Building Software for SMEs: Lessons from 50+ Deployments

SMEs are not just smaller versions of enterprises. They're a completely different market with different needs.

What They Actually Need

Simple: If it takes more than 10 minutes to learn, they won't use it.

Cheap: They're measuring ROI in months, not years.

Reliable: Downtime costs them real money immediately.

Local: Mobile money, not PayPal. SMS, not email. KES, not USD.

What They Don't Care About

Your tech stack. Your architecture. Your "innovative approach."

They care about: does it work, does it save them money, can their staff figure it out?

The Hardest Part

Teaching them what's possible. Many SMEs don't know ERP exists. They think "software" means Microsoft Office.

The sale isn't convincing them your product is better. It's convincing them they need any product at all.

The Reward

When a business owner tells you your software saved them 20 hours a week, that's worth more than any funding round.