BALOZY: Kenyan entrepreneur creates online platform connecting professionals to clients

Balozy App Balozy is an all-in-one platform that can be downloaded directly onto your phone. It powers customers around the clock needing help from trusted and vetted local skilled and experienced professionals known as the Balozy service providers.

The service providers can assist with everything from electrical installation, fridge/washer repairs, plumbing, pest control, painting, haircuts, beauty treatment, house help, baking, haircuts, event planning, home renovation needs, and more. 

It basically acts as a  platform that can connect you to highly qualified service professionals in your area as it's laden with a carefully curated and vetted list of service providers.

Balozy was born out of a shared passion for creativity and a vision to provide a platform where ideas could flourish, and dreams could take shape.

"Our  journey began with a simple idea: to create a space where homeowners could reach service providers with just a few clicks on their mobile phones," the Balozy App founder Steve Ng'ang'a told Citizen Digital.

"After landing in Kenya, I returned home to Nakuru, ready to help my parents with their building project. Top on the list of priorities was to hire people to work on the project. I found one contractor to work with, and since we needed more contractors in his line of work, he would always come through with the "I know a guy!" And just like that, one independent contractor got us all the professionals we needed for the project."

Steve says that the working arrangement with the initial contractor developed some complications and he was now forced to look elsewhere for manual labour - a task he says encountered even more difficulties.

"However, what started off as a convenience went south quite fast. The work arrangement wasn't working with the initial contractor, and when we terminated his contract, he left with all his referrals!" he adds. 

"Left to start from scratch, I decided to start hiring new contractors. But much to my dismay, I soon realized that finding good local service providers in Nakuru was difficult. After spending hours scouring online listings and speaking with dozens of businesses and individuals, I still hadn't found anyone reliable and trustworthy... "

It's at that point that Steve decided to take matters into his own hands and create a platform that would help frustrated people like him in the future.

"Frustrated but not ready to give up, I decided to take matters into my own hands and create a platform that would connect clients like me with trusted local pros easily and conveniently. Thus, Balozy was born - an innovative app that connects clients with vetted, local professionals, no matter where they are," he says.

The app, which has already been downloaded over 20k times in Nairobi alone, seeks to expand and reach more counties across the country as it continues to connect service providers to potential clients with an aim of transforming how homeowners and business owners search for reliable and trustworthy service providers near them.

"We believe in the power of digital transformation and its boundless possibilities, especially in the era of technological evolution," Balozy's Vice President of Sales and Marketing Roselyn Gichuru says.

"Our vision is to be among the top online marketplace for service providers in Kenya, where any professional, regardless of their ethnicity, can sell their services to a broader audience."

"In addition, we would love to see more homeowners who can find and hire highly qualified service providers from the comfort of their homes."