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Author: Cheptiony Mutai
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How To Replace Your National ID in Kenya And The Cost – Step By Step Guide
Video – Replacing Your Lost National ID In Kenya -
Why I Quit Freelancing On Upwork After 10 Years
I joined Upwork in the year 2011 when it was called Odesk. That was before it merged with Elance to form Upwork. I only had one mission, to find freelance work and attain financial freedom. I knew that if was financially sound, other things would fall in place like love, peace, patience, self control and the biggest of all, the freedom to travel and work anywhere I want in the world.
But 10 years down the line, I had not achieved financial freedom despite being one of the top-rated freelancers in the platform. I offered video content creation service as a video producer.This really worried me. Seeing that there was no way this could happen, I quitted.
That is why in this blogpost, I will share with you why I quit freelancing on Upwork after 10 years.
1. Unending Bidding For Work With No Tangible Results
Despite being one of the top rated freelancers on Upwork and getting invitations to submit proposals from prospective clients on the platform, I still found myself looking for work to bid on. Why? All the invitations from enterprise clients rarely converted. On the other hand, all the clients that had hired me and had existing contracts with me seasonally assigned me work. I could go for even 4 months before they assigned me work.
For this reason, I felt like the good freelancing vibe was slowly evolving to a digital rat race where you endlessly keep bidding for work. Financially, this kind of pattern is quite disorienting.
Watch video: Why I Quit Freelancing On Upwork After 10 years One can easily be deceived by Youtube content creators showing off how much they are making as freelancers. In reality, the figures shown to the public by these gurus are mostly from a one time contract. In this I mean, the freelancer might have gotten one time contract that paid $5000. They show this to people and say that is what they make freelancing online every month working from home which is a lie.
But again, maybe people in other Niches does make good money.
More Freelancers Than Clients Hiring
Its a fact that more and more freelancers are joining Upwork freelancing platform everyday compared to the number of clients hiring on the same platform. I have received numerous e-mails from Kenyans who have joined Upwork but have never gotten a job despite completing their profile and bidding.
On the other hand, many newbie freelancers with the right skills quote low in order to be considered. This means that, for someone like me with 10 years of experience in the platform and many positive reviews, I will be closed out because I will obviously quote high.
Imagine someone offering a service valued at $3000 at $1000! That’s insane especially in the creative industry. In a freelancing platform, the client is king. They choose whom they want. Mostly, they choose the lowest bidder.
It does not make sense to go for 4 months without work on a freelancing platform and you are top-rated. On top of it, you are bidding for work regularly and being just interviewed.
Many Clients Are Hiring People To Develop YouTube Content
In the last 4 years I was on Upwork, I noticed that most of the video jobs that was posted there was to create YouTube Content. The clients budget was very small. They promised whomever will take the job that they would probably increase the amount once their channel picks up. In other words, once the channel starts monetizing.
Me applying to such work didn’t sit well having in mind that I have the ability to own a YouTube channel.
Why not use the same skills to build my own channels and monetize? The amount of money the prospects was offering for YouTube video content creation was not worth the amount of work required to complete the services. Some wants you to do everything from script to production.
For this reason, I resolved to put all my energy on building my YouTube Channel. Its the same thing, but in a long run, the later is more rewarding.
Lessons Learnt While Freelancing on Upwork
- Don’t let the the hype that freelancing platforms will bring you freedom get into your mind. That is not true for everyone. Be there and never forget your goals in life. If the freelancing platform is not helping you achieve your goals, try something else and never look back.
- Freelancing platforms are just stepping stones. Do not camp there like I did. Learn from the platform and make your next move to your next project. The more you camp there and keep hoping that magic will come your way, the more you become a victim of mental health.
- All of us are gifted. Don’t be fluttered by the few well paying contracts you get tudon the freelancing platforms. Most of them don’t last. Strive to be the owner of a business, not a mere follower of one.
- Learn from your experiences. Be it negative, or positive, always ask yourself, what did this experience teach me?
Conclusion
In conclusion, no one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. This saying comes from the Bible in the book of Mathew 6:24.
This was the major lesson I learnt after 10 years of freelancing on Upwork. I wanted to own a successful business online yet I was devoting a lot of my time looking for freelancing jobs. I now serve one master and hope you will too.
I hope you found this article helpful. Do you still work on Upwork? Please share your experiences freelancing online below.
And that is it from me.
Don’t forget to check out my video production services here. You can hire me from anywhere in the world.
Follow me on X @cheptiony. Visit my Youtube channel on @cheptionymutai.
Bye bye and take care.
