Let’s face it, slavery in the online freelancing industry is real. Today, if you open google and search for ‘how to make money online‘ you will be bombarded with several websites that offer opportunities to make money. 5 years ago, many of these sites were not there.
For me, any legit opportunity to make money online will either make you a freelancer, a Freelance business owneror both. It’s also important to mention that some of the platforms will make you broke and in debt.
Video: Lessons Drawn From The UK Modern Slavery Act 2015
How Safe is the Online Marketplace?
When you find a legit platform to earn money online you are good. The next question you should ask yourself is; how safe am I on this platform from preying clients who’s intent is to misuse my time and pay me peanuts or not pay me at all?
That is why I think the UK Modern Slavery Act 2015 has come at a good time. Although it is limited to the UK only, its a good legislation that you can draw inspiration from as a freelancer or a freelance business owner.
In order to make the online marketplace a safe haven for doing business; we as users must rally for best practices to protect ourselves and the future generations.
I have reviewed the act and found very helpful pointersthat I think it will be helpful to you as a freelancer or an online business owner. That is what I am going to share with you on this blogpost.
What does Modern Slavery Act 2015 Entail?
The act make provisions about slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labor and about human trafficking, including provision for the protection of victims.
When it was implemented, it then followed that;
Any commercial organization in any sector that supplies goods or services, carries on a business or part of a business in the United Kingdom, and is above a specified total turnover must produce a slavery and human trafficking transparency statement for each financial year of the organization.’
Businesses are expected to confirm their commitment in ensuring that their operations has no involvement in modern slavery or human trafficking in any of it’s supply chains, and in any part of it’s own business.
Secondly, the statement must be published on their website and links to the statement easily accessible.
Here is a summary of the common steps taken by each of my referenced companies to protect freelancers and businesses who use their services from abuse.
Compliance and Measures
To remain compliant to modern slavery act 2015, they have;
Drafted and implemented Employees Code of Business Conduct and Ethics.
Trained their employees as part of the onboarding process.
Whistleblower Policy .
Standardized contracting forms or a standard set of purchase order terms (for the payment processor).
A requirement for suppliers to complete a detailed due diligence questionnaire.
Supply agreements made on the supplier’s terms are duly reviewed by the Procurement and Legal teams.
A requirement for suppliers to accept the terms of provider Partner Code.
These are 7 among the many measures in place. Its important to note that it varies based on the line of business each one of them is in.
Actions Taken on Reported Cases
Both have a very common approach when dealing with reported cases. When a case is reported;
Reasonable investigation on the matter and appropriate action is taken.
There is full cooperation with the appropriate authorities.
Why is Modern Slavery Act 2015 A Good Idea?
To Freelancers
The act is good to freelancers for two reasons. First, by going through this act, you increases your level of vigilance in the remote workplace. Secondly, you become an ambassador of online security and safety.
To Online Entrepreneurs
UK Modern Slavery Act 2015 is a good guide for entrepreneurs planning to serve clients residing in the UK. When you have knowledge about the legislation, drafting a statement based on the business that you run will be easy.
At the end, your will have high chances of being accepted in the UK marketplace.
Conclusion
At the early stages of working online, most people make losses in the process. The loses arise from being cheated to do work and end up not getting paid, being asked to work on a project aimed at defrauding people, getting hired by scammers who end up stealing your data e.t.c.
Laws like Modern Slavery Act 2015 is an opener. One is able to understand that slavery acts can also be undertaken online and is illegal. This way, whenever one notices anything unusual online, they can report it to the respective authorities for action.
What do you think of Modern Slavery Act 2015? Have you skimmed through the act? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below here.
And if you need help with professional screencast video services, you can request a free quote here.
There are many things that you can do on Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) iTax portal that will save you time and money which you could have spent visiting KRA offices for assistance. Being a regular user of the iTax portal, I must applaud the team at KRA for making all their online services user friendly.
While many Kenyan business persons and individuals are still coming into terms with different tax rates levied on goods and services, its our hope that the laws governing tax collection in Kenya will prevail.
Among the many taxes levied in Kenya include Value Added Tax(VAT) for businesses, Income Tax, Pay As You Earn Tax, Turn Over Tax and Digital Service Tax (DST). You can learn more about various taxes here.
In this blogpost, I will share with you top 10 on demand services that you can easily access on the KRA iTax portal.
Every Kenyan Adult is eligible to apply for a KRA PIN. Today, most institutions like bank, land registry and Attorney General will require people seeking their services to submit a copy of their PIN number in order to be assisted.
You can apply for a personal and Business PIN number on iTax Portal. You will be required to submit a copy of your national ID for processing of your Personal PIN application. For business PIN applications, you need to apply with a copy of your company registration certificate, copies of director(s) national ID’s and a stamped letter of resolution signed by director(s) requesting for a PIN.
Applying for New KRA PIN
Click on new PIN registration link to proceed. Follow the screen prompts to complete your application.
#2 PIN Checker
In many Kenyan government institutions today, they require citizens to give out their KRA PIN number in order to be assisted. The PIN Checker allows anyone to confirm whether a KRA PIN is genuine. A genuine PIN is generated by the KRA – Domestic Taxes Department System and is in Active status. The Information provided by the PIN Checker is limited to basic details of the taxpayer.
Check if a KRA PIN is valid on iTax
Click on the link under PIN checker and enter the PIN number you want to verify. Solve the security stamp question and click consult. It will bring up the tax payers PIN information.
#3 TCC/Exemption/Excise License Checker
This is a verification option to confirm validity of a Tax Compliance Certificate, Exemption Certificate or Excise License. Clicking the link on iTax site will take you to a page where you will be required to select the type of certificate you want to verify then enter the certificate or license number.
TCC/Exemption/Excise License Checker on iTax
Solve the security stamp and click verify. The system will generate and display PIN, name of the holder and certificate or license status.
