Nancy’s First Step in Becoming a Successful Entrepreneur, Kenya

For rural, East African youth, having the ability to operate successful, small-scale businesses empowers them to pursue their bigger dreams. Nancy’s aspiration is to be a successful entrepreneur in her county. At just fifteen years old, Nancy joined Asante Africa’s Leadership & Entrepreneurship Incubator Program (LEI) through a club at her school. The club’s LEI lessons in financial savings and budgeting skills, communication skills, and creative thinking skills helped Nancy gain the confidence to start her own produce business.

Nancy is the third born of seven children and her family struggles to meet its household’s needs. Recognizing the necessity of earning an income, Nancy prepared to open her grocery business by applying the Business Model Canvas (BMC) that she learned from LEI. She identified the best possible location for her business, discovered her customers’ needs, and secured the supply products necessary to meet her customer’s demands. Nancy borrowed KES 6,000 and opened her business in 2021.

Currently, Nancy’s grocery business is making a profit of KES 500 daily. The income Nancy earns from selling fresh fruits and vegetables helps support her family, but also covers her school fees. The LEI Program taught Nancy to recognize and appreciate the impact of her small business in her community. Thanks to Nancy’s business, fresh fruits and vegetables can be purchased locally, saving community members from traveling long distances to get them. Nancy feels good that her produce is improving the health of her family as well as that of her community. 

Nancy’s goal is to pursue her education while continuing to grow her business. With better equipment, such as a refrigerator, Nancy would be able to keep her produce from spoiling and increase her profits. She also hopes to expand the size of her shop. Nancy’s dedication, at such a young age, to seeing her business succeed demonstrates that with educational support and encouragement, rural youth can create positive change in their own lives.