A.33 – Small scale businesses, urban and semi-urban Kenya

DASTE Events is a fine customary wedding, wedding and co-operate events decorator in Uganda. We specializing in a variety of beautiful, unique and original designs for weddings, parties, banquets, corporate events, inaugurations & more.

We see every event as our canvas, and flowers and designs as our artistic touches to transform and lend grandeur to the event. Our styles range from the traditional to the contemporary. We strive to deliver the absolute best to our clients for professional décor that stands out and captures the mood and vibrancy of the occasion.

My name is MWANJE DAVID, a co-founder of DASTE EVENTS. We are looking for UGX 17,000,000 to add into our business so as to boost our profits. DASTE EVENTS is an event decoration and planning company planning and decorating different events, for example traditional/customary weddings, weddings, birthday parties, graduation parties and cooperate events. We decorate weddings at a range of UGX 5,000,000 to 12,000,000 and we get a net profit of 10% on every event using the 80% on hiring decoration materials and 10% on paying wages. In a year, we can plan and decorate on over 15 events. Our company is making less profits because we lack the needed up to date decoration materials. We need your support so as to procure some decoration assets like bridal chairs, chair covers, table that we are always hiring. We will also hire out these assets to other events managers at a cost, thereby increasing our revenue inflows even when we do not have clients ourselves. This will improve our profit margins and make our business sustainable.

1. Vision:

To be the world leading event management company that delivers high quality, value driven services while focusing on the uniqueness and peculiarities of our clients.

2. Business Model Summary:

Our business leverages on provision of event management services to the satisfaction of our clients. We ensure that our clients enjoy their events and achievements in a calm and well organized event that they deserve.

1. The team:

MWANJE DAVID, 31

I grow up in the poor family at Nankonge village Wakiso district. In 2001 I joined another family of Ddamulira at mutundwe Kampala where grandmother took care of me as a Godmother.

In 2004 I joined a family business of events decoration at the age of 14, they started to teach me different styles of decoration. I started earning money which I used to pay my school fees. In 2010 I started my own company as DÉCOR UG EVENTS at the age of 20, I started running this business but I failed to grow up because of funds. In 2015 I decided to invite Mubanda Stephen so that we make this company to grow but still failed because of inability to manage all activities alone.

In 2017 we decided to register this business at Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) as DASTE EVENTS, and I decided to join in other members to make a total of 6 but still the business failed to grow up due to funds. So am requesting you to give us a chance to get that loan so that our business grow up we improve our standards of living.

MUBANDA STEPHEN, 32

A qualified teacher, I was born and raised in Mutundwe a Kampala suburb by my uncle since I was an orphan. I have been working to make ends meet until I got an opportunity to join a friend and we created DASTE EVENTS. We need help because we have limited capital to take us to the next level. We are determined youth whose all energy can be focused to achieving a common goal and in the long run better our lives. This loan can push as far as long as our goals are concerned.

KAGOYA JOSEPHINE SANDRA, 25

When it comes to work, for my business partners and I, DASTE events has been our dream from the day we joined decoration class, we therefore as a group started saving from the little upkeep we got from our guardians, it wasn’t much but we had hope that at least we shall have a starting point when we get out of school. Our upkeep was not itself much since we all came from poor families and because of this we could not save as much money, but this did not stop us from chasing our dream

After school in 2019, with the little we had we opened up our decoration company known as Daste Events, it was not easy at all for us, some people dropped out, but the ones who remained never gave up, the ones that left were replaced by new members who had the same dream, our company started picking up slowly, work was coming in, more youths were getting work at the events venues, and by August 2019 the group was growing. We were like that up to the end of the year.

Irrespective of the effects of Covid-19 lockdown on public gatherings, the business has gained a bit slowly. Our challenge now is that most of the revenue we get from our services is spent on hiring decoration assets and materials. Once we are supported, we will also be able to offer better opportunities for youths in the community, in the slum of Bwaise where I studied from.

NAKIMWERO STEPHEN CAROL, 23

I live in Wakaliga Kampala in a poor family and I studied up to s.4, I didn’t continue to university because my father died and was the one who was paying my school fees. My mother took me to vocational training to learn Events Decoration where I graduated at the level of certificate, during my study I met Mr. Mwanje David who told me about the idea of joining the company its advantage and I DASTE EVENTS which I did so. But as a company we lacked enough funds to run the business so am requesting you to give us a loan to meet our goals.

LULE ZEVERIO, 28

I live in Mpererwe in a poor family and I studied up university but what I studded didn’t help me in my career and I decided to join DASTE EVENTS. But as a company we lacked enough funds to run the business so am requesting you to give us loan to meet our goals.

BINTUKWANGA ANTHONY, 24

A professional Physics/Maths teacher who picked interest in decoration due to the family where I grew up from. Due to the fact that decoration requires much capital I couldn’t start my own business then we joined hands with my brothers and sisters and formulated accompany by names DASTE Events in order to be the leading company in events management though financially challenged to establish a strong foundation. We shall be grateful for any support.

Implementation plan

1. The loan will be managed by HR&S Uganda branch.
2. The funds will be transferred to HR&S Uganda branch and they will be used together with the partner to purchase the desired assets and equipment.

• A store and display shop will be identified in Kampala where these items will be stored.

1. HR&S Uganda will be responsible for management of the shop and payment of rent and labour and subsistence for the shopkeeper.
2. The items will be accessible to DASTE events in one of 2 ways that will be agreed upon. EITHER
   1. Pay loan amortization for each hire (pay an amount equivalent to a single loan installment every time you use the items) until the loan (+ interest) is completely paid.
   2. OR; Pay full hire fees for all the equipment each time until the full loan (+ interest) payment is completed.
3. Once the loan (+ interest) is paid, the ownership of these items will be transferred to DASTE events.

• Before the completion of the loan repayments, HR&S Uganda will be at liberty to hire out the equipment at a market rate to anyone else except DASTE Events. The income earned from this hiring will be income earned by HR&S Uganda.
• In an event that DASTE events need to hire the equipment which have been already hired out by someone else, HR&S Uganda will have to cover the cost of hiring such equipment and ensure that DASTE Events have business continuity at all times.

1. This arrangement is intended to ensure HR&S does not lose its interest in the collaboration.