#4 Withholding Tax Certificate (WHT) Checker
When you do business with government or a company and they withhold a portion of the tax you charged them, you will be issued with a Withholding Tax certificate by KRA the moment the company files returns. The withholding certificate checker helps one verify the certificate at hand.
Withholding Tax Certificate (WHT) Checker on iTax
To Check if a certificate is valid, Click on WHT checker and then select the type of obligation, withholder PIN, payee PIN, withholding certificate number and date of the certificate to verify.
#5 E-Amendment
If you changed your phone number, physical address or e-mail address from the one(s) that you used while applying for your KRA PIN, e-Amendments link will help you request for changes. Click on it and follow the screen prompts to make the changes. It’s good to provide your active contact details in order to be assisted each time you contact KRA.
KRA Tax E-Amendment
When an amendment requests is approved, you will be issued with a new PIN certificate to reflect the changes.
#6 e-Cancellation
e-Cancellation option allows taxpayers to apply for removal of a tax obligation from their PIN. They can also apply for cancellation of their PIN all together. You will need to have a valid reason for your decision accompanied by supporting documents in order for your request to be granted.
KRA Tax e-Cancellation
#7 e-Domance
e-Domance is a feature where a taxpayer applies for their PIN or Tax obligation to be made dormant for a given period of time. It is mainly targeting Kenyans who plan to travel abroad to study or work.
KRA Tax e-Domance
One can also use the feature to pause a business Tax obligation in case they want to take a break from their operations for a given period of time.
#8 e-Return
e-Return is a popular feature that is used by many Kenyan business people every month to file VAT returns. It is also used by individuals to file their annual Income tax.
KRA Tax e-return
Just click on it and follow to the screen prompts to file your returns. If you are new to filling returns, contact KRA help centre for guide on how to do it.
#9 Payment Registration
Before making any tax payment, you have to first generate a Tax invoice. That’s the purpose of the payment registration feature. When a Tax invoice is generated, you will use the invoice number to make the tax payment through Mpesa.
KRA Tax Payment Registration
Your payment will be reflected on the iTax portal once it’s processed. This usually takes minutes when payment is made through Mpesa mobile gateway.
#10 Tax Compliance Certificate
This document is mostly required on special occasions to confirm that you are a loyal taxpayer and have not defaulted from paying your taxes on time. You can request for a tax compliance certificate on the iTax portal by hovering your mouse to certificates and selecting ‘Apply for Tax Compliance Certificate.‘ You will be take to a page where you just need to give a reason for your request and click on submit.
KRA Tax Compliance Certificate
Bonus
Agent Checker
With continued sensitization on the importance of being Tax compliant going on across the country, more and more fraudulent persons posing as KRA staff are threatening the existence of businesses in various towns and cities across Kenya.
Agent Checker on KRA webste
In order to stay safe from the fraudsters, it’s necessary to verify Identities of anyone posing as KRA staff. Good news is, you can verify it here.
The link will open a page where you will be required to enter the staff ID and your phone number and then click search.
Conclusion
These are 10 among the many services that you can access on the KRA iTax portal online. Learning to do most of the things related to your tax PIN is very important. You can outsource the ones linked to your business to a professional tax consultant.
The knowledge you gain from using the iTax portal will help avoid any unnecessary penalties originating from late filing of your returns.
What service do you use most on iTax portal? Please let me know your thoughts in the comments sections below.
And if you need help with screencast video production services you can request a free quote here.
There are many factors that comes into play when preparing a quotation. Many of the factors relies much on the amount of information you have as a contractor from your prospect.
Insufficient information from a prospective client on the work they want done is one factor that makes the process of preparing a quote difficult. This however, should not be the case if you are dealing with online prospective client.
As a freelancer or a contractor, you have a right to ask for more information from the client. The client on the other hand must cooperate and provide you with all the necessary information in order to prepare a fair quote.
You must be willing to withdraw from preparing a quotation the moment the client fails to furnish you with all the necessary information.
In this blogpost, I will share 5 factors to consider preparing a quotation.
Video: Factors to Consider When Preparing a Quotation
Company History
Are you sending a quote to a company that is well know or is it a startup? Irrespective of how good their contract description is, knowing if the company exist should be your first priority.
This involves doing your own research using all the resources available out there. The research will help you cage the company’s ability to gather for the costs for the project besides making the payment on time.
You may find out from your research that the company has good track record in paying their contractors very well.
Time/Duration of The Contract
Based on your prospects brief, how much time will you require in order to work on and complete the work? Is it a long term contract that stretches for more than a year? As they say time is money. Use your experience to estimate the time it will take to complete the project at hand.
The quotation process will be fast and easy when you have an hourly rate that you charge for different kinds of assignments. If you don’t have an hourly rate, consider setting up one. If you already have an hourly rate set, great! Next, calculate the time it will take you to complete the contract. E.g 10 days working for 5 hours daily. That will come to a total of 50 hours. Multiply this with your rate to get the cost service.
Fees & Taxes
Lets first start with fees. Fees varies. It can be the amount that your payment processor charges or the commission that you pay whoever referred to the contract. On the other hand, Tax is the percentage of money that is deducted from your pay to be remitted to your government as revenue.
Taxes for services rendered online are different from the taxes levied on services rendered offline. When preparing a quotation, consider both to avoid getting into losses after completing the contract.
Contingency Fee
Contingency fee is a fee set aside for use in events or circumstance which is possible but cannot be predicted with certainty. In the online marketplace, it can be the unbudgeted cost that comes in between the service delivery. e.g If it was a video production project, and the client never foresaw requiring more interviews to be conducted for the project and it happens that it has to be done within the approved budget, this is the time that you will have to reach for the contingency fee.
However, it’s important to note that this money will be your profit if no emergency work arises at the height of your contract.
