Turning WhatsApp statuses into money

DAR ES SALAAM: AT just 25 years old, Ms Elizabeth Mboko is making waves in Dar es Salaam’s entrepreneurial scene. Harnessing the power of social media, particularly WhatsApp, she has turned digital platforms into a bustling marketplace, selling a stylish array of men’s and women’s clothing.

What started as a side hustle has blossomed into a thriving business, proving that innovation and determination can turn a simple idea into a source of income and influence. From an early stage, Ms Mboko believed in the value of side hustles.

Shortly after graduating from St Augustine University of Tanzania (SAUT) in 2023, she secured a sales position at a home appliance retail company in Dar es Salaam and simultaneously established her own online business to generate additional income.

Through her social media platforms, she sells clothes, shoes and accessories such as necklaces and earrings.

In an interview with the Daily News over the weekend, Ms Mboko emphasised the importance of young people monetising their social media accounts, even while employed in formal jobs.

She noted that income generated from online businesses can complement salaries from formal employment in a world characterised by unlimited wants and scarce resources.

“Online businesses enable us to have alternative sources of income instead of relying solely on salaries,” she said, stressing that digital enterprises can be pursued by both employed and unemployed individuals.

She added that such ventures help address emerging financial challenges while waiting for monthly salaries and ultimately guarantee financial sustainability.

Ms Mboko said digital businesses have also been instrumental in expanding networks by connecting entrepreneurs with new people through platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, while enhancing youth personalities and building their brands as future business leaders.

“Social media offers tremendous opportunities and today drives the world more than ever before. It is very easy for both individuals and businesses to gain visibility online,” Ms Mboko said.

She explained that she reaches her customers through a WhatsApp group dubbed Prince Mboko Store Collection, which has about 300 members and serves as a digital product catalogue.

Through the group, she consistently shares photos of various items, including clothes, shoes and necklaces.

Ms Mboko added that she maintains regular engagement with customers through WhatsApp Status updates by posting the latest fashion trends in clothing and accessories.

As a result, she earns an average revenue of about 30,000/- per week, which she described as passive income that supplements earnings from formal employment.

She noted that she has effectively turned WhatsApp Status posts into a source of income. According to her, the key to running a successful digital business lies in posting products frequently across different social media platforms.

Ms Mboko said she currently operates without a physical office, instead using her business WhatsApp group and other social media platforms to interact with customers.

She is also a member of about 100 WhatsApp groups for clothing retailers, which help her keep up with fashion trends and market prices before posting products on her digital platforms, which function as virtual marketplaces.

“I have never bought goods to store at home or elsewhere, nor have I raised capital to start the business. I operate digitally by posting products on my social media accounts. Once customers show interest and make payments, I then purchase the items from clothing stores in Kariakoo for resale,” she said, adding that she did not wait for capital to start the business.

Ms Mboko noted that she now serves customers from different regions across the country, although she initially faced losses due to limited knowledge about sourcing products for resale and profit generation.

Looking ahead, she said she is determined to open her own clothing store and begin placing bulk orders directly from manufacturing countries, particularly China.

She explained that sourcing products directly from manufacturers would allow her to acquire goods at factory prices and generate higher returns.

However, she identified high internet costs as a major challenge facing digital entrepreneurs, noting that data prices remain unaffordable for many young people seeking to run businesses online. In this regard, she called on the government and communication service providers to reduce internet costs by lowering voucher prices.

Furthermore, she urged fellow young people who venture into online businesses through social media to uphold truthfulness and honesty in order to build customer trust. “A single mistake by one social media entrepreneur can tarnish the image of others,” Ms Mboko said.

She also called on large, medium and small traders to support one another so that they can grow collectively. Speaking to reporters recently in Dar es Salaam, the Minister of State in the President’s Office (Youth Development), Dr Joel Nanauka, said the government is working to diversify sources of capital for young entrepreneurs by establishing a credit guarantee scheme and encouraging banks to introduce full-fledged youth investment windows that would allow access to affordable loans without the need for collateral.

He added that his ministry has an indicative budget of 8bn/-, which will be used to provide capital to youth-led businesses.

Dr Nanauka explained that the funds are part of President Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan’s 200bn/- pledge, announced during her first 100 days in office, aimed at financing businesses owned by citizens, particularly the youth.

To ensure young people excel in business, Dr Nanauka said economic empowerment initiatives will be complemented by coaching and mentorship programmes designed to equip them with skills in marketing, resilience, volunteerism and entrepreneurship.

Expressing optimism about the future of the digital economy, he said the government plans to establish an Open Coding School to enable young people to acquire digital skills that are essential for modernising and digitalising their economic activities.

He emphasised the importance of the younger generation using digital space for economic development, noting that digital platforms offer vast opportunities for income generation beyond their traditional use for communication. Statistically, Dr Nanauka noted that young people currently account for more than 50 per cent of the country’s workforce.