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Epson PX660 Printer Common Problems And How To Fix Them-Paper Jam, waste ink, Motherboard short, Power supply
Video – How to Fix Epson PX660 common problems Follow me on social media
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Youtube: www.youtube.com/@cheptionymutaiThanks for watching the video.
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How to Stamp Any Document Or File Without Printing It Today-REAL STAMP
Video: How to Stamp Any Document Or File Without Printing It Today-REAL STAMP In this video tutorial, I will show you how to stamp and document without printing it. Watch to learn.
Follow me on YouTube @cheptionymutai
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Top Tips to Foreigners Wanting to Register A Business or Company in Kenya🚩
In the past, I have received e-mails from foreign prospects wanting to setup their businesses in Kenya after reading a past blogpost I wrote and or watching the video on How to Start a Business in Kenya. In the blogpost, I only outlined the steps one needs to follow in order to setup a business in Kenya.
As a result of their enquiries, I came up with a post on Top requirements one needs to have in order to register a foreign company in Kenya.
While this answered some of the questions, I still get requests for consultations from interested parties to demystify some of the things that are related to starting a business in Kenya as a foreigner.
People develop interest to setup a business in Kenya for various reasons. The big question most of them have is; how do I get started with the process? What are the some of the things I needs to know before registering the business?
In this blogpost, I will share top tips to foreigners wanting to establish their business in Kenya.
Tip No. 1: Mandatory Requirements You Need To Have
Business registration in Kenya is carried out by Business Registration Services (BRS). They have outlined some mandatory requirements that one needs to have in order to register a foreign business or company in Kenya. Here are key ones you need to have.
- Valid Visa – You need to have a valid visa to stay in Kenya. If your have plans of setting up a business in Kenya and your Visa is about to expire, make sure your renew it to avoid penalties. Visit Evisa portal to learn more.
- Investment Capital – If you are registering/setting up your business in Kenya as an investor, you will need to provide a proof of investment capital of $100,000. You are required to provide this in form of a bank statement. visit Kenya Invest Authority to learn more.
- Local representative – If you have links to a Kenyan citizen who you intend to partner with in the business you want to register; then you will not need to provide proof of investment capital as mentioned above. This option works best for someone who does not have the required investment capital but still wants to setup their business in Kenya.
Once you have these 3 items with you, you are now ready to setup your business in Kenya as a foreigner.
Tip No. 2 : Registration of Business in Kenya is Done Online
Most government services are now digitized in Kenya. You can start the process of registering your business online on the BRS portal. You will be required to sign in with your Ecitizen credentials. Click on sign up to create an account with Ecitizen before you login. This is where you will use your Visa to register.
If you are registering an already existing company registered in your own country of residence, please make sure you have in handy a copy of the certificate and its registered office address.
Tip No. 3 Think Twice Before Nominating a Lover You Met in Kenya To Be Your Local Representative😎
Its no doubt that Kenyan people are warm and welcoming. One can quickly fall in love and forget everything. But when it comes to business, think twice before you consider nominating a lover you met in Kenya to be your local representative. Business rules do not recognize emotions when things go south.
I have had cases of foreigners resolving to close their companies after they broke up with their intimate local representative. I do not advise anyone to set up a business in Kenya based on intimacy unless you have taken a step further and got married.
And those are my 3 tips for foreigners wanting to setup their business in Kenya.
I hope you found this article helpful. Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.
Until next time bye bye and take care.
Follow me on X @cheptiony and Youtube @cheptionymutai
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How To Encrypt A PDF or Microsoft Word File with A Password-Video
Video: How To Encrypt A PDF or Microsoft Word File with A Password -
How We successfully Launched a Kenyan Made Sauce Product After Covid Pandemic
When the pandemic hit, many businesses struggled to survive. But for Daniel Mwaniki, an event organizer and co-founder of Golden Chef Limited, it was an opportunity to innovate and diversify. He and his team developed and launched their own line of sauce products, using their culinary skills and creativity.
The sauces were a hit, and soon they expanded to other products, such as spices, marinades and onion garlic paste. Now, Golden Chef Limited is not only a successful event company, but also a thriving food brand that caters to different tastes and preferences.
“We first started off delivering precooked samosas to homes. We were delivering it with a small sauce we made.”
Our Sauce Products
Daniel and his brother saw their home delivery service expand as more people wanted their sauce. That was when they decided to develop their own line of sauce product and get it to the market. But first, they went to Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) to get their sauce certified.
“We had to go to KEBS to standardize our product. We came up with products known as Sweet and Sour Chilli, Sweet and Sour Dip, Barbecue Dip and Barbecue Chilli. Also, products coming up is Onion Chilli Garlic and Onion Garlic paste.” Says Daniel.
