Covid-19 prompted many companies around the world to lay off employees. However, this pushed some to come up with other ways to earn a living. Among these are two 23-year-olds, Natacha Karangwa and Sharifa Umubyeyi, who started a footwear company, CEKA250, located in Gisozi. The company manufactures men and women’s sandals. “It wasn’t an abrupt choice of business, but we yearned to start something that would still be needed by people regardless of the pandemic, and footwear was a good option,” they say. More than anything, they wanted to start a business they would both enjoy. They were optimistic about shoes as everybody needs them. They started in 2020. In the beginning, they were just two friends almost done with university seeking means to curb unemployment. They noticed that nice shoes were expensive, and so they wanted something great but affordable—the first samples of sandals were made for themselves. “We couldn’t afford some of the new shoes we wanted so we decided to try and make some just for us, after some time, we thought about expanding it into a company,” says Karangwa. The ladies didn’t exactly have shoe-making skills, but one of their friends offered a short training and showed them the basics, the rest was learnt in the process. They say that the journey has been tough and exciting at the same time—since they started a business in the middle of a pandemic—it has been hard attaining clients because these days, people purchase mostly basic requirements. Being a new venture, the co-founders are excited as the experience is full of lessons. At the moment, they have only one employee who mostly deals with paperwork. With time, they hope to provide more employment opportunities to Rwandans as the company expands. Some of the challenges they face is failure to reach out to people outside Kigali, and lack of capital to grow their venture. They say uniqueness is what drives them as they make sandals that are different from what is already on the market. Prices range from Rwf 14,000 to Rwf 20,000 for women and Rwf 20,000 to Rwf 30,000 for men. Asked why men’s shoes are more expensive, they say it is because men’s footwear takes more time as it is a little difficult to craft unique designs, and the materials are also costly. The materials they use in making footwear include; leather, textile, rubber, all accessed locally. A pair of sandals can take them at least three hours to complete. Karangwa says she is glad that she was born in an era where women have developed ways to support themselves financially. And the duo is looking forward to opening branches of their brand in rural areas. For now, they are focusing on the local market but expect to export their crafts with time. They’ll soon be launching closed shoes for men and women. They started by making footwear on order, whenever they sold one pair of sandals, they used the money to buy materials. Roughly, they started with about Rwf 600,000 for materials and machines. According to Karangwa, a footwear business can be a success if you start with a business plan that includes marketing and public relations, study other shoe brands, and know particulars about your target market and niche. If possible, have an expense budget for a specific period of time. She adds that promotions are a great deal as they boost the company, for instance, connecting with potential customers, and advertising on social media. Karangwa highlights that it is essential for any business person to do market research on potential customers, learn your target market, and decide the kind of shoes you want to offer.
