Applying Lean Method to launch a venture

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John Samuel

Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences Bachelor's Thesis

2021

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Author(s)

John Samuel Degree

Bachelor of Business Administration

Report/Thesis Title

APPLYING LEAN METHOD TO LAUNCH A VENTURE

Number of page and attachment pages 22 + 30

This thesis investigates and analyses the concept of creating a digital platform with a distinctive strategical and localized methodological approach from scratch. It outlines the essential components required to digitize the player acquisition model beginning with the localized and personalized process of collating data due to the lack of existing data in Africa.

An online survey was carried out, which was shared among the football communities via Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp to know if football players were interested in having a platform that connects them to football teams in Finland and across Scandina- vian regions. In addition, validation was done via zoom meetings with football coaches and team representatives in Finland to analyze the demand of African players in Finn- ish teams and past experiences and expectations from African players, and what support these teams would need for easy player acquisition.

The research results support the theory and unveil findings regarding the demand for undiscovered African football players in Finland and African players willing to play in Finland and other Scandinavian regions.

Keywords

Service design, Agile, Lean Start-up, Start-Up, Design Thinking, MVP

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Table of content Contents

1 Introduction ... 1

1.1 Background ... 1

1.2 Research question ... 4

1.3 Benefits ... 7

1.4 Key Concepts ... 7

1.5 Commissioning company ... 8

2 Lean Start-up theory ... 10

2.1 The Lean method and how it works ... 10

2.2 Application of Lean Method ... 11

2.3 Build - Measure – Learn ... 12

2.3.1 Build (Hypothesis): ... 12

2.3.2 Measure (Testing Hypothesis): ... 13

2.3.3 Learn ... 14

2.4 Digital Platform... 14

2.5 Competitors and repositories ... 15

3 Research Methods ... 17

3.1 Research design ... 17

3.2 Research design phases and processes ... 18

3.3 Reliability and Validity ... 22

3.4 Risk ... 23

4 Results ... 24

4.1 Identifying players and coaches/team representative matchmaking digital platform 24 5 Conclusion ... 29

5.1 Key Outcomes ... 29

5.2 Recommendation ... 32

5.3 Evaluation of Project Management and Outcomes ... 32

5.4 Further Research Suggestions ... 32

5.5 Reflective writing ... 33

References ... 34

Appendices ... 36

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1 1 Introduction

This thesis is about the methodological and strategical approach of launching an IT startup venture based on the Lean Method. The core purpose of this platform is to empower unestablished African footballers who are yet to be discovered by European teams by giving these African footballers the needed digital visibility in Scandinavian countries that they do not exist, taking them one step closer to making their dreams of stardom come true.

Africa is a continent with immense human and natural resources in every work of life, and football is no exception. With over 1.2 billion population, Africa has over 100 million men and women playing football, vying to become the next football star. Moreover, football is a culture in Africa and one of Africa's most significant unifying forces that resonates unity amongst rival tribes, ethnic groups, religious beliefs, and gender. ( Afripro 2021).

Europe is the birth of football; Europe has everything every football player would need to play at the highest level. This comes as better facilities, better publicity, better branding, better media, exceptional mouthwatering salaries, better endorsement, and so many more, yet these things are conspicuously missing in Africa. The case of Africa is the direct opposite of the opportunities mentioned above and benefits because Africa has been a continent poorly managed, and the poverty rate has skyrocketed that people live below 1

$ daily. For these reasons, it is the dream of every African footballer to leave their respective countries in Africa to seek a better life in Europe.

1.1 Background

Launching a startup venture requires a deep understanding of the markets, the business model, and competitors. Before the service launch, the lean method can establish if the business idea is worth launching. This is particularly important when launching a venture in Helsinki, Finland, as the funding landscape for startup ventures is different from that of the startup scene of the US. The experience this thesis paper focuses on is AfriPro — a business idea to connect African professional and amateur footballers with the desire to play in Europe with teams looking for undiscovered talent. (Afripro 2020).

It is a multi-sided market powered by an IT platform, which is optimized for mobile phones.

