A fish business born out of lockdown blues

Shamim Sserunjogi could have been anything. Born in a family of a business savvy father, she would be a businesswoman. A degree in Public Relations and media management could have landed her in a busy newsroom or media agency. While being a mother, could have made her a home keeper.

The 29-year-old, who has been employed in a real estate company now prides in a home-based fish supply business, Grey Fish Ltd, which she runs in the home garage in Lubowa Roofings Zone, off Entebbe Road. Surprisingly, it is an idea that took off with a single fish meant for the family lunch during the lonely days of the Coronavirus lockdown.

Unlikely start
The coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19) has left no tenet of life untouched. Despite its horrific implications of reducing life to survival mode, it was a wake-up call for Shamim.

In a market that is cost-driven and characterised by the low-income people, quality has been compromised. But Shamim, who identifies herself with her father’s name, has found her space in the fish market during the testing times of Covid-19.

“This was a God-given period for the minds to think and replan. I was trying to work out a plan of how I could get into the fish business. I am a fish lover and my children love fish too. I followed that passion,” says Shamim, who turns 30 in August this year.

While Shamim was preparing fish sent to her by the brother Moses Sserunjogi, the neighbour she wanted too some

“While I was preparing it (the fish), my neighbour said she too wanted fish. At that time I was very broke. I had to look after the kids because my husband was locked down in another country. and I did not want to bother him. So, I needed to find a way of doing something. I then sold the fish knowing that I could get another because my brother has a fishing boat,” Shamim recalls.

From the Shs20,000, she ordered for more fish. “I got excited with the first sale and ordered for another two fish that very day.”

When the two fish were delivered, she had contacted more friends and quickly sold off her catch earning Shs50,000.

“I now fuelled Moses’ motorcycle and ordered for more fish. I took photos of the fish and asked my friends who liked fresh fish. Surprisingly the turn-up was so good,” she says.

Opportunity
As many people were locked up in their homes due to the lockdown restrictions, she saw what people needed and had made it accessible. But she realised that she could not meet market demand.

“In the end some clients kept waiting longer,” she says.

“At this time we were all in our homes and you could not go out to buy anything new. I had a freezer and I used it to freeze stock for some clients,” she notes.

The turning point came when she supplied her father. He was concerned with the packaging.

“He told me not to deliver in black polythene wrappers. I did not take that granted. It was at that time that I got an old cooler box I had in the house and my brother started delivering from that to people’s homes.”

Business was soon booming. She contacted another fish supplier at Gerenge landing site off Entebbe Road for mid-day supplies whenever her brother was on the road making deliveries.

But in the meantime, her mind was on serving the fish fresh and clean.

“My first step was selling whole fish but I realised there was a group I was not catering for. There are people who could not afford the whole fish. So I had to think of a way of catering for them,” Shamim says.

She then started cutting fish into pieces and added an extra touch of washing and packing.
When the orders increased, she decided to brand her fish with stickers. A friend designed the stickers and she used leftover wrappers from her former baking hustle for packaging and used an idle sealer for a perfect finish. Proud of the product’s new-look, she posted the pictures on her WhatsApp status attracting more orders.

“It was more enjoyable during the total lockdown because many people feared catching the virus and they preferred a home delivery. I was more of a plan A,” she says.

Pricing
Because of limited quantities, Shamim opted for pre-orders to be able to plan deliveries.

“Considering the curfew time at 7pm, I had to plan ahead of time and sometimes I would normally ask for an allowance of two days to deliver to distant clients in places like Mengo, Rubaga, Gayaza, Zzana, Wankulukuku or Lungujja,” she says.

At the start, she used to sell a kilo of fish for Shs10,000 a kilo but has recently increased to Shs14,000 with clients footing delivery costs. “I was also broke at the time and realised there could be people like me who need to take care of their family on a budget.”

Fresh fish is now Shs14,000 a kilo because after the lockdown was eased, the costs increased especially transport and the market price shot up. Fish fingers are available at Shs30,000 for a pack of 1.3kg. frozen fish is Shs12,000 a kilo while fillet is Shs20,000 per kilo.

She customises orders depending on family size by cutting according to their preference while accepting mobile money transfers.

Balancing act
Women in business are bearing the brunt of financing while shouldering burdens of caregiving. But Shamim says nothing can hold one back.

The mother of two is forced to start her day earlier than usual. Waking up as early as 5am, she ensures the kids are fine and prepares the schoolwork packages for her eldest daughter.

“I work a lot in the morning and I must ensure I have limited distractions. I wait for Moses to deliver the fish at around 7:30am,” she adds.

She prepares the fish and then compiles the delivery list before 9am. When the first lot is sent for delivery, she calls for another supply from boats that arrive at 11am.

She now has three delivery persons. She maintains a closer relationship with her clients.
She calls to ensure the client is available and describes how the delivery person is dressed for safety reasons.

Her profile has grown from whole fish to fish fillets, frozen fish and fish fingers.

She works on fish fingers and fillets at night when the fish is delivered in the evening.
She works most of the time but spares time during day to attend to the kids. The tight schedule has brought positive vibes.

“Before my elder daughter did not know what I used to do. But now she sees my efforts and prays for me to get many customers to buy me this or that. It was so motivating for me because she knows that we work for money. I am teaching her to work for money and learn how to save it. She sometimes lays my bed. It has given her a sense of responsibility even to her sister,” Shamim, who says she is comfortable with her newfound joy, adds.

Plans
During the lockdown, Shamim limited her supply to about 10 clients per day. But some clients are interested in an outlet. It is her next step.

“It is one step at a time. I took my first step and soon I will take another. My plan is to start distribution points.

Without disclosing how big her clientele is, she says most sales are through referrals but wants to supplement with marketing tools such as social media.

She urges prospective entrepreneurs to take the first step in order to realise their dreams.

Family legacy
Unfazed
Shamim, the family’s third born, has been around her father all her life. Her father ventured into the fish business which turned out to be unsuccessful. His brother Moses, owns shipping boats.

Grey Fish is a company that was started by Shamim’s father in 2011 with a dream to export. The dream was, however, frustrated when the company failed to get three-phase electricity supply.

“I earlier told him that you closed the company but one day I would reactivate it,” Shamim says.

“But it was a plan for the future.”

She has instead been involved in real estate work as a manager for a company under Grey Fish until Covid-19 struck.

Lessons
Rapidly increasing orders should be a good thing for your business. But if fulfilment is not managed properly, too many orders can overwhelm your processes and slow things down. This was a problem Shamim faced initially as her business scaled so quickly. What was once an easy task keeping customers happy became complex.

“That was a mistake. We were at times caught by the curfew. One time a delivery person had to sleep here because he could not go back home. I think that was selfish of me. I learned that I needed to take it slow. I remembered that when you rush, you crush and slowed down."