I Did Not Get Discouraged

By Betsy Ramser Jaime

‘Hello, my name is Elizabeth Anzemo. I was born and raised in Nairobi. I come from a humble background. I’m the 4th born in a family of 7.’

Elizabeth continued her studies through high school and because of her high grades, she even qualified for university. Unfortunately, she was unable to attend because of a lack of funds for housing, food, etc.

However, she shares, ‘From there, I did not get discouraged, I decided to do casual jobs, raised some money, and years later, I joined a beauty school and decided to do a diploma in cosmetology. I graduated and later on opened my own salon and spa which has been up and running for about a year now with good returns. I attribute all this to my willingness to persevere and consistency throughout.’

Elizabeth was able to graduate from beauty school with distinction and has named her business ‘Lizzicky’s Salon and Nail bar.’ Even though she is just starting out, she has big dreams of where she would like to take her business going forward. She says, ‘My vision is to have a full-service salon providing excellent hair and salon care in a peaceful and relaxed atmosphere. I celebrate women and men in their real, most raw, authentic brilliance, who believe in themselves and are ready to step into the look they love and that is why I’m committed to offering a range of complimentary services for hair styling and body care in the same location.’

Elizabeth believes that her commitment to continued education will set her apart from her competitors as she works hard to provide the latest techniques in hair and beauty. Plus, she also believes that choosing an excellent location will drive her success as well.

She’s currently planning to expand her services to include massage, makeup, and facial treatments.

Since joining the Zidisha community in December 2016, Elizabeth has raised four Zidisha funded loans to help build her business. With her loans, she has been able to rent a space and also expand her makeup collection as she shared, ‘My makeup collection is actively growing and so far I have been able to buy most of the stuff that will help me in offering makeup services at my beauty salon. Currently, I want to add make-up brushes for the business and my next loan will help in making that possible.’

Would you like to make a difference in the life of a Zidisha entrepreneur like Elizabeth? Make sure to head on over to our Browse Projects page to see what other unique business ideas are being developed around the world!