Are you a university student in Kenya and looking for a business ideas to start?
This article is for you.
In this article, I will show you 20 businesses you can start
now to start earning passive income almost immediately.
Before we dive in though, I want you to know that all of
these ideas revolve around actually doing some work.
If you are the kind of person who shies away from work, this
is not for you.
You see, there is more to life than watching movie series
and dating in college. I mean, look at most thriving companies today, they were
invented in college.
Facebook was created from a university dorm room, look where
it is today? It is a billion-dollar company.
Why am I telling you this?
The ideas I am about to share with you have the potential to
sprout into a huge company employing thousands of people around the country.
Here are ideas to help you get started.
1. Social Media Marketing.
Over 10 million Kenyans are using social media platforms
daily.
They spend between 2 to 3 hours daily swiping through the
newsfeed, liking, commenting, and sharing updates from friends, family, and
businesses.
There hasn’t been a platform or event that is so engaging to
Kenyans more than social media.
For businesses, this is a golden opportunity to increase
their brand awareness and hopefully generate sales while at it. But there is a
problem:
Social media is a dynamic entity, with changes streaming in
almost daily, therefore making it hard for brands to keep up with the changes
considering they already have a full plate (running the business).
This is where you come in.
If you understand how social media platforms like Facebook,
Instagram, and Twitter work, this is your lifetime chance to make money.
You can help upcoming businesses and existing brands manage
their social media accounts, creating and monitoring campaigns, and engaging
their audiences.
How much can this earn you?
Well, depending on your expertise, you are looking at over
Ksh.10,000 per account per month. The secret here is to deliver results first,
and everyone will be fighting for you.
To get started, draft proposals and send it to companies
either with poor social media presence or aren’t using it at all. In your
proposal, demonstrate what they are missing by not using social media marketing
in Kenya.
2. Photography.
Do you own a good DSLR camera?
Do you possess good photography skills and can snap a
perfect picture for Instagram? Well, students are looking for you.
Here is the thing:
Despite the invasion of smartphones and all their double or
even triple cameras, nothing beats the same old digital camera with the
flashlight.
Sincerely, I don’t understand what it is, but students
prefer DSLR camera photos to their phone cameras.
It is a lucrative opportunity you can start while in
college, and even continue afterward. I mean, the same clients while in college
will end up having events later, right?
So, do a good job and you have clients for life.
To get started, you don’t even need to actually own the
camera.
You can borrow it from a friend, or rent it, and return it
once done with the project. The secret to succeeding with this business is
having a perfect studio location.
It should definitely be near campus premises, be it opposite
the main gate or around campus residence.
Also, distribute your contact details around campus and
actually show up as soon as you are called. One more thing; consider offering
packages. For example 10 photos at Ksh.200, you get the idea?
Additionally, you can sell photos to stock photo websites.
Here, you just upload photos you took yourself to these platforms. You make
money every time someone downloads the images.
3. Web designer.
Websites are the future. Take for instance 2020, thanks to
the pandemic, all Kenyans turned to online shopping. Guess who benefited?
Of course, businesses with websites reaped a ton.
If you have an eye for detail and understand coding (Python,
JavaScript, etc.) this is an opportunity you cannot ignore.
Back in the day, I had roommates who earned at least
Ksh.45,000 per month doing simple web design services like changing pages,
adding content, etc.
You can do the same.
Better part?
Actually, you don’t need the coding skills to do design
work. In such a case, you have two options:
One, book the job and outsource it to someone else (an IT
expert) and pocket the difference. Alternatively, you can use website builders
like Elementor or wordpress to create beautiful websites without touching
codes.
Now, getting clients; start from your locality. Approach
businesses and show them how a website can impact their business.
4. T-shirt designer.
Kenyan universities are the hub of fashion-conscious
individuals, with new designs not escaping them.
If you have the design sense, you can make a lot of money
doing it while still studying for your degree.
For example:
There is an influx of a couple of design fashions. You can
join in by designing beautiful t-shirts meant for those in relationships. And
target those who aren’t afraid to demonstrate their affection in public.
