Comments on: Not Your Parents Economy http://www.kenyanentrepreneur.com/moving-to-kenya "A black market is a free market operating against the wishes of the state." –Harry Browne. Fri, 30 Jul 2010 10:42:38 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=1289 By: kenyanentrepreneur http://www.kenyanentrepreneur.com/moving-to-kenya#comment-104509 kenyanentrepreneur Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:00:40 +0000 http://www.kenyanentrepreneur.com/?p=2125#comment-104509 <blockquote>KD: I hear you completely on Kenyans bending over backwards not to pay you. I now insist on 95% upfront before commencing any work, which covers all my costs and gives me some profit.</blockquote> Has this insistence reduced the number of clients that you'd normally get? And why 95%? at that point, you might as well ask for full payment. "Ripa bira kura"
KD: I hear you completely on Kenyans bending over backwards not to pay you. I now insist on 95% upfront before commencing any work, which covers all my costs and gives me some profit.

Has this insistence reduced the number of clients that you’d normally get? And why 95%? at that point, you might as well ask for full payment. “Ripa bira kura”

]]> By: egm http://www.kenyanentrepreneur.com/moving-to-kenya#comment-104508 egm Mon, 22 Jun 2009 09:29:11 +0000 http://www.kenyanentrepreneur.com/?p=2125#comment-104508 KE: The B1 visa is a tourist visa. It is just for travel. You cannot stay and work. They offer it for just a year, with a 6 month duration of stay stamped in your passport upon entry. So even with that one year visa, you still have to leave the US before the 6 months are up or else you go out of status. Just going over the border into Mexico and back is enough to reset that 6 month clock. Too much work that! I have a friend who is in the final stages of acquiring his Canadian PR, and another friend who is already switched to Canadian citizenship, so I do know of the benefits. KD: I hear you completely on Kenyans bending over backwards not to pay you. I now insist on 95% upfront before commencing any work, which covers all my costs and gives me some profit.

KE: The B1 visa is a tourist visa. It is just for travel. You cannot stay and work. They offer it for just a year, with a 6 month duration of stay stamped in your passport upon entry. So even with that one year visa, you still have to leave the US before the 6 months are up or else you go out of status. Just going over the border into Mexico and back is enough to reset that 6 month clock. Too much work that!

I have a friend who is in the final stages of acquiring his Canadian PR, and another friend who is already switched to Canadian citizenship, so I do know of the benefits.

KD: I hear you completely on Kenyans bending over backwards not to pay you. I now insist on 95% upfront before commencing any work, which covers all my costs and gives me some profit.

]]> By: kenyanentrepreneur http://www.kenyanentrepreneur.com/moving-to-kenya#comment-104501 kenyanentrepreneur Sat, 20 Jun 2009 17:08:43 +0000 http://www.kenyanentrepreneur.com/?p=2125#comment-104501 Kenyan dude: What kind of business are you running?

Kenyan dude:

What kind of business are you running?

]]> By: Kenyan dude http://www.kenyanentrepreneur.com/moving-to-kenya#comment-104494 Kenyan dude Fri, 19 Jun 2009 21:10:29 +0000 http://www.kenyanentrepreneur.com/?p=2125#comment-104494 I was in Brito for 5 years before relocating back in 2000 at age 24. I lived with my folks till 2003 when I moved out but lost my ride and had to move back home in 2004 after my bizna was wiped out by bad debts. Lesson #1: Kenyans will bend over backwards not to pay up. I stayed at my folks till 2008 when I moved out again. This time I owned 2 homes and a small ride and one of my homes is mortgage-free. I'm grateful to my folks for the financial and moral support, and to God for getting me reliable US-based clients that enable me to work from home and skive nasty traffic jams.

I was in Brito for 5 years before relocating back in 2000 at age 24. I lived with my folks till 2003 when I moved out but lost my ride and had to move back home in 2004 after my bizna was wiped out by bad debts. Lesson #1: Kenyans will bend over backwards not to pay up. I stayed at my folks till 2008 when I moved out again. This time I owned 2 homes and a small ride and one of my homes is mortgage-free. I’m grateful to my folks for the financial and moral support, and to God for getting me reliable US-based clients that enable me to work from home and skive nasty traffic jams.

