EXPERIENCES FROM CROWD FUNDING AS MY OPTION FOR RAISING FUNDS FOR MY BUSINESS

It as been a big challenge getting funding for a new Business same as it as been getting the established supermarkets accept our products into their shelves.

I appreciate the skepticism that comes with new entrants and start-ups and i ended up with a chicken or egg situation as i go forward with my vision for my business. This has sadly delayed and rolled back my plans given that the supply of fortified Soy,Rice Milk powder and the precooked fortified porridge is quite  financially demanding to successfully roll it into the market.

Did i tell you on my first sales and marketing agency that run me to the ground with promises and plans that never worked (lets keep it for another day) but this experience traumatized and bankrupted me that left me afraid of sales and marketing teams-check out on may blog for this experience.

Part of the learning curve ended up in re-looking at my business model and seeking to find ow to further drive my costs down and improve efficiency, i opted to negotiate with my manufacturer and bring in bulk supplies and repackage the products myself into different units to fit different consumers pockets and request as opposed to giving them what we had.
                                                           This is how we look today:

The other aspect (will appear in my marketing strategy write-up) was that we needed to have our local consumers connect with our products based on the packaging as what we have shouts foreign, import... To this end we decided to change the packaging materials and redesign the brand and names to be able to standout and compete on its own and not under the company. The flagship brand is "Goodlife" and will have all milk powders and porridges under the same name to build a strong household brand.

                                                              This where we are going



With all these difficulties in getting funding for re-branding,getting my own packing machine i opted to go for crowd-funding and see how sharing my cause with a larger audience would help me with the required finances for launch and re-branding and buying packing machines.

My Target is usd 25,000 to be raised by  18th Jan 2015 and i do hope it will be a success and exceed my goal.

Check this out:-
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/help-fortified-micronutrient-foods-business-expand/x/5714551

Interesting to note was the number of individuals and websites willing to help at a fee ( must confess i paid for 2 cheap one's that looking back must ave been cons looking at the analytics on my campaign).

However i eventually landed with https://www.gofundrocket.com/  @gofundrocket and saw my analytics increase 100% within the first week of their work. I believe in the second week will have the donations coming in,  more referrals and visits to lead my campaign to the top page of the +Indiegogo and increase my campaign donations to amazing amounts. The kind of audience that hey have been able to share my campaign with is way above what i could do o my own given that in Kenya Crowd-funding is not a trend thus nobody pays attention to what you send out.

Share my campaign and get us going besides you stand to win good rewards as a token of appreciation

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/help-fortified-micronutrient-foods-business-expand/x/5714551

Thank You we will keep you updated on the progress

Take me to a new level through re-branding and buy me packing machines for me to be self dependent.

In partnership with a a manufacturer in South Africa, we are distributing fortified milk powders including Soy and Rice Milk, and precooked fortified porridge's for both retail and humanitarian organisations.

I am seeking to re-brand my outer packaging for all the products and pack different units (250gm, 500gm and 1kg) to make them more visible, more relevant to the Kenyan Market and meet our customers requirements as they have expressed to us to fit their ifestyles

To cut on costs and make me competitive in the market i also request that you support me to buy two automatic packing and sealing machines.

The money raises will go into purchase and installation of the machines (usd 12,000), renting a warehouse both for packing and storage (usd 3,000) , packaging design and actual production of the laminate packs (usd 3,000), marketing and launch activities and promotional materials (usd 3,000) additional stock (usd 4,000).

.Take me to a new level through re-branding and buy me packing machines for me to be self dependent.

REBRANDING-WELCOME BACK

We have been away as we focused on thinking through who we are, what we stand for, where we want to be in the next 5 years and how we get there.

Now that this is almost complete we will be sending out regular blogs so that we can interact better and listen from you.

 

 

 

Thanks

I DO NOT KNOW IT ALL- ASK MAYBE YOU COULD AVOID A MAJOR BLUNDER

Alfred Sheinwold says: "Learn all you can from the mistakes of others. You won't have time to make them all yourself" a saying that i have found very interesting and true in the past months since i started my business and more so today as i decided to ask for help from a past colleague i have not talked to in a very long time.. I also learnt to appreciate the fact that their is always something to learn form everyone around you.  How you use the lessons is entirely on you, you can either use the learning by applying it to a situation or using the learning to avoid a mistake already made by others, keep it for another day or better still ignore it all together.

