MEET MARGRET: From Self-Doubt to Self-Confidence
Margret is a cheerful 57-year-old woman with a charismatic personality. Prior to joining SBS’ entrepreneurial training, life was not easy for Margret. She worked hard to raise her five grandchildren after her two sons passed away. With no regular income, Margret depended on subsistence farming to care for her family.
When Margret learned from a neighbor that Street Business School was accepting registrations into a program teaching how to start and grow businesses, she gladly registered. Margret had constructed a small wooden kiosk on her land, but became frustrated and abandoned it. “I had no idea what to use it for, because I thought I needed a lot of capital to start a business,” she shared. While attending the SBS training, Margret found the lesson on “starting small and finding capital” very useful, and she put the kiosk to use.
When her brother gave her tomatoes, she knew had her start. She displayed the tomatoes in her kiosk and sold them for a profit, which she then used to buy groundnuts, a legume similar to a peanut. When she sold the groundnuts, she used those profits to buy cassava flour to make and sell pancakes. Margret was putting her SBS training into action, and doing great!
“I gradually grew my small business, not because I received new capital, but because I understood how to reinvest the profit I received,” Margret confided.
However, with the next school term coming soon, Margret realized that the savings from her kiosk would not be enough to cover her grandchildren’s school fees. She was determined to provide them with an education and knew she needed a more lucrative business that would bring in more revenue. Margret sold all items in her kiosk for a total of $81.49. She realized that she had another underutilized asset – a giant anthill in her front yard.
With clay harvested from the anthill, Margret started a brick-making business. She hired an employee to help make the bricks, and spreads the bricks in the sun to dry all by herself. She accumulated more than 10,000 bricks, an estimated value of $342!
With this expected income, Margret can provide an education for all of her grandchildren. Plus, she is saving to construct a bigger, more permanent kiosk to expand her business. Margret is very thankful to Street Business School for helping her realize her potential.
“I did not know how to do business and was sleepwalking through life. But Street Business School coaches woke me up!” said Margret.
Margret’s story and many more stories are possible thanks to your generosity. If you believe in the transformational power of training women with entrepreneurial skills, you can donate now. Click here!
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