Nairobi . I said the business is better than cabs because camels don ’ t take fuel , only water , and after a long while .
He asked how much I make . I said about 2k per week for each camel . He asked how I got them . I told him I bought them from Isiolo and they came walking . So , delivered at no extra cost .
The business seemed to make sense . I could see the guy nodding his head and really getting interested . On my part , it was all made up to pass time .
We parted ways and I actually forgot about this camel thing . A week later , I went back to the same hotel and asked his wife , ‘ where is my friend Peter ?” She told me he is gone to Isiolo . Ooh no ! The dude took me seriously . I never went back to that hotel . Would you ?
People or companies that pioneer things do not necessarily become the leaders in that market . It is those who copy and improve their versions who win .
In their book , Great by Choice , Collins and Morten notes : “ Gillete didn ’ t pioneer the safety razor , Start did . Polaroid didn ’ t pioneer the instant camera , Dubroni did . Microsoft didn ’ t pioneer the personal computer spreadsheet , VisiCorp did . Amazon did not pioneer online bookselling and AOL did not pioneer online internet service ”.
Herman Githinji is a seasoned marketing practitioner and law graduate from the University Of Nairobi . Currently the CEO Bidco Land O ’ Lakes Company that makes quality Animal Feeds using American Technology . You can commune with him on this and related issues via email on : Hermangithinji @ gmail . com .