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Nairobi Hustle: My hawking business is driven by love for seafood – VIDEO


When Elizabeth Wanjiru relocated from Mombasa to Nairobi, she could only access her beloved seafood after a two-hour matatu ride from Waiyaki Way to Thika Road.

Just months in getting used to battling traffic jam to buy coastal fishes, the fish monger at Mirema Eastate closed shop, forcing Ms Wanjiru to start bringing her own supplies from Mombasa.

“I asked my mum to start sending me fish in a cooler box for my consumption. My friends and family who live In Nairobi then started asking me to order Mombasa fish for them as well and that is how my company Tam Tam Fresh Fish/Seafood was born,” Ms Wanjiru told Nairobi Hustle.

SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE

Her clientele was built from her social media presence where she would post her foodie photos and before long, she was ordering up to 10kgs of different seafood including Octopus, Calamari, Prawns, Tafi, Tuna and Kingfish at a price ranging from Sh400-800 per kilo.

Ms Wanjiru, who was at the time making pizza at an eatery in Westlands, toyed with the idea of hawking seafood full time. Stagnation at the workplace eventually pushed her to quit and get into full time seafood business.

“I was working at a pizza place at Westlands and I realised that my side hustle was bringing in more money and being a fish lover, I wanted to go into the fish business full time. I took the leap and started with the 10kgs I was ordering every week to the 30kgs we currently order,” Ms Wanjiru explains.

She hawks fish online through her Facebook page and delivers the frozen fish within Nairobi herself aboard bodabodas.

“I make sure that the fish we get from Mombasa is either from the previous night or the morning of the day of transportation. Once it arrives in a cooler box I clean the fish, portion it, pack it in kilos then for those who want same day delivery I deliver after refreezing the portions to be delivered the next day,” Ms Wanjiru adds.

HUGE CHALLENGE

Traffic is still a huge challenge for Tam Tam as some clients order for fish that they intend to make for lunch or dinner.

“Some clients call in asking for deliveries of upto 15kgs, a demand I am currently unable to meet on short notice so I have to explain to them to give me time to have the fish send from Mombasa,” she adds.

Her advice to budding hustlers is to engage in business they love so that when it gets tough, the passion will keep them hustling.