Category: BUSINESS TIPS

Business tips

  • The Freelancer’s Guide To Building A Sustainable Business In 2024: 2 Key Strategies

    If you are a freelancer, you have some benefits that can help you create a lasting online business, unlike someone who has a regular job. For example, freelancers can decide their own schedule. They work when they want. This gives them the opportunity to take care of their businesses.
    For someone who has a fixed employer, their main concern when it comes to work is pleasing their boss. The boss sets the hours they have to work.

    Video – Escape The Freelance Hamster Wheel – Build Your Own Business

    This means that as a freelancer in 2024, you have a better chance of success if you start a business now. That’s why in this blogpost, I will share with you 2 strategies to build a thriving business as a freelancer.

    Use Your Skills from Freelance Sites To Build a Niche Business

    Launching your own business is exciting, but the initial uncertainty can be daunting. Freelancing platforms offer a springboard, a dynamic testing ground to discover your entrepreneurial calling. As you complete diverse projects, pay close attention to the tasks that spark joy and expertise. Is it web design that gets your creative juices flowing? Or do you find analyzing data deeply satisfying? Recognizing these inclinations is your first step.

    Next, use the platform’s search engine and project listings to delve deeper. What specific niches within your chosen field are in high demand? Are there recurring project types you excel at? This intel is invaluable. By analyzing your strengths and aligning them with market needs, you’ll uncover a lucrative niche – your sweet spot.

    Remember, freelancing is a stepping stone. Once you’ve identified your niche, leverage the platform’s network and reputation to build your own portfolio and client base. Create a dedicated website showcasing your expertise and target specific clientele. Don’t underestimate the power of testimonials and positive reviews from platform clients – they add social proof and credibility.

    As your independent business flourishes, gracefully transition away from the platform, taking your established client base and honed skills with you. Remember, the platform was a stepping stone, not a destination. By using it strategically, you’ve transformed from a freelancer to a business owner, ready to conquer your chosen niche. So, step onto the platform, explore, experiment, and discover your true entrepreneurial potential. The path to your dream business might just begin with a well-placed click.

    Be The Go To Expert in Your Local Area

    Your local community can be a breeding ground for entrepreneurial dreams. Starting as a local freelancer allows you to tap into existing networks and build authority within a specific niche. Imagine yourself as a freelance writing whiz, sought after for crafting compelling website copy for local businesses.

    The beauty lies in starting small. Attend local networking events, connect with business owners, and showcase your expertise. Offer initial consultations at reduced rates to demonstrate your value. Word-of-mouth recommendations travel fast in a close-knit community, quickly establishing you as the go-to expert.

    As you garner clients, resist the urge to stay stagnant. Use that income to invest in building your business presence. Develop a professional website highlighting your services and testimonials. Partner with local graphic designers for a brand identity that resonates with your community. Consider offering workshops or speaking engagements to further solidify your expertise.

    Remember, every satisfied client is a potential walking advertisement. Deliver exceptional service, exceed expectations, and nurture genuine relationships. Soon, your local freelance work won’t just be an income stream – it will be the foundation of a thriving, community-rooted business. You’ll be the name on everyone’s lips, not just a freelancer, but the local expert everyone trusts.

    Conclusion

    While the initial glow of freelancing is undeniable, its very flexibility can become a double-edged sword. The constant hustle for projects, the feast-or-famine cycles, and the blurred lines between work and life can be addictive, yet ultimately trap you in a cycle of tasks without building something bigger.

    Owning a business, however, liberates you from this treadmill. It shifts the focus from simply “doing” to “building.” You chart the course, set the vision, and create a structure that fosters growth and impact. Instead of being solely tethered to client demands, you’re empowered to say “yes” to the projects that align with your long-term goals, shaping your business into the embodiment of your passion.

