The heart of every successful business is knowing your customers well.
🙌 MESH Biz' Class Week 2: How To Find Your Customers!
This week, we’ll focus on customer research and creating a picture of who they are.
James alikua anataka kuanza biz ya kuuza food, but he knew there were already so many around.
Instead of guessing what might work, ali-decide kuuliza questions. He spoke to a dozen people in his extended family and friends group who worked in offices or retail jobs.
Ali-keep it casual but purposeful, asking questions like:
• "Hey, I see you make long days at the office. How do you keep your energy up?"
• "What do you do for food during the day?"
• "Can you walk me through your food options? What do you like or dislike about them?"
• "What does it cost you, and how do you feel about that?"
• "Have you tried anything else? What was that experience like?"
• "Who else do you think I should talk to about this?"
Through hizi conversations, James ali-discovered watu wengi with on-location jobs hu-struggle ku-find good, healthy lunch options na ziko affordable and convenient.
Hii insight ilimpatia a clear direction: offering healthy, affordable lunches delivered right to their workplace.
Now let’s look at Wambui. Alikua anataka ku-build a graphic design business but hakua sure where to focus her energy. She reached out to small business owners she knew and asked:
• "How do you usually create posters or flyers for your business?"
• "How do you feel about the results you’re getting? Are they effective?"
• "What’s most important to you in a design—cost, speed, or quality?"
• "If you could wave a magic wand, what would your perfect design process look like?"
• "Who else do you think I should talk to about this?"
Hizi conversations zili-reveale that most small business owners hu-struggle ku-create professional designs ku-attract customers, and they didn’t know where to find affordable, reliable designers.
Hii insight ili-help Wambui ku-position herself as the go-to person for clean, professional designs tailored to small businesses.
Hii ndio huitwa customer research.
What is Customer Research and why does it matter?
Customer research huku-help ku-understand who you are serving, their needs, and how your biz, product or service can solve their problems. By knowing your customers, you can:
• Create products or services that fit their needs.
• Stand out from your competitors.
• Price yourself the best way.
Assignment: Find Your People
This week, try ku-have meaningful conversations, jaribu bonga wa watu about biz yako. Here’s how to get started:
Step 1: Pick a group of people to talk to.
These could be friends, family, colleagues, or anyone who might represent your future customers.
Step 2: Use James and Wambui’s questions as inspo to have conversations with them.
Wako na problems gani na wana-need solutions?
Wako willing ku-spend how much?
What are their current options?
Step 3: Remember any patterns or cool info you hear.
What are the common challenges or frustrations people mention? Use hii info ku-come up with ideas for solutions you can give them through your biz.
Get Feedback
Come kwa live session and share what you've discovered with other MESHERS kwa hii post or on our socials!
Una-struggle ku-figure out your customers? Join our live online session to discuss ideas with fellow MESHERS and mentors!
đź—“ Date: 23/01/2025
đź•’ Time: 3:00PM to 4:00PM
🎤 Guests & Mentors: Mary - Animator. Julio Ogutu - Ice cream Biz. Joan Moraa - Bead work and Sales Agent.
đź”— Link to join online live session na other MESHERS:
Hii session ni chance yako ku-get feedback and learn from other biz owners- don't miss it!
COMING UP
Next week, tuta-handle competition, finding out how other people in the same biz are doing it, what we can learn from them and how to stand out. Stay tuned!
Ku-join the online biz class and receive notifications each week, sign up here