Category: BUSINESS

 

In Kenya, you can register a sole proprietorship, partnership or limited company. It doesn’t matter what time of company you register, what matters is the profit you will earn from your business.Currently,not every business is profitable in the country, but there are companies which are doing very well.

No one plans to fail in business-everyone wants to be successful. This is why you should, as entrepreneur, ensure you perform pilot studies to determine what kind of business can have maximum returns. Our research shows that if you register any of these companies in Kenya, you will definitely make it.

Construction Company

Real estate is growing tremendously, so does the number of millionaires in this sector. Starting a construction company may require some considerable amount of money, but after setting it up you will only hear of failure from other entrepreneurs.

Supply/tender business

Tender business is definitely the safest and quickest route to wealthy in Kenya. If you can be able to win even a single tender especially with the government, you will notice that there is money in the country.

There are no people in Kenya making the amount of money entrepreneurs in this sector make.

Real Estate Company

There are already many companies operating in Kenya, but real estate sector still has several opportunities. Your work, once you join the sector will be to build cheap houses and apartments for rent, or buy and sell land. You can also specialize in asset management.

Betting Company

It requires one to have at least Ksh50 million to operate a meaningful betting company in this country. If you have such amount, don’t hesitate.

Kenyans bet as if there is no tomorrow, and the craze is not going to end any soon.

Clearing and forwarding Company

If you get a chance to handle customs goods, you will enjoy making millions. This business is owned by the likes of Hassan Joho, Uhuru, Raila, Mudavadi and many other top politicians. It is one of the most profitable businesses in the country.

Online shop

I can’t promise that you will make millions out of the business, but what I can promise, if you aggressively advertise your products, you can make it.

Nowadays people purchase products, especially smartphones online. In future, people will not visit shops, instead they will order from online shops.

In Kenya we have Jumia and Kilimall, which are doing extremely well.

Brewery

Kenyans love beer, they will even skip meals for Tusker or Guinness.

A brewery require millions of shillings but it’s ideal for entrepreneurs who intend to succeed in Kenya.

There are so many brands in today’s world that have ingrained themselves in people’s minds through advertising. Whether through print or digital media, people have been inundated with a number of brand names that have taken over the vocabulary. Nobody asks for a tissue or requires directions—they ask for Kleenex and they need to Waze their way to their destination. Every brand hopes to reach this goal and become so ingrained in the world that its name is synonymous with the product they sell.

Many companies have tried to infuse the same power into their brand, but the most successful use print advertising to create an influential name. Read on to learn how to build your brand through print advertising.

The Benefits of Print
One advantage that print advertising offers is the ability to move your company quickly along the path of brand recognition. Printed ads like flyers, newsletters, brochures, business cards, and stationery expose potential customers to your company name and subconsciously link it to the services and products you offer.

The success of these subtle links your consumers see every day are dependent on two the things: the business name and your visual identity.

What’s in a Name?

While there’s no correct way to name your company, there are certain elements that ensure you have a strong name for your business.

When you’re choosing a name, consider a name that appeals to you, but more importantly, attracts customers. You need to inform your customers of your main service, while simultaneously keeping the name broad enough to encompass everything you offer.

Your name is the first contact customers have with your brand. If it’s too long or confusing, that’s the initial impression consumers receive, effectively dissuading people from using your services because they assume your services are as complicated as your name.

Visual Appeal
When you’ve decided on a name that’s expressive and simple, it’s time to consider a logo, or the visual representation of your company’s name. Some businesses prefer to stick with a similarly simple font and logo color, while others prefer to use color psychology to evoke stronger emotions. Some of the most popular colors for various industries include:

• Food: Red and Yellow
• Retail: Red
• Medical Services: Green and Blue
• Security and Protection: Blue and White
• Luxury Brands: Black
• Family Industries: Orange
• Communication Technologies: Pink

Each of these colors represent different emotions and cause the consumer to assume certain things about your company. Blue, for example, is the color associated with trustworthiness and dependability, while orange is synonymous with friendliness and affordability.

Conduct research on colors that properly represent your business and explore which ink and toner brands print that color best.

Elements of an Ad

Once you’ve decided on a name and a logo, you’ll need to construct a general layout and framework for your advertisements. Ideally, you want to keep your ads simple, relatable, funny, and age appropriate.

