"Never expected to be costly": Taita lady shares struggle building beauty shop
This story has significance for readers across Kenya and beyond.
- Clara, a salon owner in Mwatate, Taita Taveta, began building her beauty supermarket using Maersk shipping containers on a tight budget
- The construction drained her savings faster than she had anticipated, forcing her to pour her salon earnings directly into the project
- After stocking shelves and hanging her Royal Touch Hair signage, Clara reflected on the business lessons that kept her going through the struggle
A salon owner from Mwatate, Taita Taveta, has captured attention on TikTok after documenting her journey of building a beauty supermarket from scratch using repurposed shipping containers, in a process that tested her finances, patience and resolve at every turn.
Clara, who runs Royal Touch Hair salon, began by laying a concrete foundation opposite Maribel Hotel along the Voi stage in Mwatate.
The foundation alone proved to be a headache, with Clara noting in her posts that it stressed her enormously before it was finally complete.
Once the foundation was ready, Clara's original plan became clear: she wanted to use shipping containers as the core structure, which is why she ensured pillars were placed at every corner of the slab.
When the Maersk containers eventually arrived after a long wait, positioning them on the foundation turned into yet another ordeal.
Clara recalls spending whole day on site
She and her team reportedly spent an entire day on site trying to get them into place.
Construction then began in earnest, but the costs quickly spiralled beyond what she had budgeted for.
The roof, which she deliberately raised high to manage the heat inside a metal structure, consumed virtually all the money she had set aside.
With the shell of the shop finally standing, Clara faced the next challenge of stocking the shelves.
Clara shares why she could not afford 3D
Having already exhausted her construction funds, she channelled income from her salon work directly into buying stock, working extra hours at the salon to keep the new business moving forward.
"I never expected mjengo uchukue pesa mob hivyo," she said, acknowledging she had severely underestimated what the build would cost.
By the time the Royal Touch Hair signage went up on the completed container structure, Clara had not yet been able to afford a 3D sign for the shopfront. She told her followers it would come soon.
Reflecting on the entire experience, she shared what the journey had taught her about business and life.
Clara appreciates those who had followed her journey
Patience topped her list, followed by contentment and an awareness that not everyone will celebrate another person's progress.
She also spoke of pushing herself to grow every day without giving up, regardless of what others thought.
"Once God moves you from one point, know you are heading to the next, no matter the critics," she wrote.
She closed her series of posts by thanking those who had followed her journey and shown her support throughout the build.
Dangote plans to build refinery in Lamu
In another story, TUKO.co.ke also highlighted facts about Aliko Dangote's ambitious $16 billion refinery project in Lamu, Kenya, which aimed to become the largest in East Africa.
This monumental venture could potentially reshape the regional fuel landscape, offering a vital solution to the area's heavy reliance on imported petroleum and bolstering economic resilience.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
Reporting originally appeared via TUKO. Read the full source for additional context.