How Kristy Creatives Grew Her Revenue by 80%

For Dorothy Ntenyingi, founder of Kristy Creatives, growing a business has meant more than attracting new customers. It has also meant taking greater control of production, improving profit margins and building the systems needed to sustain growth.

Based in Kampala, Kristy Creatives produces customized bamboo products for businesses and organizations, including bamboo mugs, half-handle mugs and door labels for lodges. As the business worked to expand its customer base, one challenge continued to affect its operations: engraving, an important part of the production process, was outsourced to other providers.

This arrangement added to production costs and reduced the margins the business could retain from its orders. Turnaround times were also affected, making it harder to manage production efficiently as customer demand grew.

Taking control of production

Through the WeWork – Green and Decent Jobs for Youth Project, Dorothy received grant funding, which included rent. She used the grant to acquire an engraving machine and move from Pioneer Mall to a larger workspace closer to her customers.

The investment allowed Kristy Creatives to bring engraving in-house, reducing its reliance on external providers and giving the business greater control over production, quality and delivery timelines.

“Bringing engraving in-house has helped us reduce production costs and improve our turnaround time. We now have greater control over the production process and can serve our customers more efficiently,” said Dorothy.

The changes have strengthened the business’s ability to fulfil orders while retaining more value from its sales. By reducing outsourcing costs, Kristy Creatives has also improved its margins and profitability.

An 80% increase in revenue

The operational improvements have been accompanied by measurable business growth. Over the six months since its baseline was established, Kristy Creatives recorded an 80% increase in revenue. 

The business has also expanded its customer portfolio in the tourism sector and attracted more recurring customers, creating opportunities to build longer-term relationships and more consistent sales.

Alongside production improvements, Dorothy has worked to strengthen the systems behind the business. Through coaching and mentorship, she has focused on establishing more structured sales and revenue systems and improving financial management. The business has adopted Zoho, digital cashbooks and a customer relationship management (CRM) system to track sales and monitor financial performance more effectively.

These systems are helping Dorothy make more informed decisions as the business grows.

“The mentorship has helped me become more structured in how I track sales, manage finances and understand my customers. I can make better decisions because I have a clearer picture of how the business is performing,” Dorothy said.

Creating opportunities through growth

Kristy Creatives has also expanded its team, recruiting four employees as the business grows its production capacity and customer base. The additional staff, combined with in-house engraving and stronger management systems, are helping position the business to serve more customers.

Dorothy’s experience illustrates how targeted investment, combined with business coaching and mentorship, can help an enterprise address operational challenges and turn growth opportunities into measurable results.

For Kristy Creatives, the progress is reflected in more than an 80% increase in revenue. It is also visible in improved production processes, stronger customer relationships, better financial management and new employment opportunities.

Through the WeWork – Green and Decent Jobs for Youth Project, the business has taken important steps towards building a more efficient and sustainable operation, with a stronger foundation for continued growth.