YOU HAVE A GREAT AGRIBUSINESS IDEA BUT YOU NEED MONEY TO ACTUALIZE IT?

This is usually the problem that faces many young farmers in Kenya. This is the problem that I faced when I started out.

Let’s face it, it’s never easy to raise money to start a farming business in Kenya. Farming start-ups are considered as high-risk ventures and everyone who has heard the sad stories that happen on the farm are afraid of it.

Banks are afraid of them. They can only give you money if you have already started something and a stable cash-flow can be seen trickling into your account. If they cannot see any evidence to this, they will not listen to your wonderful agribusiness idea.

Farming is just any other business and should be treated as such. The only difference is that farming has more risks involved, and many beginner farmers who get into farming usually don’t get out alive (Succeed).

This is why everyone is so cagey in giving you their money to invest for yourself or for them.

Having no money or connections is not an excuse for you to wallow in hopelessness.

If you truly believe that the agribusiness idea (or any other business idea) you have is worth doing or will bring you tons of money and you love it, then don’t give up. Try to find new ways of raising money to actualize your idea.

Approach things differently and get more creative. Get out of your cocoon and do something that is called a calculative investment. You need to fall back, think about your life and re-assess your funding options.

I have a few ideas but we all know everyone’s situation is different and what works for me might not work for someone else.

Start providing services to generate cash flow

We are all blessed with various gifts in life. There has to be one thing you can do for someone that can help you generate a small amount of money.

You don’t have to go into an office with a suit and CV looking for a formal job. Try doing (honest) odd jobs for businesses in town, family members and friends and request payment in return.

This might not sound easy but if you want to move forward in life you have to be ready to make sacrifices.

I am good in IT, so I developed a few softwares here and there that helped me raise a few coins that helped me move a step forward while in campus.

Invest the money you have earned into another stronger and more stable business

I know the frustration of doing odd jobs. Earnings are usually low and not steady. If you have funny expenses on the side you will find them eating up into the little money you have earned.

This is why you need to hide this money into another/other investments that will take care of it.

Invest in businesses like Beekeeping, Goat Rearing, Sheep Farming, Pig Farming, and Bull (Boran or Sahiwal) Rearing or any other small but safe businesses. These are businesses that are slow but sure. They do not require a lot of capital and the risks are low. Their market demand is very high.

The only problem is that they are slow investments which means you will have to wait for some time before getting profits back. I consider these investments as money saving strategies for future bailouts. Once you get your money and profits back then you can move to the next step.

Invest in your dream idea

If you are in this step that means you managed to raise enough money to actualize your idea. Go for it. This does not mean you abandon all the steps you went through and focus on your idea. Cash flow is important and the other steps will ensure that your flow is healthy. They will help you to practice a profitable venture and not eat into your profits.

The above steps might be slow but sure. Before you know it, you will have enough capital to start your dream business.