SaloneBuy

SaloneBuy Provides a platform for buying, selling locally or internationally thus solving the problem of personal networking, sourcing local or international goods, e.g., someone want to rent a house, you can easily download the app and search for your house and contact seller easily without the need of an agent or the need for a local social megaphone or just a place for users to meet online. Same goes to someone who want to rent their home or sell their cars, they can just take a picture of their product and upload it to the app.

More than 90% of businesses in Sierra Leone has no Website, our mission is to provide Users the ability to buy and sell online.

Half of the businesses in Africa lack online presence with no website or a landing page which has contributes to Low income and exposure for businesses, unemployment and Poverty, Poor Standards of business delivery and customer satisfaction with little or no Connection and trust between sellers and customers who need their services. No Job/work flow data existing in communities showing demand and supply and lack of technological know-how in which half of the population still use personal networking and traditional advertisement such as radio, television and newspaper.

This has affected more than 800 Million in over 54 African countries. At SaloneBuy that's why our mission is to provide Users the ability to buy and sell online and to be a leading classified mobile app promoting local businesses in Africa online.

This will greatly contribute a huge revenue for local and small business and give them the platform to connect online. 

First one stop page for adverts, community dialog, searchable database type platform in Sierra Leone.

Provides a platform for buying, selling, and communicating locally or internationally thus solving the problem of personal networking That’s the beauty of this platform…it can solve unlimited problems because it is alive to a certain extent… free classifieds for humanity meme let go for the world to use and only limited by the user’s imagination…and our terms for use.

salonebuy is modeled after the incredibly successful Craigslist.com, one of the most visited sites with 50 BILLION-page views per month.  With Craigslist only having five portals in Africa I felt that online classifieds with a forum and searchable database was a needed service with unlimited growth and social impact potential. 

Having been involved in consistently hacking this solution for close to three years. We are the first listing-customer solution that fully aims to represent, the non-digital savvy advertisers, and still ensure quality is not tampered with.

we conducted a lot of surveys on different focused groups, through questionnaire, interviews etc . 

Our solution is offered everywhere, we aim to have major representation in every major city we are in, and our platform can be accessed via Mobile Apps (Android, IOS, and Windows), Web - (Via any browser at all) with a very high responsiveness and consumed less data, we can also be met via physical walk-ins to our office. currently we have access to about 1,500 businesses pre-launch. 

Our target population include SMEs, local businesses, B2C , real estate owners, etc. We have reps reach out to various business unions and cooperatives, Digital marketing to get clients and customers use the platform. Traditional marketing (radio, TV, stickers etc.) and via large events, B2B partnerships with organizations (Churches, Mosques etc.) 5) Community engagements, contests and Influencers.

SaloneBuy directly aligns with the Salve's Digital Inclusion Challenge goals 

scaling technological solutions to generate positive impact. salonebuy redresses the problem of local businesses to be able to connect with clients and have online presence, a problem which translates into the Grants priority issues, including access to the digital economy, and education. The application offers a solution to local invisibility and it’s detrimental effects by: 1) Providing a platform to buy and sell; 2) First one stop page for adverts, community dialog, searchable database platform in Sierra Leone; and 3) More number of customers and Increase in sales.

Already, we have a completed website and android version of the app, partnership signed with some business owners with a Listings of over 5,000 and 1,000 Daily users , 2,000 Registered businesses 31,000 Monthly hits, over 1,300 mobile app downloads and a revenue of over $8,000 in 2020.

Yes, this is not a completely new innovation, but we are way different and better. Having been involved in consistently hacking this solution for close to
three years.
We are the first listing-customer solution that fully aims to represent, the non-digital savvy local businesses, and still ensure quality is not tampered with.
The User Interface, customer journey and customer experience - we use analytics to optimize the experience for each user (both client and customer) Scope (we're have a larger coverage).

1) Our business model, revenue model approach, and persona of users that exceeds what most existing business have today. The User Interface, customer journey and customer experience - we use analytics to optimize the experience for each user (both client and customer).

2) First one stop page for free adverts, free community dialog, free searchable database type platform in Sierra Leone. Yes, this is not a completely new innovation, but we are way different and better. Having been involved in consistently hacking this solution for close to three years. We are the first listing-customer solution that fully aims to represent, the non-digital savvy advertisers, and still ensure quality is not tampered with.

