Business overview
Oloibon Eaterie is a cafeteria located in the Serengeti Game Reserve located in East Africa Tanzania named after a Maasai Chief as the tribe that dominates the area. The plain is a famous world-renowned tourist destination that receives a lot of visitors from the outside world who come to experience the safari climb the nearby Mt, Kilimanjaro or view the eighth wonder of the world in the name of the wildebeest migration between Maasai Mara in Kenya and the Serengeti itself. Those are just a few of the features that keep tourists both local and international trooping year in year out of these expansive grasslands that have so many diverse things to offer to its visitors. With our thoughts on the spending capacities of tourists, we have decided to start a catering business inside the game reserve.
Company direction
Oloibon Eateries will access tourist breakfast, lunches, and snacks market by utilizing the cordial relationship- that exists between the local community and the visitors in that area. our venture is uniquely positioned to succeed within these markets as the local community’s presence is an a will develop a profitable, catering purpose business that will allow the organization to enhance its capacity to serve as an attraction itself other than what we have to offer. In a market survey conducted with patrons of a local
Hotel & Lodging entity, 59% of respondents indicated that knowing the hotel employed the local community and preferably the famous Maasai would very favorably impact their decision to seek or buy their services. Oloibon Eateries will develop into a profitable, social purpose business that will allow the organization to enhance its capacity to serve our target market in the most competitive manner possible.
Objectives Mission statement
To achieve our Vision, our first responsibility and commitment are to our clients and customers who use our products and services. Our strong financial position and correct planning that will inject professionalism in the whole affair will enable us to carry out our day-to-day business as guided by our principles:
Offer our clients the best possible service, meals, and products that are to correspond with the cafeteria’s ambiance and the environment.
Follow and always uphold the philosophy that customer is King. Integrate fully with the environment and the community to qualify to be considered as part of the whole setting.
Introduction
As the global economy improves, economists have projected an increase in luxury and leisure spending that will help in pushing other sectors forward. As such, travel and catering industries among many are posed to reap the benefits in large amounts. It was with this insight in mind we ought to utilize the opportunity in the form of starting this business. The whole business idea was reached after we had visited the area on a company-sponsored team bonding exercise in the area late last year. We noted the absence of low-cost eating places in the area as the common assumption with the investors in the catering field in this area is that everyone has millions to dispose of in ambiguous and exorbitantly priced meals. The business plan here thus looks at the various strategies that we have put in place in enacting the plans as subdivided into various sectors.
Business description
As a cafeteria in the jungle, our main concern is providing catering services that will ease the inconveniences of the jungle. At the same time, our business is not to be hinged on providing the ”wants” only but rather the luxuries that an ordinary tourist would expect to get. In the latter consideration, the inclusion of a curio shop came as an afterthought after we realized that with relaxation after partaking a meal in our cafeteria a tourist would think of collecting a souvenir as this might be worth remembering. In doing so we are to have local curio products engraved with our emblem and name. In doing so we expect our clients to always recall us and or services, this is a marketing strategy that was projected to have maximum returns on the cafeteria.
Marketing plan
Our Marketing plan was structured to enhance, promote and support the fact that Oloibon Inn will help you enjoy all aspects of our services and products and make your whole safari experience complete.
Our products and meals offer you a chance to get the most out of the safari by offering services that can at times be rare in the jungle.
In short, the marketing plans entails how the cafeteria is going to earn a customer base in the target market not just by coincidence but through attributes that can be justifiably associated with the Oloibon Inn in our quest to seek a reliable way to obtain a market following and how to relate to the existing market dynamics that will strategically position us as a reliable entity in the market that offers high-quality service, meals, and curio products.
To carry out this process successfully a market analysis was necessary.
Market analysis
Analyzing the market we carried out some self and market analysis assessments as follows. As recommended by our business consultants we performed three tests.
Fiver forces analysis
This is just one among many market analysis tools. It helps in giving a business the expected scenario by reviewing the business itself in our case the Oloibon Eateries about the competitors and the business environment existing at that time. As for Oloibon inn, here follows the findings in the five key areas of power of buyers, power of suppliers, the threat of entry into the new market, the threat of substitutes, and the threat or rather the rivalry of competitors.
