Starting your own farm in Kenya is a good idea. We all want to own our own farms and enjoy the independence and profits that comes from running your own agribusiness venture. Not only do you get to put your entrepreneurial skills to use, it allows you to be your own boss, set your own schedule, and earn money based on your farming business.
Unfortunately, so many people in Kenya don’t pursue their dreams of starting their own farm is due to a lack of funds. Some people are able to go ahead and begin their agribusiness ventures by borrowing money from banks or SACCOS however, it isn’t exactly a good idea to rack up debt in order to fund your business– especially if you are just starting out and don’t have any income coming in yet.
That being said, funding your agribusiness venture on your own is very possible. All you need is some good financial planning and time. Below are 4 tips on how you can save money to start farming debt free!
Funding your farming venture on your own is very possible. All you need is some good financial planning and time.
Research on Startup Costs
Before you start saving for your farm, it’s a good idea to figure out how much your startup costs will be so you know how much you need to save to get your agribusiness off the ground.
By definition, your startup costs are the costs you incur as you set up your farm business. Examples of your startup costs are things like seeds, labour, farm equipment, training, transportation, etc.
In order to get an idea of what your startup costs will be, do some research on your specific business, create a list of everything you think you might need, how much each item will cost and then tally it all up. If you can talk to other farmers to get some insights on startup costs as well that would be ideal. This way you can make sure you are not missing anything on your list.
It is also a good idea to build a cash cushion of 3 to 6 months of business expenses to support running your agribusiness before you start generating an income. This way you don’t go into debt as a new farmer.
Allocate Funds
Once you have a good idea what things will cost, you’ll need to determine how soon you’ll be able to launch your agribusiness and then build your startup costs into your monthly budget. This way each time you get paid, you can allocate funds towards starting your business. Building your agribusiness savings into your budget means you might need to cut back in certain areas and that leads into the next point.
Get creative with your savings
In order to successfully budget and put funds aside for your agribusiness, you are going to need to get creative to ensure you are able to save the amount that you need to get your business up and running.
A few ways to save money could be by taking your own lunch to work or eating low cost foods, minimizing nights out for dinner and drinks, reducing on your DSTV monthly expenses and mobile credit use, getting a part time job, etc. Cutting back on some of your non-essentials will allow you to fund your agribusiness savings account as quickly possible.
Set up a designated agribusiness savings account
To be successful in business you need to be able to track your agribusiness financials separately. So setting up a separate agribusiness savings account is a great start. Not only will you begin to separate your personal finances from your agribusiness finances, it will allow you to clearly determine how close you are to your savings goals because these funds are not mixed up with anything else.
If you are able to implement these 4 tips you’ll be well on your saving for your very own agribusiness venture!
Comments (2)
I find the saving tips very wise and well thought of..I too started my agribusiness through daily savings and that took me 8 months to save exactly what I needed.. What we all dont think about is negative impacts on the business. after the whole investment..my first produce of onions went to waste due to luck of market and the next produce of watermelons didnt survive the current drought. Although I irrigated the farm the rivers went dry. All that glittters is not gold..Start small and let God do the rest
Nice article! These are the best tips for saving money for farming. I really appreciate this article. Thanks and keep sharing.