So your job has ended suddenly because the bank or media house you have worked for probably for years has retrenched staff and you are one of those affected? Have you just retired from employment? Maybe you are employed and love your job but your income is not enough to take you through the month and you are open to welcoming a venture that earns you extra income in your free time.

There is no better way to earn money from home in Kenya than doing online jobs.

• Minimal startup costs
• Convenience of working from home so no commuting
• No employees
• No need to hire business premises

If you own a laptop or a smartphone, keep reading. Most of the online jobs require no investment at all; just access to reliable Internet and your time.

Top 15 Online Opportunities in Kenya

Here are top 10 ways to earn income working online from home in Kenya, without any investment.

1. Article Writing
2. Article re-writing
3. Academic Writing
4. Data Entry
5. Virtual Assistant
6. Affiliate Marketing
7. Become a seller on Fiverr
8. Online Shops
9. Blogging from Home
10. Online Forex Trading
11. Web Design
12. Graphic Design
13. Providing Training and Consultancy
14. Selling photos online
15. Selling stuff you no longer need on olx Kenya

1. Article Writing

Just about anyone who is literate can write. We write every day; we send sms messages all the time, post updates on Facebook, jot down some notes about tasks that we need to accomplish, send emails, write job applications and much more. Everyone can write but becoming an article writer takes a decision and personal effort.

To become an article writer, it is important to have a good command of the English language and to also invest the the time to polish up your writing skills. The more you write, the better your writing skills become.

Begin by getting yourself a notebook and write in it every day. Jot down notes about things you observe in your day to day life; scenes you capture on the trip from your home to the city, what is happening on the bus, a discussion that is on radio as you commute, the happenings on busy city streets; everything and anything can give you a theme for your writing practice.

Learn to write as much detail as possible; colors, sounds, smells, tastes, scenes, activities, body language, facial expressions and much more. To be a good article writer, love reading. Also spend time learning about article writing from online sources.

Educate yourself about the dos and don’ts of article writing such as issues of plagiarism. Every good writer is well read, but copying another person’s writing and making it your own is a criminal offense.

Invest in developing your own writing style and you will not need to plagiarize anyone else’s writing.

2. Article Re-writing

This is different from article writing in that one is updating an already existing article by changing the phrases and expressions used and the organization of ideas. One might be required to add new information. Article rewriting is a skill one needs to practice.

Read articles and re-write them in your own words. Update them by adding new information. The more you practice, the better you become.

There are various article rewriter tools available online that can help you practice this skill. They are good for purposes of practice and cannot be relied upon to do the article rewriting work on behalf of an actual person.

3. Academic Writing

Academic writing is a genre of writing that is used by university faculties, students, and researchers. It pays better than article writing but is also more demanding in terms of the research involved as well as in terms of formatting, structure and referencing. The ethical aspect of this sort of writing has  been questioned because it is sometimes used by students to pay freelancers to do assignments for them.

4. Data Entry

Data entry is the most basic of the online jobs. It is the equivalent of a copy typist’s job; entering information from a scanned or PDF document to a word or Excel document. The main skill required is good typing speed and ability to be accurate.

This is a good place for an inexperienced person to begin working online but it is important to invest in the skills required for more specialized jobs as doing data entry long term is not only low paying but is boring and does not give room for growth.

5. Virtual Assistant

6. Affiliate Marketing

An affiliate marketer promotes services or goods on behalf of a merchant. The affiliate handles all matters to do with promotion but does not stock the products, directing customers to the merchant who handles the sales. The affiliate marketer is paid a commission for every successfully completed sale, which is a percentage of the sale price.

Network marketing is a kind of affiliate marketing. The difference is that a network marketing distributor is paid on their sales as well as the sales of the organization they puts together. This can build up to a substantial income if they consistently grow a team.