Aside owning a line of sauce products, Golden Chef company also offers outside catering services and events organizing. Just after Covid lockdown in the year 2020, Daniel teamed up with his brother to start the business.
“My brother is a chef, and I am an events organizer. We started by doing home deliveries. We came up with various packages for weekends. One could get a package of full chicken, potato chops, burgers, a bottle of wine delivered to them”
Golden Chef Growth
It’s now 3 years since they started their business and so far there is a lot of growth, there is so much progress. “Since we started, we have acquired our own equipment for hire. We hire out kitchen equipment’s. We have chaffing dishes, Sufurias, plates and we can cater for up to 500 people comfortably.” he quips.
Daniel says one of the biggest challenges they are experiencing is delivery.
“The challenge we are having right now is delivering our products. We are looking for people who can partner with us in delivering our sauces. We are grateful to God because covid was a blessing in disguise to us. We were lost, confused but God came through for us. We started off with home food delivery services and now we are growing and doing events.”
Message to Aspiring Entrepreneurs
Daniel encourages all aspiring and existing entrepreneurs to take a leap and put their product idea in into existence. He says that the market space is enough for everyone.
“First have a vision, put it in writing, then you actualize. You must have a plan then follow it step by step with a long-term perspective. But first, start with what you have.”
Daniel Mwaniki- Golden Chef LimitedWatch Full Interview While Golden Chef has grown over time, marketing remains a challenge to their growth. “Some people haven’t familiarized with our products. That’s what we are working towards it every day.”
He encourages Kenyans to buy Kenyan products and promote local businesspeople and thus grow the economy.
Take Customer Feedback Positively
As Daniel concludes, he encourages everyone in business to take feedback positively and use it to improve on their products and services.
“We are open for feedback and criticism. If it’s a good thing, just tell us, we are open to anything.”
If you are interested in Golden Chef’s products, you can reach out to them on all social media network @GoldenChef_Ke.
I hope you found this article insightful. What are your thoughts?
Please share and let me know in the comments section below.
Do you have a inspiring entrepreneurial story like the one of Daniel from Golden Chef? please send me a message on our contacts page here. I will be happy to come and tell your story.
Until next time, bye bye and take care.
Follow me on X @cheptiony and YouTube @cheptionymutai
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How to Speed Up a Computer or Laptop That Slows Down When Connected to Internet
Video- How to Speed Up a Computer or Laptop That Slows Down When Connected to Internet In this video tutorial I am going to show you how speed up a computer or a laptop that slows down when connected to internet.
There are several reasons why a computer or laptop slows down when connected to internet. One of them is due to windows update. Another common reason is because of startup apps. So where do you start in order to fix your computer speed?
Start By Checking Startup Apps
This is the best place to start especially if your computer slows down when starting up. This is usually caused by apps you have installed in your computer trying to connect to their servers and check for updates. This applies to all apps including the ones that you have cracked or downloaded and installed from torrent sites.
You will need to disable all these apps on start up. To do this go to start and type ‘task manager’ on the search bar. Alternatively, right click on the task bar below your windows and select task manager. On the window that opens click on startup tab. Here you will be able to see all the apps that opens when you start your computer. If you see an app that you rarely use but has high startup impact, right click on it and select disable on the drop down.
Disable all apps that you know will not affect the operating system on startup. When you do this, you computer startup time will decrease tremedously owing to the changes.
Also, the apps disabled will stop running on the background when there are not in use. If this doesent work, you can check the following step.
Check If Your Windows is Updating
All windows usually detect internet connection and attempt to update the operating system. This is done on the background. Your computer or laptop will slow down depending on the number of files being updated.
To check if this is what is causing your computer to slow down, go to start and search for ‘check for updates.’ Click on it to open. This window will open where you will see all ongoing windows update.
If this is consuming your mobile data or is slowing your internet speed, you can pause it till you finish what you were doing first then enable it again.
Windows updates are necessary for security purposes. If your computer is still slow after taking the actions above, try reviewing all the files you downloaded via torrents and unistall them. Most of them run on the background.To unistall unecessary software from your computer, go to start, and search for apps & features and click on it. From here, you can see all the apps installed in your computer. Click on the one that you do not recognize to select and click on unistall.
Not all files downloaded via torrent sites are good. Most of them come with virus of which the moment your connect to internet, it starts downloading and installing other softwares to your computer.
I hope you found the video helpful.
Until next time, bye bye and take care.
My name is Cheptiony Mutai. Follow me on X @cheptiony.