November Kenyan Woman of the Month

Name

Pauline Kaume

Age

What Pangea Women’s Network Cooperative are you apart of?

Lea Toto – Dandora

Tell us about yourself

I am 48 years old, mother of 3 children, and grandmother to one. I am also a businesswoman of many trades. My main business is baking pastries, however, I also have a grocery shop and run a laundry cleaning service business where I clean clothes, carpets, houses, and other related items. I operate my businesses in the Kayole area in Nairobi. I sometimes take my cleaning services outside the area to reach more clients.

What are you most proud of?

I view myself as a hard working individual who does her best in whatever ventures I engage in. Being a widow, I take pride in seeing to it that my children have food on their plates and clothes on their backs. It is not an easy task but I am proud that this far, I have managed quite well. I also find my association with the Lea Toto Women quite beneficial. With them, I have been able to exchange ideas not only on business issues but also on other life struggles. They are somewhat my support system and help me improve in areas I am limited.

What is the most important lesson you’ve learned with The Pangea Network?

The most important lesson I learned with Pangea was Business Management. Running three businesses is no mean fit. To be able to do this, I have had to seek the help of 2 other women with whom we work in partnership. Since I do not have the heavy equipment needed to conduct heavy-duty cleaning, I have to hire from them when in need. This would mean that when I am away cleaning, my grocery has to have someone man it. For this, I have been able to engage my son, who has been on a long break from school due to the pandemic, to stand in and ensure my customers are still served.
Another important aspect I learned and I am putting to practice is Marketing. This year has seen many businesses shift to online platforms. Therefore, for my laundry business, I market through the social media platform WhatsApp. When the pandemic struck, customers that I got through word of mouth referrals significantly reduced. When the situation eased a bit in the past couple of months, I sought my clients through their phones on WhatsApp. I hope that the numbers keep increasing so I make more profit.

How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your business?

The COVID 19 pandemic affected my business as well as my personal life. When it set in, my clients shied away from calling me to do the regular cleaning I used to do for them in efforts to reduce the spread of the virus. This went on for long months to a point I had rent arrears of up to 4 months. The landlord was not so kind and so my baking equipment was auctioned to recoup some of the rent money. This severely reduced my income streams. Being the hard worker that I am, I decided to shift to the sale of groceries as people eat daily and that is where knew I could thrive during the period. I embarked on selling vegetables and fruits and I can say the business is expanding. I am also glad that my laundry customers are also beginning to respond and request my services. I would urge other businesswomen to try different things and not just stick to one trade.