Meet Khalif Kairo, a seasoned car dealer who has been in the business since age 18.
Is Importing Cars a Good Biz?
Upon completing high school, he sought a means to generate income while pursuing his passion for automobiles.
Starting out as a salesmanship for two years, he honed his skills before venturing into brokering.
In 2020, he took the bold step of setting up his own car dealership, marking a significant milestone in his entrepreneurial path.
What is so great about being in the importing cars biz?
Reason moja yenye Kairo ubambika na hii biz, ni kuwa yeye hafeel kama ana work: it’s more like ana pursue a hobby. Like kuna moment wanaeza enda kushoot content na Porshe in Kakamega, which is enjoyable. Additionally, yeye u-find fulfilment ya ku-witness the joys na satisfaction from clients, especially wenye wana buy their first car.
What kind of skills are needed to be a car importer?
Kuwa na strong people skills, being able ku-communicate effectively, kuwa creative, kujua how to use the phone, being honest na kujituma ni some of the skills Kairo anatuchanua kuwa ni needed kwa hii biz. Ana explain further kuwa, for instance unaeza post 100 cars online na only sell one, so perseverance ni crucial. In his case, kuna time he went three months bila ku-make any sale kufikia time akaanza ku-question kama hii biz itawahi kuwa successful.
How much capital is needed to venture into the importing cars biz?
Kuuza gari doesn’t necessarily require any capital upfront; unaeza start kama broker as long as umeelewa the car market prices. All is needed ni facilitating a connection between a seller na buyer. For instance, imagine msee ako Dohny ana sell Toyota yake 500k, and kuna mzae ako Kilgoris na budget yake ni 600k. Kama unaeza find a way ya ku-obtain pictures za gari and reach out the buyer, unaeza broker the deal and una earn a commission ya 10-30k. From such profit, unaanza ku-build capital ya ku-estabilish office and later a showroom.
How much money can you make from the importing cars biz?
The doh una earn ni proportion na vile una run hii biz. Kairo ana-explain kuna like msee anaeza uza gari tatu zenye ziko na total net worthy ya 70M and he is done for the month, pia kuna mwengine anaeza uza gari kama 50 with small margins and still make the same amount of profit. The idea is to try to craft a model that works for you.
What are the challenges of running an importing cars biz?
Hii biz Kairo ana-explain iko na significant challenge. With taxes being the major, especially the plan ya gava ku-add more taxes which he says ni retrogressive na ina hurt small business. The other challenge ni dollar fluctuation na story ya financing especially kwa youth runs biz.
What should people know before they venture into any biz?
Advice ya Kairo kwa youths nikuwa, kama wana own phone and internet, wanaeza fanya online jobs, create content and kujitumia ku-come up a new products na services.
Kwa aspiring Mesher wenye wanadai ku venture kwa hii biz, Kairo experience ni great inspiration ya success story, chenye wanafaa ku-heed ni his advice ya ku-leverage available resources, innovate na ku-seize opportunities in the ever-evolving market.