]]> By: kenyanentrepreneur http://www.kenyanentrepreneur.com/moving-to-kenya#comment-104479 kenyanentrepreneur Tue, 16 Jun 2009 14:37:01 +0000 http://www.kenyanentrepreneur.com/?p=2125#comment-104479 Egm: What's the B1 visa for? just travel or will it also allow you to stay and work? In terms of citizenshp, everything became much harder after 9/11, but didier is right about Canada: I know someone whose been there 3 years and is already going to get her citizenshp. Living in a place like Toronto can't be that bad. They speak English, they have socialized medicine, it's a relatively rich country, it's not in recession...hmmmm

Egm:
What’s the B1 visa for? just travel or will it also allow you to stay and work?

In terms of citizenshp, everything became much harder after 9/11, but didier is right about Canada: I know someone whose been there 3 years and is already going to get her citizenshp. Living in a place like Toronto can’t be that bad. They speak English, they have socialized medicine, it’s a relatively rich country, it’s not in recession…hmmmm

]]> By: dIdier http://www.kenyanentrepreneur.com/moving-to-kenya#comment-104462 dIdier Thu, 11 Jun 2009 19:21:49 +0000 http://www.kenyanentrepreneur.com/?p=2125#comment-104462 egm, Canadian Citizen is the way to go.. Forget the bungled up Greencard. Who needs a green card when you can get a Canadian passport after holding a PR card for two years. Can u handle the Winter though ?.... Well I guess you can save that question for when you making your decision.

egm,

Canadian Citizen is the way to go.. Forget the bungled up Greencard. Who needs a green card when you can get a Canadian passport after holding a PR card for two years.

Can u handle the Winter though ?…. Well I guess you can save that question for when you making your decision.

]]> By: egm http://www.kenyanentrepreneur.com/moving-to-kenya#comment-104458 egm Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:59:35 +0000 http://www.kenyanentrepreneur.com/?p=2125#comment-104458 The thought of a green card did cross my mind. But I decided then that I wasn't ready to go through the process to get it. I felt it wasn't the end all and be all of survival having a green card, so it didn't dwell in my mind for any appreciable length of time. I had also thought of Canadian residency, and even went as far as getting finger printed for the background check. That, too, fell by the wayside. Now that I'm back, the only reason that I would think of that is if we get another flare up like we did last year. But what comforts me is the fact that I can get a B1 visa very easily if need be. Having been in the US 11 years, and never once having gone out of status makes me a shoe-in for the visa. This was demonstrated earlier this year when I went to get one for my recent visit in May. I have a friend who was in the process of getting his green card worked on by the company he worked for. After a while he thought about why he was getting it and decided there and then to stop the process, realising for himself that it was not worth it. He then quit his job and moved back here where he's been in business since then. Last year's chaos notwithstanding, he doesn't look like he's thinking of dumping his Kenyan citizenship any time soon. I get your point on being able to travel freely and tapping into this wide global world. However, I do believe that if you have something to provide that is very worthwhile to whoever is at the other end, issues related to travel will not be a deterrent. I say this based on the offer I got for the company in Belgium that was very ready to do anything in their power to get me to work for them. I will concede that having a passport from "rich western country" would mean the company wouldn't have had to do as much, making it more convenient for all involved. But it still doesn't convince me to dump my Kenyan citizenship. Maybe I'm a sentimental fool, but I definitely do not want to do that. Only when Kenya allows dual citizenship would I be willing to go that route.

The thought of a green card did cross my mind. But I decided then that I wasn’t ready to go through the process to get it. I felt it wasn’t the end all and be all of survival having a green card, so it didn’t dwell in my mind for any appreciable length of time. I had also thought of Canadian residency, and even went as far as getting finger printed for the background check. That, too, fell by the wayside. Now that I’m back, the only reason that I would think of that is if we get another flare up like we did last year. But what comforts me is the fact that I can get a B1 visa very easily if need be. Having been in the US 11 years, and never once having gone out of status makes me a shoe-in for the visa. This was demonstrated earlier this year when I went to get one for my recent visit in May.

I have a friend who was in the process of getting his green card worked on by the company he worked for. After a while he thought about why he was getting it and decided there and then to stop the process, realising for himself that it was not worth it. He then quit his job and moved back here where he’s been in business since then. Last year’s chaos notwithstanding, he doesn’t look like he’s thinking of dumping his Kenyan citizenship any time soon.