The work focuses on the early-stage service innovation and discovery phase, where key

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customer segments are identified, and key-value propositions are created. The method is called The Lean Method . The evidence to support or invalidate the value propositions is collected with a series of qualitative interviews with the representatives of the key target groups. The fast pace in growth in Africa's population, market, and businesses sprung the increasing establishments of Startups and entrepreneurs across the continent.

Africa has the fastest-growing population globally. However, because of a lack of or slow development, it is also a continent with no existing data needed to expedite growth and development and make the continent digitally accessible to be more technologically sta- ble. Due to the lack of exiting data for research, the author has added various data collection methods to justify the outcome of this research. These methods include personal playing experiences from the viewpoint of Africans, qualitative interviews, and compara- tive case studies of existing player acquisition models in Africa. All are stated in the sub- chapters below.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF)

CAF is the governing body of African football and was founded in 1957. The founding members are Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, and South Africa. With a membership of 54 Member Associations, the secretariat is based in Egypt. At the FIFA Congress in 1954 held in Berne, Switzerland, it was voted to recognize Africa as a Confederation. This gave the continent the right to appoint its first representative to the FIFA Executive Committee, and the member was Abdel Aziz Abdallah Salem of Egypt. However, the wheels that led to the birth of CAF were set in motion outside Africa, in Lisbon, Portugal, in June 1956. The Por- tuguese capital was playing host to the FIFA Congress. The four African nations in attend- ance (Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, and South Africa) carried the African confederation to the baptismal font by taking advantage of that gathering to discuss matters of common interest. (Caroline 2021).

CAF governs football in Africa, but it only has a few established players, organizational structures, staff, events, and promotions. However, the core purpose of getting valid data for scouting unestablished players is not available. (CAF 2021.)

This sub-chapter explores the football culture, unavailability of player data for digital scouting, existing player acquisition model, and visibility of footballers in Africa to be viewed, monitored by teams across Europe, and scouted. The author will emphasize subjective

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experiences as an ex-professional footballer because Africa has no existing data structured in any system, nor are there any platforms that keep data for undiscovered footballers in Africa.

African football and talent recruitment process

Due to the lack of technological advancement in most parts of Africa, there are no existing data that would promote ease of monitoring and scouting talented footballers in Africa, which has, in turn, resulted in the continuation of the never-ending archaic process player acquisition hence manual approach. Moreover, the existing player acquisition model is designed for premium teams, players, privileged kids, expensive and difficult to use, leaving these African kids at the mercy of predatory agents.

- Players contacting teams themselves for try-outs

- Teams contacting a prospect for try-outs or outright sing-on - Players bribing team officials to be signed-on

- Officials taking bribes to sign players on their teams

- Agents propose players to teams, and in turn, take money from the players

Justification for the study

Data are the primary material with which researchers work. Data come from observation and take the form of numbers (numeric or quantitative data) or language (qualitative data). (Blanche, Martin, Terre, Blanche, Durheim & Painter 2007, 57.)

Like the rest of the world, Africa is plagued with corruption, so it is in football. With a population of over 1.2 billion, having over 100 million men and women playing football, the dream of every African footballer is to play top-flight football in Europe.

Lack of data is one of the biggest fundamental problems facing Africa as a continent. With an increasingly growing population, the need to have data has been exceedingly difficult for development, research, and facts findings. Concerning football, there are no platforms too. Due to the malignant corruption and decaying economy, every African footballer hopes to leave their country to seek greener pastures in Europe. As a result, they grow impatient and desperate, which makes them susceptible to being exploited by criminals

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posing as football agents giving them false promises and hopes of playing in Europe and turn to collect a considerable amount of money from these naïve and desperate African footballers.

Purpose of the study

In response to the above-stated issues with lack of data and exploitation of African footballers, AfriPro was created to solve these problems by leveling the playing field hence giving equal opportunities to all African footballers and as well as giving them digital visibility to be monitored and scouted by teams in the Scandinavian region and in addition creating a platform for undiscovered African footballers and collate data.

