Mangochi entrepreneur cherishes restaurant business

When 30-year-old Priscilla Figueredo Asedi lost her husband a year and some months ago, many would think that was the end of her journey to the business world as they were preconceived with a notion that women are failures.

But this is not the case with Mangochi-based entrepreneur, who has proved critics wrong –at least to tell the world that women can also do it.

“Let me confess here! The journey to my present predicament has not been all that rosy. After the death of my husband….May his soul Rest in Peace….I felt like the whole world crumbling and swallowing me. Together, we stayed the better part of life leading an elite life, so losing him was like the end of everything. I couldn’t see light at the end of the tunnel. But after praying to Allah, I saw Him giving me courage and strength, hence, the genesis of my Restaurant called: Golden Dish Restaurant and Take Away.

Asedi, who started her business in August last year, says she started it without fearing taking a risk from the money she had saved and worked for.

“I started this business just because I am good at cooking.  I did not learn cookery skills anywhere or went to a formal school but it was an in born talent. So propelled by that I said why can’t I try this?,” she said.

Added Asedi: “Some people were expecting to see me continuing running a hardware business as we used with my late husband but I said no to a hardware business and wanted to try something new.”

The young entrepreneur has now established herself in Restaurant business. She owes all the success to her late husband for leaving her a legacy- that is teaching her business skills.

“It is pleasing that people have accepted my foods and have trusted me. I have managed to penetrate the market. I do supply catering services at many institutions in Mangochi, be it Tea Breaks, Lunches and Dinners. Talk of workshops, weddings and birthday parties or even at funerals, my foods are ordered. On top of that I do receive a horde of customers per day which all translates to accumulating huge sums of money per day,” boasted Asedi.

The entrepreneur, who is a pillar of support in her 6 member family, encourages widows not to despair in life when something amiss has happened.

“Marriage is not the only option in this modern world. You can succeed in everything if you put your effort in it. Just don’t underrate yourself. Believe that you can do it,” counsels Asedi.

She said there is a high unemployment rate in the country and women are continuously being abused mostly because we depend on others to employ us yet we have able hands to turn things around.

Asedi says she thinks her business is growing because of good customer care.

Looking forward: She says her dream is to own a robust restaurant which can give people mouth salivary food.

“I would like have a state of the art restaurant which can give people tasty foods and again God willing-open a catering vocational school,” said the young and ever smiling entrepreneur.

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