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.....

My Journey 2b (Out of my comfort Zone)

Out of My comfort Zone- First pitch

With all my lack of knowledge and experience in marketing or sales, i was at least wise enough to bring on board a person who is more knowledgeable and a professional marketer to help me out since now i am seriously into ensuring that the business takes off. The first advice is that "at our age we are not playing "kalongolongo" (this is a game children play of trying to imitate how their mothers or older girls in their lives cook) and neither are we here to trout and fail". This was interesting given that i was not sure yet that he understood what he was getting into.

After explaining my vision, expectations and products, i was surprised that it was easy for him to transition and easily align his mindset form selling financial products to products for use by humanitarian agencies with ease, which made me ask repeatedly "you think you can do this?" After comprehensive review of the  products for him to get to interact with them and know the details i scheduled a Skype conference (talk about the convenience of technology that i intend to fully utilize) with the manufacturer in South Africa to answer specific questions and also understand their perspective on our partnership we felt all set to go.

We identified all our potential customers and mapped out an initial contact plan both for one to one visits and phone appointments (which was not really working out). I discovered that meeting people face to face gives better results, better interaction and builds a relationship that can not be built on phone.

As i said earlier, the first organization we met was one that is big in nutrition program in Kenya and graciously agreed to meet us giving me my first real experience at pitching a product. Seeing a whole 3 people scared me and i was sure i was not going to make it through the session. However things went better than i thought, and when it came to answering what and why it flew out like i have done it many times before. All this i attribute to the fact that i believe in the products that i am offering and the passion that i have to ensure that the business succeeds.

Back to the meeting, and one important lesson i learnt is that people react differently towards a new product or towards a new person. In this case the team welcomed us as people but reaction to the product was different. The Leader of the Nutrition program who was more on the hardships and impossibilities that gave us a feeling that we were not going to make it in this line of business as getting Kenya Bureau of standards (KEBS), Ministry Of Health (MOH) and Poisons and Pharmacy Board approval was going to be impossible. However the other two were like go get those approvals and should there be any way you need our help call us we can assist. One even insisted on giving us his business card in case we need further information and was very interested in the products explaining that immediately we get the approvals we should contact him.

This was very encouraging despite me having the first shock that tended to justify my belief that i can not survive in sales and marketing while at the same time disappointing as we did not make any progress.

The second organization that day was a private hospital nearby and the response was very different and had my day a bit uplifting. The Dietician was very welcoming and even proposed to try out one of the products with a patient who had refused all supplementary food due to bluntness of taste. We then left to come back the following week as a follow up.

My next  update is on the experiences with KEBS and MOH that made me think that the hostile guy sent us on a wild goose chase and why would he do that.

 I will also touch on my campaign to raise funds for the business and why i chose this as the best way for me to get capital required, on https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/create-a-circle-of-life/x/5714551#home that has 7 days to go and no contribution yet and the most recent one on  https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/8jpp5/ab/93CTRd. In the meantime contribute to my campaigns and lets walk this journey together.


Happy Labour day all.....