Include Revision Fees In Your Quote
If you offer revisions for every project that you deliver, you must set a reasonable fee to cover your time when you make revisions as needed. Make sure that you deliver the best in order to avoid being asked to make revisions on the project.
After completing the rounds of revisions that you listed in your offer, let the client know how much you expect him/her to pay for other additional revisions. Making this clear before the contract will enhance your quotation besides setting the right expectations for the client.
These are 5 among the many other important factors one needs to consider when preparing a quotation.
With all above factors considered, preparing a quote will take you very little time. Also, you will very confident when defending your quote.
Conclusion
Try as much as you can not to inquire from your peers how much they charge in order to apply the same rates in your quote. Our lifestyles and responsibilities vary. You will not learn anything when you use other peoples rates as yours.
Come up with your own rates, and if you make losses in the process of working, you will know where to adjust. That’s how true enterprises start and grow. You learn from real life experiences.
What factors do you consider when preparing a quotation? Please share your feedback in the comments section below.
And if you need professional screencast video production services, you can request a free quote here.
With the way things are going on right now around the world, freelancing way of working is proving to be the best option available for businesses to thrive. Becoming a freelance newspaper writer is not hard as long as you put in time and effort to make it work out.
Video: 9 Steps to Becoming A Successful Newspaper Freelance Writer That Gets Paid
The good news is, you can get paid a minimum of Ksh. 3,000 for each of your article that is published.
In this blogpost I will share with you the steps to becoming a freelance contributor to your local newspaper and getting paid for your work even while still studying your journalism course or any other course in college.
The steps I am going to share with you today on how to become a freelance writer are the ones I personally used to get my articles published on The Standard and Nation weekly pullout magazines in Kenya.
Before I begin this article, I have a disclaimer for you about freelance newspaper writing/contribution.
Its Not Walk in the Park !!
You have to be open to write as many articles as you can as you will be sending them as ‘unsolicited manuscripts’ and its at editors discretion to either publish it or not publish it. So irrespective of how good your writing is, no one can guarantee you it will be published.
On the other hand, based on the number of content that the editor receives, they may find your article worth publishing and that will be the beginning of your journey as freelance writer.
With this Said, lets now dive in on how to get started.
You must have interest in writing for the newspaper in order to start. Journalism and mass communication students have an upper hand here. I did freelance writing for the newspaper before I joined the Kenya Institute of Mass Communication to pursue a course in broadcast media. At the time, I had taken a correspondence course from Writer Bureau UK. It was one of the most difficult courses I must say as it required that I go out and interview people to get the story and submit it as my assignment. At the time, I was a bit nervous.
But first, I had to know my market. Where was I going to sell the articles I wrote?
Research involves subscribing to the newspaper you want to write for. Do study the paper for a period of time depending on its publishing frequency. During your period of research, study the paper page to page. Your study is for the purposes of understanding the following elements.
Language
What’s the tone of language they use? Do they use very advanced English grammar or do they tell their stories using simple language that is understandable by everyone. When you know this, you will be in a position to write in their language. When you do so, the probability of your work getting published is high.
Story Types
What kind of stories do they publish apart from news. Do they have a special pullout magazine targeted at a different market niche? e.g Business, travel and culture, children, comedy e.t.c. This should be your main focus. Knowing this will help you narrow down your writing approach. If, for instance, you interact with children in your day to day life, you will find that its easy for you to write articles about children.
Also, when planning to write a feature article for the paper, you will be in a position to plan for it. You will have a high probability of getting published instead of writing random articles that may or may not get published.
Once you have understood the language and the kind of stories the paper or magazine you want to write for publishes, you are now ready to hit the road and start your freelance writing journey that pays handsomely.
This is the first step that you will take. It’s the simple step that you will be taught when you join a media school to study journalism. In a nutshell, here is how it goes. Let’s say you have an interest in writing about construction and architecture. After you have completed step #1 above, send a feedback to the editor about the recent article they published in their newspaper or magazine. Tell them what you learnt by reading the article and your view on what was discussed in the magazine.
The editor is always happy to hear that the information they are sharing on their paper is positively received by readers.
Step #3 Check the Next Issue To See If Your Letter Was published
A newspaper editor receives several emails daily thus they will not reply and tell you that your letter was published. Its your responsibility as the contributor to confirm that for yourself. The aim here is to get as many of your letters to the editor published as possible.
Step #4 Cut Out The Best Letter Highlights
Depending on how you subscribe to the newspaper -best one recommended being print- cut out your published letters that were highlighted by the editor on top. Buy a scrapbook and stick the letters in order for your records. If you have subscribed to the paper digitally, take screenshots and use free tools like keep notes to create a scrapbook of your published work.
At the time when I started freelance writing, there was a monthly magazine called Drum East Africa. They published readers’ letters and rewarded the best letter writer with a basket of goodies. Two of my letters were the best and I got the basket of goodies. I was really excited when this happened.
When you succeed with this step, you are good. Now go on to the next step.
Compared to other genres, writing for children is quite easy. You use simple language that is easy to understand. Also, the number of words needed are not much. If you can take pictures, the probability of your article getting published is high.
While in college, I found it easy to write for the weekly children’s pull out newspaper magazine. Sometimes, I wrote folktales and other times I wrote feature articles. For each article, I was paid a minimum of Ksh. 3000. That was good money considering that I was still in college.
NOTE: If you are interviewing children, it’s good to seek consent from their teacher if in school or their parents to avoid problems in your freelance career. Also, they will help you spread the word to other children who might want to be part of the children’s stories. At this point, you may use your college ID when introducing yourself.
Step #6 Register With The Union of Journalism And Get a Press Card
Press card is a very powerful tool that can take you places. High ranking government officials and business people will be more welcoming when you show them a press card.
It is issued by media council in Kenya and is universal. Please find out the issuer of a press card in your country if you are not a Kenyan.