Utilizing simplicity in advertising ensures that consumers will remember and understand the story you’re telling in an ad. A relatable situation makes everyone feel that your business understands and cares about them as an individual, engaging them through emotion.

When you consider humor, it should be directed at your target audience. If your niche group is 18-year old males, your ads will look very different than those directed at 70-year old females. Their sense of humor is rooted in their experiences, so you must understand their history to market to them appropriately.

Take all of these elements and combine them to create something memorable, emotional, and succinct.

Ensuring Success
Choosing a business name and logo are the most essential part of a printed advertisement. If a consumer doesn’t have anything visual and tangible to relate your business to, your company will quickly fade from their scope of interest. Use your print ads to emphasize a central message about your business and your consumers will start to identify your brand with the service they require.

Author Bio:

Amy Trotter  is a freelance technology writer and advertising consultant from Los Angeles, California. She has over 10 years experience in the advertising and printing industries, and loves to educate others about successful advertising methods. When she’s not working, Amy loves running along the beach.

 

 

Butchery business is not crowded and is often regarded as one of the businesses only owned by people who did not make it in school, but we have established that the business is very profitable.

Only entrepreneurs with keen eye would try this business but because most Kenyans follow wind, they often miss out on opportunities which could earn them good money. Butchery business is extremely easy to operate, and with a capital of Ksh 80,000-Ksh180, 000, you have your business running.

In Nairobi, people eat money like there is no tomorrow. In fact if you mention something like cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure and many diseases associated with effects of eating red meat, people in Nairobi will throw words at you until you keep your cool.

Following experiences we have had with several entrepreneurs, we managed to get opinions of butchery owners in Nairobi, and here is what they said:

David

“I started my butchery in Kitengela,2 years after I unsuccessfully tried to secure employment. It was in 2012 when my father, who is a farmer, advised me to try any business.

Since I was desperate and the fact that Kitengela is near a slaughter house, I agreed to have a butchery.

It took me one month to get a house in front of a pub.To my surprise, I made Ksh1,500 the first day-that was after I subtracted the amount I used to buy the meat.

Since then I have never made a loss,I always make profits ranging from Ksh2,000-Ksh8,000 per day.

I am now comfortable with butchery business and I have never tried to search for employment”

Anthony

“My capital was Ksh 120,000 which I used to start butchery business in Kasarani.It was in 2013 but now the business is booming.

What I have noticed about the business is that competition is not very high and when customers gain trust in you they will always come”

There are also other businessmen who intimate to us that they make up to Ksh 20,000 per day when the business is good. They even confidently say no business would make them satisfied except butchery business.

The Government has removed tax on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) – commonly known as cooking gas. The move is meant to increase the number of Kenyans using clean energy and reduce the cost of living.

This is after President Uhuru Kenyatta assented to the Finance Bill 2016, which among others regulates taxation measures in respect of gaming, betting and competition.

Other major amendments in the Finance Act, 2016 include the removal of excise duty on locally assembled motor vehicles and motor cycles to promote assembly; tax amnesty for taxpayers who have investments outside Kenya to reinvest back home; VAT exemption for park entry fees and tour operator services to promote tourism; VAT Exemption for inputs for manufacture of animal feeds, aimed at reducing the cost of the feeds and reduction of income tax corporate tax rate from 30 per cent to 15 per cent for investors who put up more than 400 residential housing units to promote housing development.

Further amendments include the legal framework for the establishment of the Commodity Exchange Market; the expansion of the income tax brackets by 10 per cent. It is estimated that 87 per cent of Kenyans use solid fuels for cooking while five per cent use kerosene.

In Kenya, LPG is commonly used in urban areas, with Nairobi accounting for 60 per cent of the market and Mombasa 15 per cent while the rest is scattered around other growing urban centres with only one per cent usage in rural areas.

This is largely driven by low availability of firewood in urban centres, and ease of LPG distribution due to the greater population density. Analysts argue that improvement across the LPG value chain need to be made to bring down the cost, create awareness among consumers and increase distribution efficiency to reach majority of Kenyans.

