Marketplace Operations · Product Strategy · Partner Acquisition · Supply Development
Bomba Safi Cleaners
A Nairobi cleaning marketplace where hosts compare verified independent providers at transparent, provider-set rates.
- Business question
- How do Nairobi hosts find a verified cleaner at a price they can see before they book?
- Role
- Marketplace operations · Product strategy · Supply development
- Evidence
- Two-sided model, verification, booking and job-status workflows and commission logic designed; provider network built through direct outreach ahead of launch.
- What I created
- Two-sided service workflow, verification logic, pricing structure and testable digital concept.
A Nairobi cleaning marketplace for Airbnb hosts, homeowners and offices: I designed the two-sided model and workflows, set the commission logic, and built the provider network through direct outreach and onboarding.
Host
- 01Post a request
- 02Choose a cleaner
- 03Booking confirmed
- 04Cleaning done
- 05Confirm completion
- 06Rate and review
Provider
- 01Create a profile
- 02Set rates
- 03Receive bookings
- 04Do the job
- 05Build a reputation
- 06Grow the business
Both tracks as designed in the pre-launch product. No booking volumes are claimed.
01
Context
Nairobi's short-let and Airbnb market depends on fast, reliable turnovers, and homes and offices need the same service on a recurring basis.
Read context
Nairobi's short-let and Airbnb market depends on fast, reliable turnovers, and homes and offices need the same service on a recurring basis. The supply side is made up of independent cleaners working largely through informal referral.
02
Problem
Hosts cannot see who is trustworthy, what a job should cost, or whether a cleaner is free when they need them.
Read problem
Hosts cannot see who is trustworthy, what a job should cost, or whether a cleaner is free when they need them. Cleaners, in turn, have no way to publish their rates, show a track record or fill their week.
03
My role
Marketplace operations, product strategy, partner acquisition and supply development.
Read my role
Marketplace operations, product strategy, partner acquisition and supply development. I set the two-sided marketplace model, the verification requirement, the commission model and the pricing logic, defined the booking, checklist and job-status workflows, and planned the service-area rollout.
04
Approach
The product is designed as two mirrored six-step journeys so that neither side is an afterthought.
Read approach
The product is designed as two mirrored six-step journeys so that neither side is an afterthought. Hosts post a request, choose a cleaner, get a confirmed booking, have the work done, confirm completion and leave a review. Cleaners create a profile, set their rates, receive bookings, do the job, build a reputation and grow their business.
- 01Host posts a request
- 02Verified cleaner selected
- 03Booking confirmed
- 04Job completed
- 05Completion confirmed
- 06Rating and review
05
Solution
Profiles, ratings and transparent pricing for verified independent providers, matched to weekly availability and Nairobi service area.
Read solution
Profiles, ratings and transparent pricing for verified independent providers, matched to weekly availability and Nairobi service area. Pricing is set by each cleaner per property type and size rather than imposed by the platform.
Coverage is live in Westlands, Kilimani, Kileleshwa, Lavington, Riverside, Parklands, Upper Hill, CBD, Hurlingham and Spring Valley, with Karen, Langata, Runda and coastal and upcountry towns marked as coming soon.
06
Pricing logic
Letting providers set their own rates keeps the marketplace honest and keeps earnings with the person doing the work; the platform's job is verification, matching and reputation, not price control.
Read pricing logic
Letting providers set their own rates keeps the marketplace honest and keeps earnings with the person doing the work; the platform's job is verification, matching and reputation, not price control.
- AlternativesSet a single platform rate card, or let each provider price their own work per property type and size.
- What the evidence pointed toJobs differ by property type, size and turnaround, and the providers are independent businesses already pricing their own work.
- DecisionProvider-set pricing, shown transparently up front, with the platform taking a defined commission instead of controlling price.
The platform verifies and matches. The provider prices.
07
Supply development
Demand-side marketing was deliberately held back until there were providers worth booking.
Read supply development
Demand-side marketing was deliberately held back until there were providers worth booking. Built the supply side of the marketplace through direct provider outreach and onboarding, communicating the platform proposition to independent cleaners and preparing the provider network ahead of broader demand-side launch.
That meant approaching cleaners directly, explaining how the platform works and what it changes for them, walking them through verification, and onboarding them into the pre-launch network.
Supply first. A marketplace with no providers has nothing to sell.
08
Current status
Pre-launch. The platform is live for browsing in ten Nairobi neighbourhoods while provider onboarding continues.
- Verified
- The two-sided workflows, verification logic, provider-set pricing and commission model were designed, and providers were approached and onboarded into the pre-launch network.
- What remains untested
- No completed booking volume, customer demand, repeat usage or marketplace revenue is claimed.
- Learning / next step
- Test the full host-to-provider service cycle with real enquiries before broader demand-side acquisition.
Focus areas
- Designed the two-sided marketplace and commission model
- Defined booking, verification, checklist and job-status workflows
- Prioritised provider supply before broader host acquisition
- Direct provider outreach and onboarding into the pre-launch network
- Provider-set rates by property type and size
- Availability and neighbourhood-based matching
- Service operations design
- Go-to-market sequencing