SME 101: Meet mama mboga running a successful training centre in Kiambu

From the onset, Njeri looks like your everyday mama mboga. But she is not. Unlike most grocery vendors (mama mbogas) who rely on walk in customers, Njeri popularises her business on social media. And not just any social media platform... X (formerly Twitter).

It's through X that she gets most of her customers. And she does home deliveries, meaning she reaches her customers everywhere within Kiambu and its environs, especially the neighbouring Nairobi county.

"I built my customer base on X, and so most of them find me there. I do deliveries as far as Kitengela in Kajiado," Njeri told SME 101.

Here, she has diversified her business. She also runs a joint where she cooks bites like french fries and samosas for locals who would want to eat here.

Njeri says this is one way of diversifying her income, at a time when most businesses are struggling to stay afloat.

Besides the groceries, Njeri also operates a training school not far away from here. Jenga Courses is her brainchild, where she offers carpentry courses to youth within Kiambu area.

"I partnered with a friend of mine to start this venture because we felt more youth need to be empowered with ever-green skills to be self-sustaining," Njeri says.

At Jenga Courses, the trainees make different furniture as part of their learning process.

So how does Njeri strike a balance between the multiple businesses she is operating? She speaks about that in our first episode of SME 101.