Kenyan MSMEs use ClariFi to plan, measure, and perform.
- M-Pesa ready
- Job costing
- Built for workshops & fabricators
Skill is visible. Profit is not always visible.
Busy does not always mean profitable.
Musa Fabricators in Kariobangi Light Industries looks active every day — machines running, welders working, orders stacking. Deposits arrive on M-Pesa. Steel leaves the yard. Yet cash is often low before the job is finished.
The workshop is not failing. It lacks visibility — one honest picture of job cost, stock, receivables, and supplier debt.
ClariFi turns scattered records into decisions.
The fabricator
Meet Musa Juma
Orders come in. Deposits come in. But cash disappears before the job is complete.
Musa Fabricators
Musa Juma
Kariobangi Light Industries, Nairobi
6 permanent workers · 4 casual
Gates, grills, doors, desks, and metal frames for contractors, schools, landlords, and households.
Notebook, WhatsApp threads, and M-Pesa messages — not one ledger.
“I build with steel. ClariFi helps me build my business with numbers.”
A day in the workshop
From first spark to closing time
The work is visible. The cash story usually is not — until you measure it.
7:00 AM
Workshop opens
Machines on. Orders from yesterday still in progress.
9:00 AM
New design & quote
Customer brings a sketch. Musa quotes from experience — not always from last job's real cost.
10:00 AM
Deposit lands
e.g. KES 25,000 received — immediately used for materials and worker advances.
3:00 PM
Production pressure
Welding continues. More urgent orders arrive. Offcuts pile in the corner.
6:30 PM
End of day
Cash is low, balances not paid, but tomorrow starts early.
Five pressures
The hidden problem
Hard work is not the problem. Visibility is.
Pricing from memory
Quotes based on the last similar job — not today's steel price and labour hours.
Inventory is invisible
Tubes, sheets, hinges, and offcuts — known by eye, not by count.
Receivables are emotional
Following up feels personal. Balances drift for weeks.
Weak records
Notebook + WhatsApp + M-Pesa — hard to answer what one job really earned.
Limited access to finance
Banks want structure. The business has skill, not lender-ready evidence.
Workshop snapshot
What is on the yard — and what is invisible
Musa knows the steel is there. Without counts, reorder and job costing stay guesswork.
Steel tubes
235 pcs
Steel sheets
18 pcs
Hinges & locks
205 pcs
Paint & rods
20L · 12 kg
Offcuts (est.)
KES 14,500
Illustrative numbers
One month at Musa Fabricators
Sales can look strong while profit stays thin and cash sits with customers.
Sales
KSh 920,000
Total costs
KSh 850,000
Estimated profit
KSh 70,000
Unpaid balances
KSh 180,000 – KSh 260,000
The workshop can look strong even when cash is trapped in unpaid balances.
| Cost line | Amount (KES) |
|---|---|
| Materials | 510,000 |
| Labour | 155,000 |
| Rent | 48,000 |
| Electricity & fuel | 42,000 |
| Transport | 36,000 |
| Tools & repairs | 31,000 |
| Other costs | 28,000 |
Try Musa's workshop numbers
Adjust monthly sales, costs, and unpaid balances — same logic as the interactive preview below.
Scroll to load the interactive calculator…
The turning point
Visibility — not a bigger notebook
Musa does not need more pages. He needs one place to answer five questions before the next deposit leaves the account.
- What did this job really cost?
- Which customer still owes us?
- Which materials are moving fastest?
- What do we owe suppliers?
- Can this business qualify for working capital?
ClariFi for fabricators
Six modules for structured growth
From job quote to lender-ready records — built for workshops like Musa Fabricators.
Job Costing Engine
Quote with real cost before taking the job.
Break-even & margins →Cash Flow Dashboard
See today, plan tomorrow, avoid cash surprises.
Cash flow planner →Inventory Tracker
Track steel tubes, sheets, hinges, locks, paint, welding rods, and offcuts.
Inventory →Supplier Ledger
Know what is owed and negotiate better.
Payables →Receivables Tracker
Follow up unpaid customer balances professionally.
Receivables →Credit Readiness Pack
Convert informal records into lender-ready evidence.
Capital readiness →
90-day path
From scattered records to credit-ready
Small steps each fortnight — no need to stop production.
Days 1–15
Capture all open jobs
Days 16–30
Enter customer balances
Days 31–45
Record supplier debts
Days 46–60
Start job costing
Days 61–75
Produce monthly reports
Days 76–90
Use records to access working capital or supplier credit
Expected impact
Before ClariFi · After ClariFi
Illustrative shifts — results depend on consistency, not software alone.
| Before | After |
|---|---|
| Guess pricing | Cost-based pricing |
| Notebook records | Digital job cards |
| Unknown stock | Tracked inventory |
| Delayed balances | Receivables aging |
| Informal borrowing | Credit-ready profile |
| Stress decisions | Dashboard decisions |
Final insight
“Musa Juma does not lack skill. He lacks visibility. Kariobangi Light Industries is full of businesses already creating value with their hands. ClariFi helps them see that value in numbers — so they can price better, borrow smarter, grow faster, and move from survival to structured enterprise.”