I built something for Ethiopian businesses, but I’m struggling to get my first customers. What am I doing wrong?

[u/True_Category_8015]

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for honest advice, not trying to advertise.

My name is Amanuel. I’m Ethiopian, and for the last three months I’ve been building a Telegram-based task delegation system called Taskifay.

The idea is to help Ethiopian business owners delegate remote work in a more organized way.

For example, a business owner might need edited videos, graphic ads, carousel posts, captions, research, admin work, finance-related help, or a full content package. Instead of hiring someone full-time or manually chasing random freelancers, they can post one clear task request, choose the skill areas needed, set the budget and deadline, and receive applications from people who want to do the work.

The system is not just a simple “post and wait” idea. After a task doer is chosen, the bot helps manage the workflow. It starts the timer when the person confirms they are starting, sends reminders, tracks deadlines, opens revision windows, supports approval or fix requests, and uses ratings, task history, held payment, and dispute handling to make the process feel safer for both sides.

Now, I know what some people may be thinking:

“Doesn’t Upwork or Fiverr already exist?”

And honestly, that is one of the questions I’m trying to think through seriously.

The reason I still believe this might matter is because the Ethiopian market is different.

For many local Ethiopian businesses, paying international freelance prices in USD can be very expensive because of the currency difference. Even if a task looks affordable on a global platform, the cost can feel very different when you are earning and operating in Ethiopian birr.

There is also the local context issue.

A lot of Ethiopian businesses don’t just need “a designer” or “a video editor.” They need someone who understands the language, the humor, the culture, the way Ethiopian customers respond online, the local business environment, and the kind of content that feels natural here.

That is especially true for businesses that want content for TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, or Telegram. A technically good video can still fail if the wording, tone, timing, or cultural feeling is off.

So my thinking is not: “Let me copy Fiverr.”

My thinking is more: “Can there be a more local, affordable, and trust-focused way for Ethiopian businesses to delegate work to Ethiopian task doers, using local currency, local payment methods, local context, and a workflow that keeps both sides accountable?”

That is the problem I’m trying to solve.

A lot of businesses don’t need full-time employees for every task, but they still need work done properly. And many skilled Ethiopians can do this work, but they don’t always have access to business owners who need them.

I especially think it could help Ethiopian businesses and diaspora business owners who need content that fits the Ethiopian market, because local wording, humor, visuals, and culture matter a lot in content.

But here is where I’m stuck:

It has been around three months, and getting the first real customers has been much harder than I expected.

I’m starting to question whether the problem is the idea, the way I explain it, the trust issue, the target audience, the platform being on Telegram, the payment flow, the fact that people already think of Upwork/Fiverr, or just the fact that I don’t have enough proof yet.

So I wanted to ask people here honestly:

If you were in my position, how would you get the first 3 to 5 real customers?

Would you target business owners, marketers, agencies, shop owners, diaspora founders, or freelancers first?

Does this sound like a real local problem, or am I forcing an idea that people may not care about enough?

What would make a business owner trust a new system like this?

Would you lead with “local Ethiopian alternative to global platforms,” “save money compared to hiring full-time,” “avoid chasing freelancers,” “get Ethiopian-market content,” or “safer task delegation”?

What would make you ignore a post like this?

And what would make you actually try it?

I’m open to brutal feedback. I would rather hear the truth now than keep building in the wrong direction.

Thank you.