Jérôme Lapaire
Requested about a number of the enterprise classes he has learnt, Jérôme Lapaire, founding father of the Africa-focused eyeglasses firm Lapaire, emphasises the significance of being prepared to shut down a enterprise unit that isn’t working. He cites his choice to desert the corporate’s first business-to-business (B2B) method, which targeted on promoting to firm workers.
The enterprise, which now has 58 shops in seven African international locations, initially adopted a method of reaching potential prospects by their workplaces, reasonably than by direct gross sales. Lapaire despatched chilly emails to Kenyan firms, providing their workers free eye exams and the choice to buy his firm’s inexpensive eyewear.
A number of distinguished firms in Kenya signed up, together with Uber, Bidco and Broadway Bakery.
Working from Lapaire’s condo, he and his small staff – comprising two workers – travelled to firms by motorcycle with cellular testing kits. The corporate replicated this mannequin in Côte d’Ivoire and to some extent in Burkina Faso.
Though B2B gross sales have been the inspiration of the enterprise and worthwhile, Lapaire realised that it wasn’t a scalable mannequin. Challenges included complicated unit economics, a finite variety of potential company shoppers, frequent postponement of occasions, and employees usually ready idly for assignments to firms.
“I mentioned we have to cease it and, sure, we’ll lose prospects, we’ll lose income, however it doesn’t matter – the B2C method, the place we drive folks to our location, is extra scalable,” he explains.
Learn our full interview with Jérôme Lapaire: Entrepreneur capitalises on Africa’s demand for inexpensive eyeglasses
