Alibaba is an interesting website. You can use it to find manufacturers and/or suppliers of almost any product imaginable. If you wish to start a retail shop, Alibaba is likely to be very useful to you. Go on and try it and see for yourself!
Do you remember drop shipping from the other day? Alibaba is one place in which you can find lots and lots of Drop shippers. What does this mean? This means that, using Alibaba, one can quickly start an online shop. Just find a supplier (drop shipper) for what you want to sell and start selling it.
Now, here’s an idea: generally speaking, it would be more profitable to start an online shop with the target market not being in Kenya. An online shop that aims to sell to Americans or Europeans is generally, usually, more profitable than one targeting Kenyans in Kenya. Because internet penetration here is still low. Now, the problem with selling to Americans or Europeans is that if you are a Kenyan in Kenya then you probably know little about foreign markets and customers. You could start your little shop and go months without a single customer.
What can you do? Well, you can hire successful and proven eBay sellers. The idea is to structure a deal with them where they sell on your behalf. Theoretically, they already know how to sell on eBay and they should be able to sell your product better and faster than you. All you have to do is make sure that at the end of the day, you make your money somehow.
Now think about it. You have used a drop shipper and an eBay retailer to sell goods to customers you know nothing about. You are making money because you had the audacity to set the whole thing up. The whole ‘system’ only works when everyone makes money and is happy. Looks like something that we should try in Biashara 30, eh?
Can it work? I have no idea! Why don’t you try it?
This reminds me of something that i was reading the other day about the difference between a proffession and a business. This is a good example of a business, it is something that you own that is income generating and that does not require you to work there. If you work there it becomes your job not your business.
I read somewhere, “Be careful not to turn your hobby into your job. You’ll hate it.”
I have thought about this idea before and totally agree that it potentially could make one alot of money.
There however is still alot of work that needs to be done in setting up the business such as the imports and exports laws and procedures in Kenya as well cargo and freight and how the cost of these will affect your pricing etc.
Once you have successfully worked through this hurdle, i believe you are in the money.
@Kelvin on the contrary i think the lucky ones in this world are those who turn their hobbies into jobs. Tiger plays golf, Rooney plays soccer, the H20 DJs are entertainers. All these are people i envy.
I agree with you fully – I too would like my job to be my source of livelihood.
However, what I think the quote meant is you should not let it be your job in the sense of it taking over your time, and life (you know, like those ‘self employed’ accountants who work till midnight daily). Instead, you want to turn it into a business – where you can live your life comfortably and work at your own time.
The idea of drop shopping is so applicable .And if well tapped ,can be quite lucrative .The cost of setting up an online shop is quite manageable .To get an idea of someone practising drop shopping why dont you guys pop your eyes on spoiledsociety.com .Cheers
Yes it is, no doubt. But how well can it work on the Kenyan scene?