Identify Opportunities

Selecting the right business model is the most critical factor in determining the likely success of a new business. What types of businesses can a poor person start? It is easiest to start a business that initially sells products or services to neighbors or in the local village.

We look for business opportunities that many thousands of people can start with initial investments of no more than a few hundred dollars, and that are so profitable that entrepreneurs will recover their investment in the first three to six months.

This is “farm time.” Farmers are used to putting their money in the ground for short periods while they wait for the harvest. A payback period of one to two years will be unacceptable to them and so it is unacceptable to KickStart.

Local first. Then City. Then Global.

These new businesses must initially serve the needs of other poor people. As the businesses grow and the entrepreneurs become more experienced they can expand their market to include the local town and then can start selling to middlemen who sell in the local city and even to export markets.

But these business opportunities usually require some kind of equipment or tool.