CORPORATE SCENE
their services and those that are looking for what they offer can contact them . It is thus an aggregator of these professionals in one place matching the available skills to those in need of them .
Kinda Connect on other hand was launched based on two insights from a research we did . On one hand we found out that SME ’ s especially Start-Ups may not have the resources to hire University Graduates or Diploma holders full time yet they need such talent from time to time . We therefore set up the site where they can log in and connect with our wide database and pick the person they are looking for and hire them for whatever period they need them .
The second insight was that people especially the young have more than one talent which they can offer to different organizations some even at the same time . For example one could be a sales person but is a good writer or editor . The person can offer their sales skills during the day for one organization and edit articles for a website , blog or magazine during their free time . The site therefore matches those with the requisite skills to those searching for them especially for short time contracts or gigs . It ’ s important to keep in mind that whatever Kinda one looks at the emphasis is always how they can empower the youth and women .
Our Unique Selling Proposition
We sat down wondering what would set us apart . It was important that we stand out . There are two reasons . The first is that I have learnt to always put the consumer we are targeting at the center of whatever we do . We have built our organization from the need of the consumer . We identify the gap and work backwards . The second is our mission of empowering women and the youth means we have a razor sharp focus keeping us on a narrow path . This has proved a critical pillar of our success so far . To add to this we are always researching to keep the pulse of our customer and market place . Changes to any means we have to tweak our products or the way we deliver . Removing guess work and being intentional in all we do are big for Signifide . We believe that is our USP .
Managing in different Markets
Being in different countries has its challenges especially now during Covid-19 when one cannot travel as much as we did during the precovid days . However we have a good team of passionate well trained , mainly young people , in each market . We have ensured that they have bought into our mission , that ’ s very important . Given that most of our products offer digital solutions , one can work from anywhere without requiring us to have a physical presence in those countries . Technology has made things that much possible today . Where necessary we have developed partnerships with organizations that mirror our mission and vision .
Challenges
We face normal challenges of being a young company , a Start-Up so to speak . We are boot strapping . It takes time to grow a brand and finances take time to build . Secondly it takes longer to convince clients when one is young in business , with some requiring a long list of references , which means you spend more time and resources selling yourself compared to established organizations . But as we build a data base things are getting better one step at a time . Thirdly despite leveraging technology , operating in different markets each with its own nuances can pose challenges some which can blind side us . For nothing beats face to face meetings .
I have learnt to work within my consultancy opportunities to build a name for the company and we have been able to grow that way ... the excellent results from my consulting work provide me the confidence to speak up about my business and the boldness to ask for opportunities , where I see any . We recently were
“... When there ’ s a need that sits with you , burns you and makes you uncomfortable and you have the potential and sit in a space where you can come up with a solution and you are able to GET UP and answer to the call , then the career has chosen you ...” invited to talk to a set of tech entrepreneurs in Kenya on our journey , and we have been awarded a fully funded young apprentice from the same programme to run our digital marketing .
Any woman specific challenges ?
Yes and no . Yes because the digital space that we are in is very male centric . It ’ s dominated by men for historical reasons rather than by design . I say no because I did face challenges in my working career and learnt how to navigate the terrain . That is the reason I ’ ve decided to focus on women as I am aware of the challenges they face . Fortunately the push for gender equality and inclusion is bearing fruits and things are much better today , a far cry from when I started my career . This is not to say that there are no difficulties faced by women . I am only lucky that by taking on the interest from an early age , I ’ ve been able to learn , come up with solutions and I am probably more aware than my fellow women making it a little less difficult for me .
Effects of Covid-19
Covid-19 has been a mixed bag for us . We are an organization that mostly provides digital solutions which by their very nature promote physical distancing by reducing contact which were by default curated for this season . I say this because Covid-19 has had some unintended consequences as it has accelerated the uptake of digital products thus giving wings to services like ours . Every coin has two sides , though , and on the negative side it ’ s harder to close business with potential clients when pitches and meetings are digital . Lack of physical meetings means that we are taking longer to sign up clients . Services that need demonstration on how they work are thus disadvantaged . The other challenge is training our client ’ s teams on our products once we onboard them . Before Covid-19 it was straight forward we would hold the training session in a hotel and all would be on the same page by the end of the day . Today however using digital means that team members are scattered in different places . This makes it more challenging as interaction , a critical ingredient in training , is reduced considerably . However we are navigating this new terrain as best as we can .
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