Meet the woman behind Kuddly Pillows
Kuddly Pillows are all things cozy and comfy! A Kenyan owned brand that offers personalized and customized items for your living and work spaces. Kabbie Kirai, the founder of Kuddly Pillows acknowledges that it is challenging to start a business in Kenya. However, the passionate and creative entrepreneur is determined to thrive.
Meet the woman behind Kuddly Pillows
Kuddly Pillows are all things cozy and comfy! A Kenyan owned brand that offers personalized and customized items for your living and work spaces. Kabbie Kirai, the founder of Kuddly Pillows acknowledges that it is challenging to start a business in Kenya. However, the passionate and creative entrepreneur is determined to thrive. Kabbie Kirai This is what she had to say about her entrepreneurial journey, growth, and future plans for her budding company. What inspired the birth of your company? I needed to cozy up my first tiny apartment and so I decided to make some pillows. That was back in 2015. My then-boyfriend wanted to take the pillows that I made, so I offered to make him his. That is how Kuddly was born. What measures do you use to track the success of your brand? The number and size of orders/ sales I get in a month. We are also not just making pillows, we have added t-shirts to our brand which has been doing well. What challenges have you faced so far in your startup journey? One of the major challenges is the cost of production. Building a small business in Kenya is not easy. Another one is getting people to believe in your brand and vision. However, patience and consistency slowly eases people in. How do you unwind from your work? Spending time with my family helps to keep my mind off business. Journaling also helps me stay centred. What advice do you have for other Kenyan women looking to start a business related to fashion and eCommerce? Follow your heart and do not lose your vision by trying to conform to other people's opinions especially if they will lead you astray from that vision. Your vision is the heart and soul of your business. Second, remember that there is enough room for us all so never trash talk another business doing the same thing as you or fail to refer clients to someone with better services for fear of competition. Clients will come back to you because you put their needs before your monetary gains. Third is to remember to evaluate your strategy to figure out what is working and what is not. Last, take time to work on yourself, pause and take a breath, you can only pour from a full cup.