The document serves as a guide for aspiring entrepreneurs in Kenya, emphasizing that execution of ideas is crucial for success and that many concepts are not unique. It advises on planning, understanding the competition, seeking co-founders, and the importance of a viable business model with real paying customers. Additionally, it highlights the accessibility of resources for startups today and encourages resilience, hard work, and a focus on personal well-being over the startup's demands.

1. Before
You
Start
Your
Startup
A
Primer
For
Aspiring
Entrepreneurs
In
Kenya
Moses
Kemibaro
26th
September
2013

2. A
li7le
bit
about
me…
• Award
winning
TechBlogger
@
MosesKemibaro.com
• Founder
&
Strategic
Advisor
at
Dotsavvy,
an
Award-­‐winning
Digital
Agency
established
in
Kenya
10
years
ago
• Producer
of
PIVOT
East
2013
–
East
Africa’s
Premiere
Mobile
Startups
CompeSSon
• Sales
Director
for
Africa
at
InMobi,
a
leading
global
mobile
ad
network
in
2012
• Founding
Regional
Manager
at
Dealfish
East
Africa
(Now
OLX
Kenya)
for
online
classifieds
in
2010
&
2011

3. Ideas
are
nothing
without
execuSon
Everyone
has
good
ideas,
the
difference
is
those
who
get
them
done
and
those
who
don’t.

4. Learn
to
earn
Then,
make
the
leap

5. There
is
no
such
thing
as
a
mature
market
Just
ask
Safaricom
to
share
some
ideas
on
how
this
works
–
everything
is
up
for
disrupSon,
EVERYTHING,
even
Safaricom
themselves!

6. Your
idea(s)
are
NOT
unique
Do
your
homework.
Scope
out
the
compeSSon
in
Kenya
and
beyond.
There
is
almost
always
nothing
new
under
the
stars!

7. Don’t
burn
your
bridges
You
could
need
them
later
on

8. Don’t
fall
in
love
with
your
first
business
idea
The
more
business
ideas
you
have
the
be7er
they
get

9. Nothing
succeeds
like
the
look
of
success
Fake
it
Sll
you
make
it(?)

10. Field
test
before
placing
the
big
bet(s)
Its
low
cost
and
low
risk

11. Fish
where
the
fish
are
Use
market
segmentaSon
and
the
80/20
rule,
always!

12. Seek
co-­‐founders
who
complement
you
Spread
the
skill
base
as
your
startup
needs
it

13. Leaders
are
not
born,
they
are
made
Acquire
skills
beyond
your
comfort
zone(s)

14. If
you
fail
to
plan,
you
plan
to
fail
Think
business
plans
and
the
lean
canvas

15. Investors
in
Kenya
tend
to
invest
at
the
NSE
and
buy
real
estate
Therefore,
think
it
through,
why
your
startup
instead?

16. Investors
invest
in
businesses
and
NOT
business
concepts
Build
a
working
business
that
needs
investment
to
grow
and
not
just
to
start,
ideally

17. Don’t.
Get.
Screwed.
By.
Investors!
They
are
“in
it
to
win
it”,
just
like
you,
remember
that
–
nothing
personal,
just
business
as
usual

18. Is
your
startup
idea
globally
scalable?
Think
Global,
Start
Local
(HINT:
Its
worth
it!)

19. Winning
a
startup
compeSSon
does
NOT
mean
your
startup
is
viable
as
a
business
This
is
the
biggest
wake
up
call
for
you.
CompeSSons
do
NOT
make
a
business,
Bub!
Real
paying
customers
do!
J

20. Barriers
to
entry
are
incredibly
low.
Really
low.
Just
do
it!
Never
in
the
history
of
Kenya
has
it
been
easier
to
start
a
startup.
Everything
you
could
need
is
available.
Seriously!

21. The
world
is
your
talent
pool
Outsource
globally
if
you
can’t
get
things
done
locally
to
world-­‐class
standards
–
its
like
being
in
the
global
champions
league,
mate!

22. The
very
best
talent
tends
to
be
very
shy
It
could
be
right
under
your
nose
so
look
really
hard
as
it
could
mean
success
or
failure
for
your
startup

23. Prepare
to
work
really
really
hard!
Its
a
lot
harder
to
execute
than
you
think!
FOCUS
is
key…

24. Thinking
out
of
the
box
is
very
cliché
More
importantly,
BE
unconvenSonal
and
ACT
out
of
the
box!

25. Tenacity
is
the
fuel
to
make
your
startup
succeed
Startups
are
NOT
for
everyone.
Be
prepared
to
fail
even
when
you
did
all
you
could
to
make
it
succeed

26. Blog
what
you
love,
love
what
you
blog
Blogging
is
one
of
the
most
inexpensive
ways
of
building
brand
visibility
for
your
startup.
Just
ask
37Signals.

27. Build
A
Brain
Trust
Experienced
and
Inexperienced
Entrepreneurs
will
help
you
know
what
to
do
when
you
need
it
most

28. Murphys
Law
Happens
What
can
go
wrong
will
go
wrong
–
trust
me
on
this
one!

29. Miracles
do
happen
in
startups
–
honest
to
God
When
they
do
happen,
be
very
very
thankful!

30. Delegate
or
go
mad
Running
a
2
startup
oupit
not
same
as
running
a
20
person
business

31. Business
is
Personal
Friends
and
Family
will
give
you
liq-­‐
off.
Referrals
will
keep
the
business
coming
in

32. Ya
go7a
hustle
some…
Sell
like
your
life
depends
on
it.
True
story!

33. The
fishing
is
best
where
few
dare
to
go
Learn
to
be
daring
–
you
may
actually
win.
Nothing
ventured,
nothing
gained.

34. Your
Health
and
Wellbeing
is
more
important
than
your
startup
Your
family,
your
life,
etc
is
EVERYTHING!

35. Talk
to
me…
Moses
Kemibaro
e:
moses@moseskemibaro.com
b:
www.moseskemibaro.com
t:
@moseskemibaro