Currently, LPG in Kenya is supplied in Gas Cylinder in 6kg, 13kg, 35kg, 50kg capacities under the major oil companies. For instance Kenol Kobil supplies LPG under K-gas brand name and retails at 6kg – Ksh800-1,200, 13kg – Ksh1500-2,800, and 35kg -Ksh 7,150. Others suppliers include: Shell – Afrigas,  Oilibya – Mpishi,  Total – TotalGaz, National Oil – Supa Gas, Pan African Petroleum – Pangas, BOC – Handigas, Oryx Energies (formerly Addax), Fossil – Petgas, Midland Energy – Midgas, Quality Gas – Q-gas, Hashi Energy – HashiGas, Text Trading – TexGas and Green Energy – Green Gas.

The Energy Act 2006, section 80 requires that persons engaged in LPG in Kenya do so under and in accordance with terms and conditions of a valid licence issued by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC). It requires a person who wishes to conduct wholesale LPG business or filling to apply for a licence from the regulator.

 

If you are in Nairobi and would like to save some cash when doing shopping, there are supermarkets you must shop at.

I know almost everybody in Nairobi shops atmost twice a month in a supermarket, but if you are not careful, you will end up losing some substantial amount at some supermarkets where products are overpriced. I have done some comparisons and realized that if you shop at supermarkets like Naivas and Eastmatt,chances are that you will save at least Ksh200 for Ksh5,000 shopping

Nakumatt Supermarket, the biggest chain store in Kenya, is only good when you want to purchase products which are not available in other supermarkets. Otherwise, the supermarket is for the rich.

Uchumi and Nakumatt tend to price their products differently, sometimes higher than other supermarkets. But supermarkets like Tuskys, Naivas, Eastmatt, Tumaini and other small supermarkets are extremely cheap.

What I usually tell friends is, when they have at least Ksh3, 000 which they intend to spend on shopping, they better go to Naivas, Eastmatt or local supermarkets.There, they will be able to save at least Ksh 150 from the Ksh3,000.

Even when you are buying Televisions and electronic products, you will realize that shops in streets like Luthuli Avenue and Moi Avenue sell their products cheaper than those supermarkets. A television which costs Ksh 33,000 at Nakumatt can cost you Ksh24, 000 at Luthuli, or Ksh27, 000 at Jumia.

You will also notice that a cloth that costs Ksh1, 200 at Eastleigh is priced at Ksh3, 000 in a supermarket.

But at Tuskys clothes are fairly priced, even shoes.

The worst place to shop when you are financially constrained is in a shopping mall.Mostly,shopping malls are expensive to hire, which makes the shops housed there to overprice their products so that they can recover their rent.

When it comes to phones and tablets,online shops like Jumia and Kilimall are the best places to source for this products.You can also shop from reputable shops like Ebrahim electronics and Safaricom shops.

 

 

Many people in Nairobi prefer living in servant quarters (SQ) than in apartments, simply because there is privacy and enough space in servant quarters. There are estates with several servant quarters while others don’t have such kind of houses.

Below are estates where you can find the best servant quarters in Nairobi

1. Kileleshwa
2. Karen
3. South B
4. South C
5. Nairobi West
6. Buruburu
7. Donholm
8. Lavington
9. Runda
10. Muthaiga
11. Hurlingham
12. Kilimani
13. Langata

I know you would wonder how on earth you will get a house in Runda,knowing very well it’s only the rich who live there.Well,there are hundreds of Servant Quarters in Runda,and for your information, you can get one with as little as Ksh 20,000.

Karen has plenty of servant quarters for middle class people. Most servant quarters in Karen go between Ksh15,000-Ksh25,000.

Buruburu is another estate where you can get a servant quarter house with as low as Ksh 7,000.Also,South C and it’s neighboring estate, South B,have thousands of servant quarters.The price of servant quarters at these two estates go for Ksh 10,000-Ksh 15,000.

Though there are many advantages of living in servant quarters in Nairobi,the worst disadvantage is the fact that the person living in the main house will have strict rules, requiring you to obey.For example, you will be told not to be out of the gate past a given time. Water and electricity is sometimes rationed.

Servant quarters at Langata,Buruburu and Donholm have the lowest rental prices while Runda,Kileleshwa and Karen have the most expensive servant quarters.

 

Sometimes you find yourself stuck in a certain town and asking how much a guest house costs, you are given ridiculous prices. Prices for lodgings/guest houses for various towns vary depending on various factors.

