Peter Kariuki was desperate to supplement his meager income working as a campus dishwasher. Despite working long hours, he barely scraped together enough to cover university fees and basic expenses.
Late one night while scrolling Jiji.co.ke, Peter noticed people selling damaged, cracked smartphones for cheap prices of just Ksh1,000-2,000 that were once worth 10X as much when new.
This observation sparked an ingenious business idea – what if he bought these broken phones for pennies on the dollar and taught himself how to repair and refurbish them via YouTube, then resell at full market value?
12 months later after optimizing his model, Peter now earns an average of Ksh80,000 in monthly profits flipping repaired smartphones, all learned through online tutorials.
This is the story of a bright university student who built a thriving phone refurbishing business by leveraging YouTube, Jiji, and determination.
Scouting the Market for Bargains
Intrigued by the broken phone arbitrage opportunity, Peter began vigilantly scouring classifieds platforms for listings in his local area.
At first it was slow going. But over 2 weeks of persistent searching and contacting sellers, Peter managed to source 4 used phones with cracked screens but otherwise working perfectly fine internally.
The cost to buy the 4 broken phones was just Ksh7,000 total, with individual units ranging from Ksh1,500 – Ksh2,000 based on model.
Comparatively, the resale value of these exact phones in flawless condition was conservatively Ksh35,000+ total.
Peter now had tangible proof this arbitrage opportunity could be insanely lucrative if optimized effectively.
While Peter had no prior electronics repair experience, he immediately went to YouTube to start teaching himself how to properly replace cracked screens and other phone parts.
He absorbed dozens of phone repair tutorial videos, focusing on his particular models. Common steps included:
Safely opening the phone casing without damaging internals
Carefully disconnecting ribbons and dislodging the broken screen
Attaching a brand new replacement screen properly
Refitting casing and testing full functionality
Through trial and error practicing on broken devices, Peter sharpened his repair skills in just 2 months.
Now it was time to test selling his refurbished phones.
Generating Sales and Cashflow Through Facebook
To start earning money from his new repair hustle, Peter created a Facebook page.
He posted photos of his refurbished phones along with descriptions of the full repair process each device went through.
By explaining how the phones were inspected and restored to new condition, Peter framed them as compelling value purchases.
Here’s a sample ad Peter posted:
“Refreshed iPhone X – In immaculate condition after our expert refurbishment. Original cost Ksh80k+. Yours today for just Ksh25k with a full warranty. Save big on quality with our refurbished phones!”
The competitive prices and warranty helped buyers feel comfortable purchasing refurbished units. Peter also limited availability and highlighted rising prices soon to spark urgency.
The promising response validated Peter’s proof of concept.
Now it was time to scale up.
Growing the Business Exponentially
To take his new side hustle to the next level, Peter replicated and expanded every aspect:
He bought broken phones in bulk – up to 20 per week off classifieds sites.
He streamlined his custom repair process to refurbish units faster.
Peter rented a small storefront and hired two university friends part-time to help with repairs.
He expanded his inventory to include popular phone accessories.
Peter invested a portion of revenue into paid Facebook ads to attract more buyers.
In parallel with sharpening operations and sales conversion, Peter widened profit margins by improving his buying deal negotiation tactics with sellers of damaged phones.
Within 6 months, Peter had grown monthly sales on Facebook from less than Ksh35,000 to well over Ksh350,000 – with profits of Ksh80,000+ after costs.
Peter is now earning 20X more than his old dishwashing job, all while attending classes full time!
Maximizing Profits and Impact
A key focus for Peter has been maximizing usage out of phones to generate profits and benefit buyers needing quality affordable smartphones.
He ensures minimal environmental wastage by salvaging every reusable part during repairs.
The repairs also provide extensive practice opportunities for his growing team of student technicians to gain practical skills.
Additionally, Peter engages social media followers with repair tips and offers free diagnostics of common issues to extend phone lifespan.
He knows knowledgeable technicians are key for sustainability.
Advice to Student Entrepreneurs
Reflecting on his prosperous journey tuning broken phones into profits, Peter offers this advice:
Pick an unglamorous niche and immerse yourself in learning every aspect. Become the expert.
Let technology be your teacher – leverage platforms like YouTube, Google and Jiji to build knowledge.
Start small but think big. Constantly reinvest to grow your capabilities.
Solve problems for people in authentic ways. Apply skills to make people’s lives easier.
Don’t underestimate what you can achieve part-time around studies through relentless hustle and online resources.
Through dedicating himself fully to repair mastery and sales savvy, Peter demonstrates how spotting “junk” niche opportunities combined with grit and internet learning can successfully turn side hustles into serious income and making a difference.
For the next generation of young Kenyan innovators and entrepreneurs, Peter stands as a shining example of how passion plus online resourcefulness can unlock life-changing prosperity.
The digital opportunities awaiting you are endless. It’s time to start seizing them!
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
