Crypto Gist: How Crypto Moved From My Side Hustle To My Major Source Of Income

Crypto Gist is a series that highlights the stories of real people around Africa around cryptocurrencies. Our guests share their crypto experiences - intro to crypto, wins, scams, losses and lessons. Would you like to tell your story? Don’t hesitate. Fill out this form to share your story.

Hi, Can we meet you?

I’m Jaali. Jay for short. I’m a Kenyan influencer and active crypto trader

Awesome, How did you first hear about crypto?

I’m an influencer, and I own a WhatsApp channel, so I usually get contacted for paid ads on my platform. Pre-covid, a client reached out to me about posting a crypto ad. He was organizing a masterclass on how to earn and trade crypto. I was a bit wary about posting this, to be honest. I have had people reach out to me on different occasions, and they have turned out to be scams. People falling for scams on your platform doesn’t speak well of you. People will no longer trust your content which means you lose credibility and customers.

I quickly skimmed some articles on what crypto is, and the fact that several posts weren't that clear on its credibility made me weary.  So, I refused to post it on my status; I was still suffering from a sting about a wig vendor that advertised on my channel and was delaying delivery to patrons.

So how did you start actively trading crypto

As an influencer, you have to know your competitors. You have to observe their content to understand what works and doesn't to improve your brand. I was, of course, following some of them, and they were also posting about these crypto classes. And when someone signs up, they make posts about these and the customer's reviews. I wanted to remain relevant, so I decided to reconsider my position on crypto. That was around March 2020 when Covid hit strongly, and there was a lockdown. Everyone was looking for how to earn, so these classes among several were rampant. 

Crypto adoption had spread, or better still, more information about crypto was now available. You could see posts on how bitcoin helps Kenyans—stuff like that yoh.

Sure, how did that influence your crypto journey?

I decided to start posting about those classes with a cautionary message to my viewers. Anyways, I had a particular guy who was making money off the courses, so he asked that I should be posting regularly about crypto to get people more interested. I was posting fun facts about bitcoin, etc., not like I had any serious interest. 

As an initiative, I started uploading the price movement of the top cryptocurrencies on my status. Posting them also meant I was watching them right.  I watched as ETH rose from $1000+ to $2k+. I was like, see cheki dough (money). I decided to take a more keen interest. I reached out to the person I was advertising for, and you know, as a smart guy, I told him he would have more credibility if I took those courses. 

Impressive, that’s a smart move.

Of course, it’s how you market yourself. I started the lessons, and that’s how my crypto journey began. It was a bit confusing at first, but I started getting the hang of it. What the guy does is that he takes you for free through the basics of what crypto is, its benefits and also how you can trade bitcoin. Then after he has you convinced, he asks you to sign up for 20,000KES for the master class, where he gives trading signals, offers tips on how to use your wallet etc. I got all that for free. But it wasn't easy still.

How so?

Trading signals or not, you can’t precisely predict the volatile market. I was making losses and small gains. Honestly, if I didn't know that it would pay off, I would have given up in the long run. It would seem like I was making a profit, and then I’ll get too confident in a trade and then incur some significant loss. 

I decided to expand out of the guy's class instructions, met some other crypto gurus, and eventually, I began to find my feet. But lowkey, it wasn't easy. There were times I’d be lost in market charts while trading that I’d forget to send out content for my clients. But now, I’m my own boss.

That’s impressive

I know! I teach my own class now. I like to use my WhatsApp channel and my new Youtube Channel to educate people on crypto. I don’t advertise for the other guy anymore, but he was cool though, he had made a lot of profit off me, and he is now my crypto bro. Crypto isn’t just a side hustle for me anymore; it's where I get most of my income. 

Given the opportunity to advise crypto newbies, what would be your recommendation?

Simple! No one knows it all, and you don’t control the market. Start small, never stop learning and don’t limit your knowledge to one source. Use a simple platform, so you don’t get confused. That’s why I recommend Yellow Card to newbies in my class, you know. It has reasonable rates and is easy to use. Don’t open a wallet you can’t even operate. Continue learning, and soon you’ll start earning. Don’t be deceived; you have losses, plenty of losses, and when you start earning, it won’t be that gigantic, but you’ll make it big and be your own boss with time.

That’s some advice! It was great having you

My pleasure

Read also: How To Manage Your Crypto Portfolio Profitably

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