A young lady who is spearheading the mobile spare part sector is Damaris Muriithi, better known by her brand name Dama Mobile Spare.
But Dama’s path to her current level of accomplishment was not an easy one. She began her adventure in Kirinyaga, where she helped her aunt with farming, in 2009, following the completion of her O-level coursework.
Her aunt secured her a job selling credit cards after she spent a year at the farm.Dama remembered, “My aunt helped me find a job in 2011, and at that time I was earning Ksh 1500 monthly.”
After receiving a call from her cousin in Nairobi offering her an employment at a mobile spare business, luck eventually knocked on her door.
It was Damaris’s first time in the city, as she remembers. Her happiness was short-lived, since the firm went bankrupt shortly after she was hired by Luthuli Avenue. She persisted though, and shortly after she discovered a new work at Munyu Road.
She became extremely passionate about the industry and learnt everything there was to know about purchasing, marketing, and obtaining supplies from abroad at her new profession.
She left her job in 2016 and started her own company after studying everything there was to know about the industry.
Since she already had the required contacts from her prior profession, she looked for a store and imported her first batch of mobile replacement parts from Dubai.
She reveals that she was first compelled to purchase items from a local provider since her meager imports could not keep up with the market demand.
“To meet customer demand, I would purchase from a local supplier, and they would sell me at a fair price receiving very minimal profit margin that allowed me to maintain my customers,” said Dama.
According to Dama, the fast-paced nature of the work improved her performance, and after six months, she expanded her company to include a new branch.
She remarks that her stores have employed more than 100 people, and she credits her success to knowledge bestowed by God.
“I am here today because of the wisdom from God, and I manage all of my business operations on a personal level. I have no prior education in sales,” she said.
She also emphasized that a company’s ability to satisfy its clients and adjust to the ever evolving business landscape are essential to its success.
