At just 29 years old, Adelide Mwanzani is making waves in the business world of Nairobi. Hailing from a family of entrepreneurs, she has been running her own business for the past nine years, proving that success doesn’t always follow a traditional career path.
After studying Business Management at the University of Nairobi, Adelide decided not to pursue traditional employment. Instead, she ventured into entrepreneurship right after graduation. Her journey began by selling human hair for ladies’ weaves, a business she successfully ran for four years. She started small, using her savings to buy a few sets of human hair, and gradually expanded as the business grew.
Adelide emphasizes the importance of starting small with available resources rather than immediately taking on loans. She believes that building a strong foundation and achieving success require time, patience, and careful financial management.
Her entrepreneurial spirit led her to identify new business opportunities. Drawing from her experience in importing human hair, she saw an opportunity to import quality products for other sellers, simplifying the sourcing process for them. Adelide imports a wide range of merchandise for local traders based on their orders, working with suppliers from various countries such as Turkey, China, Dubai, Thailand, and more.
Quality is a top priority for Adelide in her import business, and she ensures that traders receive high-quality products. Traders who regularly place bulk orders pay upfront, which she uses to pay the suppliers. For individuals seeking personal use or a few items, she imports at her own cost and stocks the products for them to purchase.
Adelide also launched a unique business concept—rented shelves. Recognizing the growth of online businesses without physical locations, she created a solution for online entrepreneurs who needed an affordable physical space to conduct their business. Entrepreneurs can rent a shelf and receive an attendant to assist their customers, regardless of their location.
Throughout her journey, Adelide has built strong relationships with suppliers from different countries, leveraging her importation experience to connect her rented shelves clients with trustworthy local suppliers.
Despite facing challenges such as the impact of the pandemic and online scams, Adelide’s discipline, financial acumen, and dedication to customer and supplier relationships have driven her success. She reinvests her income into her business for continued growth and remains committed to entrepreneurship, preferring to be her own boss rather than pursuing traditional employment.
Her advice to fellow entrepreneurs is to leverage social media, recognizing its importance in our globally interconnected world.
