her Sh150, 000 savings to buy roasting and grinding machines that she would later use in manufacturing of peanut butter.
Her bold move gave birth to Tremil Enterprises located at Kangutu area along Isiolo-Moyale Highway that specialises in peanut butter making.
“Procuring the machines gave me the drive to start the business because I could not continue paying rent without using them,” Ms Kimotho said at a past interview with thepresspoint.com.
The preparation process starts with sorting the peanuts manually to get rid of the spoilt ones then roasting the finer ones.
The outer cover (exocarp) of the roasted nuts is then removed before they are introduced to the grinding machine that processes them into glossy and smooth paste.
“I grind between four and five times (repeats the process) until I have a smooth paste that can be easily spread on bread and cakes,” the 30-year-old mother of one said.
Her Elmo peanut butter brand, like other butter products, is rich in body building nutrients and helps maintain blood sugar and cholesterol levels in the body.
Four months into the peanut making business, the entrepreneur is happy that the business has started paying off.
Ms Kimotho, who is selling the product in Isiolo, Marsabit, Laikipia, Samburu and Meru counties, makes Sh150, 000 on a good month but laments that sales had dipped in the last two months due to Covid-19.
“The travel restrictions have made it hard for me to sell in far counties and even procure raw materials in Nairobi (where it is cheaper),” Ms Wambui who has employed three people to help in processing and packaging of the product said.
Of her major worries is that a section of residents have been reluctant in embracing the product as a number prefer butter from renowned companies but is determined to becoming the leading peanut butter producer in the Northern Kenya region.
The young entrepreneur appealed to young people in Isiolo and across the country to seize available opportunities to economically empower themselves and be self-reliant.
