Running an online business in Kenya definitely has its appeal, as we mentioned in our earlier article but it also comes with its own set of challenges. Starting a business of any kind is hard work. While some may think of the internet as a quick way to make money, basic business principles still apply.
In reality, “online business” is just a channel that connects businesses to people and many other important roles. It’s a powerful tool that lets you reach anyone from anywhere in the world. But creating a business with it is still about connecting the right customers with the right offering.
Countless people have already made the leap into entrepreneurship especially with the high number of unemployed people and limited job positions. To make things worse the worst global pandemic hit us affecting jobs and lifestyles. There has been a lot of people who have moved their businesses online and others who started successful businesses that are growing.
There are so many online business ideas but we are going to focus on the easiest to set up in terms of capital and the least amount of manpower required. In this article, we are going to discuss a few online business ideas that you can start easily in Kenya.
1. Small business consultant
If you have a great deal of business experience and knowledge, why not create a business that helps aspiring entrepreneurs find success? As a business consultant, you could use your skills to help new business owners get off to a good start and help experienced entrepreneurs keep up with demand. Your chances of success are greater if you focus your strategy on a niche aspect of business consulting.
To add to your credibility, demonstrate your expertise and bring in clients, it is helpful to be present in the digital business community. You can use develop a cutting edge website to get potential clients, demonstrate your experience and also schedule meeting consultations.
takeaway: Use your business experience and knowledge to help aspiring entrepreneurs find success.
2. Social media consultant
Larger enterprises can hire an agency or full-time staff member to run their social media accounts, but small businesses often have to handle their own social media marketing. With so many responsibilities, business owners are often too busy, overwhelmed or undereducated about the importance of a social media presence to spend time developing and implementing a great social media strategy. As a social media consultant, you can help small businesses determine the best tactics, posting schedules and content for their target audience. As their follower count grows, so will your business.
If you have a background in social media marketing and a passion for photography, focusing your consulting business on one specific platform, like Instagram, can be a great way to make money while helping other businesses improve their content and achieve their business goals.
takeaway: Help businesses understand the importance of social media and grow their social following through your expertise.
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3. Blogger
Blogging may seem like an outdated business strategy since nearly everybody already has one, but the competition should not deter you from starting this online business journey. If you love writing or have important information to share, blogging may be a profitable business for you.
Starting a blog as a business is very simple all you need is a functional blogging website but the key to success is consistency and quality. To gain a steady following, you must continually write and produce interesting high-quality content that provides value to your readers. Content that educates, informs or entertains your readers gives them a reason to follow you.
Once you’ve mastered the creation of consistent content, you can make money through your blog by selling products like online courses, digital coaching, e-books or webinars. You can also sell ad space or sponsored posts. This business strategy may take a little more time and effort to monetize, but it can be very profitable in the end. You can also take advantage of google, let them advertise on your website to your audience and they pay you well for that, we can help you set up that if you would like.
takeaway: If you are a wordsmith with consistent content, you may be able to turn your blog into a business, there are so many interesting topics to indulge in and an audience that’s ready.
4. Affiliate marketer
Word-of-mouth advertising is still a huge lead generator for many companies, and many businesses are willing to share a portion of their profits with persuasive individuals who will promote their products to the public.
Affiliate programs break down into different levels of involvement: unattached, related and involved. Unattached affiliate marketing is a basic pay-per-click campaign that requires little to no involvement with the product you are promoting. Related affiliate marketing requires you to have some authority and content on the product you are marketing, but you don’t personally use the product. Involved affiliate marketing is perhaps the most effective, as you’ll be marketing a product that you actually use and enjoy.
If you have a personal website or social media presence with a large following, affiliate programs may be a profitable approach for you. PR reps are always seeking out brand advocates and influencers they can send free samples to.
takeaway: Those with a large social media following or online presence can channel that power into creating revenue through affiliate marketing.
5. Handmade craft seller
As merchants switch their sales to e-commerce, online marketplaces for handmade goods make it extremely easy for artisans who can produce a steady supply of quality handmade products, such as crocheted blankets, canvas paintings, homemade jewellery or unique painted glassware. If you have a unique craft, selling your products on an e-commerce site is a good way to earn income while you’re at home, doing what you love. You can sell on websites like kilimall, the dancing moran or you can also build your own website to sell your products, we build cutting edge web designs for e-commerce websites.
Startup costs for this business idea are extremely low if you purchase your creative materials in bulk from a craft supplier, you can check in downtown Nairobi. If you can create and sell your artwork quickly on an online store, you’ll be making a profit in no time at all. Local artisans find higher success when they promote their businesses on social media.
Takeaway: Use your creative genius to sell handmade crafts online.
6. Dropshipping
If you want to run an e-commerce site, you might be worried about storing inventory. With drop shipping, you can take customer orders on an online store and send them directly to a third-party retailer for fulfilment. As long as your business model involves selling items at a price higher than what you’ll pay to the third-party retailer, your dropshipping business will be set for success.
Takeaway: You can use dropshipping to have a third-party retailer fulfil your online business orders.
7. Tutoring business
With the world having to come to a standstill where students had to stay home away from their teachers, the students have been behind on their curriculum and some are still adjusting to going back to school as the pandemic fades away. These students require help to catch up and understand the concepts.
If you’re great at explaining things to somebody in a one-on-one setting and have ample experience and knowledge in a subject, consider starting an online tutoring business in that field. You can use video chat tools such as zoom to conduct tutoring sessions remotely and offer your knowledge to anybody, anytime, anywhere. Consider incorporating a budget for ads on platforms like google and local platforms Jiji into your business model.
Takeaway: Put your advanced knowledge in a specific subject to good use by virtually tutoring students.
8. Digital courses
Similarly to tutoring, people all over the world might benefit from you sharing your expertise with them. Starting an online business that offers digital courses to anybody interested in the topic can easily earn you money – you can sell prepared written materials or other downloadable content for a fee.
Takeaway: Create and sell digital courses on a familiar subject.
9. YouTube channel
YouTube makes starting an online education business especially easy. Upload videos of yourself educating viewers on any subject, whether beginner or advanced and use social media to spread the word of your channel. As your number of viewers grows, you’ll be able to monetize your videos and make a profit from them.
Takeaway: Use your videomaking expertise to make money through visual media on YouTube. You can actually just start with a mobile phone.
10. Freelance photographer
If you have a good eye for photography, you can get a lot of photography gigs around Kenya like weddings, graduations and private one-on-one photoshoots. The best thing would be to design a website that can showcase your good work and give some value addition to your services like free additional pictures or free make-up.
You can also sell your images on websites that sell good quality images.
Takeaway: If you can come up with a way to showcase your work and start to generate a following on social media and your website, you will get a huge number of clients.
In Kenya, starting off with some of these ideas is not complicated and it doesn’t require much input just needs you to use what you have…Your acquired skills, resources you already have and connections you may have made along the way. You can use what you have as an advantage to start you off, using the internet to set up your business is the best way to get started. There are so many advantages of this,you can check out our article clearly highlighting the key advantages for you and your customers. Cutting edge web design has your back, we have all the web design services to start you off and to support you all through your journey.
Awesome read…keep up the good work..