Hamida’s Journey: From Laundry Business to Entrepreneurial Heights with Street Business School
Nantambi Hamida, a 34-year-old mother of four children, was operating a laundry business before enrolling in the Street Business School (SBS) entrepreneurship training program. At the time, her business was declining as her clients started hiring house help and no longer required her services.
Hamida became aware of the training program through Josephine, the community women’s representative who was mobilizing for SBS. Hamida eagerly joined the program because SBS promised that it would provide valuable business knowledge.
During the training, Hamida found teamwork and customer care to be the most enjoyable topics. Upon completing the program, she applied what she had learned to her laundry business. As part of her customer care strategy, she began using pleasant-smelling detergent and perfected the art of folding her customers’ clothes. This not only helped retain her existing clients but also attracted new ones.
Hamida vividly recalled the advice given by the coaches as she began to see profits from her improved laundry business. They encouraged participants to step out of their comfort zones and set ambitious goals for growth. It was then that Hamida decided to leverage the profits from her laundry business to pursue her long-held passion for chicken rearing and farming. “I realized that I shouldn’t settle for where I was, and I should strive for more,” Hamida explained. “The SBS coaches inspired me to set goals, and that’s when I decided to follow my passion for chicken rearing and growing crops like yams, cassava, matooke, and sweet potatoes.”
With the profits from her various ventures, including the chicken rearing business, Hamida not only supported her family but also ventured into real estate. “I have been able to assist my husband at home, and I even purchased a plot of land to build my own house.”
Like many of our graduates, Hamida’s story shows how SBS helps open womens’ eyes to the opportunities that surround them, even in the most economically disadvantaged communities.
Expressing her gratitude for the training program, Hamida acknowledged its transformative impact on her life, “The training didn’t leave me unchanged; it opened my eyes. Now I work and save money, allowing me to meet all my household needs,” she shared.
In the previous year, Hamida managed to save $315.04, which she used to purchase iron sheets for her house and nets for the ceiling. She also joined three savings groups, contributing $2.63 to each weekly group.
Thriving in both her business and personal life, Hamida now considers herself a successful entrepreneur. She is thankful to Street Business School for helping her discover her entrepreneurial spirit. “I never knew that I could run my own business and buy my own plot of land, but now I know that I can achieve anything I set my mind to.
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