Ivy Oyori

17/01/2025

"Many years ago, my late mother believed that one of the biggest reasons Mexico was in sad financial shape was that country's long-running national lottery. She said, 'People in Mexico believe the only way they can get ahead is to win the lottery, so instead of working hard, they buy lottery tickets.'...The American dream, of working hard and getting ahead, is starting to succumb to that same lottery mentality my mother saw hurting Mexico's economy."

— Robin Miller, "The lottery mentality," The Baltimore Sun, October 17, 1995

At a certain point, I confess I had this mentality where you think a large sum of money coming in once can solve your problems. Or you desire to obtain money without working hard for it.

Have you had this mentality at a certain point in your life?

16/01/2025

It stings so much when you plan for that 2k you were expecting or that 1k your friend, who owes you, was going to return after a long year of waiting, only for you not to receive it.

It’s happened to me on several occasions, and let me tell you Maina, just don’t plan for money you don’t have. For money that is not in your hands.

Don’t count the money until the deal is done.
Have you had a similar experience, and what did you do?

15/01/2025

Wait a minute! How is this investing? You save 1,000 in a money market fund this week. Next week, you go shopping, and while at the supermarket, you withdraw the funds from your MMF to pay.

Then you complain that you only received Shs 12 in interest from your MMF.

What happened to, “We save and invest purposefully”?

What do you think is the solution ? Help me out here (comment below).

14/01/2025

I recently saw a documentary about the 800M gold winner, Emmanuel Wanyonyi. He wasn’t good in school; he struggled with math, sciences, and literature. In fact, he almost dropped out. It was his principal who encouraged him to show up for the national examination, emphasizing the importance of completing school.

However, he was athletically intelligent. When he was on the field, he practiced like no one else. He ran like no one else. And now he is the Paris 2024 Olympic champion

In the same documentary, he mentioned that if he hadn’t pursued athletics, he would probably be out there herding cattle.

We have seen artists, fashion designers, writers, producers, videographers grab more opportunities in this age of information than before.

You don’t need to be academically smart to make it because you are smart in other areas.

Do you think this is the best age to live in with regard to grabbing opportunities? (Leave a comment below)

13/01/2025

If you know anyone in IT right now, I bet you've heard about how lucrative it is.

In the first episode of Think Business, I’ll be having a conversation with a successful business owner in the IT industry.

We'll talk about software installations, Wi-Fi connections, and most of the tech-related services his company has been providing for several years.

What are some of the questions and topics you'd like us to discuss?
Drop them in the comments!

10/01/2025

This initially sounded contradictory to me: investments in third-world countries are more rewarding than in first-world countries.

I had a conversation with a global investor who explained this perspective to me.

Investing here is riskier than in developed countries, and that’s precisely the reason.

Developing countries have more room for growth since they are still “developing,” meaning the risk element is backed up by the potential for high returns.

“If it works out, the returns will be good”

Take, for instance, someone living abroad with access to currencies like USD, Euros, or Pounds. If this person invests in low-risk low-returns financial assets like bonds, Fixed Income Funds or similar investments locally, the interest rates are significantly higher (e.g., 8%–16%) compared to the US, where returns might range from as low as 1% (though their currencies are stronger).

Perhaps we in third-world countries haven’t realized that we’re sitting on a gold mine.

What do you think?

08/01/2025

Have you heard of people in the diaspora sending money to invest in Kenya—perhaps to build their own house or rental properties—only to return and find that nothing has been done? The money was stolen.

I recently had an interesting conversation with a Kenyan living abroad about how living abroad has changed her perspective on certain things.

For example
Imagine agreeing to meet someone at a specific time, say in the CBD or elsewhere, and they show up 30 minutes late. When you call, they claim they’re already there and say, “Nipee 5 minutes.Kwani hunioni?”
Then you end up waiting another 30 minutes. (I won’t deny having done this myself!)

Many people living abroad are more straightforward. They value time. If work is scheduled for eight hours, it’s eight hours. If they are late, they’re upfront about it instead of coming up with white lies like there was traffic.

Could it be that Kenyans are perceived as untrustworthy by outsiders? Such that they are more skeptical about investing in Kenya?

Could this be the reason for some of our economic mistakes as a country?

Just my thoughts. What do you think?

07/01/2025

If you plan on getting 1 Million, buy a piece of land and think it's a good investment, here's my take.
It depends on the intention and characteristics of the person buying it.

If you buy land with the aim of building and having a comfortable place to call home, without the expectation of selling it, why wouldn’t it be a good investment? The question is, if you took a loan and for the next five years your paycheck will be slashed, but you’re okay with the deduction, then it’s a good one. Buying land today is better than buying a year later.

Okay, let’s say you buy with the intention of selling. You buy huge pieces of land in a “not-so-attractive area” because it’s cheap and you did not research on whether it will be attractive in 5 yrs or 10 yrs.

