My dream is to be the biggest beer distributor in my town

By Samuel Lochen

Long before the lockdown, I was already running a business. I started the beer retail trading in December 2018. This is because of its profitable nature, but also because there was no one else running a similar enterprise in the area where I live.

It started on a small scale—with only five crates. As it continued to thrive, I decided to add five more crates and employ a friend to help with the running of the business

The business continued to do well and the minimum profit margin rose from about Shs15,000 to Shs30,000 every two or three days.

With the progress being made, the space I rented could not support the growth of the business so I decided to relocate it to the town. I also expanded the number of crates, which today stands at 25.

Since then, it is running smoothly, except for a few challenges. For example, sometimes customers take longer to pay debts. Beer scarcity also means we are unable to meet the demand of our customers in a timely manner, which consequently has an impact on the business.

Future plans

With continued savings from my stipend and the business, I plan to set up a wholesale depot and become one of the biggest beer distributors in Kotido town.

Boda Boda business

I have also bought two motorcycles which are being used to transport passengers and goods. These two commercial motorcycles make about Shs120,000 weekly and in the next one year, I will have recovered all the startup capital I invested in the business.

I hope to use the profits from this venture to start a piggery.