Perhaps one of the most overlooked privileges is not wealth itself, but having enough margin in your life to respond to reality. Over the last few years, we have become fluent in the language of privilege, speaking easily about financial privilege, pretty privilege, racial privilege, passport privilege, educational privilege and social privilege, and in doing so we have become increasingly aware that people do not all start from the same place and that some doors open more easily for some than for others. Yet there is one form of privilege that seems to receive far less attention, and that is the privilege of being able to do something with the information you have, not simply knowing, but acting, because the truth is that information alone changes very little. We like to imagine that if people only knew better, they would do better, and entire industries are built around this assumption, from self-help books and documentaries to podcasts, awareness campaigns, public health initiative...
When starting a business, most entrepreneurs paint a clear picture in their minds of who their ideal customer is. But what if that image is wrong? In Kenya, a mismatch between product and market is one of the most common, yet least understood, reasons why small businesses struggle to gain traction. We often assume our audience is “the middle class” or “urban youth” without understanding who those people really are, what they can afford, or what they value. This article explores the blind spots many Kenyan entrepreneurs face when identifying their target market — and how to fix them. The Myth of the Middle Class Many Kenyan entrepreneurs believe their product or service will appeal to the middle class. But what does 'middle class ' even mean in Kenya? Most use the term loosely — assuming it means anyone who lives in Nairobi, owns a car, or shops in supermarkets. In reality, the economic lines are blurrier. Recent data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) shows tha...