I run a made-in-Kenya beauty and fashion e-commerce platform. This is what it takes

Imagine that you are an artisan, hand-making rings and bracelets from your workshop which you then sell online. Or maybe you just began a skincare line. You got your license to manufacture and you know your craft but you’re pondering on how to reach your consumers because Instagram sales are just not cutting it.

Now, imagine partnering with a company that would help you refine your brand, properly package your products and place them directly into the market. Help you grow your enterprise while allowing you time to focus on the creative side of things. Meet 31-year-old Becky Omodho the founder and CEO of Joojoo Stores. For the last one and a half years, Becky has been running an online fashion marketplace showcasing Kenyan-made fashion pieces, hair, and skincare products.

“It’s a platform for Kenyan products to shine the world over,” she says.

Becky’s idea for Joojoo Stores was born out of her own frustration with the local online shopping experience.

“Shopping from a shop on Instagram for instance can be a long process. First, you have to talk to someone to arrange for pick up or delivery. Often these deliveries happen days later and sometimes not at all. Not to mention the security risk if you buy from someone that uses different riders with each sale,” she says.

The long journey here

If you told Becky that she would be earning a living working in the world of fashion and beauty a decade ago, she would have laughed. She set out to be a Scientist.

“I took my first degree at Brunel University in the UK in Biomedical Sciences. I was 22 when I graduated,” she says.

She did so well in her undergraduate level that she was offered a Ph.D. spot at the university right away. She was 26 when she got her Ph.D.

“My thesis was in immunology. I think that’s the most interesting part of science,” she says.

Having been away from home for so long, as soon as she graduated in January of 2017, she packed up her life in the UK and came back home. Here, she found most of the friends she had been with in High School well advanced in their careers. Like them, she hoped to get a job quickly, settle in and begin the rise up the career ladder.

“Life had other plans,” she says.

Stumbling on a business idea

Coming home was the beginning of an aggressive two-year-long job hunt.

“Lecturing was part of my Ph.D. training so I looked for jobs in lecturing in local universities and applied to all scientific positions I could find. No job offer was forthcoming. I began doing small jobs here and there helping students write their thesis but I couldn’t find something permanent,” she says.

That was when she got the idea to set up a marketplace for Kenyan manufacturers.

“There was a man at Maasai market from whom I had been buying jewelry every time I came home while in the UK. I would buy in bulk, and at least 50 pieces at a time. When I visited his shop in late 2018, I found that he had passed on. I was even more heartbroken by the fact that in the 10 years I had gotten to know him and his family, he had been stuck at the same location, making the same jewelry and not growing. I knew I wanted to do something to help artisans like him grow,” she says.

Everywhere Becky looked, there were sites from which you could order food within minutes, there were even extensive real estate ones but no platforms dedicated to Kenyan fashion and beauty products.

“I love fashion. One of my best friends was a fashion designer and he took me along with him to many fashion shows. I knew I wanted to start there,” she says.

After three attempts, two of which she was swindled money, she set up Joojoo Stores in 2019. The site had only been live for a few months when Covid-19 happened and everything came to a stand-still.

“It was a terrifying moment for me but in retrospect, it was a blessing in disguise. I took his time to vet not just the market but also the vendors the company was taking up,” she says.

Quality guarantee

Joojoo Stores is more than just a website. Before taking on any new product, she vets it to make sure that the quality is up to par.

“I use my Science expertise to check the beauty products. Before an item goes live I need to see it, touch it, test it and make sure that the vendor has the capacity to reproduce the exact same product many times,” she says.

“Sometimes vetting a product is as easy as using my sense of smell or sitting down to talk with a vendor. Just a few minutes with someone can reveal a lot about their expertise,” she says.

When the revamped site went live again in 2021, they got a flood of emails and messages from vendors looking to sign up and they had to turn a big number of them down because they didn’t meet the set standard.

“The hardest part of the business for me has been dealing with people who’ve been conned before. They come with their guard up and it’s a lot of work sometimes to get them to trust us,” she says and reveals that she's just beginning to break even and had to use her savings at first to run the venture.

“I have also sought financing from my bank as well as private investors,” she says of the business that employs six. 

Things are looking up for Becky. When she is not managing her team at her office in Kilimani, she is interacting with vendors, teaching them how to brand themselves better and make themselves and their products look good. 

“At the moment, the site has 25 vendors all with multiple products. All Kenyan made,” Becky who makes her money from a commission charged on the sales, says. 

The bigger dream for her is to go international. To have consumers from other countries buying beauty and fashion items from Kenyan manufacturers through her site.

“Maybe one day, I will manufacture products of my own to sell. For now, I am content growing artisans and hoping they take me along with them,’ she says.

Becky’s entrepreneurial nuggets

• Whatever your idea is, it’s valid.
• There are always going to be naysayers. People trying to discourage you, telling you that your idea won’t work, don’t lose sight of your dream.
• Brace yourself for extreme highs and lows. There are going to be unforeseen challenges, you might even get conned – it’s all part of running a business.
• Keep your networks strong and identify your closest friends. You are going to need all the support you can get when the tough times come.