Client in Nairobi, Kenya
This client has a micro-enterprise selling accessories in Kenya and other markets. Cordelia was assigned to work with them in June 2019.
“When we first interacted, I had just come from a selling trip to the USA, which was not very successful but I was detrained to continue to pursue exporting.
However, starting to work with Cordelia came at the perfect time. She helped me take a reality check and I realised how complex and risky exporting can be. I was able to refocus on building the business locally, to gain traction before embarking on exporting at a later time when the business was more stable.
We met regularly via Whatsapp usually twice a month and did the following:
1) Identified target clientele and their characteristics.
2) Looked at the existing selling opportunities in the local market. Along this line of thought I was able to secure a selling opportunity at a high end mall. This gave me the confidence to transition into selling in other high end store in the same mall.
3) Looked at different approaches to market my business such as identifying influencers, as opposed to waiting for clients to come to the shop.
4) Focused on increasing sales immediately to meet our financial obligations, as opposed to developing grand marketing concepts that were not immediately making a profit. I was able to look at my numbers to identify what was working and what wasn’t.
5) Identified areas in which I personally needed to work such as to build my confidence as an entrepreneur. I realized that even though I was working very hard, my confidence levels were low.
6) We stayed the course and kept selling during the difficult Covid 19 Pandemic period from March 2020.
At the end of our mentorship period in December 2020, I feel more confident and focused on my overall goal, without losing sight of the basics of a profitable business.
All in all, Cordelia was very patient, yet firm with me, and was able to steer me in the right direction, from being all over the place with ideas, whilst I was losing a lot of money.
I was able to refer her to one of my business colleagues for similar mentorship. I am extremely grateful for her assistance and would highly recommend her to any business or organization requiring mentors.”
Client in Mumbai, India
“My mentor has been very instrumental in helping me to expand my thinking, moving away from my comfort zone and enter into unknown territories of my business. I am able to think and talk business with confidence. I know the cost price and selling price of my products, something I was resistant about earlier. I am now able to look at my resistances and break through them with ease and enthusiasm.
One of the biggest achievements has been to shift from a small company to a global lifestyle brand and attract partners who see the possibility.”