How to start an Mpesa Business in Kenya

M-pesa is one of the most revolutionary innovations in Kenya’s financial sector over the recent past. Today, almost every household in Kenya uses M-Pesa for various transactions such as sending money, paying bills, requesting for loans, paying insurance premiums, etc. As an investor, you wouldn't be going in the right direction with M-pesa as demand for M-Pesa services continue to increase and more services are added to the M-Pesa menu.

With a budget of about 80,000 KES or more, you can start an M-pesa agen business.

What You Need

To set up an M-Pesa Agent business, you will operate in any of the levels such as a super-agent, agent or a sub-agent. Super agents require high cash deposits. These are mostly institutions such as banks or big retailers. To become an agents, you need to meet strict requirements set by Safaricom such as having been in business for over 6 months, be a limited company and have at least 3 outlets in different provinces among other cash deposit requirements.

Agents need to be limited companies or equivalents with at least 3 outlets and the outlets must be in opportunity areas, should have operated for about 6 months and other cash deposit requirements. Officially agents are supposed to recruit subagents and help them meet conditions of operation as laid out by Safaricom

Your best entry point for a start would be as a sub-agent. A sub agent operates under the agent since the agent is supposed to recruit the sub agent. The agent and sub-agent will share the commissions at an agreed proportion. Therefore to become a sub agent you need to approach an agent and get into some form of agreement with him. Most agents will ask for a goodwill of around Sh20,000 to Sh50,000 to give you a till/line.

You will also need a room to operate your M-Pesa business from. This should be in a busy place preferably with many other businesses. Your earnings will be commission based therefore you will need to carry out as many transactions as possible. You don’t need a big space, just enough room for you or your employee. Your customers will be served from outside. With a rent of Sh5,000 to Sh10,000, you can get a good spacious room in a residential shopping center or a busy trading center. You may spend another Sh5,000 for branding.

How you will operate

As stated earlier, your transactions will be customer deposits and withdrawals. You will earn a commission on every withdrawal and deposit, depending on the amount. For every M-Pesa withdrawal Safaricom charges the customer a transaction fee. A sub agent gets a percentage of this fee as commission. Though Safaricom does not charge M-Pesa customers for deposits it pays the sub agent a commission for every deposit made through his till.

Remember, as a sub agent, depending on your agreement with the agent, you may get less commission compared to the agent. You should be keen to negotiate a favourable revenue sharing formula with the agent.

At the end of the month, Safaricom will pay the agent commission based on the transactions carried out that month and the agent will then pay you your share. Agree with the agent on the date of payment and remember to ask for a statement every month which shows the transactions and the commissions earned.

License

For this business, you will not require any special permits or license apart from that from the county government. It will be advisable to include other business say a shop, or maximize the space by selling airtime, or other goods which are taken care of in the license, to maximize profits. Depending on where you operate and your set up, the license will cost you Sh7,000 to Sh10,000.

Pros

• Does not need special skills to operate. Most O-level leavers can be trained to operate the business.
• Does not require a big space to operate.
• There are no goods to stock.
• Demand is high 24/7.

Cons

• Security risk of keeping cash in the business all the time.
• Risk of handling fake currency is high.
• Competition has become very stiff, the business is almost flooded.
• Risk of fraud by criminals claiming to be Safaricom agents.

M-Pesa business, just like any other service business requires good customer service. With many agents now available in almost every street corner, attracting customers is very important. Your earnings will depend on how many customers transact in your shop. It is therefore good for your business if customers keep flocking to your shop for transactions. This will only be possible if you offer good customer service.
Train your staff to be on the lookout for fraudsters who may want to play tricks and steal your cash, fake currency and to be alert at all times. Fraudsters may not look obvious suspects. Dealing with money is a risk and care must be taken to avoid loss.
On an average month, and operating in a fairly busy location, the M-Pesa business can easily attract as many as 20 -50 transactions per day, which can give returns ranging from Sh15,000 to above Sh50,000 in one month.

Share with us your views.


For those who need M-Pesa lines, please check the comments below and exercise caution when dealing with cash.

10 Ways to Earn Money Online

Sometimes life can be frustrating especially when you find yourself at the loose ends of your career. Perhaps for some reasons best known to you, you have to stay at home. Of course, you can stay in the house playing games or watching movies, but it gets monotonous faster than you can imagine. As one wise man said, ‘there is light at the end of the tunnel.’ You can resort to creative ways to generate some income, and what better way to do that than utilizing the Internet! There are numerous ways you can make money online. You do not even need up-front capital. This article highlights some of the best legitimate ways to make money on the Internet.

