Starting a Business in Kenya------other steps!

Following on from my previous 5 posts on steps to start a business, this is the final post on that specific series although i could revisit the topic in future. Please make sure to read the other 5 steps. 

Other Steps….

To be able to open shop, you would need to make sure that you have sufficient documentation to avoid the city Askari from invading you business and penalties that go hand in hand with this. Be sure to acquire the correct business licence for the business. Similar businesses will hang their licences on display and can get the office of registration from the licence. You don’t need to pay someone to do this for you but you might need to queue up in a certain government office for long hours to get your licensing. Bear in mind that Kenya is known for its slow processing of licenses and you might need to factor this into your planning stage to avoid frustrations. Ideal get your licensing sorted out before you move into your rented premises to avoid dead rent.

Secondly, you would need to know the source of your inputs. If you are starting an kiosk, you need to know where your unga and maziwa comes from as well as if you need to arrange for your own delivery or there is a delivery service. You would also need to determine the cost and opportunity cost of such a delivery service. When choosing a supply, you need not be loyal to any if none of them are giving you credit facility.  

Thirdly, you will need to consider you process set up. For someone looking to start making sausages needs to consider the layout of the table. For instance, the raw meat and the cooked hams shouldn’t be on the same kitchen table due to contamination. You would also need to bear in mind where the storage is such that staff aren’t moving about too much in the kitchen which could be a safety hazard.

Fourthly, consider your labour needs. At the start this would be hard to gauge as you dont know how the take up of the business will be. The best thing for you to do is engage temporary labour i.e. you have not committed to pay them a monthly wage. After a month or so, or when you have substantial orders you might want to take on full time or permanent staff as their jobs would be justified for

Good luck with your business start up - hope that you found this information helpful in any way.