Sarah Wambui, a 24-year-old economics student at University of Nairobi, has managed to turn her love of thrift store fashion into a lucrative side hustle that helps cover her tuition and costs.
Leveraging Instagram to resell unique secondhand clothing, Sarah now easily earns an extra Ksh150,000 monthly, working just 10 flexible hours per week.
It all started as a hobby while Sarah was browsing local thrift shops looking for hip vintage tees and jeans for herself. She realized she had a knack for spotting undervalued stylish items that could be resold online for big profits.
From this realization, a thriving social media reselling enterprise was born. Here’s an inside look at how Sarah taps into the booming reuse fashion movement to earn a sizable monthly income as a busy university student.
Discovering Thrift Store Flipping
Growing up, Sarah’s family instilled in her the importance of environmental sustainability and smart spending.
She became an avid thrift store browser, enjoying digging for buried fashion treasures.
During a regular thrift haul, it hit Sarah that many items she bought cheap could easily be resold online for 2-3X the price to fashion-conscious peers.
This presented an enticing opportunity to turn her thrifting hobby into profit, while promoting reuse.
Sarah recalls her lightbulb moment:
“I realized I could buy up underpriced items and give them new life by reselling creatively on social media. I had to try it out.”
Testing Demand on Instagram
Sarah set up an Instagram account dedicated to reselling trendy thrifted fashion sourced locally.
To test demand, she began posting photos of her unique finds modeled on herself, always tagging the location of the originating thrift store.
For example:
“Channeling Clueless in this insanely cute plaid skirt I thrifted for only Ksh250! Scoop this beauty up for just Ksh1500. Perfect for a hip retro vibe! DM me! 😍”
The engaging social media posts generated a flurry of interest, especially from fellow university students seeking trendy thrifted styles.
Within just 2 months, Sarah had flipped 150,000Ksh worth of underpriced items sourced from various local thrift stores – earning about 50,000Ksh in profit!
Doubling Down on Instagram
Given the quick validation, Sarah decided to scale up her reselling side hustle by strengthening her Instagram presence.
She gave the account its own unique brand identity with a bold handle.
Sarah also improved photos and captions by analyzing top competitors. She noticed which types of posts attracted engagement and demand.
Her follower count grew quickly thanks to:
- Posting new items almost daily
- Using strategic hashtags like #campusstyle
- Engaging frequently with followers
- Running occasional sale promotions
Within 6 months, her account had grown to over 7,500 local followers – providing Sarah access to a hungry market of buyers.
Expanding Beyond Instagram
Riding the momentum, Sarah looked for opportunities to scale beyond just Instagram:
Jumia – She expanded inventory listed for sale on Jumia to tap into their huge buyer traffic. This added great passive income.
YouTube – Sarah launched a YouTube channel documenting her thrifting tips and fashion reselling journey. The videos boosted brand awareness significantly.
Pop-ups – She coordinated occasional weekend pop-up shops on campus so followers could view items in person. These attracted large crowds.
By diversifying sales and marketing channels combined with leveraging her social following, Sarah was able to dramatically increase her inventory turnover and profits.
Achieving Flexible Financial Freedom
Incredibly, within just 1 year since initially testing out thrift store reselling as a passion project, Sarah is now earning over Ksh150,000 in average monthly profits:
- She sources at least 300 pieces of inventory to flip each month.
- Her active social following drives quick turnover of items.
- Sarah reinvests profits to acquire even more unique thrifted inventory.
- Jumia automated sales combined with Instagram provide sales volume.
- Most items sell within 1-2 weeks of posting.
The considerable earnings from Sarah’s reselling side hustle provide her income to comfortably afford tuition, rent, entertainment and more as a busy university student.
Sarah’s Keys to Success
When asked what tips she has for other students hoping to replicate her reselling success, Sarah emphasizes a few key strategies:
- Pick a niche – Become THE destination for a style niche. Vintagetees and locally sourced fashion allowed Sarah to stand out.
- Study competitors – Follow other successful resellers to analyze their tactics. Improve upon what works.
- Leverage social media– Drive sales through a consistent brand presence on visual platforms like Instagram.
- Reinvest – Flip profits back into more unique inventory to expand offerings.
