Kenya Association Of Women Business Owners | A Chance to Grow & Excell
A NOTE FROM A MEMBER:
“I wanted to first and foremost thank you for the Entrepreneurs in Handcraft training opportunity provided by KAWBO in February.
I think you remember how skeptical I was about attending such a training as a fashion designer; I really could not see the relevance especially since I do not export. I never actually realized how much money I was losing through my past product development processes. I used to randomly produce designs and execute the samples with no actual plan of going into production. It was after I completed the training that I realized how much planning, thought process and financial implications go into product development. As i am still working towards my online/ ready to wear line, my PD is now on paper and I sell designs to clients from my sketches as opposed to experimental samples that may or may not work.
Another huge take home for me was the fact that I cannot satisfy every single customer that walks through my day. Previously, my company used to stitch for anyone and everyone. What this did was there was pricing inconsistency, devaluing of our products and very huge turnover of customers. Now we are more streamlined in the way we package and sell ourselves. when a client comes in for the initial appointment, we are able to articulately communicate what we do and how we do it before we start the design process.
I could go on and on because really every single day brought in something new into my company. My employees now really do understand what it is we do, what’s in it for them, and we have a vision that guides us.
Before the training, I really could not see beyond financial constraints. I was working towards paying bills; now we are working towards acquiring wealth and making a difference in our community as we go along. My business is more sustainable and we have now expanded to corporate wear.” Sylvia, Kimila Afrika
Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Recruiting – Kenya
10,000 Women program in Kenya is recruiting women for its next cohort of 10,000 Women scholars in Nairobi. The 10,000 Women certificate program in Kenya was launched by Goldman Sachs and the Goldman Sachs Foundation in partnership with the United States International University (USIU). The program seeks to recruit women with existing SMEs in Kenya. The Kenya program has already graduated over 180 women. To qualify for the program, women business owners must meet the following criteria:
Please click here for more information about the program. If you know of qualified women, please direct them to: Charles Mayaka (cmayaka@usiu.ac.ke) for further information.
10,000 Women is a five-year investment by Goldman Sachs to provide 10,000 underserved women around the world with a business and management education. To find out more about 10,000 Women, click here.
KAWBO Newsletter Excel Highlights member-achievements.