Quit My KSh 30K Office Job to Sell Samosas Online – Now I Earn 6 Figures Monthly

Meet *Philis Okongo, a 29-year-old entrepreneur from Kisumu who boldly quit her coveted corporate job to start an unlikely online business selling samosas.

In just 16 months, Philis has grown her home-based startup into a viral success earning over Ksh1 million monthly. She runs operations with just two assistants and has over 50k Instagram followers.

Philis’ story reveals how a simple food passion morphed into a hugely profitable digital brand.

Read on to learn how she pulled it off.

Stuck in a Well-Paying Job She Hated

After graduating from Kenyatta University, Philis landed a HR job at a top bank in Nairobi earning Ksh30,000 monthly.

On paper, everything indicated she was on the fast track to success.

But just two years into the job, Philis was utterly miserable. She found the work dreadfully dull and corporate culture stifling.

“I felt depressed going into the office each day just to sit through back-to-back meetings all day long. It sucked the life out of me.”

The money and stability were nice, but Philis knew she couldn’t sustain this unfulfilling work long-term. She yearned to do something courageous and entrepreneurial.

On weekends, Philis would escape to her mom’s kitchen in Kisumu and experiment with creative samosa recipes.

Cooking was her creative outlet.

Then one evening, a wild business idea popped into Philis’ head – what if she started selling her exotic samosas online?

The idea resonated and wouldn’t leave her mind over the next few weeks.

Could her weekend cooking hobby turn into a full-time business? Philis decided she had to try.

Quitting Without a Safety Net

At age 27, Philis walked into her boss’s office and quit her job without another one lined up.

Shocked friends and family questioned how she could abandon a well-paying corporate gig for such an uncertain idea.

But Philis felt fully aligned with her decision:

“I’ve never felt so inspired and ambitious. I didn’t want to stagnate in a comfy job. I believed in my vision.”

She moved back home and converted her mom’s kitchen into a commercial facility for her new online samosa shop.

With her last paycheck, she bought industrial kitchen equipment, packaging supplies, ingredients in bulk and registered her new business “*SamosaQueen” (fictional name for anonymity).

Validating Demand and Growth Hacking

Unsure if people would actually pay for gourmet samosas online, Philis started out small. She validated demand by:

• Selling to friends & family
• Posting photos of her samosas on Instagram and Facebook
• Running paid ads targeting Nairobi foodies

Positive feedback poured in.

People loved her tantalizing fillings like beef chili, tangy crab, and sweet cinnamon apple.

Leveraging insights from her HR background, Philis growth hacked her business aggressively:

• She optimized conversion funnels
• She A/B tested copy and creatives
• She retargeted visitors across social media

Within 4 months, SamosaQueen was doing over Ksh300k in monthly sales through the website and social channels.

Scaled Production + New Products = 7 Figure Business

To keep up with demand, Philis hired two assistants to make samosas full-time while she handled strategy and marketing.

She expanded her product lineup to include samosas with a variety of spicy, savory and sweet fillings. Menu innovation kept customers excited and improved profit margins.

Leveraging her corporate branding knowledge, Philis built an engaging social presence and vibrant brand persona around SamosaQueen.

Today the business does over Ksh1 million in sales monthly, with a 50/50 split between online and bulk orders from restaurants.

Philis Shares Her Top Tips

For aspiring online entrepreneurs, Philis emphasized these key strategies:

• Start niche – Dominate a narrow niche before expanding (samosas)
• Use social proof – Customer reviews and testimonials build trust
• Engage followers – Converse 1-on-1 with your audience
• Automate tasks – Streamline operations for efficiency
• Reinvest in growth – Funnel revenue into paid ads, better equipment, etc.
• Don’t fear failure – If you don’t try, you’ll never know what could have been

No Regrets, Only Lessons

Reflecting on her journey so far, Philis has no regrets:

“Quitting my job to pursue my passion was the best decision I ever made. Even on the hardest days, I’m living my dream.”

For young professionals or side hustlers in Kenya considering taking the entrepreneurial leap, Philis offers this advice:

“Screen out all the noise telling you it’s too risky. Have the courage to place a bet on yourself. Magic happens on the other side of comfort and convenience.”

At just 29, Philis is now looking ahead to growing into a Kenyan household brand, with hopes of employing hundreds and inspiring other young innovators.

As her success proves, you don’t need a fancy new idea or major capital outlay to build a thriving online business.

You just need to start.

Read also:

• How This Stay-at-Home Mom in Mombasa Makes Ksh80,000 a Week Selling Homemade Jewelry Online
• Quit My Accounting Job in Nairobi to Launch a YouTube Channel – Now I Earn 6 Figures a Year
• Top 5 Online Side Hustles for University Students in Kenya