Our Customers stepped in!
Kariuki my Mass Customer sent me this video. And in his soft spoken voice asked me not to quit. Kariuki is one of my most loyal customer and always has a box for me every time I pick from Mass. It was a tough year! Very Very tough. When one of our shipments was held by Kenya customs and gradually things went from bad to worse! We were caught off guard! What followed was a series of events that would seriously be the the downfall of Homeland after 9 years. Countless phone calls from our customers demanding their goods. We felt pressured, Inadequate, ashamed and embarrassed. We had promised a cheaper, faster, safer service than the leading Shipper. Yet we failed. Circumstances? Mostly beyond our control; but who cares you're a business - deal with it. One of the things that we pride in is being honest and transparent with the people we serve. For any business its hard because of many variables and truth is sometimes bent. I mean there's so much that happens in the background complete transparency is virtually impossible. And such is the discovery that we genuinely love our customers. We admirably observe as they put things together to send to their loved ones - Paying the hefty shipping fees.
Our problem container was marred with every issue imaginable. We soldiered on because we had no choice; I mean the items are not ours, therefore Container must come out by any means necessary. Can you imagine that in the meantime other containers arrived?! Cleared and items distributed to customers and still the 'cursed' Container sat there in Mombasa as if on Vacation - Mombasa Raha! Anyhow the Container finally Gated and we're distributing the items. One thing we learnt in all of this is that we must change our operations drastically. It was trial by fire. We faced our worst fears and survived. Homeland254 Logistics LLC will never be the same! Meaning our foundation and position in the shipping business has been solidified. We are Made!
In the next few weeks I'll be outlining our vision, I'll also invite our past clients to come share their experiences both good and bad. Importing goods to Kenya is not easy at all. Many have tried and gotten really frustrated by the system. Our position and service that we provide to our fellow diasporans we realize is an important one. In line with remittances flowing into the country, goods and services equally play a crucial role.