    Sure, the responsibility is greater, but so is the reward. It’s the difference between renting a swanky apartment and designing your dream home. The latter, while demanding effort, grants you ownership, freedom, and the satisfaction of creating something truly your own. So, step off the freelance hamster wheel and embrace the liberating power of building a business. It’s where you truly discover your entrepreneurial potential and leave a lasting mark on your community, and maybe even the world.

    If you are looking for help with content creation, let me know by reaching out to me here. I will help you out.

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  • 2 Ways To Generate Invoices For Free Online And Bill Freelance or Business Clients

    Video-2 Ways To Generate Invoices For Free Online And Bill Freelance or Business Clients

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  • 2 Mandatory Returns Every Business Owner in Kenya Needs to File Annually Online

    Video – 2 Mandatory Returns Every Business Owner in Kenya Needs to File Annually Online

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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

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  • 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

    1. 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.
    2. 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.
    3. 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.
    4. 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.

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    Bye bye and take care.

  • 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.

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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.

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  • 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 Limited
    Watch 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.

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  • The Best Time to Hire a Video Producer or Production Company for Your Business or Brand

    Many business owners fear to approach and engage a video producer or a video production company to help them produce their marketing videos. Why? Most of them think that they are very expensive. But is that true? To some extend yes. Video production is not cheap. There are a lot of things that one needs to factor in like equipment’s, labor, administration, logistics and the frequency of the production.

    What every video producer or video production company is looking at when approached by a brand or business is, the sustainability of the project. How often will you need the services of a video producer? What is your long term projection when it comes to producing video content? What is your objective?

    Watch Video – When to hire a video producer

    A one time video production project is more expensive than a long term contract. The producer and production company needs you to give them regular business so that they can learn more about your business and improve on their craft. Jumping from one producer to the other thinking you are saving on costs will in the end become very expensive.

    With this said, its imperative to have a budget of how much you are willing to spend every week or month depending on how often you want the videos produced for your business. Before you consider a budget for a video producer, here are things you need to look at first.

    Is Your Business or Brand Making Money

    Video production service will come in as a new expense to your business. That is why it is important to first invest money in customer acquisition before introducing video as one of your marketing tool. In todays competitive online market space, one needs to regularly produce videos in order to rank well in search engines. It doesn’t matter how much you spend to produce the videos, the search algorithm will rank each of them differently.

    Having video as one of your marketing tool will cost you money. If you don’t plan well, you will burn out along the way because the results you were expecting from the videos failed to materialize quickly.

    Secondly, the capital you had set aside to facilitate video production may be depleted before you see any results. And if the producer did his job well on your idea, you will be left alone wondering what went wrong.

    No producer will be happy to work with a client who always complains when they are issued with invoice. Fix your accounts first then consider approaching a producer to help.

    When You Are Busy And Have No Time to Shoot Content

    Most people do everything in their business. From preparing quotes, writing proposals, offering the actual services, making presentations, shooting videos, editing the videos, publishing the videos online e.t.c. That’s not a problem if you are starting up. Once you start getting clients, it is good to get a producer to help with video production.

    Every step of a production needs creativity. If you do everything yourself, your creativity will be compromised especially in the production and post production stage. I mean, why would you do the shooting and editing yourself yet you can pay a video producer who specializes on the same to do the job?. Use your money to ease yourself from video production tasks so that you can focus on your business.

    Again, when you are busy because your business is growing, consider approaching a producer or production company to take over the video production. At the end, everyone will enjoy.

    I hope this is helpful. Video producers like myself enjoy working with progressive brands or businesses. That is why I am encouraging you to first prioritize activities that will make you money. Ask yourself, Is video necessary now? If it is necessary, then get in touch so that we can discuss on your objectives and the amount you are willing to spend.

    I like when brands, businesses or companies consider video as part of their marketing strategy. When they prosper, I with my team prosper too.

    Are you ready to start using video services in your business? Let me know here. I will be open to discuss your long term plan. Lets grow together.

    And that it from me here. Until next time, bye bye and take care.