- Automate – Use platforms like Jumia to ease listing and sales.
- Have fun! – Let your passion shine through. People respond to authenticity and passion.
By turning thrift store treasure hunting into an exciting side hustle promoting reuse and affordability, Sarah has achieved the dream income scenario for busy university students – earning significant money working flexible hours from anywhere.
For young, eco-conscious entrepreneurs, Sarah proves that the opportunities to creatively blend passion and skills into profitable online ventures are endless.
The future is yours to create. It’s time to start mapping it out today!
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Balancing university studies with making money is a challenge for many students in Kenya. However, leveraging online freelancing platforms offers computer science students a viable way to earn good income with flexible hours – without compromising academics.
Mark Mutiso, a 23-year-old Computer Science major at JKUAT, has mastered this balance. While still a full-time student, Mark easily earns over Ksh73,000 monthly freelancing as a programmer on Upwork and Fiverr.
By optimizing his profile and targeting high-value programming gigs, Mark has grown a thriving freelance web development business that grants him financial freedom without taking time away from lectures or coursework.
Here’s an inside look at how Kenyan university students can replicate Mark’s success and start earning meaningful income online as programmers.
Choosing Programming as His Niche
As an avid coder since high school, Mark realized he could provide freelance web development services online to earn extra money as a student.
With blockchain, web3 and SaaS booming globally, demand for talented programmers has exploded.
This presented a prime opportunity for Mark to monetize his coding abilities.
However, as a beginner with no professional experience, getting started freelancing looked daunting.
Mark knew he had to strategically position himself as a programmer to win those initial clients.
Building Credibility Through a Strong Profile
To compete and gain trust from potential clients, Mark needed to demonstrate his programming abilities upfront through a compelling online freelancer profile.
He thoroughly optimized key components:
Photo: A clear, vibrant professional headshot to humanize him.
Skills: Mark listed his specific web development languages like JavaScript, PHP, Python. This enabled clients to immediately assess if he had the technical abilities they required.
Portfolio: He included screenshots and descriptions of past coding projects, open source contributions, and college coursework. This provided tangible proof of experience.
Video: Mark recorded a brief intro video explaining his background, niche services, and ideal client. The video expanded his credibility.
Reviews: He encouraged early clients to leave positive reviews and testimonials detailing their experiences working with him. These social proof elements boosted conversion of future leads.
Pricing His Services Competitively
For new freelancers, it’s tempting to underprice services severely just to win clients initially. But Mark was careful not to sell himself short just to get started.
He researched competitive rates for his service offerings based on:
- Experience level
- Project scope and complexity
- Average pricing of related freelancers
Mark priced his web development gigs slightly below counterparts with more tenure, but still within the Ksh2,000 – Ksh5,000 per hour rate for programmers at his skill level.
This strategic pricing allowed him to appear as an affordable option for clients, while still earning lucrative income exceeding typical college side jobs.
Targeting the Right Leads
Instead of applying blindly to any web development gig listed, Mark took care to selectively target leads that were a strong fit for his expertise as a student developer.
He focused on pursuing entry-level website, app and scripting projects within ecommerce, SaaS and small business.
Mark avoided overly complex jobs from enterprise level companies that demanded niche experience he lacked.
Being disciplined about the leads he applied for ensured he could deliver incredible value as a freelancer. This resulted in project extensions and referrals.
Managing Time Effectively Around Classes
One major hurdle for student freelancers is balancing education with client project work. Mark developed an effective time management system:
- He sets a cap of working just 20 hours per week maximum. This prevents overwork.
- Schoolwork and lectures remain top priorities – Mark schedules client projects in evenings and weekends.
- He provides clients an adequate delivery timeframe and communicates timing expectations upfront.
- Mark blocks out exam periods and avoids taking on big projects when coursework is heavy.
- He leverages productivity tools like Trello to stay organized across multiple clients.
By prioritizing academics always and using free periods for paid freelance work, Mark has struck a productive harmony between studying and earning.