7. Become a seller on Fiverr

Fiverr is a freelancing platform where buyers post small jobs called gigs. All the jobs are charged at US5. This might not sound like much money, but it is a very good platform to begin to earn money online working from home. Any skill that is useful online can be sold on Fiverr; logo design, article writing, photography, art or web design can be sold on Fiverr. The key is to do some really nice gigs that enable you to get a long term client or clients. It is a great platform to start building long term working relationships.

8. Online Shops

Running an online shop simply means taking your shop online and targeting the online population. Decide what goods you want to sell online; second-hand clothes (mtumba), new clothes, shoes, hand bags, baby clothes, toys, handbags, shoes or whatever goods you wish to stock in your online shop.

Select a catchy name for your online shop. Register a domain name and have your website configured for e-commerce. You can also operate your online shop on the Facebook platform. Open a business page on Facebook and configure it for payments. This is very easy. Register for Mpesa Till Number and you are good to go. Take clear, sharp photos of your merchandise and do your marketing professionally.

9. Blogging from Home

Blogging is a great way to earn money working online from home. You can start a free blog on WordPress or Google Blogger.  Begin with the end in mind.

• Who is your target market?
• What message will you communicate with them and what do you aim to achieve?
• Is the topic wide enough to keep your audience engaged over a long period of time?
• How will you come up with fresh content regularly?

10. Online Forex Trading

11. Web Design

12. Graphic Design

13. Provide Training and Consultancy

14. Sell photos online

You have probably heard a lot of criticism directed at technology and how it is destroying relationships. People who spend too much time online are not exactly praised. On the other hand, you might have heard a lot of complaints about unemployment and money problems. Contrary to popular belief, spending too much time online could just be what you need to solve your money problems. There are easy ways to make money working online from home.

Technological Disruption

People who criticize technology most probably have not taken the time to learn how it works. They are behaving like someone who has visited a big shopping mall and gone into just one or two shops and is judging the entire mall by those two shops only. What exactly do the critics of technology do online? Which parts of the World Wide Web do they visit?

The critics of technology most probably have not taken the time to explore the conveniences that technology has brought. It is no different from criticizing the motor vehicle because it has taken away the precious time our forefathers used to spend together walking two or three days’ journey.

Technology has opened up the world and created opportunities to earn money working online from home either on a full time or part time basis.

People can continue to complain about youth unemployment, frequent retrenchments, how the jua kali sector is getting crowded leading to dwindling of profits and how people are spending too much time glued to the screens of their smartphones or laptops. The bold will embrace technology and learn how to make money online on platforms that offer opportunities to earn money working online. Embrace technology and earn money working online from home. Explore different platforms and discover what is in them for you.

A person who works online is in every sense of the word an entrepreneur. There are qualities that entrepreneurs need to have. These qualities make the dream of earning money online a reality.

1. Determination

Making a fortune working online is not going to happen overnight so get that ‘get-rich-quick mentality’ out of your mind. You will begin at the bottom and do whatever it takes to realize your goals. You are ready to venture into unfamiliar territory where you take the first step when you cannot see the entire road ahead and make modifications in your plans as you learn what works and what does not. You know that you will probably fail a number of times before you find your way but the rewards of success are worth it all.

You could face rejection from people in your circles who might not understand about online work. You will be ready to change your circles, invest in acquiring skills, and relocate if you have to, or whatever it takes to succeed.

If you are a Kenyan, you have what it takes to conquer every mountain that stands in your way. Kenyan athletes are famous the world over because of their determination to succeed. They will run hundreds of kilometers every day over hills and valleys in Iten or Ngong hills as they train in preparation for international competitions. That is the sort of determination required to build a successful career online. Nothing comes easy and only those who do what it takes to succeed in any venture make it to the top.

2. Being Proactive

Successful people question the status quo; they don’t just follow the masses. It does not matter even if it has never been done before, they ask; “Why not?” They see a world of possibilities where others look and see impossibilities. They push the limits, create things, and innovate. They drive change; they are not intimidated by it.