Working for a man (Thanks one Mr. Ken Waibochi) of very few words and intolerant of mediocrity: a man  and Boss that i came to appreciate and regard as one who through fear, patience and many many meetings (every meeting was a torture at first) that included shredding my plans and asking that i re-do the same incorporating his observations from Zero, taught me that being criticized for a job done below expectation did not make me foolish but made a better person and enhanced my skills that have been useful in my career especially in planning and operations involving complex logistics. This man was meticulous to a dot and worse i as learning the  job yet all he could comfort me with was " i identified you for that position because i knew you could handle it" and these words gave my career as a Logistician that i so much enjoy and has span over 19 years with different commercial and Humanitarian organizations in different countries and most complex environments in the Horn Of Africa and a stint in Swaziland.

I was desperate to get a job that when luck threw me into a factory counting and packing Vicks throat lozenges and Vicks Ointment after staying at home and tarmacking for almost 3 years trying to get something to do after high school, i as more than ready to do it just to get me out of my parents list of stress factors. Within 6 months i was thrown from the factory to the Warehouse lead a team putting all the data on the stock cards into a computerized system and then after one year into Operations in the planning department and all because of being at the right place at the right time, having my then very important MS-DOS, MS-WORD and MS-EXCEL certificates from the 3 months salary in the factory and an Operations Director ho believed in me and more so believed in women empowerment in the mid 90's.

My boss always reminded me almost every day (as i could get terrified seeing him) to ask him anything that i did not understand or tell him in advance if something slipped through the cracks that i should have been on top of before he hears it from the factory manager.( Initially it felt like he wanted me to report myself to him the boss- No way......) "For what you do not know say it aloud and we will sit together and find a way" he would murmur to me as he passed by. Later on i learnt that asking as not the same as belittling myself, reporting myself or showing how stupid i was, instead he used these opportunities to coach and mentor me such that i did not have to go back next time as i then had the tools and knowledge on how to work on my own. 

This guy singly gave me 75% of the work ethics, confidence and knowledge that i have since planning and delivering all the components needed to run the factory for 24hrs a day, 7 days a week was no mean feat and he made sure i ate, slept, dreamt, sang, walked, talked the whole inventory planning, procurement and delivery schedule and also made sure  no stock-outs or machine down time that could be tracked back to lack of raw or packaging Material to a single bolt.

To make it worse he as very clear that he was not going to allow me to work over the weekends as he needed me to rest and be ready on Monday morning. Interestingly and i still hold that maxim dearly is  what he once said in my defense " what will she do on Saturday and Sunday that she should not do Monday to Friday or what will she do from 5pm to 6pm that she could not do from 7am to 4.59pm, either she is working or not if not she knows what to do"

This i have taken into my Journey and decided to ask and consult those ho have walked the journey before me. Most part people are selfish and a bit reserved with information but once in a while i have met friends, colleagues and even strangers who see the best in every question and are willing to share there expertise.

 It humbles me that i can pick a phone and call either of them and they will patiently listen, explain and even take time to look at my crazy worksheets and polish them to a document that i can present with authority to any financier and go ahead and explain every figure to the last detail in as much as i believed i am not an accounts person, today i stand a convert.

One such man is  my Husband  a Finance Guru and a Former colleague who was a Finance Manager i worked with before. This week they have taught me valuable lessons in financing and how to go about writing financial proposals, preparing cash flow budgets, sales projections that i need to get financing from my banker ( I hope he approves it as this is the final hurdle i have to go through before i begin my second phase).

Out of of all this experience i have learnt that everyone comes through your life for a purpose. You can shed those that you do not need at whatever point you are in life but do not burn those bridges as you never know what fate has for you. We do cross paths with different people for a reason and even here you have lost contact or  have nothing in common let them go but leave things open in case you need to go back to them in future.

I have also learnt a valuable lesson, that in business it is all about humility and the ability to realize at what point it ends for you and you can not go any further on your own then call for help for those with expertise. It makes things easier, simple and saves you a lot of time that you can put into better use to ensure the success of your business.

There is a wealth of knowledge on basically every single question you may have as you start your business, just be courageous enough and ask!!!!!!!!