I get your point on being able to travel freely and tapping into this wide global world. However, I do believe that if you have something to provide that is very worthwhile to whoever is at the other end, issues related to travel will not be a deterrent. I say this based on the offer I got for the company in Belgium that was very ready to do anything in their power to get me to work for them. I will concede that having a passport from “rich western country” would mean the company wouldn’t have had to do as much, making it more convenient for all involved. But it still doesn’t convince me to dump my Kenyan citizenship. Maybe I’m a sentimental fool, but I definitely do not want to do that. Only when Kenya allows dual citizenship would I be willing to go that route.

]]> By: kenyanentrepreneur http://www.kenyanentrepreneur.com/moving-to-kenya#comment-104454 kenyanentrepreneur Wed, 10 Jun 2009 20:40:38 +0000 http://www.kenyanentrepreneur.com/?p=2125#comment-104454 egm; That's an interesting issue you raise about the H1B because it's goes back to an earlier point I made about people doing whatever they have to do, to make sure that they get their papers before they move back to kenya. Did this thought ever cross your mind? And if you think about it, having citizenship from a rich, western country(because this is what people are going for now) would give one so many more options in terms of really being able to travel freely and tap into this wide global world. It's amazing how people's attitudes changed after the pre-election violence. Before the violence, they were holding onto their green cards, refusing to get citizenship because they wanted to hold onto their Kenyan passports. Now, they don't care. You're a better off going full throttle and if Kenya doesn't allow dual citizenship, then dump your kenyan citizenship. It's worth it. It's not like anyone in Kenya will ever deport you. There's an interesting article below on the number of people around the world who now hold multiple passports (legally)and their reasons for doing so are not sentimental anymore they're practical. Kenya is really behind the curve on this issue of dual citizenship. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/20/business/20dual.html

egm;
That’s an interesting issue you raise about the H1B because it’s goes back to an earlier point I made about people doing whatever they have to do, to make sure that they get their papers before they move back to kenya. Did this thought ever cross your mind?

And if you think about it, having citizenship from a rich, western country(because this is what people are going for now) would give one so many more options in terms of really being able to travel freely and tap into this wide global world.

It’s amazing how people’s attitudes changed after the pre-election violence. Before the violence, they were holding onto their green cards, refusing to get citizenship because they wanted to hold onto their Kenyan passports. Now, they don’t care. You’re a better off going full throttle and if Kenya doesn’t allow dual citizenship, then dump your kenyan citizenship. It’s worth it. It’s not like anyone in Kenya will ever deport you.

There’s an interesting article below on the number of people around the world who now hold multiple passports (legally)and their reasons for doing so are not sentimental anymore they’re practical.

Kenya is really behind the curve on this issue of dual citizenship.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01.....0dual.html

]]> By: egm http://www.kenyanentrepreneur.com/moving-to-kenya#comment-104443 egm Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:07:56 +0000 http://www.kenyanentrepreneur.com/?p=2125#comment-104443 1. Yup, I did have a strong passion for photography. I got my pro-level camera while still working and got books to teach myself photography. 2. Nope, didn't get laid off. I left after my H1B expired. Barely 2 months after I got back to Kenya a former colleague who had left GE to join a competitor called me up and asked if I was interested in taking up a job similar to the one I had, but in Belgium. I was torn between accepting that offer (which was very very good, by the way) and staying with growing my photography business. Photography won. So mine is more an issue of what I'm passionate about winning over engineering. But even as I do this photography work, I haven't forgotten my engineering, and have even been asked by the former colleague who had offered me the Belgium position to consider doing outsourcing design work for them. So at least there's engineering to fall back on should this photo thing not work.

1. Yup, I did have a strong passion for photography. I got my pro-level camera while still working and got books to teach myself photography.

2. Nope, didn’t get laid off. I left after my H1B expired. Barely 2 months after I got back to Kenya a former colleague who had left GE to join a competitor called me up and asked if I was interested in taking up a job similar to the one I had, but in Belgium. I was torn between accepting that offer (which was very very good, by the way) and staying with growing my photography business. Photography won. So mine is more an issue of what I’m passionate about winning over engineering. But even as I do this photography work, I haven’t forgotten my engineering, and have even been asked by the former colleague who had offered me the Belgium position to consider doing outsourcing design work for them. So at least there’s engineering to fall back on should this photo thing not work.

]]>