In this case, wherever you go, you will be posing as a freelance journalist writing for the newspapers you pick. For instance, if you are writing an article for the standard newspaper, you will introduce yourself as follows;
“My name is Cheptiony Mutai. I am a freelance writer. I am currently working on an article about ”[name the title of what you are working on] and would love to get your view on the same.”
This is a simple way of introduction. In turn, you will get a straightforward answer of either ‘Yes‘ or ‘No.’
Step #7 Let ‘Persistence’ Be Your Motto
Do the same thing over and over and over again until you succeed. You may find yourself sending 5 articles in a week and only one gets published. Don’t let this discourage you. Be persistence in your pursuit.
At the end of it, you will begin to see more and more of your work on print. And your smile on your way to the bank will be more alive.
Step #8 Writing For Newspaper Means Being A Daily consumer
This cannot go without saying. When you start writing for the newspaper as a freelance writer, you must in turn purchase every issue you have sent an article to see if it was published.
If it was published, it means you will be paid for the work. Many times at your early stages, you must follow up with the paper in order to get your payment. In such instances, you will be asked to present evidence of published work.
Step #9 Get Used To Article Spinning
If you send a feature or article to the newspaper and it doesn’t get published, spin it and retarget it on another publication. Spinning a story or an article means rewriting it from a different angle. E.g If it was a feature about a freelancer who is also an entrepreneur and you had focused on the freelancing side, spin it and focus on the business side then send it to a different prospective publication.
And that’s it. If you faithfully and patiently follow the steps I have shared above, you will succeed.
Now that you know how to package your content; it’s time to begin your journey as a freelance writer and eventually get paid well.
Conclusion
The world of freelancing is much fun when you know what you are doing and why you are doing it. Also, when you know the markets available for your work, its even more exciting. When are able to catch the editors attention each time you send them stories, they will be excited and will look forward to more of your articles.
You will be surprised one day to receive a call from them asking you if you are available to go out for an assignment. This means, getting published is assured.
Did I miss any step to becoming a published freelance newspaper writer? Please let me know in the comments section below.
And if you need help with video production services, you can request a free quote on www.techtubestudio.com.
So, who should you go for when it comes to hiring a freelancer; local or international? This a debatable subject. What is important is when it comes to hiring is the end goal. Before, Covid-19 pandemic hit the world, online freelancing marketplace was booming.
I recall back in the year 2018 and 2019 receiving e-mails and messages from newbie freelancers seeking my advise after their applications to be freelancers on Upwork was rejected. They wanted my advise on what to do in order to breakthrough.
During the same time in my country Kenya, media reported that a third of Kenya’s youths who were eligible for work were unemployed. This meant that the rate of youth unemployment stood at 38.9%. As an entrepreneur, I found myself in a limbo especially on who to hire.
Video on Comparison between hiring locally vs hiring internationally online
As a Kenyan Citizen, I have to be my brothers keeper. This is in our loyalty pledge and I quote ‘by the living spirit embodied in our national mottoHarambee.” In this case, my first priority should be to hire local freelancers as opposed to hiring an international freelancer via online freelance marketplaces.
Again, this depended on many things. I must confess that I was and still get disappointed several times by the local freelancers I collaborate with. However, I get better at it every time on how I handle them.
At the time, I had spotted opportunities in the freelancing platforms I had signed up on and was ready to explore them. This means that I had one account as a client and another one as a freelancer.
That’s how I shaped my approach to hiring freelancers which I am going to share with you here today. It’s important to note that the terms of doing work on freelancing marketplaces changes all time in a bid to prohibit ‘brokerage‘ kind of business in their platforms.
To begin, lets first look at the reasons why people hire freelancers.
Skills
When planning to hire a freelancer, the skills needed should comes first. What kind of skills are you looking for? This way, you will be able to first; look around and see if you can find a local freelancer around you with the skill; and secondly, determine which platform is good to find the right freelancer.
Sometimes, the skills need for the project at hand may not be available in your country or its hard to find. I this case, you will have no option other than to use the freelance marketplaces to find the right fit.
Once you have established where to find the skill you want, you can now proceed and post a job for freelancers to apply. Please read the article here on how to sift through many applications.
How much time do you have with you to reach out, evaluate and hire the right freelancer? This is very important. Some projects are urgent and others are not. In my experience, finding a local freelancer with the skill you are looking for takes time because it’s mainly dependent on referrals from the people you know.
Additionally, there are spread across different platforms. So it may take 1-2 weeks to find one.
On the other hand finding an international online freelancer is easy. You only have to sign up on a freelancing platform, post a job and wait for applications or bids to come in. Based on their portfolio, you can eliminate and remain with those most qualified for the job.
So, the process of hiring an international freelancer takes only few hours. Most of them are always online as they do freelancing full time.
Considering the timeline you have, you can opt for either international or local freelancer.
Budget
What’s your budget? Is it within the amount that the freelancers around you are offering? While scouting for a freelancer, its important not to quote your budget until you confirm that the person you are interviewing has the skill that you are looking for. That’s when you can reveal to them how much you are willing to spend if they are shy to quote you an amount.
The advantage of not quoting them your budget upfront is because you may end up saving money besides giving the freelancer a feeling of control on how much they charge for their skills.
So, if you find that the budget you are being offered locally is expensive, you can consider checking with freelancers from around the world. This only applies if the project can be completed remotely.
In many occasions, you will find a better offer from a freelancer in a different continent. That’s when you can consider hiring a freelancer from the international marketplace as opposed to local.
Payments
Ease of payment is another important dynamic when hiring a freelancer irrespective of where you meet them. How easy is it to pay them? Are you ready to comply with online payment schemes?
When you have this in mind, you will be in a position to know which option to use in order to save money. Paying a local freelancer is easy. I also find it very good to consider a local freelancer first since at the end of everything, you will remain with the good business relationship and you can meet them in person.
