Our Approach

KickStart takes the following steps to achieve its development goals:

1. Research Markets

Identify High Potential Small Scale Business Opportunities

Market and subsector studies identify profitable small enterprises that can be established by local entrepreneurs with limited capital investments. They examine raw materials, competing products, potential market demands and constraints and opportunities for small enterprises.

2. Design New Technologies

Develop Technologies and Business Packages

KickStart designs and develops the tools, equipment, manuals, and business plans required for establishing the identified small enterprises. We also design and produce the tooling and quality control procedures required for manufacturing the new equipment.

3. Train Manufacturers

Train Manufacturers to Produce the New Technologies

KickStart trains private manufacturers to mass-produce the new machines and tools. We train them to set-up production assembly lines using the tooling designed by KickStart and train them how to do quality control.

4. Promote the Technologies

Market the New Technologies to Local Small-Scale Entrepreneurs

KickStart promotes the new technologies and installs them in the private sector to ensure that they are well known, easily available, and purchased by thousands of small-scale investors. This is a difficult job because we are selling "big ticket" items to those that have little money. Our buyers tend to be very risk adverse with limited exposure to mass media and advertising.

KickStart recruits and trains a network of local retail shops (over 120 shops in Kenya alone) in cities, towns, and small market centers around the country. KickStart then buys the technologies from the manufacturers and sells them with a mark-up to the retailers.

Finally KickStart develops and uses cost-effective marketing tools to promote and market the new equipment to local entrepreneurs. Including:

• Live Demonstrations at the Retailers
• Radio and Newspaper Advertisements
• Mobile Truck Mounted Demonstrations in Local Villages
• Demonstrations at Local Shows and Exhibitions
• Commissioned Sales Staff
• Discounts and Sales

The local entrepreneurs/investors buy the technologies from the retailers and use them to establish profitable new businesses.

5. Monitors its Impacts

KickStart Monitors the Cost-Effectiveness and Impacts of its Program

It measures the number of new businesses and jobs created and the amount of new profits and new wages earned by the new entrepreneurs and their employees. These impacts are compared to the costs of the program.

KickStart's state-of-the-art Impact Monitoring and Reporting Unit tracks and records key indicators. The new machines are sold with a one-year guarantee and the guarantee forms are used to track the number of technologies sold and the names and locations of the buyers. The purchasers' details are recorded on a computerized database and KickStart's monitoring staff visit a random selection of purchasers to interview them at their premises. They are visited when they first buy the new equipment and again one and two years later. KickStart staff administer detailed questionnaires and gather statistical data to determine the impact of the new businesses.