Market opportunities that most of us miss…

I think most of us know this story, right? As follows:

Back in the mid- 19th century two shoe salesmen were sent to Africa to see if there was a market for their product. 
The first salesman reported back by morse code, “This is a terrible business opportunity, no-one wears shoes, no market.”

The second salesman reported back a few hours later, “This is a fantastic business opportunity, no-one wears shoes, great market.”

This story is often used, and I myself tell it from time to time, to illustrate optimism, creative business development, perspective, etc. 
But you know what? It can really actually be used to talk about real, current and significant business opportunities in and of itself- in Africa and in many places across the developing world.

Most people I know, and I think I was guilty of the same for many years, don't really connect between the developing world and business opportunity, they see these places as highly unstable, poor, corrupt, far, foreign, risky and, in short…not our cup of tea. 
Are they missing something? 
I think they are, I have always been fascinated by the opportunity to use good business to do good things for people who need it most.

Let's look at these facts and figures to see just how interesting all this might be- from both a business and human perspective:

· 3.7 billion people worldwide live on less than $3 a day, about half the world. People living in poor areas end up spending more money than those in more affluent areas for goods and services like water and electricity, which means if one can reduce cost for such essentials then there will be market opportunities.
· Most of these same poor people lack clean, safe, affordable energy, safe access to water, basic sanitation, basic education, basic medical care (access to doctors is limited if at all possible to many)- new technologies that can provide these things can open up new markets and help millions in their lives and struggles.
· Over the past 10 years or so, 6 of the ten fastest growing countries in the world were in Africa, overall growth rates in Africa, Asia and Latin American are far higher than OECD countries- something is going on!
· Social entrepreneurship- the marriage of business modeling and management to social problems- has been evolving, thereby opening up new vistas. Increasingly companies, communities and people at large are beginning to pay attention to the "triple bottom line"-providing social value in tune with environmental sustainability as well as creating profit. In the developing world the opportunity is to earn a fair profit through high volume sales at an affordable cost to large populations.
·  What area of the world do you think has the largest growing mobile phone market? The US? Europe? Israel? Wrong, wrong, wrong- Africa! There are more mobile subscribers in Africa or the EU, as Africans are quickly moving up the technological learning curve, using mobile apps for banking, farming, communicating with authorities, among many other uses.

I have always admired business managers, owners and entrepreneurs who went out of the way to think differently, and not only for their own sake but for the sake of others. 
Today, more than ever, it is possible to make money and do good- let's keep our eyes on those who need it most.

Where do we find those salesmen who see the shoes instead of the barefoot feet?