When one has a strong passion to do something, a factor like age does not hinder him/her from executing it. In this regard, Sukarna Sapkota serves as a perfect example.
At the tender age of 22, he is smoothly running a trading company- BSE- to deal with the dirt motorbikes belonging to the Kayo Moto brand.
“Since my childhood, I have been pretty passionate about motorbikes. So, I made a plan to do something that pertains to my passion,” he divulges. In 2017, this young entrepreneur materialized this plan by opening a showroom dealing with the said Chinese bikes in Buddhachowk, Pokhara. Such bikes were supplied to the showroom by a Kathmandu-based dealer of Koyo Moto. Nevertheless, after some time, the very dealer failed to apply as per the demand. “The Kayo was able to sell the motorbikes as hotcakes. The customer demand gradually grew so huge that the supplier from Kathmandu could not fulfill it,” he shares adding, ”So, I forwarded an e-mail to the China-based manufacturer of Koyo Moto mentioning in details about such business situation.” According to him, the manufacturer reciprocated positively, so much so it granted him the authorized dealership of the two-wheeler brand for Nepal.
After acquiring such dealership in June 2019, Kayo seems to be focused on expanding its business coverage. In fact, it has already commenced a new showroom in Maharajgunj, Kathmandu. Plans are being made by him to open two more showrooms in Itahari and Narayanghat in the near future.
The marker performance of Moto Kayo appears to be in high gear. The company sells as many as 15 units of Koyo Moto per month. KT2, KT4, and K6 are three variants of the brand available in the market which cost Rs 350 thousand, 490 thousand and 700 thousand respectively.
“With its powerful engine, efficient performance and appealing design, Koyo Mota has been able to win the hearts and minds of especially the off-road bike lovers,” he says.
Interestingly, Sapkota has a plan to organise racing competition of dirt bikes this year in Pokhara. “The prime objective behind the competition to raise awareness about various vital aspects of dirt bikes,” he informs.
When asked about the biggest challenge/s facing his business, he says,” It is unfriendly attitude of the government towards the trading companies,” he laments adding, “Despite paying all forms of taxes in a proper way, we face unwarranted hassles in customs points while importing products.” For instance, we pay as high as 30 percent customs duty but the concerned authorities shy away from issuing the requited import permits in a timely way.”
Similarly, another big challenge, according to him, is the difficulty in obtaining loans from banks and financial institutions (BFIs). “They tend to issue loans to the companies on the basis of their turnover volume. This is hampering a budding entrepreneur like me to expand business by arranging adequate investment,” he laments suggesting, ”Such anomalies must be addressed effectively in order to encourage the growth of young entrepreneurs in the country.”