Happy Weekend as we watch and celebrate another big event 2014 World Cup..

UPCOMING EVENT - LET'S JOIN HANDS AND SAVE A LIFE NOW!!!!!. (update)

We are donating our Precooked- fortified Philani Yabantwana (Good life for Children) Maize/Soya Porridge to a family in Pokot and Turkana affected by malnutrition and Hunger through the Catholic Disocese of Nakuru through theire "Okoa watu wa Pokot na Turkana (Turkot)".

 To get back to their full health the children require  5 pkts a month. 1 packet (5days) of 1kg each gives 100% NRV required,  2 servings a day for children and one serving a day for adults

We would like to reach more including adults with Philani (Good Life) and a packet will cost ksh.452. You can sacrifice and give a fellow brother, sister or child get a life saving supplement.

 Inbox info@bradsupplies.com or inbox our face book page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Brad-Supplies-Logistics/281950418634064 for more details on how you can purchase a pkt for either a child or an adult and save a life.

UPCOMING EVENT - LET'S JOIN HANDS AND SAVE A LIFE NOW!!!!!.

Latest news that has gotten muzzled up and ignored in the midst of all the noise in my beloved Country Kenya today is the fact that there is hunger in some parts of the country, Children and adults are dying of the effects of hunger, malnutrition, lack of food or even the strength to move to the next village to borrow if there was while we all go along with the usual. Death, hunger, malnutrition is not usual and is not normal and those facing the same surely are not interested in anything else apart form seeing their loved one survive another day. African traditions recognized neighborliness and growing up my neighbor would share food with us whether you were their child or not. Mothers would cook extra and give out however small to the neighbors and my mother would tell us " you can not hide the smell of food and besides you never know how much blessings you will have called upon yourself by sharing your food with the neighbor even though they cooked meat and you cooked sukumawiki"

 My pain for children comes from my past experiences where i have lost two of my own thus shudder when i think what a fellow mother goes through when they see themselves loosing their child and more so to hunger and malnutrition which is very slow and painful yet they do not have the means or ways to means to do anything.

 This got me worried and thinking and i sent out word through my social media pages  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Brad-Supplies-Logistics offering to help at least 2 children affected by malnutrition Philani precooked Maize and Soya Porridge which is one of the porridges' that we offer for addressing malnutrition and mass wastage of the body as a result of hunger or low immunity. As i waited since i have not been to the affected areas of Pokot, Turkana or Baringo i was surprised that this could go unnoticed for 2 days yet occasionally on social media people would use that situation as a reason to hit out at others who do not support their position in the political arena.

So a good guy from Waumini Communication (Managing Director) i have only met on social media two days later if i have got any response or are still looking for someone. I quickly whisper a small prayer and respond that we have not yet found a family and he tells me The Catholic Diocese of Nakuru has launched an appeal and that they need contributions in terms of food stuff and money. He emails me the appeal and lo and behold, i read the first time and its beyond my two children i wanted to help, read a second time and  i give my colleague in the office to read as it is bigger than what we thought and the statistics shocking.

"The statistics are that (FEWSNET report for Kenya) 34% of children under the age of 5 are at risk of malnutrition signifying an increase of 7% from the five year average and the predictions are much disturbing and are expected to continue rising as a result of the  drought. In April 2014 Rotu Mission recorded the highest rate of malnutrition for children under 5 at 46% while Kositei Mission recorded the highest rate of loss of livestock. The effects of prolonged dry spell combined with a short, belated rainy season have caused widespread hunger. A larger proportion of people within the jurisdiction and mostly in East Pokot are in dire need of emergency food assistance. It is for this reason the Catholic Diocese of Nakuru ahs dedicated the month of June 2014 for a campaign dubbed Okoa watu wa East Pokot na Turkana (Turkot)  in which an appeal is being made to the general public to donate either foodstuffs or give cash contributions towards this noble cause. We are therefore appealing to you for financial, technical or any other form of support to assist the Pokot fraternity"

Dear God i asked for a small challenge, i am just starting up my business but you dropped a bigger plate or is it a bucket that i need to fill but i cannot do it on my own. I am looking forward to doing my part but i need to bring in a few more people on-board to help me get one full container of 1100 cartons (110,000 pkts of 1kg each) within the next 15 days to  be used by both adults and children for usd 47,000 broken down as  follows:-

FOR PHILANI PORRIDGE PRECOOKED FORTIFIED MAIZE AND SOYA PORRIDGE).