1. Adsense

If you own a website or a blog, Google Adsense is a good way to make money by monetizing the websites. The more followers or traffic you have to your website, the more money you are likely to make using Adsense. Adsense has the ability to analyze your blog or website’s content and direct ads to pages related to what the user is seeking.
If you need assistance setting up Google Adsense, send me an email to emaniaq@gmail.com
2. Online Surveys

3. Paid for Web Search

4. ‘Get Paid To’ Sites

5. Write and Publish a Kindle eBook

6. Affiliate Marketing

7. Review Music for Money

8. Amazon ‘Mechanical Turk’

9. Affiliate Marketing

 10. Transcription

Make Money Writing Articles: 37 Blogs That Pays Up To $300 For Your Guest Posts

So, if you are a freelance writer who want to make money writing but is tired of low-paying writing gigs, then here is a collection of websites that are paying up to $300 (or sometimes more) for your articles and blog posts. In other words, you get paid when you contribute content to the following websites and blogs.

Note: The idea of this entire blog post is to show you that there are a ton of websites out there willing to pay hundreds of dollars for a single blog post. Just don’t consider this blog post as your ultimate destination for writing gigs. And you know what it takes to get there? Be an expert in at least one topic! Now, go get paid to blog!

1. TopTenz

TopTenz serves over 2.4 million pages per month to more than 1.6 million satisfied visitors. We publish top 10 lists that inform and entertain, focusing on topics that vary from the norm and touch on the bizarre.

• Alexa Rank: 22,580
• Topics: Bizarre, Lifestyle, Travel, Entertainment, Science, etc.
• Payment: $50
• Quick: Homepage | Apply

2. ListVerse

Listverse serves over 30 million pages a month to more than eight million readers. We publish lists that intrigue and educate, specializing in the bizarre or lesser-known trivia. Every day we present three or more new, unique lists.

• Alexa Rank: 3,674
• Topics: Entertainment, General Knowledge, Lifestyle, Science, Society, etc.
• Payment: $100
• Quick: Homepage | Apply

3. The Dollar Stretcher

The Dollar Stretcher is a group of publications dedicated to “Living Better…for Less”. The goal is to provide readers with ways to help them save time and money.

• Alexa Rank: 97,537
• Topics: Money, Food, Home & Auto, Lifestyle, Family, etc.
• Payment: $0.10 per word or $50 per post, of 500 words.
• Quick: Homepage | Apply

4. Reverb Press

Reverb Press is a news and lifestyle webzine which is the product of the talent and dedication of a team of smart, savvy, talented writers, artists, and technicians dedicated to the maxim Ad Extremum Vero, Semper – The Truth Always Wins In The End.

• Alexa Rank: 36,148
• Topics: News, Politics, Justice, Business, World, Entertainment, etc.
• Payment: Unknown
• Quick: Homepage | Apply

Reverb Press is different from other websites that are listed here as they expect content from you on a regular basis. So, if your application is accepted then you can consider it like a job and not as another writing gig. You can write about topics that you are passionate about and at the same time they may also give you optional assignments. The pricing is not mentioned but it says you will be paid depending upon your “output and audience engagement.”

5. The Everyday Windshield

The Everyday Windshield is an online magazine dedicated to the journey of life through faith, family, fashion, food, and fun.

• Alexa Rank: 1,259,36
• Topics: Faith, Family, Fashion, Food, Fun
• Payment: $10 for the 1st post, $25 for the 2nd-5th posts, and thereafter $50 per post
• Quick: Homepage | Apply

6. The Daily Heckle

The Daily Heckle is a blog for bloggers who want to get paid for sharing their opinions. Writers can earn money based on how popular their posts are.

• Alexa Rank: 1,634,887
• Topics: News, Sports, Politics, Travel, TV, Music, Movies, etc.
• Payment: $7.5-$30
• Quick: Homepage | Apply

Note: The Everyday Windshield and The Daily Heckle are listed here as they are regularly publishing new blog posts.

7. CollegeHumor

CollegeHumor Media delivers daily comedic content, including videos, pictures, articles and jokes, created and/or curated by the CollegeHumor staff. CollegeHumor Media attracts more than 15 million monthly uniques and generates more than 100 million video views per month.

• Alexa Rank: 1,875
• Topics: Humor
• Payment: $25 per post plus bonus
• Quick: Homepage | Apply

 8. WritersWeekly

WritersWeekly.com is one of the oldest and most respected sites on freelance writing. It has been published continuously since 1997.

