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Kami’s Kitchen – the place where food lovers go
Young Entrepreneur on the Move
By Sueann Wickham
Young Entrepreneur: Kamilah Lambert.
Kaieteur News – Today, we introduce to you, the young and cuisine-talented, Kamilah Lambert, the owner of Kami’s Kitchen, a local fast food business. Launching into this realm of the business world was second nature to the 19-year-old entrepreneur, since she had long surrendered to her fate of loving to cook and consuming delicious foods. In her exclusive interview with Kaieteur News, Lambert, who attended the Central High School, said that after completing her CSEC examinations she proceeded to seek employment and study at Computer World. But she somehow knew that there was more in store for her and decided to launch her business on June 21 last year, a few months after the onset of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Her famous popcorn chicken with sides.
Other treats offered like macaroni and wings and chicken and loaded fries.
Starting her own business was always one of her greatest aspirations. Reflecting on her journey to realizing the business, Lambert said that certain factors provided the inspiration for a kick-start earlier than she expected. Perhaps one of the greatest factors that invigorated her enthusiasm was hearing persons doubt her ability to successfully create her own business. “A lot of persons told me I couldn’t do it, start a business that is, but look at me now, I’m not perfect but I’m on the road to greatness,” the 19-year-old said with pride. The COVID-19 pandemic, she said, brought with it a number of challenges that infused themselves along the way and even threatened to impede the proper establishment of her business. One of the expected challenges that she faced at start-up was the fact that she had too few customers. The resilient entrepreneur recalled, “When I first started out, if I sold two combos for one day that would be plenty. Many times I wanted to give up, but I kept the faith and eventually my clientele grew.” Lambert, at first, introduced chicken wings on her menu and while her clientele was low in the beginning, she eventually received enough support and was able to include popcorn chicken and loaded fries. Social media also helped to boost her clientele, as many persons who would have tasted her treats would have shared testimonials, which encouraged others to desire a taste for themselves. Further, she stated that some of the COVID-19 restrictions that have been imposed also had a negative effect on her fledgling business. The initial curfew time, in particular, whereby businesses were forced to close their doors early was the most impacting. “Having to close my business early was definitely hard for me and my customers,” Lambert lamented. Although she had to and continues to put in a great deal of hard work, the young entrepreneur admitted that she owes great credit to her support base which came through various government ministries, persons living in her area, and even some who live out of town who did not let distance hamper their support for her dream. Her long-term goal is to expand her business, add more items to her menu and eventually open her own fast food joint. As it relates to the role of young entrepreneurs in society, Lambert is of the belief that “young entrepreneurs, like myself, play a vital role in today’s society; we are providing employment, experience and advice to other persons.” Notably, Lambert in less than a year would have established her business and is now on her way to providing employment for persons in the near future. Lambert also disclosed that she intends to launch another business in August. “I think the government needs to invest more into small businesses, keep a small business exposition, competitions amongst small businesses; critique us for grants or prizes. They can also host business classes and training,” the 19-year-old posited.
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