Threat of entry
As the first into a tourist spot, we face the threat of lack of experience in this industry.
The high cost of starting a new business in an area with very high environmental considerations.
The high cost of recruiting local staff who might not have had prior experience in the catering business.
The area boasts of many high-class eating joints other than our new establishment.
Triggered by our entry and our market entry strategies, our competitors might retaliate by replicating our market entry strategy that might cost us or competitive advantage.
Infrastructural facilities in the region remain low and the already operating entities have already devised their coping means that we are yet to establish.
The power of buyers
Pricing as our main market entry strategy may mean operating at break-even or even at losses that may pose a threat to the mere existence of our operations.
The diversity in the number of local dishes available may prove to be a problem in that we plan to market our hotel as an outlet that serves various dishes as they are offered by the different ethnic communities surrounding the area.
The traveling of our client in large groups may stress our services and eventual effectiveness.
Power of suppliers
The supply of local dishes may not be that forthcoming as anticipated.
Serving the local dishes might be more expensive than conventional ones.
The existence of a monopolistic market on the side of suppliers may increase our operating costs thus lead to an increase in our prices.
Threat of substitutes
Local tourists may find no fascination with local dishes preferring something more exotic than our competitors offer.
Global economic dip as exemplified by the devaluing of the US dollar may mean a fall in consumption power of our target market.
Some tourists prefer to have their meals where they board.
Tourists may prefer to carry packed meals in their safaris.
Competitive Rivalry
Upon entrance, Oloibon is pitted against other large experienced operators in the industry.
The availability of the customer base is limited thus Oloibon is fighting for survival space among big players.
PEST Analysis
This is not a parasite but rather an acronym for political, economic, social-cultural, and technological factors that play part in deterring the direction taken by any given business venture.
Political factors
Tanzania is a relatively stable country that was not affected by the recent upheavals in neighboring Kenya early this year.
The new regime under President Kikwete is determined in creating a conducive investment atmosphere that will be necessary for driving the economy forward.
The government upholds the cultural value of its people as indicated by the upholding of the Swahili language as the official and national language.
The government of Tanzania is a member of COMESA and EAC which makes it easier to importation of local products of the Maasai from Kenya in case of shortages in Tanzania.
Economic factors
The economic situation of the local community as the target market is nothing to write home about though the bulk of our customer base is expected to be the foreign tourists visiting the area.
The growth of the East African Economy will impact positively our business in that the local population’s financial position will improve and consequently increasing their spending power.
Socio-cultural Factors
The region is conversant with foreign investments in the area so the issue of hostile reception is expected to be minimal or nonexistent.
Illiteracy of the Maasai’s as one of our major marketing factors puts our operation at a disadvantage due to limited communication methods and the general inefficiency characteristic of illiteracy.
The spending patterns of the locals though limited by their financial disposition are nevertheless encouraging.
The region’s population composition has a high number of young adults who consist of the main working and earning majority who have high disposable incomes.
Technological Factors
Invention and technology influence the mode of operation of businesses and the spending patterns of individuals. Technology is employed in areas such as transport and communication and business management. In our case, n Tanzania communication networks in the area are very poor prompting us to make additional investments to establish a small-scale communications network for our operation. This issue increases our operating costs and the initial capital outlay required to start the business.
SWOT Analysis
This is the final test that we carried out to evaluate the suitability of our business in the targeted market. The word stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. a business firm is supposed to critically analyze itself noting down its opportunities and strengths and capitalizing on them for the maximum returns. On the other hand, the firm ought to identify and note its threats and weaknesses and working upon them to turn them to work on their side. Strengths and weaknesses are usually within the control of the firm itself while opportunities and threats are external thus the firm has no control over them but is supposed to take action and reduce the negative impact they have on the operations of the firm.
Strengths
Our dedication to offering only local foods to our clients creates a sense of curiosity on would-be clients who would not only like to experience the safari itself but also the local culture as represented by the foods.
Oloibon Eateries presents the first real ideal eating place for the medium and low-income earning tourists who are sensitive to their spending habits.