• Alexa Rank: 240,429
• Topics: Freelance
• Payment: $60 per post, of 600 words
• Quick: Homepage | Apply

9. WOW! Women On Writing

WOW! is a global magazine, designed to support women’s creativity, energy, blood, sweat and tears, throughout all stages of the writing process.

• Alexa Rank: 461,290
• Topics: Writing
• Payment: $50-$150 per post
• Quick: Homepage | Apply

10. Funds For Writers

FundsforWriters is an online resource for writers. We emphasize finding money to make writing a realistic career. Of course, you’d write anyway. That’s the way of a writer.

• Alexa Rank: 501,141
• Topics: Writing
• Payment: $50 per post
• Quick: Homepage | Apply

11. A List Apart

A List Apart explores the design, development, and meaning of web content, with a special focus on web standards and best practices.

• Alexa Rank: 8,707
• Topics: Web Design & Development
• Payment: $200
• Quick: Homepage | Apply

12. InstantShift

InstantShift is a design and inspiration related community for web designers and developers daily resource, inspiration and premium web design and development.

• Alexa Rank: 13,841
• Topics: Web Design & Development
• Payment: Depends upon quality and word count.
• Quick: Homepage | Apply

13. Smashing Magazine

Smashing Magazine is an online magazine for professional Web designers and developers, with a focus on useful techniques, best practices and valuable resources.

• Alexa Rank: 2,032
• Topics: Web Design & Development
• Payment: Depends upon quality and word count.
• Quick: Homepage | Apply

14. SitePoint

SitePoint provides cutting-edge content for web professionals — developers, designers, programmers, freelancers and site owners.

• Alexa Rank: 1,248
• Topics: Web Design & Development
• Payment: Unknown
• Quick: Homepage | Apply

15. SpyreStudios

SpyreStudios is an online magazine about web-design & development and the myriads of other topics that fall in between.

• Alexa Rank: 35,424
• Topics: Web Design & Development
• Payment: Unknown
• Quick: Homepage | Apply

16. Photoshop Tutorials

Photoshop tutorials for beginners to experts. Learn tips and tricks on how to use Photoshop for photo editing, manipulations, designs, and more.

• Alexa Rank: 43,636
• Topics: Design
• Payment: $25-$300
• Quick: Homepage | Apply

17. UX Booth

UX Booth is a publication by and for the user experience community. Our readership consists mostly of beginning-to-intermediate user experience and interaction designers, but anyone interested in making the web a better place to be is welcome.

• Alexa Rank: 35,436
• Topics: UX, Design
• Payment: Unknown
• Quick: Homepage | Apply

18. Crazyleaf Design

Crazyleaf Design is a web design, illustration, and programming company. We build functional, standards-compliant and aesthetically rich unique web sites.

• Alexa Rank: 90,714
• Topics: Design
• Payment: Unknown
• Quick: Homepage | Apply

19. AppStorm

AppStorm brings you not just reviews of great (and not so great) apps, but we also round them up into categorized lists, give you how-to tips and tricks to get more out of them, and combine it with a healthy dose of related news.

• Alexa Rank: 11,891
• Topics: Apps (Mac, Windows, Web, iPhone, iPad, Android)
• Payment: $60 per post
• Quick: Homepage

AppStorm is an app review network and it’s composed of Mac AppStorm, Web AppStorm, iPhone AppStorm, iPad AppStorm,Android AppStorm, and Windows AppStorm. You can contribute to any of those websites and get paid for it.

20. Techopedia

From defining the latest tech buzzword to exploring enterprise-level decisions, Techopedia aims to help you understand technology.

• Alexa Rank: 20,342
• Topics: Tech
• Payment: Unknown
• Quick: Homepage | Apply

21. WorldStart

WorldStart is looking for tips for our e-mail newsletter, WorldStart’s Computer Tips. This is published daily to 300,000 readers and focuses on tips and tricks the average computer user can utilize. We are also seeking feature articles for our website covering any and all aspects of computing.

• Alexa Rank: 69,214
• Topics: Tech
• Payment: $25-$50 per post
• Quick: Homepage | Apply

22. Make Tech Easier

Make Tech Easier focuses on computer tutorials, how-to, hacks and fixes. Our motto is to “Uncomplicating the complicated, making life easier”.

• Alexa Rank: 10,478
• Topics: Tech
• Payment: Unknown
• Quick: Homepage | Apply

23. Wise Bread

Wise Bread is a community of bloggers here to help you live large on a small budget. Despite what you may have heard, you don’t have to sacrifice your financial independence to enjoy life.