Expanding His Services Over Time
To boost income further, Mark has strategically expanded the programming services he offers beyond basic web development:
- Mobile app development – Developing iOS and Android apps for startups
- Webscraping – Extracting and analyzing data from websites
- Automation – Creating scripts, bots and APIs
- Consulting – Providing technical evaluations, architecture advice
Diversifying his programming skillset has enabled Mark to take on a wider range of lucrative high-level freelance projects over time.
Achieving Financial Freedom Without Debt
Within just 1 year of consistently freelancing online around his classes, Mark was able to completely cover his university tuition and expenses through programming alone.
This freed him financially and psychologically from the stress of student debt or struggling to balance a formal part-time job.
Mark has achieved enviable location and time freedom through freelancing, earning over 7 times the monthly pay of an average campus side job.
For computer science students, Mark’s journey proves that honing coding skills and maximizing spare time can pave the path to financial freedom and fulfilling work.
Tips for Students Wanting to Freelance
For other enterprising university students hoping to replicate his success, Mark emphasizes three key tips:
- Build a polished online profile showcasing your skills and experience upfront. This is crucial for converting clients as a student.
- Avoid undervaluing yourself. Research rates carefully for your niche. Price competitively but fairly based on your genuine expertise.
- School comes first always. Manage client expectations accordingly. Block off study and exam periods to focus fully on academics.
By specializing in high-demand skills like programming and wisely managing available free hours for freelancing, Kenyan university students can build location-independent incomes and prosperous futures on their own terms.
The future of work is now. It’s time to seize it!
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After years stuck in a dull bank teller job, I desperately needed change. My mundane corporate existence was draining every ounce of life out of me.
But taking the daring leap into full-time trading felt terrifying.
Eventually, my soul couldn’t take the boredom any longer. I finally mustered the courage, quit my stable Ksh55,000 salary, and dove in headfirst to pursue forex trading.
Now, 2 years into my unpredictable trading journey, I’ve never felt more fulfilled or free. Here’s my story of breaking away from the shackles of corporate monotony to find prosperity and meaning through pursuing my passion.
Rising the Ranks But Still Deeply Unfulfilled
After finishing university, I quickly landed an entry-level job at a reputable local bank. While the steady salary provided security, after just one year as a teller, I desperately craved mental stimulation.
Sure enough, through relentless networking, schmoozing seniors, and volunteering for every extra project, I landed a promotion to branch assistant manager at age 25.
But soon, the endless paperwork, office politics, and boring operational duties crushed my soul completely. I was trapped in a gilded cage.
During a rare week-long vacation, I came across an eToro ad about ordinary people trading currencies successfully from home. My obsession with understanding global markets and numbers kicked in instantly.
Could I break free from this corporate prison by becoming a full-time forex trader? It was time to take the leap.
Learning the Basics obsessively
After work and on weekends, I began consuming every trading book, blog, and video I could find.
I virtually absorbed the wisdom of top traders into my mind.
I opened a small demo account to learn basics like:
After nearly a year of obsessive self-education, I felt just confident enough to attempt live trading.
But could I actually do this full-time? Time to find out.
Taking the Plunge into Trading
On my 26th birthday, I mustered every ounce of courage, walked into my boss’s office, and resigned from my assistant bank manager job.
Colleagues thought I had gone mad abandoning a prestigious corporate role. But my parents and close friends gave me their blessing.
I had already been trading small amounts in my spare time for 6 months. But with my safety net gone, it was time to fully submerge myself into the wild world of forex trading.
Leaving the world of guaranteed paychecks for the unpredictable life of a trader was the ultimate trust fall. But I gained wings knowing this radical change would force me to either thrive or crash land.
Learning the Psychology of Trading
While the technical skills came steadily, cultivating the proper psychology proved far more difficult:
- I fought to control emotions like greed and fear with discipline.
- I battled imposter syndrome constantly second-guessing my abilities.
- I often drifted away from my tested trading strategies in the heat of the moment.
- I struggled with the pressure of having no guaranteed income.
Essentially, I had to untrain my risk-averse corporate mindset and learn to embrace uncertainty as opportunity.
The mental game of trading proved just as challenging as the technical one. But with time, I learned techniques to code trader psychology into who I was.
Gaining Consistency and Profitability
After nearly 18 months of determined practice and mental rewiring, I began achieving consistent profits trading forex in Kenya.