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  • How to Boost Your Communication and Productivity With These 2 Amazing AI Tools For Free

    When people hear Artificial Intelligence(AI), what comes to everyone’s mind is ChatGPT by OpenAI because many people are currently using it. From college and university students using it to do their homework, to bloggers using it to write blog content. AI is the new goldmine and is here to stay.

    Watch Video

    But lets shift our focus today a little bit and look at free AI tools that we have with us on our phones and computers. Many people just see them on their phone or computer but they don’t know how powerful they are.

    That’s what I am going to share with you on this blogpost.

    GOOGLE LENS

    Google lens is an app that comes preinstalled on every android phone. Many people don’t know how utilize it for productivity. When you open Google Lens on phone, it just start the camera and displays images from your gallery below.

    Google lens dashboard on a mobile phone

    On top just below the camera, you can see the menu tittles. These are things you can do with google lens.

    You can translate text from an image, you can search online using images, you can take photos of your homework questions and google will answer it for you, you can take a photo of a product and google will show you the price of the product on different outlets that sell it and with location setting enabled, you can take a picture of a signboard in the place you are in and google lens will tell you where you are.

    In this review, I will demonstrate to you how to simply copy text from an image using google lens without typing it. It doesn’t matter if the text was written by hand or typed; google lens will do the job of copying and converting it to typed text that you can edit.

    I have some notes hand written on my book here. Instead of typing them, we will use google lens to type it. So I will point the lens on the page where the text is, and google lens will highlight the text and prompt me to choose the action I want with the text selected.

    Hand written text ready to copy with google lens

    In this case, I will select ‘text’ menu then select copy text on the new window. The text will copied to clipboard. Open google docs or a word processing app on phone and paste it there.

    As you can see here the text is copied and pasted. From here I can easily edit.

    Another way you can copy text is from an image on your phone. Select the image with text that you want to copy. Google lens will select the text. Tap on copy and it will be copied to clipboard. From there, you can paste it where you want e.g. on google docs, on e-mail e.t.c.

    Copy tex from an image with google lens.

    Google lens has a total of six things you can do with it and will safe you a lot of time.

    BING CHAT

    When you install Microsoft Edge browser on your computer, it comes with Bing Chat. Bing is an AI-powered search engine owned and operated by Microsoft. Bing chat is an AI feature within the browser that works like ChatGPT but its free. No login is required.

    Bing chat appears at the far top right corner on the Edge browser. Click on it to open.

    Bing chat feature on Microsoft Edge

    Bing chat has three features; chat, compose and insights. This a a very powerful tool for anyone in the communications business.

    Bing chat features

    You can use this to write various communication messages like website landing page content, social media posts, cover letters e.t.c. To remain unique, always know which feature to use when.

    Since most people are familiar with the chat feature based on their past experience with chatGPT, I will explore the compose feature in order to give an idea of how AI can positively change the tone in which you communicate for good.

    When you open this feature, you will realize that it gives you 3 choices that you need to pick after keying in your idea on what you want it to write. Among these choices include tone, format and length.

    Bing Chat compose feature

    With compose feature you can write basically anything. Just type in the keywords of what you want it to write and chose the tone, format and length and Bing chat will give you the results.

    So far, from my experience, the compose feature does a perfect job. Just think of anything, and ask it to compose it for you. It will phrase it so well that you will be happy to post and share.

    Conclusion

    AI is a powerful tool that can help you create, communicate and collaborate. But it also comes with some challenges and responsibilities. You need to be aware of how AI works, what it can and cannot do, and how it might affect your audience.

    You need to use AI wisely and ethically, and make sure that what it presents to you reflects your intended message. Don’t rely on AI blindly. Always check, edit and improve its output.

    AI is not a substitute for your own creativity and critical thinking, but a partner that can enhance them.

    And that is it.

    Have you embraced AI in your communications? If not, what is preventing you from taking advantage of it. Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.

    And if you need professional help in building vibrant digital media and communication channels for your business that you can rely on, don’t hesitate to reach out to me here. I will be glad to help.

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    Until next time bye bye and take care.