By Betsy Ramser Jaime
‘My name is Kariuki Thande. I run PBS Ltd a company I founded that deals in telephony consumables. My vocation, however, is in the Agribusiness field where I dedicate some of my time and other resources. I have consulted in the telecoms sector for a little over ten years building a suite of products that usually connects consumers with their needs. A large percentage of my clients are individuals and a smaller percentage are corporates/SMEs. The field of business I engage in is based on my passion to connect people with their needs in the most economical and efficient manner.’
The main products that Kariuki works with are, ‘phones, tablets, laptops, repair services, hardware accessories, and airtime.’
Kariuki continues, ‘Our strength is in designing talk time plans for both individuals and groups i.e corporates. Our value proposition guarantees EITHER to keep our client’s current telephony bill constant while increasing the value derived OR reduce your spend whilst increasing the value derived.’
A member of the Zidisha community since 2018, Kariuki has been able to raise a handful of loans from Zidisha lenders.
These loans have included the purchase of talk time stock, inventory, and fees to onboard new clients. Early loans have also contributed to the agricultural side of the business, for purchasing cattle.
Diving deeper into the business, Kariuki shares, ‘The revenues are generated from repeat business. Many phone users do not know or otherwise understand the various tariffs that are on offer and so end up paying the highest rates despite alternative cheaper products being available to them. We do not just sell talk time but educate clients on their calling patterns and what products are available that can be incorporated into their budget to increase their disposable income at NO EXTRA COST. Delighting our clients and guaranteeing a decrease in their monthly phone costs ensures that we have our clients’ business month on month. This builds our revenues and turns our happy clients into ambassadors.’
Would you like to make a difference in the life of a Zidisha business owner like Kariuki? Make sure to head on over to our Browse Projects page to see how other Zidisha business owners are changing their customers and communities.
Betsy is a Writer and Editor living in Florida with her husband. She has been writing with Zidisha for 5 years and loves sharing the inspiring stories of Zidisha entrepreneurs. You can connect with her on her personal website.
