When floods blocked a section of Entebbe Road at Namasuba three years ago, they set off a chain of events that would change Michael Mukisa’s business forever.
At a recent Kikuubo Traders SACCO meeting, murmurs filled the room as the long-time trader took the floor. Known for his thriving general merchandise shop, Mukisa’s story struck a chord with many who have faced similar challenges in business.
“Fellow traders,” he began, adjusting his cap, “three years ago, I lost all my business records.”
The room grew quiet as he recounted the incident. On that rainy morning, as water surged across the road, Mukisa jumped out of a taxi to wade through the flooded section only to watch helplessly as his little black notebook slipped from his bag and disappeared into the water.
“That book held everything,” he said softly. “Sales, credit lists, supplier details, it was my entire business history. Without it, I couldn’t trace who owed me, what to restock, or how much I had earned.”
For weeks, Mukisa struggled to put his records back together. Then, what seemed like a painful loss became a turning point. He realized he needed a better, safer way to manage his business and that’s when he turned to digital record keeping.
One curious trader, Sarah, raised her hand. “Michael, we hear about these digital tools, but we don’t trust them. What if my phone gets lost?”
“That’s a good question,” Mukisa replied with a smile. “I use QuickBooks and Mikono, and the beauty is that everything is stored safely in the cloud. Even if you lose your phone or laptop, your data remains secure and can be accessed from any device. You just log in again.”
Another trader, Paul, asked, “But aren’t those apps expensive? Some of us don’t even have computers.”
“Paul, I started with just my smartphone,” Mukisa explained. “Many of these tools have free versions. Excel or Google Sheets, for example, are simple apps you can install on your phone to record sales, track debts, and monitor expenses. You don’t need to be an expert to use them.”
The SACCO chairperson then asked, “So, Michael, what difference have you seen since you switched to digital?”
Mukisa smiled proudly. “My business runs more smoothly now. I no longer guess my profits because the system shows me daily and monthly summaries. When suppliers come, I know exactly what I owe and when payments are due. My employees record sales directly, and I can monitor everything even when I’m home in Zana.”
He concluded with a message that left many traders nodding in agreement:
“We live in a digital world. These tools are your new business partners, they make it easy to plan, save, and grow.”
