By Our Reporter
Many years ago, Mpaata Nelson, would never have dreamed of owning a car. In a village where he grew up from, down in Kamuli, driving was a preserve for the superrich only heard about in stories. At home, it was hard to dream even at a small length. There was never time for dreams as he preoccupied himself with sourcing for daily food.
“My parents were poor. Sometimes we would spend three days without having food. We had to work blue jobs in the village to be able to earn some nickels to buy food.” He says.
That life is now far behind, foggy and almost erased from memory. Things have changed. He doesn’t only drive; he deals in car importation and exportation of goods under his company, Mpaataneel Company Ltd, a business that has gained a name as one of the most trusted car dealers in Uganda.
Working his way up
When he left the village, Mpaata’s first foray into the job market was working in an internet café where he was employed by a friend. The business suffered a blow when the owner, his friend, squeezed money from it to invest in a pyramid scheme, losing all money in the process. The internet café collapsed to the grave, and this meant Mpaata had to hit the road in search of a new job. This led him to KFC in 2014 where he worked as a waiter.
“At KFC, I did pretty much everything. I was a waiter and worked in the kitchen as well. I also went around vending chicken,” he narrates.
While at KFC, Mpaata says he acquired a loan of 1M which he used to set up a small salon in Kinawataka, Kireka. Mpaata worked there as a nail technician, a skill he had acquired from a friend.
“The salon wasn’t making me money so I decided to apply for a job at Caduum, a company that deals in importation of cars.” He continues.
At Cadum, he worked as a sales person, but his time there was short lived. “I was fired only after three months because I failed to hit the targets. We were expected to sell at least 30 cars every month. I never even sold half of that while I was there.”
Firing him was the blessing he needed to take him forward. Instead of mourn the job loss, Mpaata used the knowledge gained from the three months at Cadum to establish himself as a car dealer. He started doing it solo.
The Birth of Mpaataneel
“After doing the business of importation for some time. A friend of mine suggested that we register a company and start trading professionally. I heeded to that advice and in 2018, the company was registered. The company name is a combination of my name, Mpaata Nelson.” He explains.
The company has grown from employing one person (himself) to over 10 people today. They do not only import cars, but all else that anyone would want shipped in or out of the country. Importing cars, however, stands as the flagship service for
Mpaataneel.
The company is a certified BE FORWARD agent in Uganda. Mpaataneel also deals is tours and travel.
What Makes Mpaataneel Tick?
“When I joined the business, I figured that there was a challenge of delayed
delivery of cars from Mombasa to Kampala. Most companies or traders will take a month or more to import the car here from Mombasa. At Mpaataneel, we take only three days or even less.”
Asked whether he is never tempted to use money given to him by clients for his personal things, “I think that’s like digging my own grave. I have taught myself the discipline of separating my business from my personal life. People give us a lot of money to bring them cars, and we deliver.”
Challenges
Mpaata says his company faces a number of challenges on a day to day basis, but the most persistent is the inconsistent systems at Uganda Revenue Authority.
“Many times the system goes off and takes weeks to be restored. This affects the clearance of imports. URA also keep increasing taxes, and this puts us in a bad situation with clients especially after we have already discussed the price to import the car.”
Advice
For people who wish to join the business, Mpaata says perseverance is key. The journey is full of challenges but can be sweet.
He also advices that to succeed in the business one should network, a lot, and also be trustworthy.