Recently, I learned a valuable lesson from two old women in my neighborhood. The first woman sells moin-moin every day but occasionally sells akara (like once a week) at night. While the moin-moin doesn't finish until 11 pm, any day she sells akara, her stock doesn't last beyond 8 pm. I don't know why she continues to sell moin-moin despite the low acceptability by her customers.

If people want to eat akara in the neighborhood, they either prepare it at home which is kind of time-consuming, or they will have to walk for almost 1km before they find someone selling akara. A lot of people (most especially family) prefer to prepare moin-moin at home, unlike akara.

I wanted to ask the woman why she continued to sell moin-moin while akara has been what the majority of her customers want. I do eat her moin-moin because I didn't have an option that was nearby.

Unexpectedly, another woman started selling akara - she specializes only in akara - not far away from the first woman selling moin-moin. As expected, a lot of people started patronizing the second woman selling akara. Within a week, the first woman selling moin-mon started seeing low turnout in her shop. People started patronizing the woman selling akara. Any time I passed in front of the woman's shop, I noticed that there was hardly someone wanting to buy moin-moin but you see a lot of people waiting in front of the woman selling akara.

In less than two weeks, the woman selling akara has won the hearts of many people, most especially the demographic in the street who are mostly young unmarried boys. The demographic is very important because most of the people who patronize moin-moin and akara sellers are young unmarried boys and girls, and old men and women who couldn't prepare these meals at home. I don't see myself preparing either moin-moin or akara when I know I am the only person eating it. Like myself, most people in my demographic prefer to buy outside.

The sales of the moin-moin seller have been badly hit by the akara seller who is now her competitor. I have been expecting the moin-moin seller be reawaken to the reality of her customers and look beyond her personal preferences to start seller akara every day. Alas, she is not even selling akara again. If she starts today, a lot of her customers would return because her recipe trumps the second woman selling akara. She knows her onion.

The lesson here is that, some businesses fail because their owners refuse to observe their users, ask their users about their experiences, and survey their preferences. For the woman selling moin-moin, all the signs were there for her that akara is the favorite of her customers, but she refuses to observe her customers. Sometimes, some of her customers would ask her why she didn't sell akara that day.

Experiences of people change over time, businesses must adapt their products to the dictate of the moment. Products must be flexible just as human preferences are flexible. Observe your users, talk to them, and ask about their experiences. This feedback is very important for the success and growth of your product and customer base.

She may not be selling akara because she has difficulty sitting by the fire, inhaling the smoke from the akara fire continuously. With akara, you fry and turn continuously unlike moinmoin that takes one round of preparation stress. The smoke may be affecting her eyes as well. I'm sure she would have gone back to akara if she doesn't have a personal reason.

Why didn't you advise her, who knows maybe she would have seen reasons to swap

Maybe! She doesn't fry with firewood. She may have her reasons, but selling it once in a week is a disservice to her business because most of her customers do ask about akara and her response is always casual: "I don't prepare akara today"

Houseontherock1:
She may not be selling akara because she has difficulty sitting by the fire, inhaling the smoke from the akara fire continuously. With akara, you fry and turn continuously unlike moinmoin that takes one round of preparation stress. The smoke may be affecting her eyes as well. I'm sure she would have gone back to akara if she doesn't have a personal reason.

I do mind my business most especially when women are involved. You may say one thing and they misinterpret what you say.

imhere:
Why didn't you advise her, who knows maybe she would have seen reasons to swap