ben.mitchell's blog

The Stanley and Wayne Show

ben.mitchell — Mon, 25 Nov 2013 05:00:00 +0000

We just finished spending a week with Stanley Eisenberg and Wayne Bleier. We thought that we would share and encourage others to visit. Stanley used to run a large milk company in New York and a real estate business in Brooklyn. He is now a world traveling philanthropist. Wayne has spent the last 20 years going to conflict hot spots to develop programs for and counsel kids caught in the crossfire or recruited by armies. He has the largest beard registered in Kitale in ages! The two are separated by 30+ years as well. A likely pairing of travel partners, right? It is enlightening to get feedback and viewpoints from those that are a bit outside of our world here in Kitale.

We discussed the buying mind of our customers, the world of microfinance, our distribution plans, and transporting people out of poverty. We even spent hours just discussing happiness. Like I said, enlightening. We take away a stronger understanding of what we are doing, what we can do, and why we are doing it. Thanks guys!

A day with the Yellow Jersey (and black/red/green jerseys)

ben.mitchell — Wed, 20 Nov 2013 05:00:00 +0000

This post is all about the day we spent with Chris Froome, reigning Tour de France champion and Kenyan born machine. We met part of his family and his fiancée, he wore a BU hat, and signed a Milele Tube bag. He loved what we were doing. So, as cycling fans you would think how cool is that, what a great day. However, that was not even the coolest part of our day.

We met Chris up in Iten, the “home of champions.” This is the town where all of the great distance runners of the world congregate. We were next door to the marathon world record holder and we saw hundreds of people training in town. Pick anyone that is well known and we will claim to have met them. Iten is also home to the naiscent Kenyan Riders, the de facto national cycling team, managed by Aussie bad ass Simon Blake.

Simon invited us to share their special day with the man in yellow. After some vehicle issues, we arrived while the team was out and spent the time with the local kids at the teams pump track. There is some serious talent there. John rode bmx despite being just a week removed from knee surgery. We met Nixon, the do-it-all team mechanic. The team showed up a while later; a collection of raw hard-bodies that used to either ride boda boda or run. Fast and well trained ahead of their departure for the Tour of Rwanda.

The team was excited by our products and spent much time convincing us to make 700c Milele Tubes. We agreed to but the new Tube Kingas on all of the team mountain bikes when they returned for training and to leave several Boda Lights. We also put some Milele Tubes on the black mamba of one rider’s father.

The meal with Chris and his family was delicious and fun, and the pictures of us and Froome are to be treasured – framing the signed tube bag will be cool too. However, we are left with two bigger impressions – Iten is a world class biking destination in the raw (trail builders stay and eat/drink for free), and Kenyan Riders are a few years and a hurdle or two away from being a team on the serious rise.

Seeking partners

ben.mitchell — Sat, 05 Oct 2013 04:00:00 +0000

Baisikeli Ugunduzi is looking to expand its distribution channels to include government and non-government organizations. Any non-profit operating in East Africa that uses bicycles or wheelchairs, or whose employees or target market uses them is a possibility, give us a call or spread the word.

A happy customer!

ben.mitchell — Tue, 07 May 2013 14:26:06 +0000

Pretus Wafula, one of our early customers, was thrilled to put Milele Tubes on his bike. Working as a hauler, he brings wood from the Mount Elgon region to town (about 30 km). He is grateful to no longer fear punctures en route.

Kenyan Elections

ben.mitchell — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 05:00:00 +0000

Campaigns are in full swing here in Kenya for the upcoming presidential election on March 4^th. It is an entertaining and interesting time to be in Kenya. There are daily rallies proceeding through Kitale involving anything from hundreds of school kids marching through the streets to drummers and people chanting to semi-trucks patrolling town while blasting music at deafening volumes. It can be quite the spectacle. While the campaigns and upcoming election are proving to be a historic event, they make for a difficult time to launch a company and get noticed.