Two years down the line, you still haven’t sold it. No cash flow. You grow impatient. Then it’s a bad investment until you sell it.

There is more to say, but let’s leave it at that. What do you think? Is land a good investment?

31/12/2024

This year wasn’t perfect, but it was ours.

We lived, we learned, and yes, we stumbled along the way financially.

The highs, the lows, and everything in between shaped us.

Happy New Year and May 2025 bring you peace, joy, and endless possibilities

20/12/2024

In the first quarter of 2025, I plan to interview small business owners, including taxi drivers, hairdressers, coffee shop owners, solopreneurs, and farmers. Anyone who has taken the risk to start and manage a business will be on my bucket list.

My mission? Simple—to provide information that serves as a roadmap for anyone looking to start a business in these niches.

💎How much money do you need to start a furniture shop?
💎What are the challenges of starting a welding business?
💎How do you source clients as a techpreneur?
💎Where do you get raw materials for a leather-making business?
💎Can you do onion farming on leased land and make a profit?

If you're a business owner with a story to share and would like to be featured , reach out to me at 👉[email protected] or fill out this form to express your interest 👉 https://ivyoyori.com/think-business-contact-form/

Stay tuned for inspiring business stories!

19/12/2024

Let me challenge you like I challenged myself.

Let’s assume you have a source of income that has been giving you money consistently for the last 2,3,5 years. What can you say you have benefited from it in a selfish manner? Yes, I said it—in 2025, we are becoming selfish.

How much do you have in savings so far, right now?

What assets have you acquired with that source of income so far?

What other source of income have you started using the money you’ve earned so far?

If you don’t have any of the three—like there’s nothing at all—today is another day to start building something for yourself.

18/12/2024

I remember having a conversation with someone who mentioned that the primary goal for someone struggling to meet their monthly needs with their income should be to focus more on increasing their income rather than investing.

Think about it: you make 30k net income. It can barely sustain you, and sometimes you find yourself taking a loan during the month.

The best goal to have here is, “How can I make extra income?” rather than, “How much will I make if I invest Kes 3,000 in a fixed income fund for a whole year?”

Again, this line of thought is personal.

What do you think?

16/12/2024

Sure, saving money might not make us wealthy, but how can someone start their wealth investment journey when they currently earn so little?

For us, the narrative is different from the typical “rich people don’t save; they invest.” Our narrative is to “save small until we have enough to invest.”

What do you think?

15/12/2024

We are always in a continuous loop of looking for the next thing, the next goal. And forget to appreciate that whatever we wanted, at some point, we already have.
I remember there was a time I wanted a smartphone so badly. And now that I have it, it doesn't seem like a big deal.

For you, it could be wanting to live in a one-bedroom house when you once lived in a bedsitter.

Or it could be owning a car. And you have already bought and sold the first two, so now you are upgrading to the third one.

It could be you wanted to have your own workshop.

Or own a bakery.
Or have your own garage business.

And now you have all those things.

For what it's worth, think about all the desires you had at some point that have come to pass.
And be grateful.

13/12/2024

If you don’t have any savings at all, you will regret it when:
1. You suddenly face an emergency, and the friends and family you rely on for help don’t pick up your calls.

2.Loan apps unexpectedly reject your loan requests (this always seems to happen when you’re in desperate need).

3.You lose your job and have no idea where to start.

4.You can’t sleep at night due to stress because everyone you owe money to is suddenly ganging up on you.

5.An attractive business opportunity arises, but you don’t have the cash to take advantage of it. Someone else, who has the money ready, will benefit instead.

6. You want to go on that once-in-a-lifetime adventure you’ve always dreamed of. Your friends are prepared, but you’re not.

Start now. Even 50 bob is enough. Just start.

12/12/2024

Before you put your money in any investment, take time to understand how it works.
I know of someone who lost money to crypto because when the price was going down in 2020, he panicked and sold them at a loss.
I saw a comment where someone bought shares from a company whose share price is in cents, yet was expecting dividends. And the company had never paid out dividends.
Or someone who expects to make thousands per month in a money market fund, yet his investment is kes 5,000.
Learn, know, then invest

Send a message to learn more

11/12/2024

Help me solve this puzzle. If you earned Kes 100,000 after taxes (net income), and you don't have any commitments like you don't pay any school fees or send money back home, how much would you save/invest every month?

What's the number according to you? (Leave a comment)

Listen to my perspective on spotify here 👉https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/5n0IpzfBePb

09/12/2024

The year is ending but let it be a beginning for you to:
1.Start saving money every month

2.Find new ways of making money from your skills, hobbies or solving problems

3. Have a simple budget in place (check out this free budgeting calculator I designed for you)
👉https://ivyoyori.com/monthly-budgeting-calculator/

4.Being grateful for all the things you have that are not money-related like friends, family, food, health.
But most of all, being alive.