WOMEN IN RETAIL EDITION
Women in
Retail Edition
Beauty with a purpose
Dr Joyce Gikunda
Dr Joyce Gikunda
INSIDE
Coffee
Connection
Doing it as a
Passion
Growing with
Sinapis
In my
Shoes
WOMEN IN RETAIL EDITION
The retail business around the globe
has been severely affected by the Covid
- 19 pandemic. Customers stayed away
from shopping malls and other physical
spaces that retailers occupy, leaving
them with inventory that they could not
move.
This called for innovation within the
sector, and an acceleration for retail
outlets that had not yet embraced
e-commerce to do so, quickly.
In Africa, where the ‘last mile’ in online
business is yet to be perfected, this
proved a challenge. Customers are
not accustomed to paying in advance
for goods, due to mistrust on quality
of products and actual fulfillment of
orders. This has curtailed the growth of
e-commerce.
One of the outcomes of this Pandemic
may be that customers have been forced
to order both essential products and
‘luxury’ items online. This demand has
encouraged more businesses to make
their products more easily available on
e-commerce platforms, hoping that this
will encourage growth, or they will be
forced to close their doors.
In this issue we revisit our Women
in Retail series, that highlights the
challenges retailers have faced during
these uncertain times, and what they
think can be done to encourage growth
within the sector.
We thank the entrepreneurs for their
candor, and allowing us to share their
experiences in our second issue of
2021, that comes hot off the trail of our
commemorative March issue, Women to
Watch in 2021, that was widely shared
and viewed over 25,000 times.
At Kayana we continue to support
entrepreneurs in three main areas:
Creating a Community of trust to
grow and support each other.
Building the Capacity of businesses
through our capacity building courses
like Passport to Business, a self-
paced ‘just in time’ course for the
busy entrepreneurs and our 8-week
immersive Super Circles curriculum
for businesses in ideation or those
that are pivoting.
And, thirdly, through deep
Collaborations with institutions
within the entrepreneurial eco-
System, because we believe that
‘collaboration is the new competition’.
We hope you enjoy your reading
experience and be inspired to join our
ever-growing community of female
entrepreneurs that are committed to
growing their businesses for posterity.
Pat Okelo
Kayana
Dream.Work.Grow
EDITOR”S LETTER
The team
EDITOR
Patricia Okelo
CO-EDITOR
Brenda Ndirangu
CONTRIBUTORS
Grace Ngii
Geoffrey Musiega
Joan Wangui
Makena Murungi
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Kimachia Wamwiri
DIGITAL PARTNERS
Boresha Limited
DESIGN
Dennis Miru
PUBLISHER
Willart Productions
COVER PHOTO
Dr. Gikunda - Linton’s Beauty
World
WOMEN IN RETAIL EDITION
WOMEN IN RETAIL EDITION
Retained Profits
Personal Savings
Mobile Credit
Chama Group
Family and Friends
Harassment by
government
authorities
Access to finance
challenges
Access to market
challenges
Gender based
discrimination
Lack of information
Design
Tours and travel
entertainment
Health
Retail
Real estate and
construction
Agriculture
Hospitality
Business support
services
Education
https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/smefinance
Doing-Business-in-Kenya-Reflection-of-Women-SMEs-2019 Viffa consult
https://mastercardfdn.org/supporting-women-led-msmes-to-build-back-better-post-covid-19/
https://www.africanreview.com/finance/business/smes-are-growing-kenya-s-economy-3
Coffee connection
10
Passionate about tea
13
Part after Party
15
In my shoes
17
Accessing Finance: Small
Businesses in Survival Mode
19
Kayana members profile
21
Grow with Sinapis
23
Beauty with a purpose
24
Candid conversations 18th edition
30
Naturally resilient
31
Passion for fashion
32
Kayana training and events
calendar 2021 quarter 3
Content
KayanaHub on YouTube
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In this special edition of Kayana News dubbed Women in Retail edition, we feature
women who share their journeys as entrepreneurs. Get inspired as they share their
unique stories, ups and downs in the ever dynamic world of entrepreneurship.
