HOW TO MAKE MONEY IN KENYAN RURAL AREAS

One of the first things you’ll notice after moving to the country is that most rural towns and counties suffer from a lack of jobs and the jobs that are available locally are usually low-paying dead-end endeavors and even those can be difficult to get because most are held by folks with family ties and a deep history in the area.

And who wants to move to out to the country to their own homestead and then have to get up and go to work at a job six days a week? Trust me it’s nearly impossible to operate a productive homestead and work a full-time job at the same time.

It can be done, but usually, this is accomplished by a husband and wife team where one works away from the homestead at a job while the other stays at and manages the homestead.

It’s far better to combine earning money and homesteading into one endeavor if possible. And the way to do that is to be self-employed via your own home business.

As you read below you’ll notice that not all of the businesses listed can be done exclusively from home, however, they can be run from a home office and you can make your own hours which will allow you to work on the homestead when needed and to go out and work for cash when needed. Being self-employed is flexible that way.

And one more thing to keep in mind before we get started is that you don’t have to limit yourself to just one of the ideas below you can choose and do several all at the same time, for example, you could do woodworking, sell crafts online, sell your extra produce and eggs, as well as freelance writing or blogging.

Don’t limit yourself or your earning choose and diversify your earnings for the best results.

I’m hoping that the ideas given in this article will help you make enough extra money so that you can stay on your homestead, pay off your bills, save to buy your homestead property or even take a vacation or whatever that you feel is the most important to you.

Okay, so here we go… in no particular order… also, please note that some of the businesses mentioned below might require special permits, licenses, and or permits. Always check federal as well as your local and state laws to be sure what you need to avoid legal trouble.

Start a blog
Publishing a blog is how I currently make a living, however, the downside to starting, running, and ultimately making money from blogging is that there is a huge learning curve. For the first three or four years, I didn’t make anything at all but I kept at it because it wasn’t about the money.

My focus was and still is on helping people but I now make a few thousand dollars each month doing it. I won’t go into all of the details here but I wrote an article about how to start a blog that you can check out if you’re interested in giving blogging a try.

Woodworking
This is a side job that I started doing way back when I was in my late teens and still do it some but not as often as I did a few years ago. Mostly I’d make porch swings, birdhouses, picnic tables, dog houses, etc. To sell my works I’d place ads in the local newspaper, set up and display my stuff beside the road, and once a week I’d load up and haul the stuff I built to the local flea market where I’d set up and sale.

If you’re interested in doing this there are countless books and woodworking plans that will help you get started.

Answer surveys
Yeah, it sounds like a scam, you know the “too good to be true” type thing, but the truth is that you can get paid to answer surveys and to test products – you just have to know where to look. While I’ve not personally done this my girlfriend does and the following are the companies that she suggested that I include here – GoldOpinions.com and Paid surveys at home.

Groom and or Train Dogs
If you love dogs then this might be the perfect choice for you. If you don’t know anything about training a dog then you can learn – there are plenty of books and online courses that will help you learn how to do this. There is even a Dog Grooming For Dummies book available.

Babysit Children
This one can be a money-maker and might be perfect for you if you like taking care of children. However, you’ll most likely need some good references from previous babysitting jobs if potential employers don’t already know and trust you. In most locations, $8 to $10 per hour is a reasonable hourly rate. Click here for “The Babysitter’s Survival Guide: Fun Games, Cool Crafts, Safety Tips, and More! “.

Be A Handyman
I used to work as a handyman and did all sorts of “odd jobs” for people. All you need is a pickup truck and some basic tools and skills to use them. The truck is mostly needed to haul off junk and stuff when that’s part of the job description. I’ve pained, racked leaves, worked in gardens, dug ditches, cleaned out dog lots, cleaned out barns, and chicken houses, cleared fence lines etc. I found this book on Amazon about running a handyman business but I’ve not read it so I can’t say how useful it would be.