This thread is very inspiring and has made me resolve something. Mine started as a hobby ie baking and selling to friends as soon as I left school. I was so passionate about it and nothing could distract me from it.I also learned the principles of saving around this time. Saved enough,bought 2 small second hand fridges,jua kali oven and managed to open a small cafe which brought me more clients.I only used to sell,tea,coffee,samosas and mahamri plus lots of other snacks and icecream for school going kids. I actually sold small snacks which they couldn't get at shops around to beat competition. In short,bringing biashara street,lyons maid etc to their doorstep. (I also chose mahamri cz everyone was busy with mandazis and I wanted to be unique).Hata simsim I made by boiling sugar and frying the seeds. Washing the dish was stress cz boiled and hardened sugar mixed with sim sim is not easy to get rid off. I sold ice za 5 bob and made them different from the rest as far as appearance was concerned to entice. Well as a result I got a nice contract to supply beverage and meals to a great company every morning and anytime they had meetings cz of quality service- kumbe they used to pass by every morning and take mahamri's /tea not without me knowing that they were assessing to see how good I was. Workload increased when they asked me to supply them with food as well and so I had to hire 3 girls and a bike guy to help me. Lol one of them was good at eating all the time.(loss). I really toiled hard, because I would get my supplies from different shops around town. From Papers,plastics,chocolates.I was a weekly visitor on Biashara and River road hustling. I later did small farming,trying to utilize what was around me.Beetroot,and God knows what.Anything simple that could be planted I tried. I also played around with chocolate recipes as well. Jack of all trades. That is how. I will do this again when I retire.

You mean you don't do this now? What anti climax[?]!!

@ ngong. I sold it after I relocated.Managing a cafe where cash is handled every minute needs direct and strict supervision.It was difficult to do it remotely. The person I sold it to however failed to maintain the same standard,so he lost the contract and closed shop.He failed to keep the momentum and speed. I had the same clients calling me out from far but it was impossible. I miss it but am fully employed.

@Essyk You made a milli in something you took pride in then sold it off for employment? is employment as rewarding?

Nope.I sold it cz I couldn't manage it from far. There's a way you psychologically manage a businees you have personally built from scratch. It's not all about money.Infact what keeps it going is that zeal and the good relationship built between your clients and suppliers. A business from my exp is like the human body. It has a heartbeat,veins,arteries,legs etc, which must continously be fed,failure to which it starts thinning. The person I sold it to did not understand that bit and ran it juakali style.