Is a tasty pre-cooked and fortified Maize and Soya Porridge for adults with compromised immune, at risk of malnutrition and restore body mass wasted by malnutrition. Mix with hot Water and ready to drink. It is fortified with Zymmune (amylase, Phytates and Oxidants) which lowers the viscosity of the porridge aiding with quick digestion

FOR CHILDREN

1.       One packet is 1kg (mix with hot water and ready to drink)

2.       One packet gives 10 servings they need 2 servings a day meaning they would use it for 5 days ( we need to give 5  packets for a whole month)

3.       One serving is 100gm (there is a scoop inside) add 250ml of water.

FOR ADULTS

1.       One packet is 1kg (mix with hot water and ready to drink)

2.       One packet gives 10 servings they need one serving a day meaning they would use it for 10 days ( we need to give 3 packets for a whole month) we are assuming they have a separate source of some sort of meal if not then they will also have to take it twice.

One serving is 100gm (there is a scoop inside) add 250ml of water



 Doing this calculation i just could not start to imagine how i would do this but i trust God, my friends and all those of good will around the world who read my blogs that it shall come to pass. I hope that this will come to pass and that someone will pick my call and partner with me in this response. so that we can get the supplies in the next 15 days to our affected brothers and sisters.

It's time to act now and prove that our strengths are much more than our differences and that we are our brothers keepers.

Send me your suggestions on how we can contribute towards getting that 1100 cartons (usd 47,000) within the shortest time possible. You can also give your time towards this noble cause and lets support the Catholic Diocese of Nakuru respond to this crisis.

You can also buy and donate to the church directly, we will then collect and send to the church and also get in touch withWaumini communications for more details.

Info@bradchelinvestments.com or inbox our Facebook page, send us a tweet or Whatssapp 0733749203 with your suggestion.

SOLDERING ON DESPITE THE DIFFICULTIES

This week has been exciting and exhausting all at the same time. On Thursday I was actually so tired that I could not lift my head up and had to sleep in 3 extra hours than I usually do. I think being the super woman has finally caught up with me and put me in my place.
So far things are still falling into place but at a much more slower pace than i expected or had played out in mind. Financing is still a challenge and we are able to bring in half a container from our personal resources meaning we still pay more in terms of transport and this really troubles me as i have to weigh between bringing in half and still sell at the cost of the full, counting the losses and maintain the unit price same as if we had brought in a full container where the freight cost is evenly and fairly distributed.

On a personal level (and i would wish those who have traveled this route could write back to me on this) i feel lonely and abandoned by friends and those who all along encouraged and always believed that i could do it. As i worry and think through things i look around and have no one to talk to except my family who are also as anxious as me and yet i do not want to get them more worried for me. I need a strong fort to come back to at the end of the day.

I have learnt that the road less traveled is very lonely and when it comes to comfort no one is willing to offer that. I have also learnt that if i have to get this through this first phase then i have to toughen up and march on focused on the final destination. I somewhat think i will find all of them at the end waiting to celebrate and enjoy with me (not sure how i will receive them at this point). My constant friend has been articles from http://www.linkedin.com and http://www.40billion.com/  with interesting articles that have kept me going for the time being besides my family. Not having my very close friends for two months and not even one picking a phone to ask me how i am doing its sad....

On to other matters we are bringing in small amount of supplies and hope that we will turn around within a short time and do two of such small within the month of June as we invest back the profits to increase our capital.
 And as we were talking to our neighbors within the office park and introducing ourselves and what we do and deal with since the building is still new and most tenants are still moving in, we met a couple of interesting  neighbors and one who loudly wondered what we ever did in that space (Nyumba Kumi initiative should extend to office buildings). Talking to people and selling your product can yield interesting results and this made add two more products for commercial use unlike the first 5 products that were targeting Humanitarian agencies.

A lady asked what do you have that my sister can use since she is a vegetarian and does not use dairy products. Immediately we went back and was able to find out that our manufacturer has a commercial wing that produces Powdered Soya Milk and Powdered Soya Milk as regular and normal drinks. Meaning we now have 9 products Including Philani Precooked porridges and Nutrimil for both children and adults, RUSF/RUTF (not for Kenyan Market), Powdered Soya Milk, Powdered Soya Milk Plus ( for diabetics) and  Powdered Rice Milk.

