“I had always wanted to run my own website since I joined campus but I didn’t quite have the idea of what it would be all about. The only thing I had was some skill on web development after undergoing training at my hometown.
In January 2012, we reported to campus to finish the first semester after having a short Christmas and New Year Occasion.
At Moi University, students normally get information through posters stuck on notice boards and the walls of hostel and class corridors. This is where my idea came from – starting Kenya’s First Online Campus Market Place.
But I needed a name desperately. A brand name that would standout to convince university students that they have not been left out when it comes to getting their Business Online. I shared my thoughts with some of my friends and asked them to suggest names of the website. ‘Campuswhiz’ and ‘mubiz’ are some of the names they proposed.
I Liked ‘mubiz’ because it really made sense mubiz (Moi University Business). But when I was designing the logo, I thought the idea should not focus on only one Campus but in all universities countrywide. Hence the name ‘Bizcampo’ came up to accommodate the new approach. In Kenya, “bizcampo” is a highbred slang word for Business and Campus.
I finished the logo and opened a facebook page to build fans before I embarked on the design of the website. To get things running, I printed posters and distributed them in Moi Main Campus.
By end of April, Bizcampo had 85 likes and close to 35 adverts on facebook. Most adverts from my analytics were; phones on sale, jobs in campus and services offered.
On March 1st 2012, I purchased the domain www.bizcampo.com and began the build up process of the website at my hostel room. Bizcampo, a Classifieds website portal built to provide advertising solutions to Universities has since been a success story. Campus students can now create a free advert of stuff they are selling in campus.
As the founder of the free campus classifieds, am currently facing financial challenges in marketing the website especially on Facebook and Google Adwords.
I enrolled for a tech-startup incubation programme at Nailab.co.ke and 88mph.co.ke where they invest in startups targeting the African market. I really hope to be considered.
The site is currently on beta test in Moi University seeking to expand to other Kenyan Universities. If you like Bizcampo click www.facebook.com/bizcampo and simply like.
Bizcampo is a convenient method for campus students to advertise and sell their stuff because it provides a wide market in that it has a large audience all over Kenya.”
The process of listing your classified ad at bizcampo is simple and clear:
step1: Access www.bizcampo.com.
step 2: create an account or if you already have an account, log in using your details.
step 3: create a classified ad and post it for Kenyans to see.
Evans Kigen – BizCampo.com
Are you a student and running a business or trying to get your idea off the ground? In box as on our FB page and we might just run your story…