For creatives, you may later find that you can join hands and build something great together.
Contract Terms
Some contracts dictates how you are going to handle a project. Non Disclosure Contract is very common in the freelancing world. Make sure you read and understand well the contract terms. If you are hiring a freelancer to provide a certain service which is part of the contract, ensure that you replicate the contract and have whoever is part of the contract(contributor) to sign.
If you fail to do so and the person you hired (contributor) shares the contents of the project; and the contract prohibited sharing contents of the work in any manner; you may find yourself in trouble.
That’s why, in such occasions, if its a contract originating from a local organization, it’s wise to hire a local talent who can work on the project and can agree to sign the contract.
But again, you are not limited. You can still consider either local or international freelancer depending on time, cost, availability and will to sign the NDA contract.
Summary
Element
Local Freelancer
International Freelancer (Online)
Skills
Scarcely available to find. Mainly dependent on who you know.
Easy to find. You just post a job and indicate the skill you want.
Timelines
Takes time to find the right fit. May take 1-2 weeks.
Take ONLY few hours to find the right fit
Budget
Mostly reasonable and you get value.
You get All. Cheap and Expensive. You may lose money if you are stingy on your budget by hiring because they are cheap.
Payments
Easy to pay
It may be costly and sometimes complicated depending your nationality.
Contract Terms
Not seriously taken. Some freelancers refuse to do work if you ask them to sign a NDA.
Seriously taken by every party. Easy to comply.
A summary table of comparison between hiring local vs Hiring international freelancer
The summary of scores out of 5; local freelancers scores 3/5 and International freelancer score 3/5. So, it’s a draw😀. Now, its up to you to decide who you want to hire.
Conclusion
Having the ability to handle both hiring options is good. It gives you a room to understand the many dynamics of doing business both locally and internationally. I use both regularly depending on the skill am after and ease of access.
I find it easy to hire anyone from any country for tech related skills because I get variety of offers besides being able to find someone with experience in very specific niches in the market.
Economy of the future is lies in both markets.
Which approach do you prefer when hiring freelancers; local or international? Please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.
And if you need help with video production services, you can request a free quote here. Just describe in detail what you need in the summary section and we will get back to you.
Many people today will tell you they have a brilliant business idea. If you ask them why they haven’t started it yet, most blame it on several things among them being lack of capital to start.
So, how much does it cost to start a business in Kenya? Let’s walk through this together on this blogpost.
At this point, I assume you already have an business idea and is looking to start a business in Kenya. Things have changed over the years. The process of starting a business that worked well 3-5 years ago no longer works right now.
This is owing to the digitization of most of the services and constitutional amendments on how businesses are being operated in Kenya. This in turn has resulted in business owners being asked to update their business information to match the current requirements or risk their businesses being ceased from operations.
Video on How to Start Business in Kenya in 2021
In this blogpost, I will guide you step by step on how to start business today in Kenya. You can do nearly everything online.
Ease of Doing Business In Kenya
Doing Business In Kenya
The World Bank Report, Doing Business 2020, indicates that Kenya has improved from position 61 to 56 globally in its attractiveness to investors. Doing Business report captures several important dimensions of the regulatory environment as it applies to local firms.
Among the quantitative indicators on regulation looked at in the report include starting a business, dealing with construction permits, getting electricity, registering property, getting credit, paying taxes, trading across borders and more.
The report captures the complete changing environment in the way business is done in Kenya from now going forward.
Now, lets focus our attention on how to start a business in Kenya.
Step 1: Register a Business Name
This is a name that you will use in trading. The mode of operation varies with businesses.
Before you register a business in Kenya, you have to reserve a business name. Business registration in Kenya is undertaken by Business Registration Service on brs.go.ke. In order to access this service, you need to have a eCitizen account. This is an account you use to access all government services Kenya. Click here to create an account if you don’t have an account with them yet.
Once you have an eCitizen account, prepare 3 business names that you propose to register as it will be required for search. At the end, you will pick one from the approved names. A business name is a name or title under which a person or entity conducts business.
sample-Business-registration-certificate in Kenya
It’s important to note that you have a room to submit up to 5 names for search. 3 of the names you submit are mandatory. Enter all the required information and submit for search.
Please click here to download business registration guide from BRS to read the dos and don’ts when submitting a name for registration.
You will notified of the names that was approved and you can proceed to register one of them.
Cost
Service Offered
Fees
Document Lodged
Document Issued
Time
Registration of Business name
Kshs 950
BN 2
Certificate of Incorporation
1 day
Limited Liability Partnership
Kshs 25000
New Registration LLP 1
Certificate of Incorporation
1 day
Private Limited Company
Kshs 10650
CR 1, CR 2, Cr 8, Statement of Nominal Capital
Certificate of Incorporation
3-5 days
Public Limited Company
Kshs 10650
CR 1, CR 2, CR8, CR 10, CR 12 and Statement of Nominal Capital
Certificate of Incorporation
3-5 days
Unlimited Companies
Kshs 20050
Cr 1, CR 4, Cr 8 Statement of Nominal Capital
Certificate of Incorporation
3-5 days
Company Limited by guarantee
kshs 10000
CR1, CR 3 and CR 8
Certificate of Incorporation
3 days upon receipt of vetting report from NIS
Business registration cost schedule in Kenya. Source BRS.
Refer to BRS fee schedule here for more information on registration.
Once you have your business registered, you are now few steps to starting to do business Kenya.
Step 2: Set Up Your Business Contact Information And Online Presence
Its good to have separate contact details for your business. Once you have registered your business, setup official business contact information and update them with registrar of companies under your business.
The most important basic contact information for your business is a custom e-mail address. In this, I mean an e-mail with a business name e.g name@yourbusiness.com. This will give you a professional impression in all your communications via e-mail.