We are hoping that in the next coming week our products will be accessible to all of our clients including Humanitarian Organizations, Health Centers and at a retail store for the commercial products.

Next i will update us on what we are planning to do as part of our entry into the communities to allow organizations benefit from the goodness and benefits of our products in partnership with different organizations as they respond to the current drought in Kenya.

In the meantime we are calling on all organizations that are responding to the crisis to partner with us as to help provide the required food supplements those affected by malnutrition and hunger. We are willing to go an extra mile and provide the supplements at affordable and lowest cost you can find in the market. We have a lead time of 15 days for delivery from the factory thus making your response timely and effective.

Email us on info@bradchelinvestments.com or call us on 020 2306839.

For use by humanitarian organisations in addressing malnutrition, body wastage  and low immunity.

 For Commercial Use

UPCOMINNG EVENT

Dear Friends, lets give back to our children, brothers and sisters who are staring and Hunger,malnutrition and starvation.
According to FEWSNET 34% of children under the age of 5yrs are at risk of malnutrition and is bound to rise as the drought continues. The Catholic Diocese of Nakuru has sent out an appeal "Okoa watu wa East Pokot na Turkana" (TURKOT) for donations in terms foodstuffs or cash contributions for those within their jurisdiction particularly Rotu and Kositei Mission.
Find out what we are doing and how you can partner with us to give a pkt of fortified Maize/Soya to the Catholic church for this noble cause.

All the best for the coming week

We wish you all a blessed week ahead. For those with whom our paths will cross this week we trust that we will be a blessing to you and that we will be able to serve you to your satisfaction and meet your expectations well enough to tell a friend..

You can contact us through our page or email to info@bradchelinvestments.com or call 020-2306839 and talk to Maureen

 

Contribute to my Fundraising for the Business -https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/8jpp5/ab/93CTRd

https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/8jpp5/ab/93CTRd

My Journey 4 (Challenges with Financing and a CSR project from my class)

Setting up a business is quite challenging and very involving, I just did not realize this until now that I have fully immersed myself into this whole process that I had to take time off my blog to attend to the many demanding activities that need my attention. For one day I threw everything down and decided not to do anything at all not even responding to calls on my phone I just slept out of exhaustion and frustration.

I am also appreciating my passion and the fact that I believe strongly in what I am doing and its potential that I had to wake up the following day and push on.

I have reached a place where I need to now bring in the supplies and get off the sampling and start targeting actual sales. However Financing is quite a challenge since I have to balance between loose cargo shipment costs if I bring in a few  (100 cartons) and bringing in a full container that best utilizes and minimizes the costs as a result of one consignment.

I have learnt with so much disappointment that in Kenya most people are wary of financing a new business even when they agree that the business has potential and would like to be associated with it but in future.

I was visibly annoyed when one institution in the process of negotiating and failing to come to an agreement later on sent me an email requesting that I advise when we launch the products and that they would want to have a presence in the launch. I have not responded to the mail to date, and have been wondering what do they take me for?

The other alternative that was open and I seriously thought about it was short term financing which I could not believe the rates charged of up to 15% per month and I kept asking myself do they mean to tell me that I will only be working for them seriously, so what do my clients get and how do I cover my operations costs.

This has delayed my launch as I work through the financing. Thanks to me family that has raised part of the capital and I have to work through the balance to make commercial sense. In the meantime I have to go back to crowd funding and run a serious campaign (anyone out there who can help me manage the campaign and raised the required funds i am open to your support and help with this part) to get funds shortly since I believe I am on the right track and this can work. My link  is https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/8jpp5/ab/93CTRd and would encourage you all to start contributing and be part of my success and story.

To divert a bit to other things happening in my life as I balance my duties as a mother, a wife, lately a business woman and a Student, Monday classes resumed for the summer semester and the last semester for me before my graduation in Organization Development in August 2014.

I am taking this class on Project and Fundraising and part of the course work requirement is to develop a proposal for a community based project that will benefit a community. I have decided to stretch if further and do a proposal based on my entrepreneurship business model that will build reading rooms for young people to be able to access modern reading facilities after school hours.

