Running a corner shop in Nairobi, Lagos, or Kampala is already a marathon. End‑of‑day bookkeeping shouldn’t be another one. Yet most merchants we spoke with were spending 45–60 minutes each night tallying cash, comparing notebooks, and guessing at where stock vanished.
We built Shifts to end that pain.
Why we built Shifts
Our product team spent months inside open‑air markets and wholesale stalls. Three patterns kept surfacing:
- Cash leaks after sunset. Once the shutters come down it’s hard to remember every payment method, refund, or expense.
- Stock is a black box. Asking “how many bags of sugar are left?” triggered shoulder‑shrugs or long paper audits.
- Expense receipts pile up – or disappear entirely. Vendors pay utility bills, transport, or airtime on the fly and never log it.
We realised merchants needed a single flow that captured sales, stock movements, and expenses without extra work. That flow is a Shift.
What exactly is a Shift?
A Shift is a container that groups everything that happens in your shop from the moment you open till the moment you lock up:
- starting cash + M‑PESA balances
- every sale (with payment method)
- every stock adjustment
- every expense or cash movement
At close, Honr auto‑generates a clean summary you can save, print, or share on WhatsApp.
Three taps to peace of mind
- Start Shift – enter your opening cash and M‑PESA. The clock starts.
- Trade as usual – sell, receive stock, record expenses; Honr logs it silently.
- End Shift – count your drawer, confirm balances, and hit Close. Done.
No spreadsheets. No calculator. No 11 p.m. panic.
Built for real‑world constraints
- Works offline. Connectivity drops shouldn’t stop bookkeeping. Data syncs the next time you’re online.
- Multi‑payment ready. Cash, M‑PESA, or customer credit – all handled.
- Lightweight. The Android APK is < 25 MB; the Shift screen itself loads in under 200 ms.
Early results
Pilot stores shaved an average 34 minutes off close‑out time and recovered KSh 3 380 in missing stock during the first week.
“I used to close at midnight. Now by 10 p.m. I’m home and my books balance.” – Amina, kiosk owner, Nairobi
Try it today
Update Honr to the latest version or download it fresh from Google Play. Tap the blue Start Shift button and run your first day the stress‑free way.
Have questions or feedback? Drop us a WhatsApp at +254 728 868313 or email support@honr.ai.
Roadmap sneak peek
Shifts is only the first step. Next on the way:
- Payments & inventory – MPESA push, split payments, custom and fractional items.
- Owner visibility – instant transaction alerts and a multi‑store dashboard.
- Staff access – quick invites, easy removals, guided onboarding.
Watch this space – and, as always, tell us what you need.
Leon & the Honr team