My framework combined solid fundamentals with price action analysis on the 1 hour charts for the USD, EUR, GBP, JPY, and CHF.
Patience became my biggest asset. I waited diligently for ideal trade setups following my system versus chasing every move.
As my average risk/reward ratio improved through disciplined execution, my confidence and profitability grew in parallel.
By age 28, I exceeded my old banking salary through consistent, statistics-driven trading. I had finally attained financial freedom through pure persistence.
Adopting the Trader Lifestyle
Today I’ve been a full-time trader for over 4 years. My evolution has followed this progression:
Age 26 – Banker:
- Prestigious career but deeply unfulfilled. No time or location freedom.
Ages 26-28 – New Forex Trader:
- Terror of giving up guaranteed income. Massive psychological hurdles.
Ages 28-30 – Consistent Trader:
- Profitability through statistics-based edge. Thrilling income from rapid risk.
Age 30+ – Fulfilled Lifestyle Trader
- Sense of mastery and peace working for myself. Still passionate for continuous improvement.
Trading is now a flexible lifestyle business on my terms giving time and location freedom.
The financial rewards are secondary to the emotional fulfillment.
Key Tips for Aspiring Traders
For others in Kenya considering following a similar path, here are my top tips:
- Immerse yourself fully in trading education before attempting to profit. Understand the risks deeply.
- Start trading small amounts even with a large bankroll to hone your strategy. Early losses should be viewed as tuition.
- Journal extensively tracking every trade, strategy, and lesson. Review continuously.
- Accept losses as part of the game. Keep them small through strict risk management.
- Avoid short-term gambling on exotic currency pairs. Develop statistically sound strategies.
- Detach emotions from your trading process – rely purely on data, math and logic.
Final Thoughts
The corporate rat race sells the myth that prestige and promotions are the path to fulfillment. But too often, chasing these superficial goals only leads to spiritual emptiness.
I had to discard society’s rulebook and re-examine my values to discover work I find genuinely meaningful.
My trading journey has been intensely difficult but profoundly rewarding. The independence and analytical challenge I gain from trading fuels me daily.
For fellow aspiring traders in Kenya, I hope my story can give you courage to take the leap. The freedom to live life on your own terms awaits – you just have to claim it.
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Meet Joan Mueni, a 24-year-old Economics student at Kenyatta University who has managed to build an incredibly successful side business importing affordable Korean fashion accessories and reselling to her fellow students for big profits.
In less than one year since launching, Joan’s clever importing and selling hustle now clears over Ksh250,000 in monthly sales through simple promotion on campus social media groups.
Here is an inside look at how Joan leverages inexpensive accessories sourced abroad into massive profit margins by catering specifically to the fashion tastes of university students in Kenya.
An Idea is Born Out of Need
As a bright but broke university student living on tight budget, Joan was always seeking clever ways to supplement her limited income and afford additional spending money.
During a semester abroad in Seoul, South Korea, Joan came across all sorts of fun and trendy fashion accessories being sold at unbelievably low prices – stylish earrings, rings, necklaces, sunglasses and hair pieces.
That’s when an entrepreneurial lightbulb went on in Joan’s mind – what if she could import these inexpensive Korean accessories in bulk to resell at a markup to style-hungry students back in Kenya?
The margins were irresistible – she could source jewelry and hair accessories for Ksh50-150 from Korean exporters and wholesalers, then resell the exact same pieces for Ksh300-500 to students in Kenya desperate for affordable fashion paraphernalia to stay trendy on campus.
Joan had uncovered a perfect business model allowing her to keep her inventory costs low while almost tripling profits on each small piece she sold.
She just needed to import and connect the products to her eager market successfully.
Learning to Import from Korea as a Newbie
Right away, Joan jumped into researching how to import goods as a total beginner.
She spent hours learning best practices around :
- Finding reputable manufacturers and suppliers
- Communicating effectively despite language barriers
- Navigating customs requirements and import duties
- Calculating exact landed shipping costs
- Identifying the fastest and most affordable shipping options
After compiling a blueprint for cost-efficient importing to Kenya, Joan registered an official business name, opened the required business bank account, and placed her first small test order from a wholesale accessories supplier she found in Seoul.