I also recommend setting up a website or purchasing a domain related to your business at your early stages of business. A Kenyan domain of .co.ke costs only Ksh.500/yr. Basic starter website design will cost Ksh. 5,000 which is done by a local designer.
Kenic – Kenya domain registrar
Online a good place to start your business. Having an online presence and later proceeding to setup a physical location for your business is the best path to follow especially when you don’t have capital to go out rent a space for your business immediately.
Step 3: Open a Business Bank Account
Its a recommendation for everyone who runs and operates their business in Kenya to open a local bank account. Again, this solely depends on the kind of business you run and your citizenship.
For example, a Kenyan sole proprietor business owner can get away doing business using their personal bank account.
But in order to track and evaluate the performance of your business, make opening a business account your priority. It’s important to note that one of the requirement by the many Kenyan procuring entities when submitting a tender quotation is to furnish them with your business bank account details.
Requirement to open a bank account varies with many Kenyan bankinginstitutions. However, they have common requirements that they need you to provide in order for them to open an account for your business.
For a sole proprietor account, you will need to provide them with a copy of the registration certificate, National ID, Kenya Revenue Authority PIN No, details of your business address (you can use your home as address) with a proof of Utility bill, Lease agreement e.t.c.
After you have provided these documents, you will pay a bank search fee starting from Ksh. 250 or more depending on the bank that you pick.
Once the search is confirmed, your bank account will be opened. This usually takes a maximum of 1 day.
For a limited company, requirements are more of the same except that you will be required to provide CR12 showing names of the company directors and company Tax PIN. This takes me the next mandatory requirement for limited companies, company Tax Pin.
Step4: Apply For Company Tax PIN
Unlike in the past, having a company Tax PIN is mandatory. It separates you as the director and the company itself. In this case, the company will be responsible for all its liabilities.
Kenyan Tax Personal Identification Number
To apply for Tax Pin for your company, go to www.itax.kra.go.ke and click on new PIN registration. Follow the screen prompts for guide and complete the process. Once you have the PIN, go ahead and open a bank account with your preferred banking institution.
Step 5: Physical Location
While you can start your business operations from your home location, some businesses can’t be operated from home especially if you are supplying goods. There many ways that you can find a suitable business location within your nearest town centre by employing services of real estate agents that you choose.
What’s important here is obtaining a business operation permit. This is issued by the county council. Please find out where their offices are located in your town and then pay a visit to them and find out the process and cost of obtaining one.
If you are in Nairobi, you can apply and pay for it online via the Nairobi services portal. This is one of the important licenses you need in order to avoid being harased in your business premises by the county council inspection officials.
Also, it’s important to note that when you make an application, the officials from the county council will visit your business premise to inspect and ensure that you have adhered to all their regulations before they issue you with the license.
Step 6: Other Regulatory Bodies Registration
There are other certificates issued by different regulatory bodies depending on your profession. This includes film, health, accounting, tourism, media, building and construction, Youth and people with disabilities e.t.c. Based on the kind of business that you run, I recommend you check with your respective regulatory body for certification and approval.
Summary
Here is a summary of the minimum estimated cost you will need to start a business in Kenya.
Name of The Service
Estimated Cost
Frequency
Business Name search
Ksh. 450 or $4 (once)
Once
Business Name Registration
Ksh. 950 or $9
Once
Business Contact Information/Online Presence
Ksh.5000 or $45
Annual
Open Business bank account
Ksh. 1000 or $9
Once
Rent a Business space
From Ksh.5000 or $45
Monthly
Register with Regulatory bodies
From Ksh. 1000 or $9
Annually
Business Operation Permit
From Ksh.5000 or $45
Annual
Sign up for Tax Pin with KRA
Free
Annual Income Tax returns needed
TOTAL ESTIMATED COST
Ksh.18,400 or $166
A table showing estimated cost of starting a business in Kenya.
This is the basic cost of starting a business. Its important to note that it varies depending on individuals capability and location. For example, a business premise for rent in Nairobi central business district is different from the same size of business premise in the Nairobi outskirts.
With all these steps completed successfully, you are now a business owner. Congratulations!
Conclusion
As you can see, it doesn’t cost much to start a business in Kenya. This confirms that people don’t necessarily lack the capital they claim to need, but they lack the motivation to believe that they can startup a business with what they have today.
If you are still here, its means you are very serious in starting your business and running it the right manner . Keep up with the good spirit.
With all the above documents, you are all set to do business in the Kenyan market place. Often, entrepreneurs fail because they look for businesses in the wrong markets. Be very deliberate on who your target market.
At your early stages, commit yourself to do one task a day and in the end, you will find out that you have cumulatively achieved more.
Did I miss out on anything that one requires in order to start a business in Kenya? Please let me know in the comments section below here.
If you need help with video production services, you can enquire and request quote for free here.
As freelancers and entrepreneurs, we find ourselves in situations where there is a need to subcontract work due to growing demand. It’s not that we lack the skills to do the work, but its because we have a lot at hand and need help from other Freelancers.
So, in what occasions should you sub-contract and not to sub-contract a project?
Well, in this blogpost, I will cover when to sub-contract work and when not sub-contract work.
What’s Subcontracting?
Subcontracting Work. Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com
Subcontracting in the online marketplace or any other marketplace means bringing in an outside company or a contractor, to help you complete certain work or a project that you are unable to do. To help you understand this better, I will use Videography as an example. Let’s say, I get invited to shoot video by 3 clients on the same day.
Based on our work history together, each of the clients individually insists that I take the job. As an entrepreneur or freelancer, I have to find a solution. The solution will be recruiting other professionals with good skills in videography to help me out. I will then give them instructions on what to shoot.
This in a nutshell, is subcontracting. I am the one who is assigned the contract and I have other guys or agencies doing the actual job.
