The other day a friend and I had an interesting conversation. He owns a movie store. It was a Sunday afternoon and I found him there sited, bored. I challenged him to a game of scrabble and with progression of the game a conversation started. He was telling me about this friend he has. The friend is son to a renowned businessman who doubles as a pastor (lol). Now, they graduated at the same time from campus, but the friend works at a national corporation, in a line he did not even study at school, just because his father “knew people in high places”. He goes on to explain that the girlfriend to the guy also works in a renowned company even though she is yet to graduate…talk of being born with a silver spoon in the mouth; literally. The girlfriend, tuseme ni kuangukia tu hehehe *evil grin*.
As the conversation went on, he
went on to let me know how the friend would not survive if he lost the job he
is at. I went on to ask him why he is not looking for formal employment and he
said, “Those formally employed wait for 30 days to get an average of income
60,000 (most earn less than this actually). I make that in two weeks…tell me
how I would change what I have now for what you have. I asked him how he got
there and he tells me of how he started selling seedlings with a savings worth
2,000 (I will post about this next month).
This reminded me of a quote by
one great man, one George Herbert; “Do not wait; the time will never be ‘just
right.’ Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at
your command, and better tools will be found as you go along”. See, most of us
fresh graduates have become experts at job hunting, but have no jobs. We thus
end up frustrated and we give up in life, well, it is not all over. Remember that
entrepreneurship unit you were taught at school? You would be surprised at how
easy it is to start a business for yourself. I looked around and saw some of
the simplest jobs Kenyan entrepreneurs have created for themselves, with very
little (some close to zero) capital.
Fresh Farm produce sale.
Now, how many times have you
walked around town or your estate, especially in the evenings, and met vehicles
parked at the road side, boots open with fresh farm produce being sold. Well,
if you ask any of those who do this, the business has challenges but the
rewards are sweet. But I don’t have land to farm in; you may say….well, just
start with the paper bags and empty mikebes you have at home. The soil is free,
buy a few seedlings and be patient enough to wait for them to grow. Or better
yet, become a middle man or offer to be someone’s (a farmer) seller with commission
to what you make. All you need is a small fee for the county council officers.
Roadside kiosks.
See those people who sell chapatis
and smokies, chips, boiled eggs, samosas and roasted maize or corn on the cob by the road; ask them how much they
make and you will know why they can never go for formal employment. I once
watched a story of one Wacuka from Centonomy (watch it here),
who started by selling chapos at their estate gate, but is now supplying tea to
a Equity Bank Westlands, and makes more than you think. Even the famous Kemboi
started by making tiny steps. Patience is key.
Movie shops
Well, well, well, you have to
love Kenyans for their love of relaxing and winding. You also have to thank God
for our love of movies, series and documentaries. You can be sure that if you
open a movie shop either in town or that neighborhood, you will never lack
customers/clients. This one though, requires some capital because of rent and
all, but trust you me, the net gain is more.
Hobbies
This is one of the biggest
business ideas I have ever thought of. Did you know you can turn your hobby
into a business? Or even better a company? With very little start up finances? Be
it writing, photography, reading, and singing, talking, baking, cooking or
walking. Sure, you will need something small to give it a push, a few courses
here and there then you become an expert.
Someone once said that for you to
become an expert at anything, you have to spend at least ten thousand hours
doing it to become perfect. Ten thousand you ask? Yes. Most of us young people
do something for a few hours, or even days then we start saying we have given up
or think we are perfect. Ask good instrumentalists how long they had to
practice to get where they have been. As that chef how many recipes they had to
burn so as to become perfect. Ask that cobbler how many shoes they had to mend
to become successful. Ask that speed skater (*blush* :-) ;-)) how many miles they
had to cover or how many injuries they had to get so as to skate for ten thousand
meters in twenty minutes without getting tired. Then ask yourself; how many
hours have you done to give up?
George Eliot once said that “It is never too
late to be what you might have been”.
Take charge, start today.
Take charge, start today.
@deekareithi
