Improve my online training business

Patrick Kihara

Maungu, Kenya

100% repaid

Entrepreneur

Name

Patrick Kihara

Member since

January 2014

On-time repayments

72 installments  •  78%

About Me

My name is Patrick Mahinge, and I am a freelance journalist and writer who also happens to be a webpreneur. I believe that the internet is packed with vast resources that almost equalize the chances of a person in Kenya with the one in the more developed world.

My life changed the moment I realized that I could use the internet to change my world, my destiny and the world of those around me. I run several blogs including one that I call blogscheme and that can be found here http://www.blogscheme.com/.

My dream is to tap into the infinite potential offered by the internet in an honest and feasible way, and to teach others how to do the same. Being a young person, I would particularly love to start empowering the youth in my locality to make use of the internet to change their world.

My Business

Most of my income comes from freelance writing. I am an active freelance writer in Elance and I am able to cash in more than $650 per month. I have also started working in oDesk and I am absolutely loving the experience.
I also write and sell ebooks on Kindle and the income from this venture has so far been a constant $100 per month.
From the above income sources, I can manage to repay the loan accorded to me in time and in totality.
I am also employed by an organization in Maungu called Wildlife Works. My job as a media and communications officer gives me an extra boost of $250.

I also earn about $50 per month from my blog through the referral programs that I have joined.

Loan Proposal

Hey Zidisha Lenders,

Thanks for continually helping people like me realize their dreams. Honestly, as a freelancer I don't think I would ever have been able to secure a loan from formal financial institutions in Kenya.

With my second loan, I was able to advertise and grow my online tutoring business. I subscribed to Aweber email autoresponder, redesigned my website and hired freelancers from across the world to help with marketing.

The future now looks bright, and I want to further build my online business. This time, I want to do something even greater. I want to give a chance to other skilled instructors in Kenya to sell their online courses through my website.... Something like we can see here http://vibethemes.com/envato/wplms/.

From such a setup, I will earn a commission from every course unit the guest instructors sell through my website. This money will help in the day-to-day running of the website.

What gives me more joy however is that the lessons offered will play a very big role in empowering the youth and alleviating poverty.

You see, there are fellows out here who have mad skills they would like to share (I have so far identified a transcriber, a social media analyst, a graphic designer and a forex trader as some of the instructors). The problem is that they do not have the skills to build websites or the time to effectively market their courses. With my redesigned website, I will offer them an opportunity to reach more students who are interested in learning.

This loan will help me hire an assistant web designer for around $70 since we will be working together and I already have most of the resources that will be used in redesigning the website. I will also need to move my website to a more secure server since there are transactions to be handled through the website now. I am thinking of going with the Hostgator Business Plan, costs $13.95 per month.

Although those are the only two expenses I can outright think of right now, I do have supplemental funds that I have set aside for miscellaneous overheads.

I am also welcoming suggestions on how effectively I can run a learning management system.

Also, If you have a course that can be offered online, and you would like it to be included in the learning management system, don't hesitate to contact me through email address [email protected].

Feedback

3

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Loan Info

Project Type

Classic Loan

Disbursed amount

$188.00

Date disbursed

Dec 19, 2014

Repayment status

On Time

Projected term

10 months

Lenders

Johnny

shanghai, China

R

RosemariHerrero

Stockholm, Sweden

M

marcelitohb

Bremen, Germany

ads68

Melbourne, Australia

neocodesoftware

vancouver, Canada

A

Amani

Beaverton, United States

Matthieu

Switzerland, France

C

cazz14

dunedin, New Zealand

M

Malibu

Westwood, United States

R

Rootdet

Fairfax, United States

joshuacollinson

Vienna, Austria

H

hodor

Australia

TyWee

Manila, Philippines

A

AlphaAres

Azerbaijan

Laparo

Dusseldorf, Germany

Mikers

Netherlands

Janet Merrill Miller

The Mossy Pacific Northwest, United States

Ask Patrick Kihara a question about this project, share news and photos of your own, or send a simple note of thanks or inspiration.

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  • Patrick Kihara    Sep 18, 2015

    I think I can now manage to repay more.

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  • Laparo    Mar 10, 2015

    Hi Patrick,

    everything ok with your business? Didn't hear anything from you and payments are late.

    Kind regards

    Andreas

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  • Patrick Kihara    Jan 20, 2015

    Hi Lenders,
    I am facing some personal problems that are hindering my loan repayment. Working to solve everything. Once I have resolved the issues, I will revert the repayment schedule to the originally agreed rate. I am still committed to paying my full loan and I will do my best to ensure that the slight challenge does not affect my overall repayment rate.
    Best regards,
    Patrick

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  • Patrick Kihara    Dec 12, 2014

    Hey!

    Who is ready to help me grow the next big startup in Kenya?

    Watch this space. Bring in your ideas, opinions and queries. And don't forget to contribute towards my loan.

    I love you all.

    Patrick

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  • Laparo    Jul 27, 2014

    Hi patrick,

    good luck with your second loan. Did you try Mailchimp.com yet? Its free of charge for your small business and more powerful than Aweber.

    Cheers

    Andreas

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    • Patrick Kihara    Jul 28, 2014

      Hello Laparo,
      Thanks for the suggestion. I checked out Mailchimp and it is simply awesome! I however did not like the fact that the free version does not offer the autoresponder service. Is there an email service that offers free autoresponders?

