The time had come to test all ideas, products and services this should be done the cheapest and easiest way. This is called the Minimal Viable Product (MVP)
LUCY – Fast Food within Eldoret University
> Lucy did market research within the university in order to see buying behaviour, preference and if there is demand for her business.
> Lucy tested her ability to cook and sell chips which were previously proven within market research that this was a popular and preferred menu item. (Lucy made profit)
Lucy also discovered that instead of creating wastage, crisps could be made with the left over potatoes too small for chips
> Lucy tested selling samosas which was also previously proven within market research this was a popular and preferred menu item. (Lucy again made profit) – the interesting point about this test was that Lucy had already sold 20 samosas before even arriving to the hotel whom agreed for Lucy to sell her menu items. This generous hotel being Joy Bringers.
> Finally, Lucy tested fast food delivery demand, this was due to the fact that Lucy needed a unique selling point, a value proposition, a factor which differentiates her from competition as market research allowed us to understand there were more competitors than first believed. The results were positive, Lucy decided this job position could be advertised though university, paid through commission and would not only benefit her but also students and staff.
> Once understanding her before and after canvas, understanding financial records and the importance of separation of personal and business funds. I believe that Lucy’s business idea benefited most through multiple testing, her amazing supportive network connections and her value proposition discovered and shown within her strategy canvas.
Lucy was always determined, constantly communicating and very supportive. I hold a lot of love for Lucy, she made my job in Kenya so much easier and I hope to visit her in the future. Balloon Kenya wasn’t just work, it was friendship building. I hope her and her son is enjoying themselves and I hope to one day meet her fantastic husband Ive heard so much about. I miss Lucy a lot.
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MARY – Selling Women’s mitumba (bundles of second hand tops)
> Firstly Mary performed market research through the relevant customer segments; Women in local offices, in town and around universities, this was to find out demand and whether interest could be further influenced through a social media connection ‘WhatsApp’
> The second test consisted of Mary’s business card, Mary chose her favourite colours and what she specifically wanted written, she posed for her photo and Mary was chuffed with Rosalies results.
> Continuing with her minimal viable customer channel ‘WhatsApp’, Mary decided that the way in which she can generate additional interest and grow within her current business would be through use of her cousins business, this was a fantastic idea. Her cousin sold jewellery therefore was relevant with Mary’s business; and Mary did not have to spend money on products, but simply access photos through her cousin, advertise on her WhatsApp page and if/when there was demand, Mary would sell these products.
> Marys business benefited mostly through organisation of personal and business finances. Mary was successfully using her cash book, recording all of her cash in’s and cash out’s, before she knew it she could understand where she was making money, how much profit/loss was being made each day, and how much money lies in the business at all times. with two weeks of this information, Mary also discovered how much she could physically give herself as a salary.
Mary was full of warmth, always with a smile and without fail always working, she has a beautiful daughter and an amazing family which I genuinely feel so grateful to meet. Mary and her cousin Mary (also an aspiring entrepenuer within the programme) had similar businesses and personalities. Mary’s once said she would love to bring her daughter to England for a holiday, all I can say to this is Mary; you are always welcome to stay with me.
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GLADYS– Dairy selling business
> Gladys began testing thorough market research. Research resulted in finding competitor rates for locals and businesses in order to find her value preposition/unique selling point (affordable cheaper pricing)
> Gladys continued market research in order to discover demand for her product (milk) which there was.
> Gladys chose her favourite colours for her business card and the crucial details needed. I finalised her branding in order for her customers to recognise an allow Galdys to stand out through competition. Gladys was happy with her business cards and the posters which were placed around her area directing people to her home where she would sell milk by the litre. Gladys minimal viable product was in fact her promotion and the polythene bags which held the milk sold. Gladys needed nothing more, she had her cows, boiling resources and holding containers; she had determination, support, motivation and an optimistic approach.
> Gladys’ most beneficial aspect appeared to be her strong friend base, Every time we met with Gladys, she had a different friend with her! every street we continued down, Gladys would greet another friend, she knew business owners and a lot of neighbours. It was actually quite funny how many people she knew. Such a strong strength to have when attempting to redirect business to yourself, friendship, loyalty, commitment and trust.
> Gladys did her demand market research for selling mala…basically yoguart (Under unrefrigerated storage, milk becomes sour in a matter of hours after milking. This is due to the action of natural lactic acid bacteria on the milk sugar, turning it to lactic acid which causes the milk protein to coagulate. Traditionally, most communities in Africa and Kenya in particular have used this natural fermentation to produce a variety of fermented milks for home consumption). The results were positive and allowed Gladys to know this could be a future development in order to achieve business growth.
> Creating a strategy canvas allowed Gladys to see where else she could beat competition other than her pricing, this appeared to be delivery.
Gladys was fab, I loved her energy and how large her friend base was. I enjoyed many times dancing when supposed to be working. She was fun, bubbly and would always make an average day seem like a party. I believe she has a strong chance of being successful within her community and hope that one day we can have a dance again 🙂
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EMMY- Convenience Store 
> Emmy wanted to pursue her idea of fresh fruit and vegetables and see whether there were any other items that her customers wanted that she hadn’t identified. Emmy has a very loyal customer base and she knows all of them personally, so instead of asking people around her neighbourhood, she asked everyone that came into her shop. Emmy started doing covert market research, by doing a tally chart of all the items that people asked for that she didn’t have. From this one can see that Orange credit and paraffin were the most in demand items so we bought them first. 
