Five small businesses currently thriving in Kenya

Believe it or not, Kenya was ranked as one of the best places to start a business in Africa. There are a lot of opportunities here if you learn to look in the right places.

This is great news because this is a real fact.

Still, it’s true that many people doubt this especially when their own businesses fail to thrive. Part of the reason why things don’t often work out is that there wasn’t enough research done. Many people jump into starting something based on what they see and think is working by copying and the end result is always disappointing.

The first step to being successful in fulfilling a need that people actually want. And you don’t even have to be a zillionaire to achieve your dreams because these five small successful businesses are enough proof:

·         Thrift business

Many, if not most, Kenyans love to go thrifting. Most people don’t earn enough money to buy new expensive items all the time and this has become a solution that has been working for a long time.

The good thing with this type of business in the digital era is that you can use online platforms to sell so you don’t necessarily need to deal with the expense of rent and other overheads.

Customers easily find sellers by clicking and swiping and if you check on some of the most popular shops online, you will see how fast items sell.

·         Cosmetics business

Kenyan ladies love their hair, makeup and skincare products, that’s for sure. Women everywhere love to look good and there is always demand for these products.

With as little as Sh 50,000, you can have your business up and running. You can even decide to focus on a specific niche like makeup and skincare products only and grow your business step by step.

If you do enough research and bring in the right products, your customers will catapult profits, especially during event seasons.

·         Baby and maternity shops

Baby making weather is music to the ears of Kenyans who run these types of businesses. There are many multimillion maternity shops but the small ones thrive too.

You can decide to focus on thrifted maternity wear to cater for mums on a budget or even start with a few baby care items and toys.

Small baby and maternity shops with unique, affordable and good quality items will do well.

·         Makeup services

With the rise of Instagram and other social media platforms, people are becoming more interested in makeup. And since not everyone has the time or knows how to do their brows, contouring and everything in between, there is a demand for good makeup artists.

In this business, your skills will speak for you. Even if your budget only fits the few essential items, you can still run a successful business and maybe train others in future for some extra coins.

·         Fast food business

People are naturally drawn to good food, which makes this another great opportunity in Kenya. This isn’t like having a whole expensive restaurant with staff and heavy equipment because you can even start a small fries shop where you serve customers while they’re on the go.

These small fast food businesses are doing very well and this probably won’t change anytime soon.