Watch their journeys and more at
WOMEN IN RETAIL EDITION
Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) are the lifeblood of the global economy. Although often
overshadowed by enterprise counterparts, in reality SMEs are responsible for a large proportion of new jobs
in countries around the world and are at the core of competitiveness and innovation. MSMEs make up more
than 90% of all businesses in Africa, in which women comprise almost 60% of Africa’s self-employed
workforce.
Women are helping to run
Kenya’s economy by controlling
half of the 1.3 million MSMEs.
Women-owned businesses
account for over 48% of
all SMEs in Kenya
Contribute about 20% of
the Kenyan gross domestic
product (GDP)
Major challenges faced by Women doing business in Kenya
Sources of business financing
Retained Profits
Personal Savings
Bank Loan
Mobile Credit
Chama Group
Family and Friends
Harassment by
government
authorities
Access to finance
challenges
Access to market
challenges
Gender based
discrimination
Lack of information
Design
Tours and travel
Media and
entertainment
Health
Retail
Real estate and
construction
Agriculture
Hospitality
Business support
services
Education
Women Owned SMEs Statistics
Top 10 sectors in which women SME owners invested
https://www.allianzcare.com/en/employers/employer-blogs/2021/03/global-sme-statistics.html
https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/smefinance
https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/bd/data-hub/women-led-businesses-in-kenya-have-bigger-investment-impact-2282402
Doing-Business-in-Kenya-Reflection-of-Women-SMEs-2019 Viffa consult
https://theexchange.africa/entrepreneurship/women-1-3-million-msmes-kenya-economy/
https://mastercardfdn.org/supporting-women-led-msmes-to-build-back-better-post-covid-19/
https://www.africanreview.com/finance/business/smes-are-growing-kenya-s-economy-3
https://womenentrepreneursgrowglobal.org/2016/07/17/women-account-for-48-percent-of-all-smes-in-kenya/
SOURCES
WOMEN IN RETAIL EDITION
Darshni
Shah
D I R E C T O R -
B L E N D A F R I C A
WOMEN IN RETAIL EDITION
Darshni Shah, one of the Directors at
Blend Africa spoke to Kayana News,
at their roasting plant at The Shamba,
Nairobi. With Kenyan coffee being
marketable across the globe, Darshni
talks about the need for standardization
of export regulation to protect SMEs
from financially draining processes and
requirements.
Blend Africa roasts and blends Kenyan
coffee for local and export sales. We
have three varieties of coffee; the dark
roast, the medium to dark roast, and
the medium roast. In the past year we
came to appreciate the coffee culture
in Kenya because with so many
people working from home, we have
had to make ourselves available to
them and in the process, we’ve met so
many customers with very different
specifications. Initially, we were
mostly available in restaurants. They
would buy our coffee and use their
coffee barristers to make different
coffee drinks for their clients. Now, we
have much more direct contact with
coffee lovers.
At Blend Africa, we’ve realized
there is a high demand for Kenyan
coffee in the international market
and because we’re now a global
community, doing business with other
countries has become a lot easier.
The only challenge we face with the
export process locally is the cost of
preparing the required documentation.
The initial process of trying to close
the sale with potential customers is
also very taxing because we have
to send them samples so they can
decide what they want. We usually
have to use the services of approved
coffee tasters just to get the flavors
right. Some of the certifications
required for export include the
company pin certificate, a certificate
of origin that is issued by the Kenya
National Chamber of Commerce
and Industry (KNCCI), a Kenya Plant
Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS)
certificate, a KEBS certificate, and
internal documentation such as
invoices and a packing list. Another
major challenge would be the pricing
mechanism for export sales. Every
country has its duty structure
therefore we have to negotiate with
suppliers the prices so that when we
include duty and freight charges, it
is still affordable to sell within those
countries.
