Don’t Sell Bananas In The City Of Dogs!

I was on phone with someone (a business man) sometimes back. This man was about to experience a vital business failure as he spoke with me, “I have a fish farm with many grown up fish that should be sold, but I have no one to sell them to”

There is this common mistake many people who want to start business in Kenya make. I call this mistake, “selling bananas in the city of dogs”.

Selling banana in the city of dogs is when a business owner is trying to sell the products or services he/she loves or thinks can make him money, to people who don`t care about what he/she has to sell.

You may love bananas but dogs do not care about banana.

Let me explain from another angle.

Consumers in the market place (those who will buy whatever you intend to sell), don`t care about you or what you are selling. They care only about their needs.

If you are into business selling what only YOU love selling but which few or no people care about, failure is inevitable.

What is the way out?

Never sell bananas in the city of dogs! Dogs don`t care about bananas. You better take your bananas to the city of monkeys or sell bones to the dogs.

As you want to start your own business in Kenya, you have only three options to decide which business to start.

*Option One*

Stop thinking, “What can I sell?” or “Which business can I start?” Start searching for the needs of people in your community, county or country.

By this I mean, start looking for the loophole that is already in existence in the market place.

Ask yourself, what needs do people around here have, that could be fulfilled by a product/service, better than the way some business owners are filling it now?

What can we innovate? What can I do better?

Then, you will creatively build your business around that.

*Option Two*

Make a research to find out the market response (in terms of demand and desire to pay) for the business you would love to start.

In this case, you would love to start a particular business. Don`t just start it. Find out whether there`s a market for it.

It may be your passion, your expertise or you were told it`s very profitable. It doesn`t really matter. You have to first go out, see the market, meet your potential consumers, find out about your competitors (anyone who is already doing the business you are planning to do in your market/territory).

Please, I beg you, don`t ever start a business like an “illiterate business person”. Don`t start selling banana in the city of dogs because you love bananas.

First find out if there are enough “monkeys” that will buy the bananas you are planning to sell.

Many people have gone into business, tried to sell bananas to dogs and failed.

I warn you. Don`t call me if your business fails because you tried to sell bananas to dogs.

*Third Option*

Go and locate your intending business where there`s demand for it.

I have a poet friend by the name Martin. Martin is a good poet, but living in a community where poetry is not appreciated.

What can Martin do?

He needs to market his poetry to a community that appreciates it. If he continues trying to force his service (poetry) into the community he is presently, he will end up being frustrated.

It happens sometimes that there will not be market for what you want to offer (sell) in your present location (or because a strong competitor has taken over the market). The smart thing to do is to move to another market/place.

The above are three, only ways by which a successful business could be started.

The summary of it all is, do not try to sell banana in the city of dogs.

If would you love to go into the restaurant business (for example), you have to start by asking, where do I intend to locate my restaurant? What kind of people live there? Are they mostly students? Are they mostly civil servants? Is this residential or industrial area?

What kinds of meals will these people care about? How much can they afford to pay? Are there restaurants in this area? What are these restaurants doing wrong (that I can do right to win the market)?

Let me give you another example.

If you intend to go into poultry business, you have to sit down (no. Don`t sit down. Go to where you want to have your farm), then make findings, research and ask questions (from yourself and others).

Who are those available to buy your poultry products? Where can you sell your eggs to? Which person or organization will you supply your broiler (grown up chicken) to? Who really cares about your layers (grown up chicken after they are tired of laying eggs.)?

How much are they willing to buy a tray of eggs here or can we sell out to other locations? How much are they willing to buy grown up chickens? Etc.

What is my point here?

Never start a business because someone told you that it`s very profitable. No business is profitable. Yes, you heard me right. No business is profitable. For any business to be profitable, there are some factors to be considered.

Number one of those factors is__ is there good demand for such product or service? Does this product solve a problem people are willing to pay to solve or does it provide a basic human necessity that people are willing to pay for and are there enough people who are willing to pay for it, in the nearest market to you?

Take note of my last statement above__ in the nearest market. What does that mean? It means that you cannot start a certain business in Bungoma, because one of your friends told you that it`s profitable in Nairobi.

You have to first of all familiarize yourself with your intending market and see whether there`s good demand for your intending business (just as I have explained above)

And the good news is that, it`s not actually hard to do. It`s as simple as sitting down to ask yourself many brilliant questions (as I gave examples above) and then go out to your intended business location and watch, look, ask people you need information from and gather your facts.

Don`t be like that man who called me, after he had wasted so much money, energy and time on his fishery business and then found out that there`s no meaningful market to sell his fish to.

I beg you, don`t sell bananas in the city of dogs. If you do, your business will fail.

Written By:
Justine Nyachieo
Business Man & Mentor