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When To Subcontract
When You Have More Than You Can Handle
As detailed above, when you have a lot of work at hand, its wise and healthy to subcontract. It will seem a bit difficult when subcontracting for the first time. When you have done it once, repeating the same will be easy. Take advantage of such subcontracting opportunities to make more money and build a network of like minded professionals.
When You Don’t Have the Skills Needed
Online Copywriter at work. Photo by Startup Stock Photos on Pexels.com
In the online marketplace, sometimes the skills you have can’t help you. For example, if you are a direct response copywriter and a client wants you to write a copy on a new Cryptocurrency Token- a product you are not familiar with; what will you do if the job needs to be completed urgently?
In order for you to deliver the best copy, you will need take time and learn about the cryptocurrency token in question by comparing it with other related services.
Sick Freelancer. Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com
Good health is the key to success. If you are not feeling well at the time you are awarded the contract, the only you can make that money is by getting someone else to do the work for you as you recover. In other words, you need to subcontract.
When You are Away on Vacation
Even when on vacation, freelancers and entrepreneurs still get excited when they are awarded contracts or asked to send a proposal. If the job is coming from a client you have worked with in the past, you will not want to lose that contract owing to the relationship you have with them.
By subcontracting, you will still be able to enjoy your vacation while the job is getting done.
When Not To Subcontract
When In The Middle of Contract
Any contract that you have initiated work on is not worth subcontracting. There are many reasons to this. One is the cost that comes with sub-contracting. You may lose time and money in the process. Its therefore important to factor in time and cost when planning to subcontract.
If there is a need to sub-contract, do your evaluation first and see if its possible to complete the work internally without seeking services of an external contractor. Secondly, the training that you have to give to the new contractor is time consuming and exhausting. You have to show them how far you are, your workflow process, the iterations made already so there is no repeat e.t.c.
At the end you will realize that you would have rather assigned them the project as a new contract rather than let them pick from where you left.
When Your Past Experience With a Client Wasn’t Good
Freelancer working at home. Photo by Anthony Shkraba on Pexels.com
If you have worked with a difficult client in the past, you know what I mean. If the same client returns and you previously had a difficult time working on their project, you might tempted to accept the work, and sub-contract. This might be prompted by the fact you will be able transfer the stress to the immediate contractor. While this might be a witty idea, you may end up making losses in process.
The best thing to do is not to accept the contract all together. Tell them you are fully occupied. This way, you will be able to take on work with people you enjoy working with.
If The Client is Nosey
Some clients are nosey. After you are done interviewing and they have awarded you the contract, they still follow you around to find out if it’s you who is really doing the job. This in my opinion is disgusting. A normal clients’ concern should be to get the work completed on time. Otherwise, why would someone waste their time making unscrupulous investigations on whether I am the person actually doing the job?
This is unless subcontracting conditions was stated clearly on the contract that there is no subcontracting. Otherwise, taking work from nosey clients is not worth.
If the prospect sounds nosey at the verge of hiring, reconsider accepting the contract. They will keep asking you things that are not in anyway related to the contract at hand.
Conclusion
Success comes with vigilance. I know you need money, and good money comes from making the right decisions when it comes to subcontracting. If you don’t take for granted any of the above instances, you are sure to reap most from subcontracting work.
I hope the information I have shared here on subcontracting was helpful to you.
In what instances do you reconsider subcontracting a job or a contract?
Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.
And if you need help with screen-cast video production or videography, you can request a free quote here.
In this blogpost, I will share my top tips to guiding newbie clients wanting to hire you online for the first time and are new to the skill they want to hire you for.
This guide is ideal for both freelancers and entrepreneurs who own and run their businesses online. Here is what you need to understand when a prospect contacts you for the first time.
By the time the prospect reaches out to you, they have done their own research and are in the process of evaluation. They believe you have the skills they need for their project. On the other hand, they are ready to give your services a try, hoping for the best. This means that you have all the power to make it happen.
Act like the authority the prospect expects. Listen to what they want accomplished. Most clients are very clear on what they want by the time they reach out to you. Listening is very important. This way, you will be able to collect all the necessary information to help you guide them on how to go about it and achieve the desired results.
Ask Them Relevant Questions
If on listening to them you don’t clearly understand their needs, ask them relevant questions.
Wrong question : I don’t understand you well. Please explain more..
Right Question:What do you aim to achieve with this video project (if it was a video)? You can explain more and tell them why its important to align the end goal to their requirements. Mention this is important to you as a creator. E.g Say it will help me fine tune the script well for the video.
While asking questions, be specific. Ask the things you don’t understand. If there is information you need them to provide in order for you to complete the project, mention it.
Don’t assume the client knows what you will need. Before proceeding to discuss the budget, be clear on the requirements. List them down and have the prospect confirm what they will provide. In video production for example, script, voice over, sub tittles, video editing, video assets are the key requirements. The client might be ready to provide some of them. Prioritize this and let it come before budget so that everyone knows what they will be required to provide.
Budget Matters
Prospects differ. There are those who have a fixed budget for the project, and there are those who are dependent on you to give them a quote.
In an occasion where the client is working on a fixed budget, match it with their requirements and see if their allocation is enough for the project. e.g If their budget is $500 and the cost of production is within the $500 budget, confirm to the that the allocation is enough. If the project costs is more than their budget, give them an alternative quotation with a breakdown to show them why it will cost them more.
If they insist on you working within their budget, outline to them what they will lose in the process. e.g They will get the project completed in 15 days as opposed to 7 days.
Having them to willingly commit and award you the contract is end goal of all this process. Play your part well and let them make that decision themselves without you pushing them to do so. If you are able to walk them well all through to the budget stage, you are good. They like you. Give them time to do their evaluation before they commit.
Conclusion
Walking a client through your workflow process is best way to market your business or skills. Be professional and do it well. Don’t underestimate a prospect. Most of those prospects you think they are not good enough may in turn be the best clients you ever met.