Just 3 weeks later, her first shipment of 60 mixed Korean fashion accessories arrived at her dorm room doorstep in Nairobi!
Joan sorted through her imported goods excitedly and prepared to start selling.
Read also: 55+ Easy Ways to Make Money as a Student in Kenya
Generating Demand Through Social Media
Joan understood that successfully moving inventory fast came down to tapping into hungry buyer demand from her fellow university students.
She created accounts on Instagram, Facebook and Telegram specifically for her reselling side hustle.
Joan then joined dozens of campus buy/sell groups and actively posted enticing photos of her imported Korean goods modeling the pieces herself.
For example:
“Korean fashion lovers! 😍 Who wants to look uber stylish on campus for just Ksh300? I just received a new shipment of super cute Korean accessories perfect for any outfit! Limited stock – DM me fast to reserve yours!”
Along with photos displaying her affordable, unique jewelry and hairpieces creatively styled in different vibrant outfits, Joan’s social media promotions generated a surge of excitement and demand.
Soon her direct messages were overflowing with inquiries from students across different universities eager to purchase her imported Korean fashion products.
Streamlining Order Fulfillment
As sales exploded with hundreds of orders pouring in weekly, Joan needed to streamline her fulfillment and logistics.
She leveraged digital tools to make the importing and selling process more efficient:
- Joan used the Bulk Message Sender app to communicate with customers.
- She built an organized spreadsheet system to track inventory and orders.
- Joan purchased shipping supplies in bulk for speedy and inexpensive delivery.
- She explored different couriers to identify the most reliable and cost-effective shipping partners.
- Joan used Lipa Na MPESA to easily accept mobile money payments from students.
By optimizing her order processing system, Joan was able to handle increased sales volume while keeping profit margins high.
Expanding Selection to Sustain Growth
To sustain growth long-term, Joan knew she couldn’t just sell the same limited selection of imported goods over and over. Students would quickly get bored.
So she began expanding her Korean fashion offerings, testing small batches of new products like:
- Trendy Korean socks and stockings
- Cute Korean laptop stickers and device accessories
- Stylish wallets, cardholders and portable chargers
- Aesthetic home decor like wall tapestries and desk accessories
- Colorful phone cases and stylus pens
This constant testing and expansion of new products in small quantities ensured Joan’s social media feeds were constantly refreshed with exciting offerings.
Balancing School and Side Business Demands
As her Korean fashion import business took off, Joan did face difficulties juggling both her studies as an Economics major along with fulfilling hundreds of accessory orders weekly.
But through smart time management, Joan has struck an effective balance between academics and entrepreneurship:
- She focuses mornings fully on classes, assignments and research work, dedicating weekends to her import business.
- During holiday breaks, Joan places large re-stock orders from Korea.
- She prepares some bulk shipping packages discreetly between lectures when viable.
- Joan hired a couple of student assistants to help with packaging and deliveries.
- She ensures to not take any orders during big exam periods so she can focus fully on academics.
By putting academics first and maximizing pockets of time, Joan has achieved harmony between student life and side business success.
Read also: 10+ Best Ways to Make Money from Home on the Side
Strong Growth and Ambitious Goals for the Future
Incredibly, in less than one year since first testing small imports of Korean fashion accessories, Joan has completely validated the business model, generating over Ksh250,000 per month in sales.
Her projection based on current growth is to hit Ksh1 million in monthly revenue by 2024 through expanding to campuses across Kenya and broadening her imported offerings.
Joan hopes to ultimately register the business formally and open an online store alongside selling in-person on campuses countrywide. She even dreams of opening her own accessory boutiques in major cities one day.
Joan’s rapidly thriving business importing inexpensive Korean fashion goods and reselling locally perfectly demonstrates how identifying simple arbitrage opportunities combined with superb execution using digital tools can result in a massively profitable side hustle.
For other enterprising university students, Joan stands as an inspiration of how spotting unmet student needs, leveraging globalization, and tapping the power of social media provides an avenue to financial freedom and limitless potential.
The next generation of top Kenyan entrepreneurs is rising fast.