• Alexa Rank: 17,441
• Topics: Personal Finance
• Payment: Unknown
• Quick: Homepage | Apply

24. International Living

International Living have been helping people discover the world’s best places to live, travel and retire since 1979.

• Alexa Rank: 31,196
• Topics: Entrepreneurship, Retired Overseas, Travel & Adventure, Short Blurbs
• Payment: $75 per post
• Quick: Homepage | Apply

25. Matador

Matador is the world’s largest independent travel publisher, with over 12 million unique monthly visitors.

• Alexa Rank: 5,278
• Topics: Travel
• Payment: $20-$25 per post
• Quick: Homepage | Apply

26. GloHoliday

GloHoliday is a travel articles site that provides complete resources for traveling all over the world, including holiday destinations, festivals, public holidays, hotel booking, flight information and travel tips attracting thousands of monthly visitors.

• Alexa Rank: 228,735
• Topics: Travel
• Payment: $40 per post + $3 per image
• Quick: Homepage | Apply

Note: When GloHoliday contacted me to include their website on the previous version of this list, I forwarded their website to my sister without notifying them and she contributed one article. And yes, she got paid!

27. BootsnAll

BootsnAll provides inspiration and resources to get you on the road.

• Alexa Rank: 47,836
• Topics: Travel
• Payment: $30-$50 per post
• Quick: Homepage | Apply

28. Viator Travel Blog

At Viator we believe that travel has the power to make the world a better place. This is our place on the web to share our passion and inspire all of us to make that next trip.

• Alexa Rank: 47,836
• Topics: Travel
• Payment: $40-$150 per post, depends upon word count.
• Quick: Homepage | Apply

29. TheExpeditioner

TheExpeditioner is a travel site for the avid traveler featuring travel articles from some of the best travel writers in the world, as well as travel news, commentary, insight and video from a premiere team of bloggers from around the globe.

• Alexa Rank: 127,005
• Topics: Travel
• Payment: $30 per post
• Quick: Homepage | Apply

30. Wand’rly Magazine

Wand’rly is an online magazine for full-time travelers.

• Alexa Rank: 756,621
• Topics: Travel
• Payment: $0.05 per word for articles,and $10 per photo for galleries
• Quick: Homepage | Apply

31. Scary Mommy

A parenting website for imperfect parents.

• Alexa Rank: 9,084
• Topics: Parenting
• Payment: Up to $100 per post
• Quick: Homepage | Apply

32. MetroParent

MetroParent is an online parenting community offering expert advice, stories on parenting trends and issues, and numerous ways for parents to enrich their experience raising the next generation.

• Alexa Rank: 206,889
• Topics: Parenting
• Payment: Up to $350 per post
• Quick: Homepage | Apply

33. Alaska Parent

Alaska Parent is a free, full-color family and parenting magazine, published 4 times per year. As Alaska’s exclusive, all-in-one parenting resource, our readers include parents with children ages newborn through teens, as well as expectant moms.

• Alexa Rank: 1,781,147
• Topics: Parenting
• Payment: $40-$200 per post
• Quick: Homepage | Apply

34. WorkingMother

WorkingMother is the digital hub of career-focused and entrepreneur moms, including best companies to work for, tips and features focused on work and home.

• Alexa Rank: 52,971
• Topics: Parenting
• Payment: Unknown
• Quick: Homepage | Apply

35. Vela Magazine

Vela has taken steps to help close the byline gender gap by publishing exceptional nonfiction written by women.

• Alexa Rank: 682,123
• Topics: Women
• Payment: Unknown
• Quick: Homepage | Apply

36. The Sun Magazine

The Sun is an independent, ad-free monthly magazine that for more than thirty years has used words and photographs to invoke the splendor and heartache of being human.

• Alexa Rank: 236,324
• Topics: Essays, Short Stories, Interviews, Poetry, etc.
• Payment: $300-$2,500 for non-fiction; $300-$1,500 for fiction; $100-$250 for poetry; from $1,000-$2,000 for interviews
• Quick: Homepage | Apply

37. Grasslimb

Grasslimb is a twice-yearly literary journal featuring prose, poetry and artwork. Just the thing to read while you’re having a nice cup of coffee or tea!

• Alexa Rank: 3,458,789
• Topics: Poetry, Prose, Cartoons, Book & Music Reviews
• Payment: $5-$20 for poetry; $10-$70 for prose; $15-25 for book & music reviews; $15-$25 for cartoon
• Quick: Homepage | Apply