SOCIAL MEDIA FOR SMEs IN KENYA

 I think we have come into a time where there is an enormous amount of art where people go: “we need social media”. Now we are in a time where people say: “we have got to get social media measured”.

I think we are only seeing the beginning right now. We are also seeing a lot of copycatting, more than innovation.The other part is taking equity in businesses. It has now started already in various spaces around the world.I think it is a very, very tough game. It is going to take a while for people to feel safe. It has happened but it takes a while.In Kenya the only way it’s going to work is lower offers. You need a couple of success stories. You need to be sitting around the table saying: “I used this site and I just got a 5,000,000 KSH return on my 800,000 KSH.”Establishing an ecosystem and a track record is what is going to be necessary in that space.OpenWorld Ltd is working hand in hand with SMEs in Kenya to beat all odds and use these amazing platforms to make giant leaps in there businesses.

I also believe that the worst problem Kenya faces on the entrepreneurial ecosystem today is that the entrepreneurs who have made it are not helping the entrepreneurs who were there before or are aspiring to become.in that regard,OpenWorld Ltd developed OpenBusiness as a fast,easy,secure and reliable business management tool that entrepreneurial ecosystem needs to really flourish. 

All the guys who have had big exits… where are they?Our CEO's Directors,etc- They are not investing in already flourishing companies,most of them start investing in Small and Medium sized businesses because they make almost the biggest capital share in driving economy in regards to the types of businesses out there.

Entrepreneurs in Kenya need to make their time available even if its through social media because I think Clarity is the future. I’d say LinkedIn is the most amazing way to speak to people. Twitter is an unbelievable lead generation and Facebook gets word out there.Technology is a great connector and a great leveler.Anybody can lead, anybody can contribute but you have got to be real and you have got to be humble.When I look at our website(www.openbusiness.co.ke), I am utterly humbled, constantly, by the quality of work and drive put forward by our team to help and assist SMEs learn and keep that attitude at all stages in their day to day en devours while running their businesses.

Social community, interaction and feedback are what is going to allow us to grow the platform that the SMEs of Kenya deserve to get to where their ambitions,dreams and will would want to take them

CLOUDING FOR SMEs

....."We are in a world where use of mobile & internet technologies is profoundly rampant,creating a bigger room for all type of businesses to embrace the services being offered.That doesn't go away without touching on our SMEs:the most neglected category in our business sector yet the implications they bring is unmatched for.Given the rate at which technologies grow & change, would it be feasible for SMEs to invest so heavily on those technologies? Does it make sense to invest on expensive software,hardware,human resources & updates at a time when they are still finding their feet?Some will give an obviously “NO” answer factoring cost as the major hindrance to enjoying the much fast,easy,secure and reliable platform to doing business on.As SMEs,we shouldn't refrain from this amazing services fearing from high costs. Cloud computing is a technology through which firms host their data or entire network to a third party, saving them the expense of buying and maintaining network infrastructure.Here is a link(www.openbusiness.co.ke.) with a demo that shows how a cloud-based business application tool works with ease,the fastness it offers,security measures put in place for safety and the affordability it gives to SMEs who have been sidelined for a long time. So why should SMEs use cloud computing? Lower hardware & IT costs: Instead of having to invest millions on hardware, software & human resource to run them not to mention attendant costs like power etc, business should simply purchase cloud computing (CC) services to cater for all their needs while running their day to day errands in the business world. Add capacities: Say you own a server & your business gets featured on television or gets positive responses on Facebook. People will naturally want to visit your website. Chances are that your server may crash. However, with cloud computing, these capacities are added on so your website is available to users all the time. As a business you can also add or remove resources depending on the demand. For example, accounting, auditing & tax-based applications work more during closure of financial year. These services can be given priority over other services. Flexibility: Most CC companies offer a pay-as-you-use facility. That is, you only pay for the services you use. Imagine the savings!A good example would be OpenWorld Ltd which has designed a business management tool that caters for all type of business set-ups in Kenya through their module sign-up packages. Cloud computing companies normally offer software based solutions, or a set of applications or even hardware that you might require to run applications.