Want a FREE Online Shop?

October 29, 2010 by Leave a Comment

The very first time that I got interested in making money online was around the time when I hit puberty. I was reading this magazine – sikumbuki jina – and there was this story of a woman with three kids who had quit her job to take care of her babies. Since she was home a lot, she started spending a lot of time on the Internet.

One day, she discovered a nice little website where she could set up an online shop for free. At the time, she had nothing to sell online but the idea stuck with her. Weeks later, she started a little duka selling hand-made jewelery (she made it herself at home). According to the magazine article, in a few months her little duka was making her twice the amount of money she used to make at her old job.

This story just spoke to me and I promised myself to one day make money online somehow. I later realized this dream through Like Chapaa and other online businesses that I am a part of.

How about you? Have you ever wanted to make money online? have you managed to do it?

Only you know the answers to that. Today, though, I am very pleased to announce our newest project! OurDuka.

What is OurDuka?
OurDuka is a site that enables you to start a simple online shop easily and for free.

Why are we doing this? because of public demand. Since we launched DukaPress, we got quite a lot of people telling us they love it but also telling us they have no idea how to get started – few people understand how to download it, upload it on a server, bla bla… A lot of you just want to “get a shop” without worrying about the technical details. Well, now you can do just that, just signup at OurDuka and you’re good to go! All 100% for free.

Do you have anything you think can sell online? Why don’t you get off your behind and try sell it? You have no excuses since we’re giving you a shop for free, ama?

The site right now is still a bit crude but as we engage with you, we hope to make it better as we go along. Hop on, make money, be happy! Don’t worry if you get little things here and there that seem out of place, we’re fixing that.

Why would you use OurDuka?

  1. You get a fully featured shop just like this one or this one or this one. Free.
  2. Our shop management software is used by over 3,473 people. Would that many people be wrong?
  3. You can very very easily accept money via PayPal, AlertPay, or even MPESA. We don’t charge any commissions.
  4. We are known for providing top-notch support so you will never ever be stranded.
  5. We will love you forever! Seriously.

How do we make money?
We feel that before we even try to make money from this project, we need to make sure that you make money from it. Therefore, right now, this thing is free. Completely. We’ll be experimenting with how to make money using this in the future (when we have 1,000 users, if we ever do :p).

So, well, the ball is in your court. If you ever wanted an online shop, now you can get one that is very powerful and easy to use, and free. Visit OurDuka and sign up ASAP.

Filed Under: Cool Sites, Small Business, Tips Hacking and Reviews Tagged With:

The Richest Man in Babylon (Free Book Inside)

October 18, 2010 by 5 Comments

The Richest Man in Babylon is the kind of book that I would give/recommend to anyone regardless if their interest is outside of business/finance. Since finance can seem daunting these days due to its complexity, the book simplifies it through short stories. The insights that it provides allows me to step back and look at finance in simple terms. It opened up my eyes by introducing new possibilities, and adds positive reinforcements as to what a person can achieve in her lifetime. The wisdom that the book teaches is financially enlightening and it can change how you view your finance in many ways. Although the messages are delivered in a very unique fashion, the underlying nuggets of wisdom are direct and concisely to the point.

Clason, the book’s author, uses parables set in Babylon to make his points throughout the book. One chapter does a really great job of encompassing several financial points, The Five Laws of Gold. Each of the five laws are very simple and if used can work wonders in building your wealth.

The Five Laws of Gold

  1. Gold comes gladly and in increasing quantity to any man who will put aside 10% of all he earns to build an estate for his family and future.
  2. Gold labours diligently and contentedly for the wise owner who finds it profitable employment.
  3. Gold clings to the protection of the cautious owner who invests it under the advice of men wise in its handling.
  4. Gold slips away from the man who invests it in businesses that he is not familiar or is not approved by those skilled in its keep.
  5. Gold flees the man who would force it to impossible earnings or who follows the advice of tricksters or schemers or who trusts it to his own inexperience and romantic desires in investment.

The concepts in the book may be a refresher to individuals who already has a solid grasp of their finance, but nonetheless, it solidifies what you already know in many ways. This is a book that I can refer back to time and time again. If you apply some of the concepts that are presented in this book to your life, you will definitely be on your way to financial freedom. If I can sum up the book in one word, it would be “refreshing.” I recommend this book to everyone regardless of your interest or age. Read, apply, then repeat.