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      • Laparo    Jul 29, 2014

        Hello Patrick,

        Mailchimp costs 10 Euro per month to have auto responder included. Even this is cheaper than Aweber. And even if you grow you business further, Mailchimp stays reasonable in price, plus you can deliver your emailings mobile optimized.

        The bunch of features is worth looking at Mailchimp.

        Andreas

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  • Patrick Kihara    Jul 15, 2014

    Hi Zidisha Family,
    I just finished repaying my first loan. It is simply fantastic. The things that one can do when empowered with law interest rates that do not need any collateral!

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  • Patrick Kihara    Jul 3, 2014

    Hey Zidisha family for this time round, I thought that I could actually reschedule the loan to the original repayment pledge I had made. Things are looking up and I hope that they will continue being awesome.
    I am making strides in my freelancing business and have a landed a 6-month contract with a mobile software development firm that is paying fairly well.

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  • Jerioth    Jun 28, 2014

    Congrats patrick for all efforts

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  • Patrick Kihara    Jun 13, 2014

    Hello Lenders,
    I cannot believe I have come this far. After a catastrophic start (I lacked water for agriculture), I have been able to work myself up. I bought some poultry with the amount that I had remaining. The hens have started laying eggs and two of them have actually hatched. My freelance writing business is thriving. I have started a niche site that I hope will start bringing in profits soon.
    I thank all of you for bearing with me while I went through the hard times.

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  • Patrick Kihara    Jun 2, 2014

    Hey Zidisha Family,
    Like you probably already know, I applied for a loan with the sole intent of getting into agribusiness. I prepared the shamba and bought a few farm inputs and equipments. Unfortunately, the flow of water in the neighborhood came under pressure from a surge in population. I no longer receive the amounts of water that I thought I would be receiving and I had to abandon the project in favor of poultry farming. The poultry project is picking up quite well and I know that I will overcome these challenges. I also plan to complete repaying this loan soon.

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  • Patrick Kihara    Apr 22, 2014

    Hi,
    I would like to be granted a momentary reschedule of my loan. There was so much happening in my family over easter that has grounded my ability to repay the loan under the initially proposed terms.
    I would like to pay 1000 shillings for the next few weeks, then I will reschedule again to the initially proposed terms once my freelance jobs regain their traction.
    I heavily regret any inconveniences that this will cause the Zidisha family who are so nice to us and have put their trust and their money to help us make a better life.
    I would be glad if accorded this request.
    Best,
    Patrick Mahinge Kihara

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  • Svenip    Mar 28, 2014

    Dear Patrick, I hope everything will work out as planned. Good luck and keep us updated!

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    • Patrick Kihara    Mar 28, 2014

      Thank you Svenip,
      Of course I will keep you updated.
      I have this writing order in Elance that is going on for six months with weekly payments. The amount I get from the project will be enough to cover the weekly repayments. I am optimistic that everything will turn out well.

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  • Patrick Kihara    Mar 28, 2014

    Hello Zidisha Family,
    I would like to start by appreciating everyone who contributed towards funding my first loan. I finally got the loan amounting to Kshs 11,739. This amount will be used to set up the piece of land that I have already leased and to buy general farm inputs including a drip irrigation kit. Once I repay this loan, I would love to borrow a larger amount to allow me acquire a greenhouse kit.

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  • Pavane    Mar 26, 2014

    Hello Patrick,
    I have a question about the agriculturing you are planning. It is a semi-arid area; what can you grow there and how will you be able to water it? If it is a lack of locally produced vegetables there, it might be because it is hard to do agriculture there. Just a thought. Regards, Pavane

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    • Patrick Kihara    Mar 27, 2014

      Hello Pavane,
      Thanks for your interest in my loan application.
      Yes, it is hard to do agriculture here because the weather is unfavorable. Rain is spatial and the weather is exceedingly hot. This is definitely a challenge but also an opportunity.
      I fortunately live in one of the areas that is served by water from Mzima Springs as it finds its way down to Mombasa Town. I have already contacted the local agriculture officer who will be sending someone to do a makeshift greenhouse that will shield the crops from the harsh weather and reduce the invasion of pests on the crops.
      I am planning to grow kales, spinach, tomatoes and onions. I am drawing my inspiration from the organization that I work for (Wildlife Works LLC) as a media and communications officer. They have this greenhouse which is doing very well and I am in talks with the guys who work there to assist me launch the farming in my place.
      Best regards,
      Patrick

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    • Patrick Kihara    Mar 27, 2014

      Hello Pavane,
      Thanks for your interest in my loan application.
      Yes, it is hard to do agriculture here because the weather is unfavorable. Rain is spatial and the weather is exceedingly hot. This is definitely a challenge but also an opportunity.
      I fortunately live in one of the areas that is served by water from Mzima Springs as it finds its way down to Mombasa Town. I have already contacted the local agriculture officer who will be sending someone to do a makeshift greenhouse that will shield the crops from the harsh weather and reduce the invasion of pests on the crops.
      I am planning to grow kales, spinach, tomatoes and onions. I am drawing my inspiration from the organization that I work for (Wildlife Works LLC) as a media and communications officer. They have this greenhouse which is doing very well and I am in talks with the guys who work there to assist me launch the farming in my place.
      Best regards,
      Patrick

      Log in to reply • Share


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