Online outsourcing opens new income streams for freelancers

Kuhustle.com, a Kenyan freelance marketplace targeting Africa, is not lost on the opportunity and the value accrued to both employers and freelancers in the online outsourcing space.

One year since launch and with more than Sh2 million worth of jobs facilitated, Kuhustle has 12,000 users with 51 per cent as active.

The categories that have seen active bidding on the platform are web and mobile development, social media marketing, animation and freelance writing.

Twenty-five-year-old Daniel Muli is a software developer and start-up entrepreneur who leverages Kuhustle heavily. He has learnt to combine his love for software development and building a business, through projects he is undertaking on the platform.

Having closed on work worth about Sh400,000 over the past eight months he has been able to extend the runway for his fledgling start-up, in many ways a lifeline.

The impact is also felt by small businesses that are not able to employ skilled professionals on full time basis due to limited financial resources.

It, therefore, gives them access to some of the best skills within their budget lines and ensures maximum competency with the delivery of the jobs.

However, there is an adoption curve that is stifled by scepticism on the competence levels of local talent. Good project management and knowledge transfer have gone a long way to bolster confidence over time.

With the unemployment rate currently at about 40 per cent, job creation and linking of demand and supply is Kuhustles mandate and they are bold in their ambition to create 10,000 jobs for freelancers in the Kenyan marketplace by mid-2017. Accounting and project management categories rank high as growth segments due to the increased demand for the skills.

While it does take a lot of discipline, it can indeed be a sure fire way to self-employment and financial security. It is crucial that the ecosystem supports such platforms.

Key to their success is access to affordable connectivity, ensuring that young people within and without urban settings can tap the opportunity online outsourcing offers.

Njihia is CEO of Symbiotic.

Twitter: @mbuguanjihia.