Below is the amount you will pay for lodging if you visit any of the listed towns

Town                     Lodging prices per night (Ksh)

Nairobi                  1,000-5,000

Thika                       800-2,500

Mombasa              400-2,000

Kisumu                  600-2,500

Busia                      350-1,500

Siaya                      250-1,200

Kiambu                  500-1,700

Narok                     250-1,500

Kericho                  800-2,000

Kisii                        800-2,000

Malindi                800-3,000

Mtwapa               400-2,000

Eldoret                 800-2,000

Machakos           600-1,500

Bomet                 300-1,200

Nyeri                   500-1,000

Kitengela           300-1,500

Kajiado              300-1,000

Nakuru              500-1,500

You will notice that Nakuru,KajiadoMtwapa and Kisumu are among the cheapest towns despite being among the busiest towns in Kenya. Towns like Kisii and Eldoret are very expensive-I don’t know why.

Nairobi is the most expensive city with lodgings ranging from Ksh 1,000 to Ksh10,000 per month.If you need to sleep in Nairobi CBD,then you have to cough at least Ksh2,000 per night, unless you look for a lodging in down town streets like River Road and Nyamakima.

 

 

Website owners are unable to see real time report on Google Analytics. The company (Google) has acknowledged that it’s experiencing issues with their Google Analytic segment and assured users the problem will be resolved.

“Some users may be experiencing issues with real time reporting. We are working on a fix and expect to have everything back to normal soon”, the company said on their Twitter handle.

Google, however, assured users that the problem will be resolved, and suggested the following solution.

“Update: If you see errors accessing realtime reports in GA, a temporary workaround is to clear cookies or use an incognito browser window”

The company also apologized for the inconveniences:

“We are working on a permanent resolution to this issue, which is expected to go live tomorrow. Apologies for the inconvenience”

Google analytics is a useful tool for website owners. It helps in determining how many visitors you have in your website in real time, whether visitors are referred from other websites or are from social networks or through organic traffic. It can also show performance of your website over time.

 

Bluehost, Hostgator,Namecheap and Godaddy are far the best web hosting companies in the world.There is numerous advantages of hosting your websites with those companies over Kenyan companies.

If you own a political blog, it’s wise to host it either in UK, USA or German. The main advantage of this is that the companies have extra features to provide security by hiding the identity of the website owner. In case you are unfairly targeted, the pray will not be able to trace you. What about Kenya. You will of course be told that that security feature exists but if they are compelled to reveal your identity, they can do so, thus risking your sacred life. They can even share your email conversations and passwords.

Another motivating factor about web hosting companies based in USA, UK and German is that they have flexible packages. You can decide to choose the web hosting package with the least amount if your blog is not receiving a lot of traffic. Usually, blogs with less than 8,000 page views per day require a budget of less than Ksh 5,000 per year. What about Kenya? Here you will wake up one morning and find the following message, without warning, “account Suspended”, or “resource limit reached”. The message appears even if your website receives less than 1,000 visitors per day. The USA, UK and German webhosting companies promise more than 99 % up time, which is 100 % true.

When you approach your local web hosting company, you are told to upgrade to a dedicated server. Imagine you are receiving 3,000 daily visitors, making not more than Ksh10,000 per month and you are told to migrate to a dedicate server where you pay Ksh15,000 per month. Is this not trying to finish you!

The best thing about Hostgator, Namecheap, Godaddy and Bluehost is that even if you are receiving 30,000 daily visitors, your budget cannot exceed Ksh2, 000 per month, which is affordable. The best among this is Bluehost, where almost all viral blogs are hosted.

Now, I would like you to open Bluehost website and try to have a live chat with a representative, you will notice that those people respond immediately,anf as you chat and raise your issue, they resolve it there and then. The USA, UK and German companies have very efficient customer care.

If you have a new blog and you believe it go viral one day, it’s better to host it with Hostgator, Namecheap, Godaddy or Bluehost.

 

Do you know you can exchange a destroyed note or coin in Kenya? Central Bank of Kenya has indicated the procedure of exchanging torn, mutilated or destroyed notes, and below is the procedure:

The Central Bank exchanges mutilated currency for members of public. Mutilated currency notes take various forms e.g. burnt notes, damage of currency by chemicals etc. The currency should meet the following requirements:

• Not deliberately mutilated
• Currency must be genuine
• More than half and continuous
• Bear at least one complete serial number

In case of coins, the inner part of coin for coins with outer bordering rings i.e. 10/=, 20/= and 40/=. The Bank is not obliged to exchange any damaged currency. Any banknotes and coins presented for exchange will be carefully examined by the Bank. The Bank may seek to know from the presenter of the damaged currency as to how the notes and coins were damaged.

