How campus student reaps from jewelry

By Alicen Keli

In university it’s all about the hustle. It’s the point where we all have to step up our game to be able to keep up with the lifestyle we want or at least the lifestyle we think we want. But this comes with a little discomfort in asking your parents for money for every event you want to go to or for a trending item you would like to purchase.

That is the story of many students in the university, and Vanessa Okello is no exception. In the spirit of being entrepreneurial and making that extra coin, Vanessa started her own business called Nessa Creatives, where she sells jewelry, watches and makeup purses. Some of the jewelry is handmade while she resells others.

Okello is a student at the University of Nairobi pursuing a Bachelor of Arts and Design degree. She started her business in July 2016. “I felt the need for financial independence as a youth in the university, as a young woman with big dreams, I decided to follow my lifelong dream of having a jewelry powerhouse,” she says.

Her supportive parents loaned her some money and she started out with some jewelry, selling to her friends and their friends at every social gathering she went to. This also included selling to her classmates at the university after lessons.

This being her first time in business, all was not easy. She ended up making loses because of giving her friends her jewelry on credit and being unable to pay up.  Okello could not put herself up to arguments with her friends over money. On top of that, some friends and family members bargained to the point where she was not making any profits.

In October 2017, she decided to start all over again after having learned her lessons and with a thicker skin. She came back so confident and excited that she took her business to the next level and added watches and purses. On a good week Okello sells over 20 watches and 150 bracelets. She gets orders from as far as Mombasa.

As a youth in university, financial independence is extremely important and it’s not only about the money but also about developing confidence, responsibility, work ethics and the experience in general. It shapes us and prepares us for real life.

If you would like to contact Vanessa, you can check out her facebook account: Nessacreatives

instagram account: nessabydesign