Beginning an Executive Barbershop and Salon had always been a dream for Kevin Sanya, Founder at KG styles and Executive Barber Salon, Kikuyu.
Luckily, this was made possible last year when his relative informed him about WIDU – a GIZ project partnering with the Diaspora to maximize the impact of remittances back home. The WIDU team got a chance to interview him, here is his story.
At the time of initiating the business idea last year, Kevin and his wife had visited a carwash and noticed new shops cropping up around the Kikuyu area. They then made an inquiry to the property owners as to whether they were being leased out and much to their surprise they were. For Kevin, this location was ideal and strategic for him to start a salon as it was surrounded by restaurants, a carwash and apartments. In addition, opening up a salon would be timely as there were no executive barbershops and salons in the area thus many women would have to travel further to access these services.
He, therefore, began the venture with a joint investment of KES. 252,000, through the funds he had raised combined with those of his sponsor. WIDU then matched this investment, allowing him to open the salon. Since receiving the grant, they have been able to buy equipment while also hiring 5 employees, 2 male barbers and 3 female stylists. Kevin states that the process of applying for the grant on the WIDU platform was a seamless and smooth process owing to the customer-centric interface which easily allowed him to upload relevant documentation.
In regards to the coaching and mentoring services provided by WIDU, Kevin states that they have enabled him to broaden his scope of understanding as concerns financial management, allowing him to learn record-keeping as well as enabling him to budget income received.
In the next two years, he hopes to optimize sales and open up a similar salon in a nearby location.
About WIDU
WIDU Africa is an online platform that aims to support entrepreneurship in Africa. It is an initiative of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), implemented by the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). The goal is the creation of new jobs, increased income and better economic perspectives for participating African countries. Learn more about WIDU here.