Additionally, you can make money as a fashion model on
campus. There are a ton of agencies looking for fresh beauty and faces to adorn
their designs. Approach such agencies and strike a deal with them.
5. E-books business.
Where is the best place to sell reading materials than
inside colleges and universities in Kenya?
Students hate having to carry around bulky books when they
can just read directly from their phones or laptops.
To get started, you need to identify a common challenge
affecting students. It can be a subject or unit. Then create a valuable e-book
tackling the problem and offering viable solutions.
Sell the e-book to students experiencing this problem.
Alternatively, why not offer to transform lectures into
e-books and sell them to students? After all, they hate handout notes because
they get lost when you need them the most.
To spice up your business, you can incorporate other genres,
such as motivational e-books, fiction, or non-fiction books.
6. Tutoring business.
If you can teach, you can make a lot of money as a
university student in Kenya. I mean, you must be brilliant and that is why you
are in university, right?
If you are good at an academic subject, consider starting a
tutoring business in Kenya. Your target audience could be fellow students or
high schoolers.
All you have to do is come up with a simple curriculum and
set reasonable rates. Have meetings either online or during non-class hours in
campus lecture halls.
I remember back in high school, we used to have university
students coming around acting set books.
And we paid to watch it. You can do the same by bringing
together a team and approach schools around your college.
7. Videography.
According to research, by the end of 2022, video will
account for more than 80% of all internet content.
This trend can be attributed to the need for instant
gratification, where people prefer to watch than read an article.
While this is true, brands are struggling to produce quality
and consistent content. While its bad news for them, it is good news for you if
you have videography skills.
You can get paid to create and edit videos in Kenya.
For example:
Advertising agencies are constantly on the lookout for fresh
ways to approach advert production and distribution. Go ahead and demonstrate
to them what you can do.
To help you out, first, compile a document of samples and
then send them a proposal. If it is worth it, nobody is going to ignore an
opportunity to make more money.
8. Laundry services.
This is another top business idea for university students in
Kenya.
Students are lazy and hate doing laundry, well, personally I
hated that but loved looking sharp and clean.
You can start a laundry service business around campus where
students can drop their dirty laundry and later pick them up.
Better yet, consider offering pickup services. Doing so will
earn you more money and happy customers.
9. Fitness instructor.
Again, university students love looking sharp and adorable.
And to achieve that, fitness plays a huge role. Thus starting a fitness hub
around the campus can be a perfect small business in Kenya.
Either charge entry fees or membership fees for a month(s)
or the whole year.
To make more money, consider offering customized fitness
packages with personalized instructors.
10. Start a blog.
If you can start blogging in university, you can be sure to
never worry about money to settle your bills.
A blog is a perfect idea if you are looking for a small
business for university students in Kenya.
It is easy to start and maintain. Did you know that I
started my first blog while in campus with just Ksh.1599?
That’s right.
All you have to do is pick a topic, register a domain, get
hosting, and start creating articles regularly.
For example:
You can start a fashion blog where you discuss the latest
fashion designs in Kenya. To make money, consider selling your own products,
use Google AdSense, or engage in affiliate marketing.
Talking of affiliate marketing, check out this next idea.
11. Affiliate marketing to students.
Affiliate marketing involves making money by referring
people to buy a certain product or service.
Since you are in college, you can figure out a way to bring
students together, for example, by creating a campus website, newsletter, etc.
Then approach brands with a proposal.
They advertise their products to the students, and you get a
cut of every sale.
For example:
Consider creating an email newsletter list or social media
group where university students get campus news, and other important
announcements.
Once in a while, market a product to them and make money
every time someone buys through your link.
12. CV writing business.
University is the place where people go to learn to be good
employees, that’s just the truth.
Most students, however, struggle with coming up with a good
enough CVs, as a result, miss out on opportunities, not because of a lack of
skills, but poor messaging.
If you understand how and what to say on a CV and cover
letters to win interviewers’ heart, you can try this small business for
university students in Kenya.
