Mwende's love for the little wine basket

"Know everything you can about the flavours, alcohol percentage, customer preference and prices," Mwende says [Courtesy]

What you require

Start

As with all businesses, all you have to do is start. Remember, you have to work on the business first before it works for you.

To get started, you need to understand the ins and outs of every wine you can place your hands on. Melissa spent hours poring over websites and reading books on wine, acquiring all knowledge she could get on wine to supplement her passion for wine.

"Know everything you can about the flavours, alcohol percentage, customer preference, prices and every other possible information you can get about wines. Do not be shy; mingle with people who have been in the business," she says.

Location

Identify the ideal location that is easily accessible from the main road. It is advisable to choose a location that has high traffic because the more strategic the location, the more customers you can pull in daily. Avoid setting up near schools as this is against the law.

Competition

There is intense competition, especially in urban areas both from other wines and alcoholic beverages as well. Scan the market conditions and set a realistic price as well as keep track of changes in market trends if you want to remain competitive.

Licensing

Stay legal. The most important license of all is the liquor license, which costs Sh50,000.

Challenges

Always expect competition and be one step ahead of them. Good quality services and the best prices is a sure way of retaining old customers and attracting new ones through word of mouth.

Do not forget to appreciate the challenge that you can only open your business from 5pm to 11pm on weekdays and from 2pm to 11pm on weekends and public holidays. Besides that, it is important to note in marketing, that a lot of wine-speak tends to intimidate people who are new to wine.