By Bernard Kelvin CLIVE
The importance of creating tailor-made solutions for clients and customers cannot be overstated. In doing business today, knowing your target audience is as important as the product itself.
To genuinely succeed, you need to match your offerings to the needs, lifestyle, and economic capacity of those you aim to serve. Let me illustrate this with a personal experience that left a lasting impression on me.
A few years back, I lived in a middle-class neighborhood in Kotwi, Kumasi. It was a modest area filled with a vibrant mix of small businesses, roadside shops, and a few local offices. This wasn’t the sort of place where one expected high-end retail shops; it catered to the community’s everyday needs. Here, people prioritized affordability and practicality, with most families managing budgets carefully.
One day, a new footwear shop opened nearby. Its branding was striking, with bold colors and a modern look that stood out in the neighborhood. I remember mentioning it to my cousins as we walked by one evening. “We should check it out,” I suggested, intrigued by the shop’s polished exterior. It seemed out of place among the humble structures surrounding it, but that only added to its allure.
A few days later, we walked into the store, excited to see what it offered. From the outside, the place had already positioned itself as something unique—a step above the typical roadside stalls and general shops that dotted the neighborhood. Inside, the layout was stylish, with neatly arranged shelves displaying a range of well-crafted shoes.
Each pair looked sturdy, designed with an eye for detail, and, to be fair, you could tell that these were high-quality products. The ambiance had a touch of sophistication, complete with sleek lighting and an elegant display that made every shoe look like a prized possession.
However, as we started checking the price tags, our excitement quickly gave way to disbelief. Each pair of shoes was marked at prices that would make anyone in the neighborhood pause: ₵1,500, ₵2,000, with the lowest around ₵800.
To put it into perspective, for many people in the area, those prices were close to or even above a full month’s salary. It was like encountering a high-end designer shop in a place where most people preferred and could only afford durable yet affordable footwear.
As we left the store, my cousins and I couldn’t stop talking about it. “Who’s going to buy those shoes here?” one of them asked. It was a good question. We couldn’t deny the quality or even the style of the products, but the price felt completely disconnected from the reality of the local residents.
This wasn’t an affluent neighborhood, nor was it the type of bustling shopping district where people came to splurge on premium products. Instead, it was a practical community where people chose utility over luxury, often driven by necessity rather than indulgence.
Barely two months later, the shop closed. We never found out the specific reasons, but it wasn’t difficult to guess. The mismatch between the shop’s pricing strategy and the neighborhood’s purchasing power had likely played a significant role. No matter how attractive the branding, how sleek the interior design, or how high-quality the shoes were, the fundamental flaw was that the store’s offerings were out of sync with the area’s economic reality.
This experience drove home a principle I often emphasize: understanding your audience is essential. In business, it’s not enough to have a great product or exceptional branding. Your offering needs to be within reach of the people you intend to serve—financially, culturally, and practically. The best products and services will fail if they aren’t tailored to the specific needs and capacities of their target market.
Too often, businesses make the mistake of assuming that quality alone will attract customers. But a product, no matter how refined, won’t sell if it’s out of reach for its intended market. In this case, the footwear shop had an admirable product, but it ignored the economic context of its potential customers. A business that overlooks such details can struggle, no matter how sophisticated its branding or superior its quality.
Reflecting on this experience, I’m reminded of the vital questions every business should ask before launching or expanding: Who is my target audience? What are their needs, preferences, and constraints? And perhaps most importantly, can they realistically afford what I’m offering? These questions aren’t mere formalities; they’re the backbone of any sustainable business strategy.
In every business decision, understanding your market isn’t just prized—it’s a necessity. Your customer’s ability to afford and appreciate your product is as critical as the product itself. When you take the time to align your offerings with the unique needs of your target audience, you increase your chances of lasting success. The lesson here is simple but powerful: to build a business that thrives, tailor your solutions to the lives of those you serve. Quality matters, but accessibility and fit matter just as much.