Do You Want A Copy Of This Book?
We’re giving away a copy of The Richest Man in Babylon to one of you, dear readers. What do you need to do? Just leave a comment below – anything goes (but it would help if you added to the discussion in some way). We’ll choose a winner randomly in three days. Good luck!

Update 21/10/2010: This competition is over. Here are the winners. For those who missed you can get the book here.

What do you think of the book? How do you manage your money? Need help?

Filed Under: Make Money, Small Business, Tips Hacking and Reviews Tagged With:

Free Internet Marketing Textbook

September 27, 2010 by Leave a Comment

In this day and age, it is almost suicidal to ignore the Internet’s role in marketing. If you want to do any kind of online business, Internet marketing is, of course, critical. The strange thing is that even for normal, “brick and mortar”, businesses, it is folly to ignore the Internet.

“We live in an era where companies that are not positioning and marketing their brands online are suffering for it. Alas, the Web is a scary place for traditional marketers, whether they work on the agency or client side. After years of successfully relying on conventional media, there is suddenly a technological monster that demands to be addressed. With eMarketing: The Essential Guide to Online Marketing, marketers everywhere can become skilled at harnessing the power of the Internet and using it for the benefit of their brands. With a little help from the experts, it’s never too late to learn.” – Quirk eMarketing

Download the Free Internet Marketing Textbook.

Filed Under: Small Business Tagged With:

Predictable Success

June 25, 2010 by Leave a Comment

This books explores the ‘secret code’ to achieving success in business. The author, a serial entrepreneur having started over 40 businesses, states that there is indeed actually a formula to success, its just that we do not know about it.

In his own words, “As a serial entrepreneur who has personally launched over 40 businesses, and as a consultant and coach to hundreds of business leaders, I’ve come to realize that the ‘growth code’ is out there, in plain view for anyone who knows where to look. There is indeed a code, a pattern, a DNA if you will, to achieving predictable success. The difficulty is that because most business leaders work in a limited number of business environments during their career, they don’t have the opportunity to see the pattern recur often enough to successfully decode it.”

Download the book: [download id=”33″]

What do you think?

Filed Under: Small Business Tagged With:

The Four Letter Word That Can Make You and Your Work Irresistible

June 5, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Love is a four letter word in the business world. It makes us uncomfortable. It is inappropriate and even taboo.

It can also make you and your work irresistible.

Download the ebook: [download id=”32″]

How do you like it?

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With:

Drop-shipping (and other) secrets

May 10, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Are you making any money online?

I’d say one of the most satisfying ways to make money online is to actually sell a physical “good”; to open up your own little (or big) shop and just sell something. Would you like to do that?

Well, you’re in luck. I’ve just got word of a wonderful opportunity to learn about several product sourcing methods that you can use for your online shop. What is product sourcing? Think of it this way: you need “things” to sell in an online (or any) shop. Product sourcing is the process of getting these ‘things’.

Worldwide Brands have a nice set of videos that teach you a lot about product sourcing for online shops. I’d say that the videos can also easily be applied to normal brick and mortar shops.

Here’s the link: Learn about product sourcing. Click and go watch. The people over at Worldwide Brands will teach you how to really profit from selling physical products online.

Good luck. 🙂

Filed Under: Make Money, Small Business Tagged With:

A Better, Easier Way To Succeed In Business

April 22, 2010 by Leave a Comment

This is a little book with big ideas. Written by the founders of 37Signals, it is meant for new business owners and people aspiring to start their own businesses. The book teaches simple lessons (that you may have heard of before) in a clear and simple way, giving real world examples.

It is a must-read for entrepreneurs. Download it here:

[download id=”30″]

About the authors: Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson are the founders of 37signals—a trailblazing software company that produces products used by millions of people around the world. They have been profiled in publications like Time, Newsweek, and Wired. They’re also contributors to Signal vs. Noise, one of the Web’s most popular blogs. To learn more about Rework and 37signals, go to 37signals.com.

Filed Under: Small Business Tagged With: