Are you looking for unique and untapped business opportunities?
Then here is a resource to get you started.
We have identified 20 of such businesses and broken them down into short but dense, concise, easily digestible briefs covering:
ü The present (Problem)
ü The context
ü The opportunity
ü How it would work
ü Product possibilities
ü Possible product characteristics
ü Revenue models
ü Validation
ü Quick back-of-the-envelope calculations
ü Process
ü Challenges
ü Haters
ü Resilience to an economic downturn
ü Critical success factors and much more.
The result is the 92 page Unique & Untapped Kenya ( Vol.1). This resource is for you seeking high-potential, untapped and out-of-the-box business ideas.
Ideas we have explored include:
Street Foods – Is there a scalable opportunity for a snackish product that can be distributed informally through street food vendors and which competes and complements smokies, boiled eggs, and such others? How would such a product look like?
Last Mile Courier – Why is it that you or your agent must go to the long-distance courier (think matatu saccos among others) offices to receive your parcel? Why can’t there be a seamless connection from their offices to your home or place of work? A courier service specializing in this last-mile delivery gap?
Senior Citizens Shop – With the over 65 years + population in Kenya at around 3 million, and many modern children splashing a little bit on their parents, or the elderly just spending on themselves to make their lives comfortable, would a shop specializing in medical and non-medical products for the elderly work? What are the possibilities?
Gas ( LPG) Distribution – With competition among gas retailers getting cutthroat at some locations and with threats to traditional gas retail from new models like M-gas, how can you get into gas retail in a scalable manner before the new models take over? What is it that hinders many retailers from stocking gas? Even in growing peri-urban and rural areas where gas usage is increasing?
Bidet – Google searches for “Bidet” have grown over 5000% over the last 5 years. On average, every month there are an average of 2000 searches for Bidet toilets. Is there an opportunity here? Converting normal toilets to bidet toilets? A specialist bidet seller and installer?
Heavy Equipment Park – You know the fascination with heavy equipment like bulldozers and excavators among some adults and children? Yet the very limited opportunities to operate one of these? Would people pay to operate one of these for fun? Would such a business break even considering the cost of equipment?
Bars Décor – The neighborhood bar has few decorations. Forget the now-common fancy, loud, or bland wall paintings, wallpapers, and MDF ceilings. We're talking about fun stickers, wall plates, small posters, and creative accessories. For instance, the kind that says "Friends Don’t Let Friends Get Thirsty," or something similar.
You don’t see these, not because bars don’t want the small décor stuff, but rather because it’s a hassle to source them. There isn't one place where bars can easily acquire decorations.
Is this a low-hanging fruit? Well, never mind, bars are under siege from the government and economy.
Selling a Business – If you want to sell a small or medium-scale business in Kenya, you have a few limited options; word of mouth, online classifieds, social media, posters on the premises, newspapers, and very few limited options. Similarly, if you want to buy a business, often the information comes to you passively, perhaps from a friend or from an online classified website.
Often the listings are shallow. The process is fragmented and uncertain for both the seller and the buyer. What business opportunity lies here?
Foreign Language School – You learn almost any language on the internet. But the internet has limitations of the one-to-one interaction which is considered most effective in language training. Not to mention the issues of discipline. But if you are in Kitale and want to learn French, what options do you have? Would a foreign language school in the counties turn a profit? Tu veux gagner de l'argent?
Ventilation Blocks – Is there a reason why there aren’t a wider design variety of precast concrete ventilation blocks? And why can’t they be distributed through the same channels like other building products say tiles? General hardware stocking ventilation blocks? There is money to be made here.
Back Pain – There are over 10,000 average monthly searches about matters of back pain. A specialist back pain shop? A back pain balm?
Soap - Every month, there are over 20,000 Google searches for soap-related phrases. Often seeking information on various types of soaps or places to purchase. How can you seize this?
Household appliances repair – Who do you go to if you gas cooker breaks down in Kerugoya? What about your fridge? Fundi wa radio ? The number of household appliances has been increasing but not the number of proper repair centers more so in the counties away from the major town. Can you smell an opportunity ?
Fun fact: In 2018 Kenya imported 125, 429 fridges for household use.
Car Wash Wait Time - In Kenya motorists spend an average of 37 minutes waiting for their cars to be washed at standard car washes.
Is there a passive opportunity to offer a paid-for experience that engages and entertains them while they wait? Well something better or rather an alternative to a mobile phone, soda, beer, or idle waiting? What would this experience be?
And more
In Unique and Untapped Kenya we have broken down these and more ideas giving you a new way of discovering and looking at business opportunities.
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