The Power of Knowing Your Market
The power of knowing your market became even clearer with what happened next. After the closure of the footwear shop, the same space reopened, but this time with a fresh approach: it became an eatery. From the moment it opened its doors, the difference was unmistakable. Where once the storefront had been largely quiet and unvisited, now there was a steady flow of people coming in and out, both day and night.
The eatery offered something that the community needed: affordable, well-prepared food. It quickly became clear that this business understood what the previous one hadn’t. Food is not just a product—it’s a necessity.
It doesn’t require the same level of deliberation or budget juggling that a high-end purchase like premium footwear demands. People in the neighborhood could walk in, grab a meal within their budget, and walk out satisfied. There was no sticker shock, no feeling of financial overreach. And because it fits the everyday lifestyle and priorities of the residents, the eatery thrived where the shoe store had struggled.
This situation was a vivid example of the importance of aligning a business with the realities of its target market. The eatery’s owners had chosen a product that not only matched the needs of the community but also suited its budget.
They seemed to understand a principle the shoe store had missed entirely: no matter how attractive a product might be, if it doesn’t connect with the core needs and capacity of the people around you, it simply won’t succeed.
One of the interesting things about business is that it’s not just about what you want to sell; it’s about what people are actually ready to buy. In this neighborhood, people needed affordable essentials more than they needed luxury items, and food was an ideal choice. The eatery tapped into an everyday market—a market that was sustainable because it addressed a basic, recurring need.
Looking back, I couldn’t help but think about how often businesses make similar mistakes. Entrepreneurs are sometimes so driven by their own vision that they overlook the realities of the market they’re entering. They’re convinced that their idea is so good, so unique, that people will surely buy it. And while belief in one’s product is vital, so is humility—an openness to assess and adapt to the environment. Without this, there’s a risk of creating a business that serves only one person’s vision, rather than the practical needs of the intended market.
In fact, this lesson applies across all fields of business. It’s not enough to just have a quality product or a brilliant idea; those alone don’t guarantee success. You have to know your audience, their needs, preferences, and limits.
Some markets simply won’t support premium prices or niche products, no matter how valuable those products might be to a different group of people. In some cases, what the market demands are practical, everyday solutions that align with the purchasing power and lifestyle of the community.
When you don’t take these factors into account, you risk misalignment—a mismatch between what you’re offering and what people need or can afford. And that misalignment can be the downfall of even the most promising businesses. On the other hand, when you get it right, when you’re tuned into the needs of your audience, you’re positioned for success.
The new eatery understood this concept well. Its owners didn’t have to worry about elaborate marketing strategies or high-end branding. They relied on something more powerful: meeting an immediate need. By offering affordable meals, they provided value that was readily understood and embraced by the people in the area. There was no need to convince customers of the importance of their product, as it was something they already valued and used every day.
The story of the footwear shop and the eatery drives home the message that understanding your market isn’t just helpful; it’s critical. Your environment, community, and even cultural setting all influence how well a product or service will perform. A business that doesn’t take these factors into account is a business that’s working against itself. But when you align with the reality of the market, you’re building a business that people will value because it’s tailored to their lives.
In every business venture, it’s important to continuously evaluate and adjust your offerings to fit the audience’s needs, preferences, and purchasing power. The right product, positioned correctly, can build loyal customers and create steady growth. But a mismatched product, no matter how high-quality, will struggle to find traction.
So, here’s the takeaway: know your market inside and out. If something isn’t working, take a step back and reassess. Maybe the issue isn’t the product’s quality or even the business’s effort—it could be that the product doesn’t fit the community it’s intended to serve. To succeed in any business, we must be willing to refine and tailor our offerings not just to serve our own vision but to serve the reality of the market.
Let me hear from you regarding your branding and book publishing needs.
Bernard is a leading authority on personal branding and digital book publishing in Africa. With over a decade of experience in digital publishing, he has been a trusted consultant for entrepreneurs, pastors, and individuals looking to build their brands and write their books.
To learn more about Bernard and his work, visit www.BKC.name. WhatsApp: +233244961121