The time for bold innovation and hustle is now!
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After losing her job as a business development associate in early 2020, Joan Munala became desperate to find ways to earn money online in the tight pandemic economy.
However, with no experience in digital business, Joan became an easy target for numerous work-at-home scams promising quick riches. She lost over Ksh200,000 in just 4 months.
Devastated but determined, Joan picked herself back up through grit and smart pivoting.
Today she runs a thriving digital marketing agency helping companies across Kenya grow their online presence.
Joan’s company now easily generates over Ksh1 million in revenue monthly, with an entire team working under her.
This is the story of how Joan turned repeated failure into ultimate success and prosperity through relentless persistence.
Her journey exemplifies how belief in oneself can overcome any adversity when you keep rising up after setbacks.
Laid Off and Desperate for Money
Joan was let go from her Nairobi office job along with 25% of staff as Covid ravaged the economy.
With a baby on the way, Joan desperately needed to replace her lost income quickly. But jobs were scarce. She required a creative solution fast.
After researching popular remote work options, Joan discovered an exciting new possibility – affiliate marketing.
Affiliate marketing allows individuals to earn commissions promoting brands and products they believe in through links. Joan saw stories online boasting how people make serious money through affiliate programs.
Eager at the income potential but unfamiliar with the landscape, Joan signed up for several “affiliate bootcamp” courses costing Ksh15,000 each, trusting their promises to get her started.
The Affiliate Marketing Scam
The so-called courses Joan purchased were nothing but scams designed to bait desperate people seeking online income solutions.
The material contained no actionable instruction – just vague concepts about dropshipping, Facebook ads and selling courses. There was zero guidance on actually becoming an affiliate marketer.
When Joan asked for her money back on the useless courses, she was bullied and threatened instead.
“I felt so stupid and ashamed. I realized people prey on the vulnerable with these false promises of easy money,” she recalls.
Down Ksh45k but not yet broken, Joan turned to Google again looking for legitimate ways to earn online.
This led her to digital marketing.
The Cold Calling Scam
Joan came across forum posts discussing how digital marketing specialists earn lucrative pay building brands’ online presence through search engine optimization (SEO), social media management and pay-per-click advertising.
A quick Google search popped up dozens of listings for digital marketing jobs. Excited by the income figures listed, Joan applied for 5 positions.
Joan was quickly contacted by one firm offering her a “Director of African Business Development” role handling digital marketing for top multi-national companies.
The steep salary of Ksh150k a month sounded almost too good to be true, but Joan jumped at the opportunity without deeper scrutiny.
Only after joining did she realize the whole operation was a scam call center pretending to sell digital marketing services but actually just extracting payments from unsuspecting businesses they cold-called daily.
“I was embarrassed that in my desperation I had fallen for yet another con. But it gave me firsthand insight into how digital marketing scams operate,” she notes.
The MLM Trap
By now feeling discouraged but still in need of income, Joan came across an old friend on Facebook promoting an ecommerce MLM company.
The friend described how she earned supplemental income referring customers to the online health store and convincing others to also join as distributors under her in the downline.
Intrigued by the promises of bonus cars and luxury travel for top sellers, Joan paid $299 to become a distributor.
She spent weeks aggressively pitching the products to anyone who would listen. But she made less than $50 in retail commissions while accruing big monthly website and inventory fees.
After losing her paltry upfront investment, Joan cut her losses and resigned from the MLM company in 4 months. She had fallen for yet another false income promise.
“I was sick of being taken advantage of. I decided I would find a way to make money online, but by actually starting a real business solving problems – not chasing shortcuts.”
Taking Her Experience to Start a Real Business
After losing time and money to various online scams, Joan took a step back to reflect on her overall experience.
That’s when the lightbulb went on.
Despite no formal training in digital marketing, Joan had gained a tremendous insider’s view into the industry after being on the receiving end through those job scams.
She realized that if she could combine this hard-won knowledge with her natural business development abilities from her old job, she was uniquely equipped to legitimately help companies with digital marketing.