I have done a draft and hope to share this with well wishers and donors. I will also tie this to my Fundraising campaign https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/8jpp5/ab/93CTRd  that will eventually see that the full amount of funds raised will be channeled towards this worthy cause.

This gives me more reason to ensure that the business is a success and sustains itself enough to allow me withdraw all the monies received through my campaign from the business to benefit a young person by providing them with a safe, secure and modern facility to study after school hours or during school holidays now that tuition has been banned by the government.

Today is Saturday and I need to place my orders yet I still have to raise 1/4 of the balance and I have no idea where from. I need a miracle by Monday morning and my contacts interested in the products have started calling for follow up meetings next week. I Trust that God will make a way in this and Monday 19th I will surely confirm the order to arrive on time for the launch for 2nd June.

For more info call us on 020 2306839 or drop an email info@bradchelinvestments.com (email is faster)

 



Coming up are plans for the launch and products

Coming Soon

Coming to a store, shop or supermarket next to you is:

Rice Milk- powder, soluble in cold water with added vitamins and minerals, gluten and cholesterol free, naturally lactose free food. Enjoy as the healthy alternative to milk.

Plain Lactose free Soy Milk powder, soluble in cold water with added vitamins and minerals, gluten and cholesterol free with less than 2.4grams of fat per 100ml and a source of vitamins. Enjoy as the healthy alternative to milk.

Low Fat Soy Milk powder, soluble in cold water with added vitamins and minerals, gluten and cholesterol free with 1.2grams of fat per 100ml, naturally lactose free food. Enjoy as the healthy alternative to milk.

Soy Milk PLUS – Casein Free powder, soluble in cold water with added vitamins and minerals, gluten and cholesterol free. It is a source of vitamins, high in protein and is a naturally dairy free food. It is low GI and suitable for Diabetics and Vegans. Soy Milk Plus has been tested by the Glycaemic Foundation of South Africa and found to have a low GI value. The product also complies with the specification for the Often Foods (Green) GIFSA and Diabetes South Africa endorsement logos. Enjoy as the healthy alternative to milk

Call 020 2306839 or info@bradchelinvestments.com for more information

NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS OFFERING FOR HEALTH & NUTRITION PROGRAMS

 

Diva Nutritional supplements for treatment of malnutrition and those at risk of developing malnutrition, immune booster for patients with compromised immunity and convalescing patients. The products provide  100% NRV's of all vitamins, minerals and trace elements.. per 1.5ml of Nutrimils' and 1ltre of Philani Porridges'.

 

Benefit from the nutritional value of Soya and maize in the precooked Philani Yabantwana (children 1-10yrs) and Philani  (adults)Porridges (mix with hot water and ready to go) 2 servings a day for children and one serving for adults ( one serving is equivalent to 100gm for every 250ml hot water) giving 100% NRV per serving.

 

Full and Complete Soya Goodness in each glass of Nutrimil  Junior (children 1-10 yrs)and Nutrimil (adults) mix with cold water and ready to drink 2 servings a day for children and one serving for adults giving 16% NRV per serving.

Ideal for Health and Nutritional projects by humanitarian organizations, health facilities and hospitals. Pricing is fair and discounted for humanitarian agencies and local PBO responding to the current drought and malnutrition, each batch manufactured directly on request, delivery done when product is more than 80% shelf life, delivery within 20 days.

 

 

 

 Call us for your orders on 020 2306839 or email info@bradchelinvestments.com.

Sighhhhhhh..................

One piece at a time and the whole puzzle will be complete. Had a serious breakthrough after reading interesting articles on Entrepreneurship that helped me move to the next level. I finally realized that i had to move from "introduction" and "start-up" mentality to allow me get to the real business.

Will tell you tomorrow what decisions and actions i took including placing an order for 100 cartons of the Philani Porridges and Soya Milk and my worry on financing given my projection, my crowd funding that has not taken off yet https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/8jpp5/ab/93CTRd , my dilemma on two locations which i really would love to see have a reading room  (which location goes first- Mavoko or Siaya)

info@bradchelinvestments.com or call +254 020 2306839 to place your order, the first 100 cartons arrive in 15 days time.

