Maryam is a remarkable woman, a successful business owner, and a devoted mother. Her journey began when she was just ten years old and started working with her mother, selling everyday items such as sugar, soap, and cigarettes in their village of Hunbok. After her father’s passing, Maryam became the sole breadwinner of her family, which she had to move to Kebribayah at the age of 16 and work different jobs and business before she settled on her clothing shop.

For the last seven years, Maryam has been running a clothing store that has had a tremendous impact on Maryam’s life. Because of the good profit margin, she now makes a net profit of 20,000 Birr (about $400) per month. 

As her business grew she faced new challenges, and maintaining its stability was challenging because she found it difficult to compete and stay ahead of the market because she didn’t know how to balance providing customers with both affordable and expensive goods and struggled to keep up with what’s trendy so she struggled to sell her items, that’s why she joined Inkomoko for business consulting and support.

 “Discovering Inkomoko transformed my business and I wish I had joined sooner! It could have spared me countless challenges. Now, I have adapted to challenging market demands and embraced a whole new mindset, including a robust bookkeeping system that I never had before,” Maryam said.

Maryam’s experience with Inkomoko was instrumental in her success. Through the training and consulting programs, Maryam was able to refresh her knowledge and develop new skills to grow her business. She appreciated the follow-up and support from the Inkomoko staff as well as it made her feel less alone in her business journey.

With the money she earns from her business,  she was able to move her mother and siblings to Kebribayah, purchase a piece of land, continue providing and caring for her children, and send her siblings to school. She is extremely grateful for having her own business because it saved the lives of her loved ones, and she can now take care of all of her children’s needs and help them escape the difficult life she began with.