KENYA · GUIDE 0640 · EDITION 4.2
Educational board game making in Kenya: Marketing and Finding Buyers
Reach a buyer who can accept the offer
Families and educators wanting reusable group learning activities.
Demonstrate a complete short round at approved school or family events.
Begin with the problem and specification rather than promising a return on investment you cannot establish. The proposed output is: Make educational board games that practise a specific skill through clear play rules.
Make the first message specific
Explain what you will deliver, what is excluded and what the prospect needs to confirm before a quotation. Use this scope when preparing a sample, demonstration or introduction:
Define the board game by learner age, player count, learning objective, session format, and the decisions players should practise through original rules and components.
Ask who approves purchases, who accepts the output and how payment is arranged. These can be different people. An informal recommendation is useful for an introduction but does not replace the buyer's approval.
Use proof that matches the promise
Observe supervised, unfamiliar players from the intended age group using the rulebook and prototype, recording setup, turns, scoring and disputes without designer explanation.
Keep approved examples, inspection records or handover evidence that demonstrate this result. Obtain permission before using a customer's name, photograph, premises or work. Do not invent reviews, imply an endorsement or display private contact details as marketing proof.
Follow the lead through to collection
| Stage | What to record |
|---|---|
| Contact | Source of the introduction and permission to follow up. |
| Qualified enquiry | Required specification, buying authority and timing. |
| Quotation | Scope, exclusions, price, delivery and payment stages. |
| Accepted result | Observe supervised, unfamiliar players from the intended age group using the rulebook and prototype, recording setup, turns, scoring and disputes without designer explanation. |
| Repeat decision | Record setup questions, turn counts, instructions misunderstood, scoring disputes, disengagement, learning explanations, missing components, and rule changes tested again with a fresh group of players. |
Build a paper prototype and observe a small supervised playtest before manufacturing.
Review what it cost to obtain and fulfil a paying order, including travel and follow-up. High enquiry counts do not compensate for a route or delivery arrangement that loses money. Keep cancellations, complaints and refusals visible when evaluating a channel.
The game fails when the designer must repeatedly explain rules or when winning depends on guessing instructions instead of practising the intended educational skill through play.
Expand outreach only when the promised scope can be delivered reliably. Use permission-based follow-up and an achievable response time instead of bulk unsolicited messages.
A scope-led outreach draft
The supplied draft below is ready to adapt, not a message already sent:
Hello [school/maker], I can assemble a paper prototype of the supplied original 48-card Market Mission game with a checked packing list and demonstration of its 400-allowance rules. It has not been field-tested or curriculum-certified. Please review the actual PDFs and agree stock, four score copies, proof approval and a prototype-only quotation before production.
Replace claims with proof of this offer
| Sales claim to substantiate | Evidence before repeating the promise |
|---|---|
| Required result | Proposed ages 8+ and 20–30 minutes remain untested; no curriculum, safety certification or learning-outcome claim. |
| Input suitability | Obtain artwork-specific quote, stock/GSM/sidedness/tax and proof sign-off. |
| Failure to address honestly | Too few score sheets |
Remove placeholders and replace assumed prices with an approved scope and actual cost estimate. Do not advertise technical certification, current stock, guaranteed income or results you cannot substantiate. Record enquiries, accepted quotes, declined quotes, delivered orders and collected balances separately; a sent message is not a sale.