> She bought 10 X 20 Orange credit and it sold out in 5 days.
> After asking customers what their favourite types we started with 200ml bottles of Nice & Lovely coco butter and aloe Vera.
> It seemed that there was an excessive number of soaps in Emmy’s shop so we tried to ask customers and competitors which ones they wanted to buy. Menengai is one that you cut up so profit margins are good even when you buy it from the supermarket. and it sold out in 5 days.
> She bought sufuria, buckets and slippers. Plates and cups are too expensive for her currently.
4 Sufuria sold out in 4 days! This is definitely a useful addition to the shop. She’s sold 1 each of slippers and buckets. All of them have good profit margins too.
> Emmy wanted to find out where people did their shopping normally, what they needed to go into town for and what they bought most often. From this we could work out what people needed in their daily lives that Emmy wasn’t providing.
Vegetables and ugali proved to be the highest therefore Emmy tested Vegetables. 
To work out which vegetables to stock we found out which were bought regularly, and the majority said Sukuma, cabbage, onion, tomato and manangu. They also said that they buy their vegetables in the evening, which gives Emmy time to get them during the day if need be. She’s focussing on cabbage, tomato, onion and Sukuma for now, and sells them cut too as it saves a lot of time for her customers.
> Emmy could develop her business in the future by expanding into fruits too, most popular, with her customers were mainly oranges, with a few bananas and mangoes. She will introduce these when she has the funds. Oranges keep well so are good to sell.
> Emmy benefitted most through her volume profit matrix, she understood her business would benefit most through observing customer purchase behaviour then proceeding to minimise, expand, eliminate and which to purchase in bulk in order to achieve the discount for relevant products.
> Another area Emmy benefitted most was her finances which she took pride in so much, she was great, with so many sales each day, with constant supply buying; she never failed to keep up. It was not a case of how much money input she needed for her business but merely organisation and correction in operations management.
I had so much faith with Emmy and appreciated that she never gave up, working from the hours of 6am-9pm. I had a lot of respect. She is accommodating and positive. Emmy would shower us with hospitality every day we visited her shop, my favourite part were the mendazi’s (similar to donuts) she made, they were by far the best I had tasted in Eldoret. Emmy and her husband were so sweet, so hard working and so positive about everything.
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PATRICK– Photographer (events:birthdays/weddings/schools)
> Patrick first conducted market research to find out the demand for photography among: individuals and organisations, current competitors in the market, why consumers want photos and videos, as well find out consumers’ views on videography services which is one of the areas Patrick was interested in expanding into. One of the organisations spoken to (a church) highlighted that video (film) isn’t as durable as photos (can be damaged easier) and this is one reason videography is less popular. Other photographers also have digital cameras (capable of taking high quality photos) and other photographers can also edit photos undermining Patrick’s competitive advantages. There was a lot of variety in terms of potential customers. For example, there were individual consumers who may want a photo for their business, or to remember a special occasion. There were also organisational customers such as schools who may need a photographer to record a school photo, or a hotel who needs an event photographer.
> Patricks next set of testing was demand, he chose his business card colours, what information was needed, posed for his picture and Mayur created his business card. This was distributed successfully networking with a number of businesses, achieve 1 freelance event with the Balloon Kenya Eldoret Fellows and provisionally booked 2 other events.
> Patricks third step of testing was the Balloon Kenya Eldoret Fellows Wavy Garms Party. Patrick sold 37 medium sized photos many of which were decorated (with frames and writing) helping support the notion that Patrick’s photography and ability to add in fames is demanded
> One interesting opportunity emerged during the Balloon Kenya party that Patrick worked at. A lot of the Fellows wanted access to the photos online (rather than hardcopies). It will be interesting to see if this pattern also features among local Eldoret residents. If so Patrick can start charging a fee to share the photos online (due to popularity in social media sites such as Facebook) or provide access online once customers have sent the hardcopy copy. Patrick’s photographs were highly demanded during the Balloon Kenya Party however many people wanted these photos because of their novelty. It is important that Patrick further tests his demand photo decoration among local Eldoret residents to make these results more reliable.
> The final stage of testing was gaining contracts. Patrick distributed 11 business cards to these 13 businesses. Patrick gained unconfirmed upcoming event job positions and Patrick gained 1 confirmed annually continuing job. Not only did patrick earn a job at a upcoming event within a school, this will continue each June, each year!! Fab.
Patrick’s testing started off a little slow, he was hardworking and determined albeit his business was a difficult one, with so much competition and little useful resources Patrick never failed to continue. He gathered experience and constructive criticism until Patrick successfully gained contracts. He was very kind and I will always appreciate him helping my Swahili progression, Patrick taught me words, phrases culture and interesting tribal ways. Thank you so much Patrick! It’s a shame we didn’t have more time together.
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We did unfortunately have our 6th member of the Committed Warriors discontinue the programme, This was sad to all 5 of the entrepreneurs and all 3 of us fellows.
I wish them well in their full commitment to their final year of University 🙂 He was strong, independent and intelligent. I have no doubt that Stephen will create a business or two in the future once finalising University.
lauraballoonkenya 