3) Platform Variability - Our solution is offered everywhere, we aim to have major representation in every major city we are in, and our platform can be accessed via Mobile Apps (Android, IOS, and Windows), Web - (Via any browser at all) with a very high responsiveness and consumed less data, we can also be met via physical walk-ins to our office and provide strong customer support. currently we have access to about 1,500 businesses pre-launch.

4) Futuristic application: SaloneBuy is not just about customer and seller connection, although this is our start point, we aim to be the major drivers and contribution to progress that steers Africa's transition to the 4th Industrial revolution, combining huge data analytics and A.I models to help us transit.

SaloneBuy currently have a Listings of over 5,000, 1,000 Daily users, 2,000 Registered businesses 31,000 Monthly hits, and currently serves more than 1,400 mobile app downloads since the launch of the app in less than one year.

 In reality, we estimate that the total number of individuals positively impacted is higher, as people using the app may only download one unit while a whole group, or family uses it together especially in the case if some members of a group have an iOS rather than an Android device. In our own experience implementing the app with local businesses in Sierra Leone, approximately 75% of the businesses or individuals downloaded the app, although most families or individuals engaged in its by using another the website.

This 1,400 users figure reflects one year--the first year--of the app’s existence. 

Using the first year as a base estimate, we anticipate that in a year the app will have served at least 4,000 individuals.

In five years, we anticipate the app growing by at least the number of users set in its first year. Through addition of new locations and more categories within the app, additional users will be reached. Thus, the total number of estimated users in five years is at least 10,000. In summary, these numbers reflect the number of downloads and correlate to one individual, although the total number of people with access to each download or the website is significantly larger.

The Large customer base which supports our business is one of the impacts we have seen and the growing needs of the services that the business is providing to customers.

Business’s financial Statements is one we use to see how much money the business is generating through income statement, the balance sheet shows our business’s financial health And, the cash flow statement which shows how liquid cash is at our business.

Customer Satisfaction we use different ways, including through surveys, reviews on the mobile app which have a 3.8 star rating out of 5 stars, our Facebook page or even asking. At SaloneBuy, we pride ourselves on excellent customer satisfaction. We are all about making sure that our customers are happy with the services we provide.

Another way we measure success is through how many new customers we get from the numbers of customers who have already downloaded the app and the number customers who visits our website rapidly increases every day.

we develop both quantitative and qualitative performance measures based on the organization's annual objectives. Quantitative measures involve simply matching the number achieved with the goal number. We use surveys or interviews to determine output result. Surveys and interviews is administered to a random sample of the community or only to our existing user base.

full-time staff 3

 part-time staff 1

The team is built of highly experienced individuals with remarkable profiles with Collaboration, Leadership, Creativity, Written communication, Coding, Data management, time management, Customer service, Critical thinking, We have young and vibrant people with different expertise and experience in working with software engineering, finance, business management, sales, and marketing and who are very passionate about solving unemployment and poverty in Sierra Leone and Africa. 
1. Sorie Sankoh –Founder & CEO, He has a demonstrated history of working in the technology industry and social entrepreneurship, He brings strategies and handles day-to-day business activities. A profound software engineer experienced in Java, JavaScript, PHP, Android, Front-end and back-end systems and Database. He leads the technical team into the development of the Web platform, Mobile App and APIs as well as prototyping and piloting stages.
2. Memunatu Barrie – Head of customer support and marketing, Memunatu leads the customer support team in making sure our customers are always happy and social media pages to increase our presence in the market.
3. Kurt Peterson - Leads Operations and sales- He supports the company's sales team by creating, evaluating, and optimizing data sets and sales applications. He most often manage sales administration, oversee business analytics and attainment planning, and direct sales force enablement.

Having a diverse workplace means differences exist, and inclusion takes it forward to ask how everyone, from team members to end-users, can feel valued. People want to feel valued, whether in teams, organizations, or when interacting with a product or service. At SaloneBuy inclusion relates to the quality of the human experience.

SaloneBuy believes that there is an increasing body of evidence that diverse teams of varying racial and ethnic makeup produce better results. They perform better financially, gain a competitive edge when recruiting top talent, experience less employee turnover, and offer greater benefits for those we serve.