My Journey 3 (Last week of April)

More Visits and Office

Buoyed by the meetings with regulatory authorities including Pharmacy and poisons board that also were helpful even though they referred us back to Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) as the main agency we require approval from, we decided to get back to our planned visits.

My First very encouraging and successful meeting as a person was a meeting with Kenya Red Cross Nutritionist who listened to us and were willing to give us a chance. This lady who happened to be my namesake was very articulate, clear and open minded after looking at the Nutritional Values of the products. We agreed on meeting with them after we get the KEBS and MOH (Ministry Of Health) approval then we can have a discussion and identify an area in of their operational locations that we can partner with them and supply our products to affected persons. This is a good start and was one of my best moments as i start this journey. I will update you how this goes. Thank You KRC staff for your support and confidence.

Next stop was a hospital along Ngong Road, (and let me take this opportunity to say that face to face visits brings out the best in both parties unlike phone conversations that have no commitment or personal warmth) and was with noting that it had really expanded compared to the last time i visited in 2002/2003. The nutritionist was a very warm, receptive and attentive lady that gave us all her attention on short notice. With this visit i learnt that the product that they were using CSB felt flat and some of their patients were flatly refusing to take the same. Here we were giving a different option, nice smelling, sweet and already precooked. The pre-cooked part worked well for her as they receive visits from some patients who are very poor and could save on the fuel required as the Philani's needs only water to mix it with then its ready for use.The meeting was fruitful and we left the larger pack samples but agreed to send her samples in 100gms sachets for testing by several patients individually as the larger pack was not convenient. We expect to have these sent to the hospital this coming week as soon as we get them from South Africa.

Another encouraging stop that crowned my first month experience is the last visit on Thursday to another hospital and the response was the same as above. However this went a step ahead and we had one patient who is lactose intolerant try out our product and we will get a response  at the end of this coming week from the hospital on efficacy.

 It is good to also note at this point that trials on the products have been done successfully in South Africa and several other countries in that region and products approved for use by their national governments for addressing malnutrition and patients with low immunity as immunity booster.

 


In other developments to build credibility and seriousness i decided to acquire an office in Parklands as most of my target clients value stability, Credibility and part of building the required confidence in us it became necessary. Having worked in Humanitarian Logistics, part of the requirement is that the Procurement or Tender committee should be able to visit and confirm that the supplier they are dealing with has a traceable confirmed location and is duly registered with all authorities. Some people may argue that as a start up you can work from home, from your laptop anywhere there is internet but for my line of business credibility and proof of existence actually goes a long way.

We have been able to produce official business cards that we use during our visits, have an official website (that needs reworking), we have a presence on most social media sites, and with my two Volunteer sisters we are praying for better things in the coming month having worked for 3 months without any pay as we set up and make our presence felt.

Special Thanks to Diva Nutritional Products (http://www.diva.co.za/) and specifically Etienne DuPlessis for the partnership that allows us to be the distributors in East and Central Africa Region and the support in terms of information and product dispatch.

Spread word to all that we are around and are ready to supply Nutrition, health projects both for government and Humanitarian Organizations especially we are currently looking to get orders for the current humanitarian response in South Sudan.

For prices and deliveries call us on +254 20 2306839 or info@bradchelinvetsments.com

My Journey 2c (KEBS/MOH, Financing)

Going after KEBS/MOH approvals

We had to interrupt all our scheduled visits  as per scheduled to visit Kenya Bureau of Standards and Ministry of Health to confirm what we were told was going to be a herculean task by the NGO Project Head who was very hostile. The first point of call was KEBS, and having dealt with them before as i worked in the corporate world for a firm manufacturing cough syrups, i was aware that we needed to notify them once we had already started the approval process and had the batch numbers of products to be  dispatched to us (for some reason all this did not come back to me because of the grim pictured that was painted by this NGO Project Head).

The PVOC officer we met at KEBS was very helpful and calm and confirming what had blacked out of my mind the previous day. All he needed was us to give the batch and certificates of analysis for products being imported and promised that approval would be done within 24-48 hrs and is not charged. I was surprised and started thinking why would the NGO Project guy paint such a bad and torturous picture on the approval process.

