Prime
After a baby and expensive diapers, she came up with a cheaper option
Sserwada in the process of making a washable diaper. She also makes nursing pillows, cribs, handbags, baby bags, laptop bags, fabric flowers and fascinators. Photo by Freddie Kakembo.
What you need to know:
In the challenge that is high expenses on diapers, one mother found a business opportunity and a way to provide a more affordable alternative, writes Freddie Kakembo.
After successfully graduating from Makerere University with a bachelor’s degree in Development Studies in 2005, Isabella K. Sserwadda thought life was good and was ready to conquer the world. But for five years, she moved from place to place trying to find that elusive but cool job, to no avail. During that time, she survived on temporary jobs, which were beneath her qualifications, status and professional qualifications. She was always under-employed and in the wrong place.
Birth of a baby, and an idea
In 2008, Sserwadda got married and had a son the next year. With a baby, life changed, especially in the expenditure department. What bothered her most was buying diapers expensively yet they were thrown away just after using it once. From this concern was born the idea to make diapers that would not have to be thrown away. Something between a nappy and a diaper.
Using pieces of cloth that were left over from her mother’s tailor shop, Sserwadda says she started piecing them together, and added a fine nylon piece as the cover to prevent leakage. She tried it on her son and the results were amazing, as she could wash it after use and it seemed fine. For three months she used the same diapers without any problem.
Once her friends and relative saw what she had done, they asked her to make some for them at a fee. Then more and more orders came in and just like that, she was in business. Once she saw that the demand was high, she invested Shs100,000 in producing the diapers and in a week, Sserwadda says she had made a profit of Shs230,000. She has not looked back since then.
A growing business
With increasing demand, Sserwadda says she has had to hire at least five full-time employees but still needs to hire up to 20 people on part-time basis when the demand becomes overhwelming some times. Marketing is for now mainly by word of mouth. “I’m focusing on customer satisfaction for now and relying on that to spread the word. A satisfied customer is a better marketer than anyone else,” she says.
The challenging part
Sserwadda’s main challenge is finding proper materials for production. She uses Flannel cotton on top and micro and polyester fleece on the inside, all imported from China, albeit expensively.
“The high cost of materials means that I have to hike my prices too to benefit from it, yet my products are supposed to be an affordable option. It makes business tricky,” she explains.
Reaping the benefits
On the bright side, she says she has made more friends through her business, is building a house, works at home as she takes care of her young family, is self-employed and has created employment for some people. She advices young people not to undermine jobs and should be creative, nurture their talents and also engage in their passion. She further advices that for one to realise something out of their sweat they have to be patient, draw a proper line between business and personal finances, Sserwadda adds that when you are at it, make sure you always value your clients, pay attention to their needs and expectations. Develop a relationship with them; remember “friendly always wins”
Sserwada says she now hopes to brand all her products, have an outlet for the them and be able to produce on large scale.
[email protected]
