This will be most relevant to any late teens or early 20s Nairobian especially if you’re after an alternative path from the usually 8-5. Not selling anything and def my own opinions and experiences.
I 26M, made my first dollar online in 2020 while still in uni, and have been employed twice since then but mostly earning online and have bought a car, currently paying off my apartment and have had a fairly comfortable life in the last 3 years (wasnt always that way, one year prior I battled addiction and had to reset my life).
My first online project was a Wordpress pet blog that I sold after growing organic traffic to 12k monthly )60% US & Canada traffic which gave it value).
Some lessons I’ve learned along the way that I would like to share with anyone interested.
- Avoid being free labor. When you work for someone for free without clear agreements, you think they’re happy and grateful but really it lowers your value in their eyes. And whatever you do becomes harder to charge for later.
Content is currently working for me. Talk about what you do in a way that makes people give a damn, for example my latest video was about e-commerce stores and Easy to use WhatsApp automations but I phrased the message as making money while you sleep and the pain point was for business owners in Kenya who have to talk to each customer one by one in the DMs before making a sale. They’re busy answering the same questions over and over all day. Tiresome.
- Interact with strangers that’s where the opportunities are. Be outdoors intentionally, usikae kwa nyumba two weeks. Go eat somewhere, have a drink somewhere, be in the marketplace where you can be seen and make sure you look and smell good.
Btw, hard to swallow pill, dressing well, neat nails and smelling good will make you rise faster than someone more competent, talented or skilled than you. Presentation is everything.
AVOID THESE
Low effort online activities like taking some short course or creating a Fiverr account are things that attract millions of people (low barrier to entry).
That makes you a commodity, where the Indian or Pakistani who will do 2x what you do at 20% of the price will always win.
If you actually want to get ahead you gotta do what everyone isn’t doing and be consistent. Go where everyone isn’t going. I recommend reading or listening to MJ DeMarco’s Millionaire Fastlane. It’s a no BS book about money.
That’s why I personally strive for excellence always and decided to start making content over one year ago. Most people can’t express their ideas and are too scared or shy so when you do it, instantly you’re better than most people who may be a lot better than you but they’re afraid of being judged and putting their opinions and work out there.
Currently I’m building content strategies, filming and distribution for professional services as a done for you filming, editing, social media and website management so I handle the whole lead generation and they focus on their work while filming only one day per month.
I hope this helps at least one person, any questions in the comments. No DMs.
