Women who created their own jobs out of nothing
Sometimes life throws you lemons. It’s up to you if you want to weep at their bitterness, make lemonade, throw them right back, or demand for chocolate.
That’s the story of the women we have covered today. They decided that they were going to make the best of what life had thrown at them.
There was the woman who decided to quit a dead-end job for the unknown, the one who saw an opportunity after being shamed, another one who saw a gap in offering what she had easily aced, while yet another one chose to delve outside her comfort zone after a fruitless and frustrating job search.
These women were not afraid to roll up their sleeves and get to work. They are proving that with grit, determination, and a willingness to do whatever it takes, you can create your own path and thrive.
No matter what life throws their way, some women will find a way to make it work, even if it means taking on brow-raising jobs.
They are determined. Daring. Daredevils.
Here are their stories.
The chaperone services lady
Dorcas Nyambura, 26, offers chaperone services and duties
Dorcas Nyambura, 26, offers chaperone services and duties. Photo | Pool
In early January this year, Dorcas tendered her resignation at the organisation she was working in which dealt with the prevention of HIV. Having worked for close to two years, Dorcas says feeling under-utilised and underpaid were her final strokes.
However, by the time she was calling it a day, she did not have any savings or a stream of cash.
While Dorcas had to make ends meet and cater for herself despite being broke, she had to come up with a business that needed no capital.
On a scroll through social media, she bumped into someone who wanted to know whether there was someone who could run an errand for her in Nairobi.
“This piqued my interest and I researched on how to successfully run an errand for a client. Coincidentally, I spoke to a friend of mine who had the same idea but had not brought it to light,” she says.
While trying to figure out how the business would come to play, she was asked by her friend to accompany her sister to the hospital for check-ups.
“I did not charge them but I saw a niche in the market. An opportunity. There could be so many patients who lacked someone to accompany them to hospital,” she explains.
A few weeks after, Dorcas got another client, a referral. This time she knew that in order to attract more clients, she has to shout her presence on social media.
Luckily, she earned two clients when she posted about offering chaperone services. While some were curious, her explanation along the way made her more visible.
“The two clients are in the USA and they wanted me to be taking their parents to clinics and even encouraging them.”
Further, Dorcas acts as a tour guide for Kenyans and tourists who need to visit a particular place. She ensures that the guests are comfortable while on their vacation.
Referrals and word of mouth have been the silver lining in sustaining her venture.
“Confidentiality is at the heart of my job. My clients especially those that I take for hospital or clinic check-ups confide in me and I cannot disclose the information even to their family members,” she adds.
For her charge sheet, Dorcas says there is a fee her clients have to pay for half-day or full-day. Further, transport costs are charged to the client.
Dorcas ensures that she is safe while doing her chaperone duties by informing her friends and her boyfriend of her whereabouts.
“I also provide their contact details just in case so that their stories are corroborative when things go south.”
Nonetheless, she reveals that some of her clients especially men tend to mask behind wanting chaperone duties only to want to spend time with her. The clients, she says, often reveal their true intentions but she stipulates her rules of engagement.
“At first, my lover was skeptical about the chaperone duties mainly because of my own safety but with time he has been supportive,” she says.
With the aim of being her own boss, Dorcas shares that in future she will hire assistant chaperones, who are patient, empathetic, and kind to clients.
Dorcas advises women planning to venture into out-of-the-ordinary jobs, to be honest, and consistent in their endeavours.
“Even though you might not get an instant response, your efforts are not in vain,” she muses.
The decluttering queen
Leah Wanjiku, 24, runs errands plus house hunting. Photo | Pool
Terry Muchiri, 39, is a telecommunication engineer who runs Declutter and Earn business
One day, trying to create space in her closet, Terry took photos of the clothes she wanted to declutter and posted them on her social media putting them up for sale.
With the post gaining traction, one of her former friends shared the post with her ex-lover saying she was broke which is why she was selling the clothes.
The single mother of three then received a call from her ex telling her off and saying that what she was doing was shameful. However, Terry was Sh4,000 richer and happy.
While Terry is free-spirited, she thought about people who could not publicly declutter their stuff since they would be shamed. This then birthed her business.
“A day after, I narrated my experience and urged my fans to post the items they intend to declutter on my WhatsApp and I would post on my timeline including the location of the item,” she explains.
Terry gets 20 or 15 per cent from selling the items. However, there are some rules to the business.
“The seller should send clear photos of the item and the price should be fair. For electronics, I need to see the original receipt. For land and vehicle sales, I involve my lawyers,” she says.
After agreeing to the terms of the transaction and there is a potential buyer, the seller initiates the sale and the buyer pays with Terry being the custodian of the money paid.
“I take my percentage from the sale then I send the rest to the seller. Nonetheless, if the buyer is not satisfied, they get a refund.”
While decluttering is not her full-time job, Terry, a telecommunication engineer, says that it is quite involving. Though the job is a business of choice, she acts as a middleman in the chain and plans on doing it in the long haul.
“It is a business I do at will. Nowadays when I go online, it is mostly to declutter. It has made my online interactions more sensible. My free time is utilised making an extra buck,” she says.
She admits that when the business started, her teething problems were delivering. However, she has been able to partner with courier service providers and e-commerce delivery outlets.
“A lot of potential buyers always fear getting scammed and with me being their middleman and the seller getting their money only after the buyer expresses satisfaction, I have been able to earn my client's trust,” she observes.
From the onset, Terry says that people’s accommodation of the whole idea has propelled the business to continue smoothly.
Her Aha moment came when she decluttered some items in Karen worth Sh200,000.
“A seller who closed business during the Covid-19 period wanted to sell his restaurant items. I got a potential buyer,” she reveals.
Terry cautions that she does not allow rushed or rude customers since decluttered items are those that one deems ‘unnecessary.’
