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My son’s eczema pushed me to start my business

Money

Lucy King’ori, 34, stumbled on a business idea in her search for a cure for her son’s skin problem. She takes Malaika Chunji through the journey.

BACKGROUND:

I have been in this business for nine years. I am a creative who has tried out luck in different trades such as wedding planning, interior design and fashion. I have invested much of my time in business as I am an alumni of Strathmore Business School.

 

THE IDEA:

My son was born with eczema so his skin would dry out become really itchy and red at times. We spent a lot of time at the dermatologist’s trying to get a solution. Sometimes my son would stay up all night crying and scratching his skin raw. It was heart breaking. We tried various remedies and at one point we got a paediatrician who gave us a remedy unfortunately the remedy ended up bleaching my son’s skin as it had steroids, we had to discontinue the medication. There’s this time I had a discussion with a friend whose son had a similar condition, she recommended I try out some butter she had just gotten from South Sudan and it worked. My son’s skin was totally different after using it for two weeks. I embarked on a research to find out more about this butter that worked like magic. I took a sample to the government lab and did more research online. I discovered the butter was actually shea butter from South Sudan. In a span of 6 months, I had gotten all the information I needed and decided to use the knowledge I had acquired in setting up the business. I knew there were mums who had gone through a similar situation as mine.

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT

I took short courses online on formulation as I wanted to come up with a natural product and I didn’t want someone else to do it on my behalf. I learnt the different ways into which I could use the butter to come up with different products. I converted my servant’s quarter into a workshop and we started selling immediately our products were approved by the Kenya Bureau of Standards. I was lucky around the same time we started, the natural hair movement in Kenya had started gaining some traction and by then natural products were not easy to come by. In my third year in business, I realised things weren’t as I expected since I started without a proper business plan. My business model was all wrong and I had to starts all over again. I re branded and also expanded my product range. Bu.Ke Brands Limited was launched on February 22, 2017. It was a fresh start for us. Changing a brand name is as good as starting from scratch. Luckily I was able to put some capital together with the help of my husband and brother and this time I did it with a proper plan.

 

RUNNING A START-UP:

Running a start-up is always exciting at first but the reality hits when challenges start sifting in. Like in my case, I had a business partner but after a while I realised we weren’t compatible as we had different visions for the brand. I have learnt to always have the right team in place. If the team isn’t right, then the brand goes nowhere. Always have a team that buys into your brand vision. It’s also important to re-invent yourself to keep the excitement and interest going.

 

WHERE YOU ARE NOW:

Bu.ke Products got into the market in March this year and the reception has been overwhelming. The support has been amazing. We have grown and got into about 10 different retail and cosmetic shops in Nairobi, two in Tanzania and one in Ethiopia. We are hoping to be a regional brand within five years. We have been nominated for best Brand of the Year at this year’s Afro Hair Award ceremony being held in December. We have six permanent employees and hope to expand our product range next year but after addressing packaging which has been a major challenge.

YOUR TIP:

If you are passionate about something, don’t shy away. Go for it. You never know. For me, it started off as an idea and right now it’s all I dream of. It has become a huge part of me. I always wish I had someone to advise me on partnerships, marketing and organic growth when I started, this could have saved me from wasting a lot of time. I also advice against photocopying someone else’s idea, you can never own it. Having a good support system is important. For me, my mum and husband have been with me every step.

 

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