It is encouraged that since right, left and centre everyone is just saying how there are no job opportunities and give the fact that we all need a few coins to go through a day, if one has tried and not succeeded to get employment they should start a business. The business will be more prosperous if it will not only empower the proprietor but also one or two other jobless but searching characters from within.

With banks and other institutions willing to give some capital  inform of loans or grants to people to start business, it is important for the person starting a business to know a few things. Before opening shop, it is important to think through the entire business. Visualize it in the head and have a clearer picture. It is only when one visualizes they are able to see loopholes and have a clearer picture of what is needed and when it is needed. It saves them from the draining ‘fire fighting mode.

The next step is research. In your head yes all may seem to be well but will that be the case on ground? For example, Mtindwa in Buru Buru. When it used to be a market, when it rained, people who wiped shoes would go home smiling. It was a fact that there was no way unless you are a don’t care you walk from one side to the other go on with your day with muddy shoes. Upon getting to the other side, you would just have to pat with a few coins to get the shoes cleaned. Now the market was demolished, the road tarmacked. If someone was to seat and wait for muddy shoes they would get as much ‘business’ as they did before. The problem with that ‘business’ is it also dependant on the rain and when it is not raining if that is what puts food on the table you will for sure sleep hungry.

After research it is important to consult. You need to get the art of consulting right though. If you talk too much someone with bigger muscle will implement the idea faster. If you talk less someone may not understand exactly what you are doing and you may not get the feedback you need. It is therefore important to talk just enough as you consult. We live in a generation where we have offline google services for free. Here, people talk more when giving their view not based on facts but hearsay. When an accident happens you will find at the scene someone has a version which will be narrated in a way the naïve will take it as the gospel truth ‘you see that car, it was speeding, driver was late because he had had a flat tyre. When he was overtaking he saw another car and just before he could move back to his lane, his phone rang. It was the mother calling wanting to remind him to send money for harambee and before he knew it Kabooom’ Do not consult and expect everything you will be told is the naked truth or relevant.

Be legal. There are some businesses, very small in the proprietor’s eyes but one day may come across a big client. For example, you are in the business of making bags out of jeans in the estate. You get 10 orders a week. 40 a month. You sell every bag for 500/- and at the end of the month you have your 20000. Then a company decided they want you to supply 200 bags for a launch they will be having. Very few big companies will bend the rules for small companies. How they do business will cut across the entire board. For the payments to be done, they will probably do a cheque and to do a cheque you need to be registered with the relevant authorities. Sometimes registering a business may be a pain. A pain you are better off handling at an initial stage as opposed to when it is too late

Enough with the talking now get down to starting. Do not wait for manner from heaven to come so that you can start. If your dream is to own lorries that will be distributing water to people who need and don’t have steady supply, start with water bottles or juice bottles. Start with your feet, when you get more money buy more containers, based on demand invest in a cart or a bike and before you know it you will have lorries. Many will just seat and wait for a lending institution to go looking for them to give them money. Wake up and smell the coffee. So many people have idea and are giving institutions sleepless nights looking for financing. In addition to that, for the institution to give you money you need to prove yourself. For example, who will be funded faster, person A who says if you give me money to buy a lorry I will supply people who need or person B who says with on foot I moved so much, on my bike I have been supplying this much per day and a lorry will enable me to do much more.

Finally, keep the fire going. When starting businesses people are so energetic. They have envisioned profits and a smooth journey. When they hit the ground, they realize it was not as easy as they thought. Many give up. But the few who don’t laugh all the way to the bank. More to that, it is what you do today which will determine if someone will come back tomorrow and bring a pal along.