How Tonny Asolola Built Phone Repair & Kinyozi Biz in Turkana
Tonny Asolola runs a small but growing hustle in Turkana County.
His business includes phone repair, selling electronics accessories, and kinyozi (barber) services.
Every day, he helps customers fix their phones, buy items like chargers and earphones, and get fresh haircuts.
Ni ile hustle ya ground yenye inasolve real problems za watu daily.
Instead of depending on one income stream, Tonny chose to mix things up. When phone repair iko slow, kinyozi inaingia.
When both are low, accessories zinamake sure kuna kitu inaingia. Hii strategy inamsaidia kubalance biashara yake and keep moving even on tough days.
It also makes his shop useful to many customers, which increases his chances of making sales kila siku.
Starting Capital and How He Found His First Customers
Tonny started his business with about KES 21,000 to pay rent for three months and around KES 15,000 to buy tools and repair kits.
Other items aliongeza mdogo mdogo as the business grew. He also boosted himself with a small loan.
Before opening his own shop, Tonny worked for someone else. While there, he made sure his work was clean na reliable.
Because of this, the shop owner started trusting him and even referring customers to him. Hapo ndio alianza kupata customers wake wa kwanza.
From there, word of mouth ilianza kuspread, and more people came looking for his services.
His motivation comes from believing in himself every day. Anajua kuna challenges, but anaamini “ipo siku itakua sawa.”
That mindset keeps him focused and moving forward, hata when things are not working perfectly.
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Challenges in the Phone Repair Business in Turkana
Tonny knows that customers are everything in his business. To keep them coming back, he focuses on trust, good service, and honesty.
He makes sure his work ni safi na reliable so that customers leave satisfied.
Another strategy is flexibility in pricing. Bei si fixes sana, kuna kuongea kiasi kulingana na customer.
This helps him build good relationships because customers feel understood and respected. Kwa ground, how you treat people matters a lot kuliko even price.
However, the hustle also has its challenges. One big issue is language barrier. Some customers hupata shida kuelewa technical explanations, especially when it comes to phone problems.
Others hawako very literate, so kuelewana inachukua time mingi sana. This can slow down work and sometimes cause misunderstandings.
Money is also a challenge. Growth si fast, and he has to build step by step. Hakuna shortcuts, ni patience na consistency.
Even with these struggles, Tonny keeps pushing and improving his hustle slowly.
Cheki how to separate business and personal money (So You Don't Eat Your Biz) 💸
Joining MESH has helped Tonny Asolola grow in many ways. He has received mentorship, which has improved how he thinks about business.
He has also accessed loan opportunities ambazo zimemsaidia kuboost hustle yake.
MESH pia imemconnect na watu wapya, watu wenye wako focused na wanajua wanachase nini.
Through this network, amelearn new ideas and better ways of running a business. “My network is my net worth,” anasema connections zako zinaweza kusaidia ulevel up.
For anyone thinking of starting a hustle, Tonny says: “start where you are with what you have.
Usingoje perfect time juu sometimes haitawai come. Stay strong, believe in yourself, na keep pushing even when things are tough.”
He also says consistency is key. Lazima ukeep showing up, improving your skills, and treating customers vizuri.
Success haikuji overnight, but with patience and effort, it will come. Tonny’s journey shows that even a small hustle can grow into something stable if you stay focused and determined.