Getting advice from professionals in our various fields can be quite hard. The best way to get information based on your field and interests is by attending a talk by these professionals. However, even when we attend these talks, we miss that one on one interaction. I guess this is why we have the Prosper App. This is Kenya’s new personal development app and here’s everything you need to know about it.

Prosper App

The Web App is an on-demand personal and professional development app. According to those at Prosper, the main aim is to simplify the ‘professional journey’ by connecting individuals seeking guidance to experienced and highly accomplished professionals.

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How it Works

As an advisee, you get to pick from a wide range of topics that you would like a professional point of view from. From here, you schedule a session with an advisor who then gives you personalized advice right from your phone.

There’s no separate platform for you to meet with your advisor. All meetings are held via a virtual call within the Prosper app. For you to become an advisee, you have to set up, schedule and pay for a meeting.

Once you schedule for the meeting, you can now sign up to become an advisee. Then, you get an advisor and pay the advisor fee through M-Pesa. It costs KES 5,999 for an hours session.

From your ‘Sessions’ tab, you are able to see all the meetings you have set up, your Advisor and they even have an option to reschedule. You will also see the qualifications of your advisor.

Topics of Interest

When you log in to the web app, you are presented with a number of topics that might interest you. The topics include:

• Career or Business Growth
• Personal Branding
• Personal Resilience
• Executive Presence
• Self-awareness
• Emotional Intelligence
• Personal Productivity
• Art of Networking
• Ace the Interview
• Personal Finance
• Art of Negotiation
• Overcoming Procrastination
• Physical Fitness
• Work-Life Integration
• Your digital presence
• Agility and Adaptability

If you do not see something that interests you, as an advisee, you can suggest a topic to them so that they can add it. You can also register to become an advisor where you can choose a topic to advise someone on.

My $0.02

I think the basis of the idea is quite fantastic. Being able to speak to a professional has never been easier. I was not able to sign up for a session but the advisors look really qualified, at least on paper. Seeing as anyone can apply at least for review, we should be able to see more and more familiar faces on the platform.

Imagine the prospect of speaking to your role model face to face without interceptions and distractions. It might be a dream come true for many.

However, I think it would be best if Prosper gave the Advisors a platform to record and post a snippet of their topics of interest. As much I want to learn from them, it would be easier for me to relate to someone who I already know from a short video than from a complete ‘stranger’.

There should be a trial period. I understand that getting wisdom from these qualified souls is expensive. However, if I’m looking for that kind of advice it means I may not be as financially stable. They should either lower the price for first-timers or have a trial session where I can get a glimpse of what I’m paying for before I jump right into it.