“I did not know how to make profits in my business,” Mary shared with me recently. “I was just running my business without knowing what I was doing.”
For four years, Mary had been operating a small maize mill, locally known as a posho mill, in Kahoya, a neighbourhood in Eldoret Town. The business helped feed her family, but month after month, her expenses quietly outweighed her profits.
In 2023, Mary joined the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP), an initiative implemented by Navigators (EPTF) Kenya Trust to improve household incomes and food security among micro and small business owners. She heard about the training through a friend who was also running a small enterprise, and decided to give it a try.
During the entrepreneurship skills training, Mary learned essential tools for financial literacy, recordkeeping, and customer care. These lessons became a turning point. “The sessions opened my eyes,” she says. “I began to see where I was losing money — and how I could grow.”
Putting her new skills into action, Mary diversified her business. In addition to milling maize, she started stocking chicken feed and legumes, attracting more customers from her community. Her daily savings have since tripled — from KES 300 (about USD 1.55) to KES 900 (about USD 6.97).
“This training has given me confidence, even in how I relate with customers,” Mary reflects. “Now I have good relationships because people trust my work.”
She also learned the importance of discipline and consistency in business management. “Before, I would close my shop for personal reasons,” she admits with a smile. “But now I value showing up — even when I don’t feel like it.” Today, she has even hired an assistant to help run the mill when she is away, a milestone she once thought impossible.
According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, MSMEs in the informal sector accounted for nearly 90% of Kenya’s new workforce in 2024. Mary represents one of many entrepreneurs contributing to this economic engine, and her story reflects the impact of EPTF’s mission: empowering entrepreneurs to restore dignity in their homes and communities.