By Eriah Lule
Did anyone see Prime Minister Hon. Robbinah Nabbanja at the Science Exhibition at Kololo Air Strip, where she was in a booth with a camera moving around her?
Ann Njoki Heizy, a recent graduate of mass communication, would not pass up the chance to use the increasingly popular 360-degree photo booth.
Njoki, who wanted to establish herself early, couldn’t help but buy the idea from the few players on the market.
With a gadget that was worth more than 10 million Ugandan shillings if shipped, Njoki didn’t have this kind of capital. “I developed a concept and talked to my parents, who agreed; they gave me a hand,” he said. “I didn’t buy a new one; I bought a second-hand one from my cousin’s friends.”
But how would Njoki manage to run such a business? With a selfless heart, Njoki invited some of her classmates so they could work with her together. “I didn’t want to grow alone, so I invited some of my classmates based on their abilities and character. These would be easy to manage because I knew them quite well.”
The 22-year-old formed a team of six and commenced work on October 28, 2022, on her graduation day at Uganda Christian University.
With no physical location, the infant business can only be accessed via phone or its online social media platforms.
But this doesn’t stop the young entrepreneur from dreaming for her entity: “I believe in the next two years we shall have already gotten our premises and gotten another gadget,” she said.
On average, a shoot goes for about 400,000 shillings, but it depends on the function.
“It was my first time having such an experience, but trust me, it was worth the payment.” “The team looked organized and coordinated, which helped them give us wonderful services.” She said.
Tumusiime Dedan is the marketing manager and notes that since it’s a young business penetrating a very diverse area with little competition, there is demand for services.
He further noted that they are now accessing their customers through referrals and social media platforms. “Most of the customers we have so far gotten are our classmates and their friends, but we are growing
Denise Nassunjje, the operations and procurement manager, noted that given that it is still a business dependent on customer referral, they face many challenges with the transportation of materials since some of the clients are located in different regions of the country.
“A client may be located in the far east, and you hire a car plus other expenses. At the end of the day, you can’t even get a profit, but you’re fighting for customer satisfaction.” She said.
Joel Muhumuza, the communication officer, further noted that the editing software is also very expensive; they pay 200,000 shillings every week, which hugely affects their production and profit at the other end.