Doing business in Kenya...

ben.mitchell — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 05:00:00 +0000

As I mentioned in the previous blog, the tube material has taken longer than we had hoped to arrive. Just to put things in perspective, we had hoped the materials would arrive in Kenya in late December. Materials actually arrived in mid-January at which point we needed to finish our business registration with the government. The business registration materials sat on an official’s desk for weeks until we were told they had mixed up the forms and would need to reprint everything. Over a month after submitting all the necessary forms and documents we finally have our business registration certificate! With the certificate, we are able to register for a tax PIN number and clear our materials through customs. I suppose such realities further justify Kenya’s 121st position on the Ease of Doing Business Index by the World Bank. Don't get me wrong - despite the frustrations associated with business regulations, we couldn’t be happier than to be here in Kenya. We are only a few short weeks away from the much anticipated launch of the company and Milele Tube sales.

Good to be home

ben.mitchell — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 05:00:00 +0000

After enjoying the holidays back in the US, we are happy to be back in Kitale. It is always refreshing returning to a place as welcoming as Kitale. We were repeatedly told “we thought you weren’t coming back” and "we are so glad you decided to come back". Despite people’s skepticism about our return, they were thrilled to have us back and were anxious to hear about our time in the US. We were hoping to have our tube materials arrive shortly after our return but have ran into a hold up with our business registration. Such is life in Kenya – most everything takes a little longer than you would like.

Kitale ...

ben.mitchell — Sun, 25 Nov 2012 08:17:55 +0000

With over six months in Kitale, we have a better understanding of the town, community and why it is the perfect place to launch Baisikeli Ugunduzi.

The size of Kitale is perfect for launching a new business and sales of a revolutionary new product. A relatively small town, it is easy to connect with our customers and I believe nearly all of them in the community know about us and our mission. This has created a great sense of pride and excitement among local cyclists.

Location is prime. Kitale lies on a cross roads to South Sudan and Uganda and is in the heart of Western Kenya.

There is a large, well-connected bicycle community. Having visited numerous other towns/cities in Kenya, Kitale proves to have a very high bicycle to population ratio with many of the bicycle organizations being very supportive of members and fellow cyclists.

Kitale is a melting pot of sorts. As a very productive agricultural area, Kitale draws people from all tribes and from all regions of the country. This results in a diverse culture with networks branching to all corners of Kenya. The diversity has also led to stability in times of turmoil such as the post-election violence of 2007-08. People are very proud of the safety and stability associated with Kitale.

Kitale lies in the beautiful north rift valley region. The climate in Kitale was a major draw for British farmers in the colonial days and continues to be an attraction for expats living in the Western region. The north rift also has some great activites including hiking with majestic views, less-visited game parks with prolific wildlife, good trout fishing and of course thousands of back roads (and trails) for running and biking. It is also less touristy than many places in Kenya making it easy to connect with people and get a true feel for Kenyan culture.

Kitale is a great place and we are very happy to have landed here!

Why we are here ...

ben.mitchell — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 04:00:00 +0000

Two days ago, we met with a group of cyclists known as Eldorift for Peace. Their group organizes races and other events to promote peace and understanding. Having met Mike, the group's initiator, they became aware of what Baisikeli Ugunduzi is doing and were eager to hear more. On Wednesday, six of their members rode the 80km to Kitale to meet with us, learn more about Baisikeli Ugunduzi and ride on milele tubes.

They were ecstatic about the milele tubes and wish they had some for their ride as two of them got flats on the way! We sat down and talked for over two hours before they presented Baisikeli Ugunduzi a "Great Discovery" award for the milele tubes. They can't wait for the tubes to reach the market in Eldoret and wanted to help spread teh word in any way possible.

Thinking back on the meeting, it truly is exciting for our customers to present us an award before having ever even used our product because they are that excited about how it will impact bikes here in Kenya! It is days like this that remind us why we are here and the impact that awaits with the launch of milele tube sales.

A special thanks to the eldorift guys for your support and making the trip to visit us despite the rain!

Another anxious customer

ben.mitchell — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 17:10:27 +0000

The other day Moses, a man I have never met, tracked me down at one of the local bike shops we visit regularly. The owner of the shop said Moses had be stopping by at least five times a day the past few days in hopes of meeting with us.

Upon meeting Moses, he pleaded desperately with me to sell him milele tubes. Moses transports fresh milk 20km every morning and suffer flats on a near daily basis. He assured me that as soon as we can get him milele tubes, his entire village will be riding on them as well.

Thorns and rough roads (especially in the bush) wreak havoc on the poor quality bicycle tubes available in Kenya. I am still amazed at the impact flat tires have on bicycles and those who depend on them to earn a living here.