An entrepreneur does not wait for someone to push him or tell him what to do. He is proactive; does research and finds out what needs to be done. He knows what he wants and does what it takes to get it. It does not matter what odds an entrepreneur is up against; he will find a way. Jobs are hard to find nowadays; he will not stay there and blame someone for not creating jobs but he will find a way.

Success begins with a clear understanding of the destination; “I am at point A and need to get to point B”. Understanding the destination gives clarity concerning the road map or the steps to be taken in order to get there. A successful entrepreneur keeps his goals in front of him at all times.

Kenyans are known to be proactive in coming up with innovative solutions to challenges. Kenya has set the pace in innovative banking solutions using the mobile phone. Mpesa is becoming a sensation in many parts of the world. Equity Bank Kenya is another brain child of Kenyans.

3. Willing To Put In The Work

There is no shortcut to success; you have to put in the work. There is no magic bullet that transforms an amateur to a professional; it takes study, research, mentorship from those who have walked that journey successfully as well as consistent practice.

A Kenyan athlete practices daily and so does a writer. A Kenyan writer who wants to make money online will practice his writing profession every day in order to improve his skills and remain relevant. He will write about what he observes and his random thoughts. He does not only write when he has an assignment, just like a Kenyan athlete does not only run when he is competing in a race.

There is a lot that a Kenyan who wants to earn money working online can learn from sportsmen and women. Kenya is a sporting nation and Kenyan rugby is one sport that is clearly going places. A rugby player cannot score if his eyes are not on the ball. A laser sharp focus is critical for success.

Distractions have to be kept at a bare minimum. Focus means choosing one course and becoming completely obsessed with it, saturating your brain, nerves, muscles and every part of the body with the idea.

4. Courage

Making money online is not yet understood. There are many Kenyans who swear by the traditional career path and who believe that time spent online is time wasted. Family members, colleagues, neighbors and friends are likely to look down upon you and to make fun of your choice of career. They might label you ‘lazy’ or use some other degrading terminologies to describe you.

The fact that building a career from zero means that it takes time to become profitable does not help things either. It can be very discouraging to be unfairly compared with others who are deemed to be holding respectable careers.

Kenyans are fearless when it comes to hustling. They do not let failure to get a job stand in their way. There are Kenyan graduates in the matatu industry, in the mtumba business and even estate kiosks.

When it comes to rising above the belittling that comes with not following a traditional career path, Kenyans do very well. That is why they will pursue online jobs without caring about the names those around them will call them.

The Kenyan online worker will have the last laugh when those who were labeling him will be desperately struggling to stay afloat after retrenchment or retirement. They will have spent years building someone else’s dream while the Kenyan who is making money online will have devoted time and energy into becoming a successful online entrepreneur.

Those who find themselves out of job might have to turn to the very person they laughed at to be their mentor as they navigate the waters of self-employment.

5. Having A Curious Mind

Failures are not open to new things. They dismiss things they are not familiar with without adequate information. Successful people have a curious mind; are always studying and learning something new. They don’t talk too much but ask questions so that they can learn. There is a reason why we have two ears, two eyes and one mouth; using them in that order unlocks the door to success.

Venturing into a path outside formal employment is choosing the road less traveled. A lot of the skills required in order to earn money online requires new skills to be developed. Most of the learning is outside the classroom so the learner has to aggressively seek knowledge, like an athlete who faithfully follows the program recommended by his coaches.

Kenyans are very enterprising when there is an opportunity to earn income. They came up with the revolutionizing chama concept that started as a table banking platform and grew to incorporate serious investments.

When Kenyans grasp the online jobs concept, they will run with it. They will become unstoppable. Kenyans are not shy to explore something that actually makes them money so this line of work will quickly become very popular.

6. The Need To Learn From Someone

Venturing into an unfamiliar line of work can be like trying to find one’s way in a jungle. How do you move from point A to point B in an unmarked road? Be accompanied by someone who knows the way very well. This is why having a coach or mentor is very important as it shortens one’s learning curve.