The inclusion of the local community at almost 100% of our staff gives us the much-needed local touch that compliments our policy of serving only African dishes from the East African region.
Weaknesses
Include a more professional high-level staff to compliment the shortfall that accompanies the employment of seemingly semi-illiterate local staff.
The targeting of low-income earners in a place that is synonymous with the influential and the high-income earners in the society.
Opportuities
The appreciation of the local communities on the need and importance of local tourism
The governments in the region have also realized the importance of promoting local tourism and as such are offering discounts on entry charges of locals to the game parks and reserves during the low season thereby guaranteeing the industry players of a continuous flow of customers.
Inclusion of the Maasai among our staff guarantees foreign tourists a hyped and sought for interaction with the Maasai known for their bravery and courage which ideally complete the safari experience.
Threats
High initial capital outlay that does not guarantee any returns as is common with all investments to underline the issue of taking a risk.
Our competitors operate on a large scale and are thus more capable of handling large entourages of tourists unlike us.
There is no guarantee that our market entry strategies will work out.
The above tests have helped us to critically analyze our position in regards to our competitors and the environment thus a crucial consideration in making our decisions.
Market Entry Strategies
Pricing
As earlier said this is the main marketing strategy that is expected to earn us a faithful customer base. Introducing our services and meals at a lower price plus offering executive restroom facilities that include shower rooms at no extra costs gives us the right footing in the industry.
Product differentiation
All our competitors in the region offer the catering services we do. However, there exists a major difference between us and them in that in our firm we exclusively offer African dishes common in the East African region.
New target market
The consideration of the low and middle-income earners as our target market introduces a new dimension on how the world views the tourism industry removing the unfounded misguiding belief that the practice is only for the high-income earning individuals in the society. The Oloibon is posed to be more appealing to foreign student tourists operating on tight budgets and who usually make one-day visits only thus there is a need for accommodation.
Operationalization
The cafeteria is going to be located inside the game reserve. This calls for tight security measures to keep wild animals at bay. Care is to be taken in carrying out this process as s me of these animals are very unfriendly to human disturbances as facilitated by our premises.
The cafeteria is to be built to resemble the Maasai villages known as Manyatta. In our Manyatta the buildings also resemble the Maasai huts. Though ours will make use of concrete and timber the Maasai huts also called Manyatta but made of cow dung and twigs. The whole ambiance is to be jungle-oriented in an African way to complete the feeling of the Safari. However, the management is not involved directly in the construction but rather gives the contract to an experienced contractor who has already been identified.
The management is in the process of seeking suppliers of the African foodstuffs that will keep us in business. Identified local staff are helping in the identification of the necessary supporting equipment that will facilitate the making of the African dishes. Some of the cooking utensils for making the African dishes are specified with no substitutes for them. Our Restaurant Manager Mr. Letoya, a Maasai himself, is acting as our main contact in this business and facilitating some of the issues that call for on-location and hands-on participation.
Organization
The cafeteria will solely source its foodstuffs from Tanzania and neighboring Kenya when necessary. Operation is to begin early in the morning around 7.00 AM East Africa Time. As we are to serve breakfast and lunch only the verification of consideration to offer snacks will be immediately activated upon the commencement of operations.
The Managing Director is the senior-most Authority in the firm responsible for harmonizing all the reports provided by the managers heading different sections of the cafeteria. The direction of the cafeteria is basically in his hands given that he is responsible for making decisions with the advice of his managers.
The Head of Marketing is responsible for the development of a working marketing process that will introduce the cafeteria to our target market through though advertisement and promotional activities. The manager is to liaise with the restaurant manager in marketing the cafeteria through the level of service and products offered in our main establishment, cafeteria. The workings of the cafeteria will rely highly on the type of meals we are to offer under the guidance of our Food & Beverages Manager. The three heads have the ultimate responsibility of fronting our image in the market and the other managers are primarily concerned with an administration that has a little face-to-face interaction with our clients. The roles of the junior staff are self-explanatory though any new developments in the scope of their responsibilities will be handled as time passes by and we experience the situation on the ground.
Organizational Structure
References
Mike P. McKeever (2007).How to Write a Business Plan, New York, Prentice Hall.