The next stop was Ministry of Health armed with all the samples we wanted approved and met the Head of Division  of food safety and Quality Control. He was very approachable and did not even require an appointment just like the KEBS -PVOC officer. Surprisingly he was very clear and simple that all he wanted was 5 kgs of each product as samples fully prepacked in the final sale form including specifications of the content and the Certificates of Analysis. After which they would confirm with KEBS if they have approved importation then proceed with their tests and silent market surveillance.

For once i thought i was missing something and went ahead and asked if we have to change the packaging as instructed by the hostile NGO  officer-The MOH Officer was categorical that we did not unless we want to or unless our clients demand of us.The MOH officer even went ahead and gave me one more target (unknowingly) in the process by confirming that we can even sell all the products from the supermarket shelf. This was not part of my initial target but in the evening as i thought through it, i added it on my target list expanding my customer target base.

Now i am wondering why this guy was not objective in his input and why was he not willing to hear us out. Earlier on as we waited for the meeting i read a journal on the activities of this NGO and noted that they have an agreement with one particular manufacturer for all their nutritional needs and had me asking myself if they were protecting their organisation or the manufacturer from competition. And also why was this guy interested in the prices at the beginning before hearing what we were offering?

The two visits uplifted my spirit and at least erased the doubts that had already started growing in me. But i  still went ahead and submitted the requirements to both KEBS and MOH and promised myself that i will go back to the same officer when all is cleared and see if he will listen to us or will throw more spanners our way.

Financing

This is my biggest challenge and cracking it has been a challenge since the products are high valued and the larger quantities you buy the cheaper it is. Lead times and expiry has to be managed for the both Philani and Philani Yabantwana fortified Maize and Soya Porridge and the Soya based Milk  Nutrimil and Nutrimil Junior which all have a shelf life of one year.

Financing for start ups not relatively well known in the market and with a new product too i discovered is impossible to get, Besides being a woman has made it even more difficult with one institution insisting on meeting my husband before they can consider my application. I felt this to be demeaning and walked out on the entire process and one financier gracefully turning me down that in as much as we can fund you, your husbands consent must be in written form and we are in the year 2014!!!!!!!

However, in the process i came across African Banking Corporation (http://www.abcthebank.com/) that were willing to consider financing should we secure orders and agree that the payments will be made directly to our accounts held by them at an agreed interest amount through LPO financing. This was a break through as i had held on my marketing activities since January 2014 as i figured this out so that i do not get more orders than i can deliver. Now i need to close the sales.

At this point we have not yet determined how much stock we need as we were still introducing the product and since we can not keep for more than 2 months due to the shelf life that is one year, then i am thinking of a more robust way of  delivering at max 2 months old for safety and also to give my clients products that they can use within 8 months. I am hoping that in the coming week i will be able to say "Eureka we have received the first order".

Crowd funding

In the meantime as i was doing my research on available financing options i came across the concept crowd funding on Indiegogo https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/create-a-circle-of-life/x/5714551#home and submitted 2 campaigns that have not picked up at all, i am yet to crack this but will get back to making them more appealing. I also have launched another one on fundrazr  https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/8jpp5/ab/93CTRd. that i am hoping someone in some corner of the world will see and graciously contribute to and get me off the ground. In return i hope to give back to my contributors through a CSR activity focusing on reading rooms and libraries in rural areas so as you read do contribute to my campaign too and be part of the change i want to make. I still hope to raise at least USD 45,000 on crowd funding and equivalent of the same will go back to my CSR projects over the next 3 years. I will keep you updated on these activities and probably have my contributors identify with projects that their contribution will go towards.
Anyone out there well experienced  and  can help me with the crowd funding campaign  is welcome and i will appreciate...

Look out for my next blog shortly that finalizes the month of April which is my first month in business and sets out my agenda for May

Your comments and contributions will be highly appreciated.

Quote For Today

“People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can’t find them, make them.”
― George Bernard Shaw

OUR PRODUCTS

Our specialty Products

Give us a call on 020 2306839 or email info@bradchelinvestments.com 

Diva Nutritional Products Distributors  in Kenya, East & Central Africa Market for nutritional projects focusing on addressing malnutrition and boosting of compromised immune for patients and communities affected..

For use by Humanitarian Agencies, health centers, Hospitals and even individuals.

We are authorized distributors and focus on on-time direct from the manufacturing plant delivery to ensure quality, freshness and more than 75% shelf life remaining at the time of delivery.....