Business Skills and Determination Motivate this Entrepreneur
Cheerful and kind, Madina Asege, 28, is a determined entrepreneur and a 28-year old mother of two, excitedly expecting her third child. She runs a plastic and metal collection business and is known in her community as “Maama Scrap”.
In 2020, while living in Kampala, Madina ventured into selling fresh fish, tomatoes, and bananas (“matooke”) but her business was never profitable. She felt defeated, and soon her business closed. She left Kampala and returned to her hometown Soroti to figure out her next steps.
She returned to Kampala in 2021 and heard about Street Business School (SBS) from her neighbor. She immediately signed up for the training and when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, she continued training on her mobile phone through the SBS Remote Learning Lab.
Madina graduated from SBS in April 2021 and started trading plastic and metal waste to be used in commercial recycling. Within three months, she saved over $16 USD. She also learned to build up her inventory. With the support of her husband, within two months, her stock increased from 300 kilograms to 400 kilograms. While the business presents some challenges, Madina has learned to add alternative items to her inventory, like charcoal stoves.
Madina is grateful to the coaches at SBS who taught her many business skills like tracking sales and bookkeeping. Through bookkeeping, she has learned that she earns a monthly profit of $34 USD from her recycling business. With the profits, she managed to buy livestock in her village – 6 goats and 40 chickens. She also has joined a savings group where she contributes $0.60 daily to her savings.
Madina hopes to expand her business and move it to a bigger location after delivering her baby. With the increased income, she hopes to save more money and purchase more livestock in her village.
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