The successful athletes and other sportsmen have coaches. It is difficult to become successful in professional sports without having a coach. It is difficult to succeed in an unfamiliar career without hand-holding from someone who is experienced in the field to train and mentor you.

7. Being Online

Whether using a smartphone, laptop, desktop, tablet or even a neighborhood cybercafé, one needs to be online in order to access online jobs. People who are looking for what you have to offer are looking for those services online.

The world has become a global village and you can connect with employers from around the world in an instant. The Internet delivers a global audience at your doorstep, as long as you package and present yourself right and hang out in the right places online.

Gossip or political pages are no-no if you are going to build a career working online. It is therapeutic and entertaining to spend time following updates on Kilimani Mums but you are not likely to get online jobs out of those pages.

Brand yourself professionally. Use your real names and real photo in your online profiles if you want to build an online career. Pseudo accounts and funny photos as your profile photo is no-no.

8. Content is King

Success in making money working online has a lot to do with attraction marketing. You cannot serve others from an empty cup so you have got to fill your cup first. Give people value, build trust, have great customer service and learn from those who are getting the results you are looking for. The knowledge you need to succeed online is not taught in school so you have to go out and look for it.

Join the Facebook pages, Twitter and other social media platforms of the people you would like to learn from. Subscribe to their YouTube channels and e-newsletter mailing lists. Read their books if they are published authors. Observe how they use the online platforms and emulate them. You do not need to re-invent the wheel.

Commit to a life of continuous education. Learn from successful people such as Randy Gage, Stephen Covey, Warren Buffet, Barbara Winter and Robert Kiyosaki. Invest in their books and read just like you used to read in school if you wanted to pass an exam. Commit to a life of continuous education.

9. Networking: The Power of Relationships

Success is built on the foundation of relationships. Having many people who have good feelings towards you is very important for success. If you need to build a business as a freelancer, then you need to build trust.

Having people who can link you to work or recommend you to others helps in a big way. You cannot get to hear of every available job but someone else will. People will connect you with opportunities if you enjoy cordial relationships.

Successful people know the power of networking. They pay attention to people. They build and nurture relationships, devise a way to keep in touch with people they add into their networks. They volunteer; get noticed by a large number of people. They help people without expecting anything in return because they understand that publicity is important for success.

Networking is crucial for success in making money online. Kenyans are very good with supporting each other and nurturing brotherhood. That is where the spirit of harambee comes from where Kenyans help each other during challenging times whether during sickness, bereavement or even weddings.

Determine to grow your networks every day. Avoid burning bridges. If you are working somewhere and the job has come to an end, do not burn bridges. Leave in a nice way. Walk away from situations that threaten to turn ugly rather than throwing punches.

10. Ability To Knock on Doors

Rarely does someone walk up to you and ask if you offer such and such a service and even when that happens, such cases are too few to create a reliable income.

You have to go out and look for work, knock on doors and get your name out. Practice writing winning proposals. Be proactive in making inquiries about available jobs. Kenyans are very good at applying for tenders and looking for other jobs so knocking on doors is not foreign to them at all.

Look out for adverts for online jobs and prepare adequately before responding to each one of them. Looking for jobs is a critical role of an entrepreneur. Without getting out there and looking for jobs, there can be no income.

Conclusion

Technology has turned the world upside down and especially in the way people earn income. Earning money online is the future and the future is here. Is the World Wide Web a place to get rich quickly? No, it is not. As with every profession, be ready to start at the bottom and build your way up through hard work and persistence.

Do not depend on luck but on the skills you will invest in acquiring, on your winning personality traits and ambition. If you want it badly enough, nothing is going to stop you from making your goals a reality.

Book a free coaching session here.

This article is written by Susan Catherine Keter, network marketing professional, life coach, personal development mentor, freelancer, and blogger.
Website: www.susancatherineketer.com
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