Joan set up a basic website and began cold pitching local businesses in need of affordable online presence management. She sold her service as cost-effective execution of digital tactics she had learned about like:
- Search engine optimization
- Pay-per-click ads
- Social media management
- Affiliate marketing
- Email marketing
- Inbound strategy
The sales began trickling in week after week. Joan had finally struck upon the right business model leveraging her skills.
Growth into a Multi-Million Shilling Company
As Joan delivered impressive digital marketing results for her early clients on a lean budget, word spread fast.
Within 8 months of launching, she had grown her client base to 28 small companies paying an average of Ksh25,000 per month for digital marketing services.
That allowed Joan to rent an actual office and hire a team of contributors to take on more clients and bigger contracts.
Today, just 2 years after starting from scratch, Joan’s agency manages digital marketing for over 65 notable brands across Kenya, with monthly recurring revenue exceeding Ksh1 million.
Her humble startup now employs over 15 full-time staff while she still personally oversees client accounts.
And the large affiliate commissions she pays out to her associates every month provide income streams for others just like she needed when starting out.
Joan’s Top Lessons From Her Journey
For aspiring online entrepreneurs and those rebuilding after failure, Joan highlights 3 key learnings:
1. Bet on yourself
Rather than see herself only as a victim after being scammed, Joan leveraged the knowledge gained to pivot into a legitimate business tailored to her abilities.
2. Start hyper-small
She started with just 1-2 clients to prove her model before reinvesting every shilling to methodically grow the agency.
3. Persist through setbacks
Early struggles like bad press from old scams only strengthened Joan’s resolve to power through with pure hard work and excellence.
Joan’s story of turning online scams into ultimate success offers inspiration and powerful lessons for aspiring digital entrepreneurs everywhere:
- Knowledge gained through failures contains the seeds for future success if applied correctly.
- With grit and smart pivoting, victimhood can become victory through relentless determination.
- By starting small then relentlessly delivering value, thriving businesses can be built from any experience.
Joan stands today as living proof that belief in oneself can overcome any setback or adversity on the path to achieving dreams. Now she is paying that mindset forward by empowering others to turn passion into prosperity through Kenya’s digital revolution.
The future belongs to the resilient. Your time is now!
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YouTube presents an immense opportunity for creative individuals in Kenya to earn an income doing what they love. With just a mobile phone camera and internet connection, anyone can create and monetize video content.
But for total beginners, it can feel overwhelming launching and growing a channel from scratch.
From my journey building a profitable channel with over 10k subscribers, here is an actionable guide to start vlogging from your phone and earning money on YouTube in Kenya.
Step 1 – Determine Video Topic and Style
Before launch, decide on your channel niche and vlogging style. Pick topics you’re truly passionate about – not just what’s trendy. Consider niches like:
- Travel tips and destination reviews
- Making local dishes and recipes
- Technology tips and news
- Comedy skits of relatable situations
- Your experience as a young professional or student
- Sports commentary and analysis
- Personal finance and investment advice
- Fashion and beauty tutorials
Determine the combination of topics and video style (commentary, tutorials, vlogs etc) best aligned with your passion and personality. This focus is key to building a loyal audience.
Step 2 – Set Up Your Channel
Open a Google account if you don’t have one already. Use it to create your YouTube channel.
The basics to complete include:
- Channel name – Make it unique but relevant to your niche.
- Profile picture – Use a clear photo of yourself to build familiarity.
- Channel description – Share your niche, style and value proposition for viewers.
- Initial videos – Upload a few videos (more on this next) so the channel isn’t empty.
Take time customizing the look and feel of the channel to appeal to your target viewers from the start.
Step 3 – Record Your First Videos
Here’s how to record quality YouTube videos from your smartphone:
Gear Needed:
- Smartphone – iPhone or Samsung recommended. Don’t worry about expensive cameras yet.
- Tripod – To hold your camera steady hands-free. Get one for under Ksh1,000.
- Microphone – For better audio quality. You can find basic mics for under Ksh2,000.
- Smartphone Light – To brightly illuminate yourself in any setting. Ksh1,000 or less.
Recording Tips:
- Film in a quiet location with no distracting noises.
- Use natural lighting near windows when possible.
- Do multiple takes and pick the best parts to edit together.
- Keep videos 10-15 minutes long initially while building audience.