The regulation for exporting for any
business should be a little bit more
standardized. Essentially, there should
be a rulebook of some sort that
clearly states what you need to export
from Kenya. Running around to get
these certifications is a tedious and
time-consuming process that can
cost you customers. Sometimes as
an entrepreneur, you are not aware of
the different kinds of documentation
you require to export and this will
haunt you when you find that first
overseas client. For a business that
is starting out, it is important to have
a mentor. The business environment
is constantly evolving and new
requirements come up all the time.
Having someone to guide you through
it, especially someone with some
experience or expertise, can help
ease up some processes. It can be a
bit overwhelming if you are a one-
man-show trying to do everything by
yourself.
Coffee Connection
CHALLENGES FACED
IN THE BUSINESS
Key takeaway
Cost of preparing the
required documentation
for export process.
Pricing mechanism for
export sales.
Lack of standardized
export processes for
businesses.
For a business that is
starting out, it is
important to have
a mentor.
WOMEN IN RETAIL EDITION
For more information Email info@passporttobusiness.com
or call 0797 457 255 for more details.
Passport to Business is a Kayana Product
that has curated practical courses for
entrepreneurs who are getting into starting
there business to those businesses that
are ready for the global market.
Your ticket
to the global
market
Practical
Lessons
Accessible
Online
Courses
Begin your journey of building
a successful business today.
Visit www.passporttobusiness.com
to enroll.
WOMEN IN RETAIL EDITION
Jennifer
Odera
F O U N D E R -
T E A & C O M P A N Y
10
WOMEN IN RETAIL EDITION
The Bright and Dark Side of Exporting
Packaged Tea From Kenya Jennifer
Odera, had a sit down with the Kayana
team to talk about how she started
her company T&Co. She is an avid tea
drinker and wanted to make fancy, great
quality tea more accessible to people for
everyday use.
I registered the business in 2018. I
had just moved back to Kenya and
I was juggling around a few ideas,
trying to find something to do. Then I
realized there’s a unique opportunity to
source fine teas from around the world
and bring diverse and authentic tea
experiences to tea lovers like myself.
We have a tea line called the Sipp Bold
Tea, an African tea line where all the
loose-leaf teas are sourced in Kenya
and the spices are sourced around
Africa. T&Co.’s gifting service provides
custom-made gift boxes for individuals,
weddings, and corporates. Our goal
is to create shareable occasions
for celebration, rest, relaxation,
rejuvenation, and reconnection. We
believe that life is more beautiful when
good things are shared.
My experience exporting products to
foreign market has been challenging.
Traditionally, tea has always been
looked at as a bulk export, therefore,
the infrastructure set up is targeting
the large companies that have huge
tea farms and export in bulk. It is
quite a hurdle for a small business
owner like me who sells 50-gram
packages at retail level and gets
interest from potential customers in
several western countries, to get the
correct registration and not have to pay
exorbitant amounts to export smaller
quantities of tea. It ends up being
a very laborious process where I’m
required to get a certificate for every
single package I send abroad, not to
mention the cost of shipping.
I strongly believe that policies
surrounding exportation need to be
reviewed with small businesses in
mind. We tend to hold on to systems
that were set up in the post-colonial
era instead of moving with the time.
Policymakers must create systems
that cater to the needs of online
businesses. At the end of the day, my
business does not export thousands
of kilograms of tea in a month like the
larger companies that operate in this
space, so I cannot be held to the same
export standards and regulations as
these companies. What would make
sense is the government taking a fresh
look at how to regulate exportations
for different businesses with different
capacities. On the bright side, there’s a
great opportunity for small businesses
to reach overseas markets one
customer at a time.
Passionate about Tea
CHALLENGES FACED IN THE BUSINESS
Key takeaway
Exporting products to foreign market has been challenging.
Certification and registration processes are very laborious.
There’s a great opportunity for small businesses to reach
overseas markets one customer at a time.