Alumni Entrepreneur Award Winner - Dr Sarah Bonita Musoke

3 July 2025

What inspired you to pursue entrepreneurship? 
Immediately, after the completion of my course, I shared my certificate of merit with my fellow paediatricians' association and specialist doctors' forums. What followed was a huge demand for my clinical services. I was continuously consulted about clinical cases in Gastroenterology, and this was both from senior and junior colleagues. It became increasingly apparent that I was still the only paediatric gastroenterologist in the country. The referral cases grew by the day, and I sprang into action. This got me thinking about how to grow my consultation services to reach as many clients as possible. 

How did you come up with your business ideas and put them into practice? 
Prior to joining the Gastroenterology field, I was already practising and running an outpatient general paediatrician clinic for children. The clinic was part of a joint venture with another specialist, an old and trusted undergraduate classmate who I had a lot in common with, so we set out in creating an outstanding professional outpatient specialists' centre in Kampala that embraced very elaborate modern electronic infosystems, top notch quality diagnostics, and a caring and motivated team of staff. We created a unique ambience for our clients that gives a richer and warmer experience outside of the usually crowded public and private hospital environments. 

How did you overcome business challenges, fears and doubts when establishing your venture to ensure success? 
I learnt from my previous mistakes. Prior to the joint specialist clinic venture, I had been involved in a failed smaller business of a much smaller children clinic in the city suburbs that didn't pick up so well. I closed it after one year with run down operations and a huge outstanding loan debt. The biggest lesson was to keep business costs within your limits and always upgrade and improve the quality standards. These keep changing each year, something better, easier and faster or more accurate. 

Do you have any advice for anyone considering pursuing an entrepreneurial journey? 
Always start small and grow steadily. You will have fewer regrets. Partnerships (the right ones) and social networking are key to your business' growth.