- End each video with a strong call-to-action for viewers.
Focus on providing value to your viewers above all else – the production quality can improve over time.
Step 4 – Edit Your Videos
For basic editing you can use free apps like VN or Inshot on your smartphone:
- Import your footage and trim unnecessary sections
- Adjust colors and apply filters if needed
- Add transitions between clips
- Include customizable graphics and titles
- Add background music from free libraries
- Insert end screen with your channel icon, new video teaser, and subscribe button
Better editing comes with time. For now, focus on cleanly organizing your raw clips into compelling videos.
Step 5 – Create Eye-Catching Thumbnails
The thumbnail is the first thing viewers see when browsing YouTube. Captivating thumbnails can increase clicks substantially.
Use Canva’s mobile app to design custom thumbnails that make viewers want to click your video.
Tips for thumb-stopping thumbnails:
- Use contrasting bright colors that pop
- Include your face and expressions to humanize
- Feature any text large and clearly readable
- List the payoff the video delivers (e.g Lose 10kg in 2 Weeks!)
- Leverage curiosity-sparking facial expressions and graphics
Test different thumbnail styles for your niche and double down on what works. This can increase viewership significantly.
Step 6 – Upload and Share Your Videos
Now it’s time to start sharing your content and engaging viewers!
Once your video is edited, save it and upload directly from your phone to your YouTube channel.
Include descriptive titles and tags so it’s easily found by YouTube’s search algorithm and suggested to suitable viewers.
Promote your videos:
- Share new uploads on your social media feeds
- Ask friends and family to Like, Comment and Subscribe
- Engage thoroughly with your viewers via comments to build community
- Collaborate with similar channels to expand your reach
Early on, focus less on view counts and more on refining content and sparking authentic engagement.
Step 7 – Monetize Your Content
Once you build an audience over 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours, you can start monetizing through:
- YouTube Partner Program: Earn a cut of ad revenue displayed on your videos through this program. Apply to join once eligible.
- Affiliate marketing: Promote relevant products within your video content through affiliate links and make sales commissions.
- Sponsorships: Strike paid deals to promote brands/services relevant for your audience.
- Memberships: Let die-hard fans pay a monthly fee for exclusive content, emojis, livestreams and other perks.
- Merchandise: Sell shirts, mugs, and other merchandise featuring your brand and channel’s signature style.
Diversify income streams once qualified to maximize your earnings and build a sustainable creator business.
Step 8 – Continue Growing Your Channel
The key to building a thriving channel with consistent video views and subscriber growth is:
- Stick to a consistent upload schedule, at least 2X per week. This keeps viewers engaged.
- Always engage with commenters – build personal connections with fans.
- Stay persistent and patient during periods when growth stalls. Consistency compounds.
- Keep expanding the variety and quality of your video content over time.
- Analyze your channel metrics in YouTube Studio to optimize your approach.
- Feature your best-performing content prominently on your channel for new visitors.
With regular value-focused uploads plus authentic engagement, your channel viewership and popularity on YouTube will continue growing steadily.
Step 9 – Expand Your Brand
Once you build a sizable audience on YouTube, it’s time to expand your brand:
- Create content and engage on other social platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Cross-promote everywhere.
- Launch a website with your videos, blog, merch store and contact page.
- Start a weekly email newsletter to engage loyal audience members.
- Attend local meetups and events to connect with supporters.
- Consider podcasting, paid virtual events, courses, and other money-making avenues.
The goal is establishing yourself as an authority and household name locally and beyond.
Step 10 – Enjoy the Perks of Being a YouTuber
If done strategically, vlogging full-time can become a lucrative lifestyle business.
Benefits of running a successful channel include:
- Earning significant income from content you love creating
- Flexible schedule and freedom to work/travel
- Connecting with supportive audience worldwide
- Gaining fame and personal branding
- Opening doors to new career opportunities
Ready to get started? You now have a proven game plan for launching a profitable Kenyan YouTube channel with just your mobile phone.
Every day, ordinary people create extraordinary lives broadcasting their passions to the world. Now is the time to make your dreams reality, one video at a time.
The future of entertainment is yours for the taking. Time to start your vlogging journey today!
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