A Journey of Adaptability in Starting a Business
Introduction
Starting a business is like sailing into uncharted waters. The initial excitement can often be met with unforeseen storms and challenges. In this article, I will recount my personal experiences as an entrepreneur who, teetering on the edge of adversity, made a critical decision to pivot. This journey serves as a testament to the vital role adaptability plays in the challenging world of business.
Our Business Model
In 2016, my co-founder and I started a company in the UAE with the aim of reshaping the tutoring landscape in Saudi Arabia. With over 50 years of combined experience in education and educational management in the Middle East, we saw an opportunity to centralize the mentoring landscape which, at the time, was scattered. Our idea was to create an app that allowed parents to easily “order” a teacher and schedule sessions at their convenience. Inspired by the Uber model, we would then have the teacher “delivered” to the client’s home and complete the session, thereby streamlining the tutoring process. Starting with a B2C approach, we intended to create a buzz before expanding into the B2B market.
Marketing Efforts
To gain traction, our sales team traveled across the country, showcasing our concept in shopping malls, educational institutions, and various public spaces. These campaigns proved moderately successful, as we were able to close several clients and collect valuable feedback. This feedback enabled us to make small modifications and improvements to our services, ensuring our proof of concept was strong and addressing any overlooked practicality issues within our business model.
The Launch: Unexpected Challenges
Despite our preliminary successes and high expectations, the official launch of our project fell flat. We were left puzzled and baffled by the lack of response from the market. Upon closer examination, we realized that culture played a significant role in the unexpected outcome. In 2016, the idea of strangers coming to people’s homes to provide tutoring was met with apprehension and skepticism in Saudi Arabia, particularly with the absence of online apps specifically catered to this purpose. We had underestimated the cultural barriers we needed to overcome.
Pivoting to the B2B Market
In response to these challenges, we decided to adapt our business model and turn our focus towards the corporate sector. Armed with our product, teams, and consultants, we donned our work boots and adopted a more traditional approach. With laptops in hand, we knocked on doors and pitched our services to any potential clients. To our surprise, this strategy proved to be an immediate success. We secured training contracts with major corporations like IKEA, STC, The Ritz Carlton, and Souq.com (now acquired by Amazon). Within a short span of time, we were able to establish long-term agreements at the national level with several of them.
Lessons Learned and Overcoming Cultural Barriers
The reason we were able to successfully pivot from a B2C model to B2B success was that the corporate landscape was already familiar with hiring consultants for various training sessions. This familiarity made it easier for us to enter this market and gain revenue. Building on our success, we utilized the customer base of larger corporations to offer our B2C services through employee loyalty programs. By leveraging the trust and reputation of these brands, we were able to overcome the cultural barrier and position ourselves as a legitimate and trusted tutoring service. This experience taught us the importance of being adaptable and leaving room for pivoting within a business model, especially when entering new markets or facing unforeseen obstacles.
Expanding into the B2C Market
With B2B success under our belt, we reverse-engineered our approach and began targeting the B2C market once again. This time, armed with the credibility and experience gained from working with major corporations, we were able to overcome the previous cultural barriers. Our success stories and positive reputation helped us establish trust among potential clients, transforming us from strangers to trusted partners.
Conclusion
As entrepreneurs, we often lean on our conviction that our ideas can be revolutionary in a given market. However, it is crucial to remain adaptable and be prepared to pivot when necessary. In our case, pivoting to the B2B market first allowed us to gain traction, build credibility, and ultimately succeed in the B2C market as well. Learning from our experiences, it is essential to leave room within your business model for the possibility of pivoting, giving your business idea a second chance to survive and thrive.
Summary
Starting a business is a challenging endeavor that often requires adaptability to navigate unforeseen storms. Based on personal experiences recounted in this article, we learned invaluable lessons about the importance of pivoting in the face of adversity. Our initial foray into the B2C market faced cultural barriers in Saudi Arabia, which led us to pivot towards the B2B market. By adapting our business model and leveraging the corporate landscape’s familiarity with hiring consultants, we were able to secure major contracts and establish long-term agreements. This success, in turn, allowed us to overcome the cultural barriers and re-enter the B2C market with credibility and trust. Through this journey, we learned the importance of being adaptable and always leaving room for the possibility of pivoting within a business model. By doing so, we can give our business ideas a second chance to survive and thrive.