No counterfeit currency will be exchanged for any value whatsoever.

 

In Kenya it’s all about business, and when an entrepreneur comes with a new idea, others replicate, making it flooded. But there are businesses which are unique-you won’t find everyone doing it. The following is a list of those businesses.

Snail business

Only Rosemary Odinga can tell you how this business is profitable. The daughter of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga keeps snails and sells them to popular restaurants in Kenya.

If you didn’t know, the business earns her over Ksh200,000 per month.

This is clearly a rare business in Kenya, which you can venture in and make money.

If you are wondering who eats snails, here is a list of visitors who request for delicious meal:

Chinese

Americans

UK citizens

Spain

Italy

Portugal

Greece

New Zealand

Car Tinting

Car tinting is another business that is not flooded in Kenya, especially in small towns.

Since the government has not introduced a law to ban car tinting, you can consider starting the venture.

Software development

If you are good in software design and development, this is what you can do in Kenya and become a millionaire.

Apart from software design, you can specialize in developing downloadable games.

Grave digging company

I know you will laugh, but I can assure you the moment you register such a company in Kenya, you’ll smile all the way to the bank.

There is a business gap here.

Marriage investigator

Women and men in marriage would like to divorce upon realizing their partners are cheating. But legal cases often turn against the accuser if investigation is not bearing sufficient evidence. Your work as a marriage investigator will be to prove that indeed the individual is cheating by tracking them and collecting evidence.

This business is risky but it pays.

The case becomes sweet if you are dealing with a wealthy person.

Shylock

Shylock business is popular in Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu,but not existing in small towns.

If you have some Ksh1 million, you can start loaning chamas and individuals in villages and make quick cash.

The best people to loan in small towns include teachers and farmers.

 

As real estate sector continue to develop in Nairobi, there are emerging estates with elegant and modern apartments, and surprisingly they are very cheap.

There are several factors that result to accelerated growth in some estates while others lag behind. One of the motivating factor is the construction of major roads like Thika Road and closeness to Nairobi CBD.The other factor is available parking space as well as how big the rooms are in those apartments.

Looking at various estates in Nairobi, here are estates with newest and most elegant apartments in Nairobi.

Imara Daima

Imara Daima is just next to Mombasa Road, and the estate is growing increasingly fast. More than 60 % of apartments in Imara Daima are new and elegant.

Ngong

Ngong is developing faster than any other estate in Nairobi. Despite the estate having newest buildings, rental prices are very affordable.

Rongai

Over the last one decade,Rongai has grown tremendously.Today,it’s home to over 30,000 Nairobians.

The small town has the cheapest apartments in Nairobi, and the best thing is that they are very cheap.

Ruiru

The construction of Thika Super Highway gave way to growth of Ruiru town. If you manage to visit Ruiru, you’ll notice that most apartments in the town are new. But the interesting thing is that they are affordable for middle class people.

Langata

There are several new apartments coming up in Langata.Fortunately, apartments here are not so expensive. If you have Ksh 15, 000, you can rent a one bedroom modern house

Utawala

More than 60 % of apartments in Utawala are new, and there are several others coming up. What surprises me is how cheap these apartments are, I guess it’s because the estate is somehow far from Nairobi CBD.

Roysambu

Roysambu has cheap apartments too but most of them consist of  one bedroom houses only. But if you want to spend less on rent, this is the place to stay.

Parklands

If you want to live near Nairobi City,Parklands should be your number one choice.There are several new apartments in parklands but they aren’t ideal for people who intend to spend less than Ksh18,000 per month for rent.

South B

Most apartments in South B are new with modern designs.But the unfortunate part is that a one bedroom house goes for Ksh 25,000-Ksh35, 000.

If you are earning less than Ksh 150, 000, South B is not ideal for you,unless you live in a bedsitter.

Kitengela

From Nairobi CBD to Kitengela is Ksh80-Ksh100.But a one bedroom house is Ksh 10,000.Why live where you pay Ksh 15,000 for an old apartment without even water and leave a new apartment in Kitengela with lots of water,parking space,breathing space and even play ground?

Kileleshwa

Do you know you can get a well furnished bedsitter in Kileleshwa at Ksh20,000?

If you love class,this is the estate to live in Nairobi.