Market your services throughout the campus using flyers and
posters. Also, join college and university social media groups and advertise
your service.
Also, consider sharing testimonials of your clients, there
is nothing more convincing than seeing someone who was in your shoes overcoming
it.
13. Product testing and reviewing business.
This business idea works almost like idea number 11 above,
but the difference here is that you are actually testing products.
All you have to do is create a group of students (form a
club or something like that).
Approach brands looking for customer feedback on their
products. To make money, they either pay you to test and review, or you get
free products, either way, it is a win.
14. YouTube channel.
Being in college means you have a lot of free time. Instead
of using it for doing meaningless tasks, you can start a YouTube channel and
turn it into a business.
How?
You just have to talk about stuff students care about. For
example, cover life in your university and post consistently.
To make money, use the YouTube advertising program. Also,
consider affiliate marketing, sponsorships, and paid content.
It is a business you can start using your smartphone and
college Wi-Fi. I like what crazy kennar does (https://www.youtube.com/c/TalesofthecrazyKennar)
15. Buy and sell limited-edition Wear.
I mentioned that university students love fashion. With this
idea, you can make huge profits by leveraging this fact.
How?
There are designs, be it shoes, clothes, etc. that are only
released for a limited time. As such, they attract a lot of attention and
demand, thanks to its limited supply.
If you can buy such products during this window, you can
flip them for profit after they are out-of-stock.
For example:
Buy limited-edition sneakers at the retail price. Wait for
the supply to deplete then resell yours at twice or even thrice the price. You
will be surprised the extent people go to lay their hands on stuff no one else
has.
16. Run a delivery service business.
Delivery service is a perfect business for university
students in Kenya. Be flexible and market your business throughout university
premises.
For example:
Students can order services online through you and deliver
them to their doorsteps. If you sign-up for programs like JFORCE on Jumia, you
make money every time you help someone place an order on Jumia.co.ke.
Considering you will still deliver the product, you earn
twice, how about that?
17. Transcription service for lectures.
As many students love studying, reading lecture notes sucks.
It gets even worse when you come to class late or the
lecturer is in hurry, so the notes are scattered and don’t make sense.
You can help them out of this misery by transcribing the
lectures into audio.
This way, they can listen on their phones or laptops while
relaxing, or walking around.
18. Babysitting service.
Some students bring kids around the campus because there is
no one to look after them at home.
Start a babysitting service and make money at university.
It is even better if you live outside the university.
Students can drop their kids and pick them after classes.
You can expand this services to serve also the local
community families that need babysitting services.
19. Organizing student trips and hikes.
University in Kenya is fun, there is no doubt about that.
Tap into this by organizing student trips and hikes and charging reasonable
fees.
If you do a great job, this can turn into a big tour and
travel business after college.
20. Moving service
When students are changing halls or clearing out, they
require someone to help with their stuff.
You can hire a truck and share the proceeds with the owner.
To make more money, consider expanding your services to the immediate
community.
Wrapping up.
These are some of the top 20 business ideas for university
students in Kenya. Notice, they are easy to start and manage. All you have to
do is draft a plan and work that plan.
Also, being a student is the best time to start a business.
You have a lot of free resources around you that will support your hustle and
reduce expenses.
Start pursuing your dreams while still surviving in those
tiny hostels while your friends are (probably) very busy hurling stones at
innocent motorists shouting “Comrade Power”
Here are some quick 5 reasons I believe that as a
student you have a better chance of succeeding in business than the rest of us:
(1) You are not the one paying rent, yet you are living in
nice hostel which is a few meters away from town.
(2) You have a lot of free time because you only spend a
maximum of 24 hours per week in class leaving you with more than 120 free hours
(You can use 30 of your free hours for business).
(3) Probably your school has free internet, free electricity
and free water… what else do you need to start thinking big?
(4) The fact that you are in school means that you
(probably) have a sharper mind than the rest of us… use that mind to identify
actionable business ideas and implement them.
(5) You don’t have many dependants right now, you have fewer
responsibilities… in short, you are sitting on a gold mine and all you need to
do is start your own company!