I hope this blogpost was helpful to you.
Do you think its worth guiding a new prospect on your workflow process? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.
If you need professional screencast video services, you can request a free quote here.
Its accessible on www.nairobiservices.go.ke. Through this portal, you can make payments for any public service easily and quickly. If you live and operate your business within the Nairobi County- then you might be aware of Nairobi eServices Portal after having received an SMS from them.
If you live and operate your business within the Nairobi County- then you might be aware of Nairobi eServices Portal after having received an SMS from them.
Nairobi eServices Portal
It is aims to serve tech savvy people time which they could have spent queuing and waiting to be served in the county offices within Nairobi area.
In this blog post, I will be reviewing the Nairobi eServices Portal.
Registration Process
In order to start accessing the services via the Nairobi eServices Portal, you need to create an account. You can create an account as an individual or a business. The first step is choosing your Citizenship then entering your National ID serial number then clicking next.
Signing up on Nairobi eServices Portal
As an individual, you will be required to enter your mothers first name as per the ID. I guess this is aimed at locking out fraudulent users who may attempt using other people’s credentials to sign up. Next, enter your KRA PIN and click register.
On the new screen, create a password and check on the small box to complete your sign up process. From here, you can proceed and choose the service you are looking for.
In Demand Services
In demand services are the services that you need in order to successfully carry out your day to day business activities. These includes Paying for parking within the CBD, obtaining permits for social events within the city, business licensing, public health management, payments for county properties and more.
Services on Nairobi eServices Portal
These are few among the many services that you can access on Nairobi eServices portal. This in my opinion is a good move by the county government to make paying for in demand services easy.
Communication and Support
You can get support easily incase you get stuck while signing up on the portal or proceeding to make payments for any of the listed services. You can write to them a message , send them an e-mail or give them a call using the contact information provided on the contacts page.
Before you contact support, it’s always good you check on the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page for answers.
Parking Management
Once you have signed in to the portal, you can choose a parking package. This includes daily, seasonal, off-street and reserved parking. For the service that you choose, you will be prompted to enter Vehicle Number plate and the Parking Zone. Then enter your MPESA number and an M-pesa payment request shall display on your phone. Enter your M-pesa PIN and click OK.
There is USSD option where users can make payments by dialing *647#.
If you get stuck in the process of signing up or trying to get a particular service on the portal, again, I recommend that you go to the FAQ page first.
Its important to note that the Nairobi eService Portal is managed by the Kenya Revenue Authority(KRA).
I hope this review was helpful to you.
Have you tried accessing Nairobi Services via this portal? How was you experience like? You can share your feedback in the comments section below.
And if you need help to create and produce professional screencast videos for your website or software, let me know here.
Mindset is the key to success in freelancing. While we all learn from failures, there is a particular savage mindset that bars many freelancers who are talented in many fields from exploiting their full potential.
When one is gifted with many skills, greed creeps in. Many new and established freelancers are gifted hence they think that by offering services for every skill they possess, they will make more money and hence become stinking rich. I mean who doesn’t want to be rich anyway?. It is a fact we all do.
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Motivational gurus will tell you this ‘Challenge yourself and learn new skill every month.” This quote can only apply if you are not contented with your current skills and is looking for something you are passionate about. Otherwise, for what purpose should you learn the new skills anyway?”.
In this blogpost, I will share with you how to unbecome Jack of trades.
How Jack of All Trades Quote Apply in Freelancing
I will use my skillset as an example to break this down for you. I am aFreelance Video Producer. This therefore means I fall in the video production category. On a freelance platform like Upwork, video production is broken down into many other subcategories as shown in the screenshot below. This is a good place start and experiment on various related skills.
Jack of all Trades
You can be a jack of all trades when starting up. I suggest you don’t do it for a long time. Narrow down to something that you find exciting to do This is the most important stage. The problem most of the time is freelancers inability to settle on one skill after many years. This thus takes me to the next point.
The Greed That Comes Attached to Being a Jack of All Trades
I know of a guy in my village who offers basically every service. If someone needs veterinary service for their livestock – he is there, if you laptop crashes – he will fix it, if your toilet tap leak- he is the guy to call, if you need a surveyor to measure your land- he is the go to expert. I mean he does almost everything well. Such people are talented.
Their potential for success is very high. But the reality on the ground is, they are not that much successful at all. They live reckless life’s. They tend to be careless spenders and poor at saving their earnings.
This behavior is as a result of being greedy. When you are greedy to do every job, you will not have time to plan and invest your income. It’s common to think that you are achieving more by doing many things but in the real sense, you are loosing it. That is why I recommend narrowing down your ‘trades‘ to one skill that you love and it guarantees you constant income.
In Short, Don’t Be A ‘Jack of All Trades’
I applaud freelancers who are talented in many skills. Fact is, you cannot exhaust all the skills in this world. You will get tired, old and confused if are obsessed with learning everything without settling down on one thing.
Be the ‘Jack‘ when you are starting up and grow into a master of one. Mastery is where freedom lies.
Most freelancing jobs require that you use a certain software to do the job. If you have to offer lets say 6 skills that uses 6 different software’s, you will then need to pay for each software annually. On average, software cost about $200 a year. This means you will spend about $1200 a year on software’s alone. Then, more time perfecting your skills to use the software’s.
And don’t tell me about using cracked software’s because its professionally unacceptable.
One downside of this is that you may find yourself using one of the software 2 to 3 times a year for jobs with value of less than $200. This makes it a poor investment.
Conclusion
Being a Jack of All Trades at the beginning of your freelancing career and a Master of one at the end is good. Once you have found a skill that you are passionate about, become a master and stick to it. There will be high and low tides on your way up. The power lies in your persistence.
And that is it from me here. What freelancing skills have you mastered? I would like to know about it in the comments section below.