Diversity: SaloneBuy appreciate and leverage the differences of our team the many communities we serve, through partnership and open relationship. 

Equity: we have a common goal of providing people of all backgrounds a genuine opportunity to thrive. 

Inclusion: we work hard to create an atmosphere in which everyone feels valued and respected. We seek to support each and every one on our team to contribute greatly to the success of our company. We know that when everyone is involved it benefit everyone. 

Some of our core values are: we encourage inclusive behaviors in the workplace and make everyone feel valued. We strive very hard to create a culture of fairness and inclusion and offer all staff appropriate diversity and inclusion training. 

The MIT Solve Digital Inclusion Challenge will serve as a gold to us and will be central to the growth and scaling of our company for direct, positive impact in the lives of thousands of the more than 90% who are not connected into the current digital world. They will be Positioned for new growth opportunities and the creation of new digital features for a variety of local communities which will not only connect them but will in turn provide economic growth.

SaloneBuy is at a critical Stage in its development, which it will maximize the opportunities presented by the challenge. The challenge will clearly impact the financial sustainability of the company and associated expansions through connections with other organizations which offers larger grant support but also other essential aid or in-kind support opportunities.

 We’re also interested in getting on the expert mentorship provided by the Challenge to consider alternative revenue streams in order for us to achieve financial security for the solution.

Another is the strategic advice provided by the challenge mentors, funders, and peers will also serve as a prove to directly impact us.

Finally, following the fact that the program offers an expansive network of highly innovative entrepreneurs and alumni, it will help us to carry out ideal market survey which would surely make our solution even better by getting the seed capital to enable us upscale our launch and market Entry strategies to cover more spectrums and cover a better reach more effectively of local communities.

SaloneBuy vision is to be a leading classified mobile app promoting local businesses in Africa.

SaloneBuy is seeking support through the MIT digital inclusion challenge for the areas of Financial support and technology, as we wish to expand more and offers new features to users; funding and revenue models, in order to diversity revenue streams beyond our current grant funding or revenue model and in order to achieve long term financial sustainability;

SaloneBuy is also seeking support on Technology development/design or data analysis for Long term Infrastructural and capacity management issues due to large number of users in the long run, or for the fast pace of expansion and growth required to meet the market demands.

We are looking to partner with MIT potential funders and other grant organizations.

We're looking forward to connect with all Solver teams with partners who can help us advance our solutions through monetary and/or non-monetary support and help foster expert advice and mentorship in order to scale.

Sierra Leone like any other developing country is faced with a number of challenges. these challenges are the high rate of illiterate and unskilled people, there is therefore the need to complement the effort of government

and other internal and external organizations desperate to see Socioeconomic in Sierra Leone. there is need to help promote better education for all particularly, focusing on middle man power and entrepreneurial skills that will promote community empowerment.
The social impact of ICT Information communications technology has the power to transform society. It plays a key role in each of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, providing the infrastructure needed to achieve them. It empowers people to share knowledge and set up an online shop or website dramatically lowering the barriers to starting a business. As such, it is an important enabler of change and linked to economic growth.
SaloneBuy will Promotes Learning by doing approach, enables self-paced learning since half of the youth lack technological know-how.
SaloneBuy will Provide access to wide range of up-to-date learning materials.
provide businesses with online presence.
Provide an opportunity for locals and young people to learn ICT who
can't afford to go to university.
SaloneBuy will Provide job opportunities for youth through ICT.

Half of the businesses in Africa lack online presence with no website or a landing page which has contributes to Low income and exposure for businesses, unemployment and Poverty, Poor Standards of business delivery and customer satisfaction with little or no Connection and trust between sellers and customers who need their services. No Job/work flow data existing in communities showing demand and supply and lack of technological know-how in which half of the population still use personal networking and traditional advertisement such as radio, television and newspaper.

This has affected more than 800 Million in over 54 African countries. At SaloneBuy that's why our mission is to provide Users the ability to buy and sell online and to be a leading classified mobile app promoting local businesses in Africa online.

This will greatly contribute a huge revenue for local and small business and give them the platform to connect online and help Advancing Digital Equity in Africa.