Like Mary Kondo, Terry shares that she plans on recording her decluttering adventure on TikTok just to change perspectives.
“I want to make it cool so that the shame that is associated with selling household stuff for many is eliminated. Doing this will also teach children that decluttering is okay and normal,” she explains.
To women starting jobs that are uncommon, Terry advises them to go for it and earn their own money no matter what.
“Women need to learn how to make their own money. With your own money, you can choose what to tolerate and not.”
The sleep coach inspired by friends
Mwende Kimweli, 37, Sleep consultant. Photo | Pool
Mwende Kimweli, 37, Sleep consultant
When Mwende quit her job at an insurance company in 2013, she realised that she was pregnant and was cautioned about the sleepless nights after the baby was born.
However, thanks to her being a planner and operating on a schedule, she never suffered from sleep deprivation as a newborn mom.
While her interest was not piqued by her own experience, she notes that her friends could lament their children’s inability to sleep while hers was okay. Their concerns were also echoed by other new moms on social media.
This ignited Mwende’s curiosity about what different she was doing and she immersed herself in reading, taking up courses, and understanding sleep. In 2016, she put up a post on social media saying she would help new moms tackle sleep.
“I got so many responses and tackled one mother and her infant after the other. A few sessions in, the mothers were ecstatic,” she says.
Mwende notes that what she did differently is analysing the child, environment, and situation and figure out what else is ailing the baby, parent, and home.
While sleep is behavioural, Mwende shares that the consistency of the parent makes it easier for the child to adopt. In 2017, she decided to monetise her skills with her clients willingly paying for the services she rendered.
Determined to make the business better, Mwende decided to do home visits and learn more. She would then note that what she read on paper was different from the situation on the ground.
She had to learn that for a child to successfully sleep, there are factors that she should consider. The family’s culture, the child’s diet, personalities, and temperaments among other factors.
“For instance, if the child is from a co-parenting family or single-parent with nannies, the involved parties have to understand the child’s schedule so that one does not put the baby to bed later than usual. Screen time, and sugary foods, also contribute to the child’s sleep,” she explains.
Be it as it may, Mwende notes that getting the parents and caregivers to understand that it is in the child’s best interests to follow a particular schedule is an uphill task.
While the internet has spelt out ways in which a baby can be sleep trained, Mwende shares that every child is unique, and their reasons for not sleeping well vary from one to the other.
“Sleep is a biological function that can be affected by external factors. It is fundamental for functioning on a daily.”
To Mwende, advocating the benefits of sleep is still a challenge with many not knowing how detrimental it is not having sufficient sleep.
She recalls a client of hers whose baby (aged around two) had not slept for 48 hours. “The parent had spent time holding the baby to sleep to no avail. She took the baby to the hospital but was informed that her child was not ill. Turns out the baby was just too tired to sleep and so was the mother. Because the mother was too sleep deprived and tired, she was unable to follow through the tantrums of protest,” she says.
To help this mother, Mwende shares that she had to start teaching the mother how to form a schedule and read sleep cues and finally teach the baby how to sleep independently.
“Because all issues experienced were behavioural, the mother had to change her sleep beliefs that she had picked from the internet and from other mums.”
Though sleep is not optional, Mwende notes that sleep deprivation is not a badge of honour, and sleep training is a personal choice.
To women planning to start an unexpected job, Mwende advises that they should not be afraid to take the risk.
“People will laugh at you but if you know the goal you work and purpose towards it. Do not give up. The world will be receptive to what you have to offer but offer a good service. Customer service will never run out of time.”
The house hunter
Terry Muchiri, 39, runs Declutter and Earn. Photo | Pool
Leah Wanjiku, 24, runs errands plus house hunting
Starting her job in January, Leah who house hunts for clients in Eldoret as well as runs errands shares that being unsuccessful in job hunting pushed her.
The Fashion, Design, and Textile Technology graduate from Rongo University, had been working in the hotel industry as a waitress till late last year when her contract came to an end.
With no income streaming in and only relying on her savings, Leah had to think on her toes, especially on a side hustle that could sustain her since sending job applications was not bringing forth any fruits and her savings were depleting.
“I was my own motivation. Sometimes I want someone to bring me items to my house. I convinced myself that there must be some people who are like me and I posted about the service on social media,” she discloses.
After some days, a friend of hers asked her to pick up her duvets to drop them at the laundry service provider and pick them up. Armed with her first client, Leah marketed herself through the job she had received and many customers streamed in.
“Every time I would run an errand; I would share about it on my social media not only to get clients but also generate traffic about the job.”
While getting customers has not been easy, Leah shares that she had to push on no matter what. While experiencing inconsistencies in her errand job and her social media engagement growing, a client reached out wanting house hunting services.
“I put out a post on offering house hunting services but the majority of my clients were from Nairobi with only one or two clients being from Eldoret,” she says.
Though she provides the service, Leah explains that sometimes some caretakers would not provide information about the houses thinking she would not afford the rent.
This has made her coin a befitting story to tell the caretakers or tenants so that she can get the fine details to share with her potential clients.
One day, Leah wanted to access a three-bedroom house and the caretaker wouldn’t let her in. Leah told the caretaker, “My brother, a banker is being transferred for work and will be relocating to Eldoret next week with his family and they need a three-bedroom house.”
The caretaker believed the story and allowed her to access the premises. However, when she was starting up, her parents were not really open to the idea but they came along after seeing her determination.
Being her own boss, Leah has been able to network and learn more about finances, businesses, and the county at large despite the hiccups.
She advises women who are starting out what would be deemed as ‘odd’ jobs to put themselves out there and be visible.
“Consistency helps a lot. Sometimes you can feel like there is nothing coming but know that there is someone out there watching.”
BY DAILY NATION
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