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The opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Starting a business is like sailing into uncharted waters, and the initial excitement can often be met with unforeseen storms. I recount my experiences as an entrepreneur who, teetering on the edge of adversity, made a critical decision to pivot.
From dealing with market dynamics and culture to reinventing the very essence of my business model, this journey is a testament to the vital role it plays adaptability Play in the challenging world of business.
Related: The Pivot Playbook: How to Successfully Turn Adversity into Opportunity
Our business model
In 2016, I started a company in the UAE, together with my co-founder. Our experience in education and educational management totaled over 50 years in the Middle East, and we were steadfast in reshaping the tutoring landscape in Saudi Arabia. We came up with the idea of centralizing the mentoring landscape, as it was scattered at the time. Every traffic light you stopped at would have dozens of sheets of paper taped with the teachers’ names, their phone numbers, the subjects taught, and the hourly rate.
So, we created an app that allowed parents to “order” their teacher and schedule a session at their convenience. The teacher would then be “delivered” to the client’s home using the uber model, and the session would be delivered and paid for once completed. We decided to start with B2C, create a buzz and then, following that, enter the B2B market.
Marketing
Our sales team traveled across the country, touring shopping malls, educational institutions, and virtually any place where people gathered to showcase the concept. get feedback and close clients. The campaigns were moderately successful and we managed to close several clients on the spot, collect feedback and make small modifications to our services accordingly. This not only gave us a proof of concept, but also helped us identify any issues we might have overlooked in terms of the practicality of our business model.
The launch
Having generated interest through our presence, not only on the ground but also through our Online Marketing efforts, we were ready to officially launch our project. Expectations were high based on the preliminary work we had done and the results it generated. However, despite all our initial efforts, when we officially launched…crickets!
My co-founder and I were completely baffled; How could it be that even though our data told us that we were clear on something, the market did not react as we expected? The answer was… culture!
Related: Five Ways Your Brand Can Pivot to Thrive in Uncertain Times
The problem
2016 was just before the rise of online apps in Saudi Arabia, and although people were very interested in the idea during our marketing campaigns and many customers signed up on the spot, the idea of a stranger coming to your house and taught was received with pleasure. people’s apprehension at the time (now, in 2023, this has changed dramatically).
the pivot
So, since we had our product ready, our teams in place, and our consultants ready to go, we adapted our business model and turned to the business sector. I put on my work boots, went totally old-fashioned, and started knocking on doors. With my laptop in hand, I was selling our services to anyone who would listen to me. I approached the largest corporations in the MENA region and it turned out to be an immediate success!
Before long, we had training contracts with companies like IKEA, STC, The Ritz Carlton, and even Souq.com (now acquired by Amazon). And in a short time we were able to close long-term agreements at the national level with several of them.
Related: The 4 secrets to a successful pivot
Learned lessons
The reason we were able to turn our B2C model into a B2B success was that the corporate landscape was already accustomed to hiring consultants for various corporate training sessions, which made it easier for us to enter this market. Now that we were generating revenue, we used the customer base of larger corporations to offer our B2C services through employee loyalty programs they had with their clients. This helped us overcome the cultural barrier, as now we were not “a stranger” coming to the client’s house, but a legitimate couple of the brand they already trusted.
As entrepreneurs, once we think we have an idea that can be revolutionary in a given market, we often go all out hoping the market will respond the way we would like. In my case we were able to pivot and turn it around by reaching the B2B market first, then reverse engineering and pivoting so you can enter the B2C market and be successful. However, I am sure there are many situations where an entrepreneur failed to pivot and his brilliant idea failed. Therefore, make sure that in your business model you leave room for the possibility of pivoting, giving your business idea a second chance to survive.
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