This archive report was first published on 23 July 2021.
Hodiah Chepchirchir, the 27-year-old founder of ChepChikoni, has come a long way since starting her business with just Sh. 50 in 2017.
She began by offering house call cooking services, using her initial capital as transport fare to her first client's place. As demand grew, she started cooking food from home and delivering to customers at their homes and offices.
In July 2017, Chepchirchir found a strategic business partner and opened her first restaurant in Nairobi, which broke even after just three months.
Today, ChepChikoni has three restaurants in Nairobi, specializing in Swahili delicacies. Chepchirchir's day typically begins at 9am, with a mix of taking stock, bookkeeping, checking customer feedback, and cooking.
She credits her business's growth to referrals, and takes customer feedback seriously to sustain this growth and attract more customers.
However, Chepchirchir has also had her share of unusual moments, including a situation where a customer's girlfriend thought she was there for romantic reasons.
Looking to the future, Chepchirchir aims to open a chain of restaurants under her brand name, with a goal of 40 restaurants before she turns 40. She also hopes to start a mentorship program for young aspiring entrepreneurs to prove that starting a business with little capital is possible.
