The Shocking Reason a Kampala Businesswoman Kept Losing All Her Customers

For nearly eight years, Ruth, a well-known businesswoman from Kabalagala, had built a beautiful and successful cosmetics shop that many people admired. Her shelves were always full, customers trusted her, and she had created strong relationships with suppliers.

At her peak, she employed two assistants and was planning to open a second branch. Life was moving well, and she believed her hard work was finally paying off.

But everything changed suddenly—so suddenly that she still struggles to explain it. It started slowly. A few customers stopped coming. Then a few more. Within two weeks, her once-busy shop became strangely quiet. People who used to buy from her every weekend now entered her shop, looked around, gave excuses, and left without buying anything. At first, she did not worry, thinking maybe it was just a slow month. But things only got worse.

She tried promotions, discounts, and even introduced new brands, but nothing worked. The strangest part was that customers would walk past her shop and buy the very same products from other nearby shops—even shops that used to copy from her. She could not understand what was happening. It felt as if people were avoiding her on purpose.

One of her closest friends told her, “Maybe it’s competition,” but competition had been there for years and had never threatened her business. Even her suppliers noticed the change and began asking her if everything was okay because she had reduced her stock orders drastically.

In just two months, Ruth went from earning comfortably to struggling to pay rent. Her children’s school fees became a headache. She would wake up at night with stress, wondering what mistake she had made.

One afternoon, she visited her aunt in Nansana to seek advice. This aunt was someone she.To read more, tap here