On the AfriPro platform, African players are empowered to create their profiles, upload their cv, YouTube links, etc. In addition, this eliminates the desire to pay any football agents or coach or team management they would have control over their future.

1.2 Research question

This thesis aims to create an effective work model to launch a venture by applying Lean Start-up and Design Thinking frameworks principles. The main research question targets and quantifies the practical application of these methodologies to a working model by using those frameworks. In addition, sub-questions were focused on evaluating the main value proposition, benefits, and challenges of the player acquisition process.

The author formed the research question (RQ): What are the critical value propositions and price points for the key customer groups (Players and recruiters) on which the player acquisition work model for AfriPro business should be based?

To answer the research question more accurately, the author formulated four detailed investigative questions (IQ):

IQ 1. Who are the key competitors, and what are their value propositions, price point, and player acquisition model for the football teams?

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IQ 2. What are the challenges of player acquisitions of African footballers to Scandinavia football teams?

IQ 3. What are the required features on the App for the first product version for key customer groups, Players, and football teams?

IQ 4. What is the demand for an affordable scouting digital platform for football players?

About the literature review, the author discovered a few key factors needing further analysis in the study. These references were subject to further research in the investigative questions 1-2 that aim to find out the value prepositions for teams and footballers. Lastly, investigative questions 3-4 aim to find demand for a digital scouting platform and features from the viewpoint of players and football clubs.

Table 1 below presents the investigative questions, theoretical framework components, research methods, and results in chapters for each investigative question.

Table 1. Overlay matrix

Investigative question

Theoretical Framework*

Research Methods ** Results (Chapter) IQ 1. Who are the

key competitors, and what are their value propositions for the football teams?

Value proposition Positioning Mapping Competitive Analysis

A quantitative survey of existing

competitors

4.1

IQ 2. What are the challenges of player acquisitions of Afri- can footballers to Scandinavia football clubs?

Customer Acquisition model

Semi-structured Interviews with football team owners and coaches

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6 IQ 3. What are the

required features on the App for the first product version for key customer groups, Players, and football teams?

Lean Method Semi-structured Interviews with football team owners, coaches, and

footballers

IQ 4. What is the demand for an affordable scouting digital platform for football players?

Quantitative survey on existing player acquisition models

Demarcation

The thesis will focus on the methodological application of a Lean method approach to launch a venture which equivocally in context provides a descriptive overview of the value proposition using a digital platform to recruit football players and provides digital visibility for footballers to be scouted and monitored easier and faster.

Established football players such as famous football players that are well known around the world and existing channels/platforms for player acquisitions are excluded from this study. This is due to the research objective, which aims to discover a suitable inexpensive digital platform to empower unknown and undiscovered talented African footballers with access to mobile phones to create their profiles, upload their cv/YouTube links, etc. which gives them the digital visibility to be scouted by teams in the Scandinavian region. Consid- ering the increasing demands for established footballers worldwide and disregard for undiscovered talented unestablished African footballers, only undiscovered African footballers will be studied in this research. Regarding the author's degree program, the compel- ling aspect of the study is internationality. Therefore, the teams presented and analyzed in the study will be international football teams in the Scandinavian region looking to scout for African footballers from various African countries to the Scandinavian areas.

Table 2. Demarcation table

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Included Excluded

Undiscovered African footballers Established footballers

African players Other regions

Personal know-how Transfermarket

Local Talents International Talents

Scandinavian football teams Local football Team

1.3 Benefits

The benefit of the thesis is to enhance the football digital matchmaking model for recruiters (football teams and scouts) and African footballers. The outcome of the thesis also provides significant value prepositions for football teams (B2B (Business 2 Business)) and football players (B2C). The existing player acquisition model is expensive, designed for premium players and teams, and challenging to use. This thesis provides the outcome benefits for both the recruiters and players with the ease of using the platform with an affordable pricing model.

The author of the thesis benefits in numerous ways from this project. The thesis process supports the author's extensive learning process to gain knowledge about the topic and resonates the interest in further understanding business information technology. Creating a user-friendly platform for player acquisition, other sports or businesses can replicate, saving costs and time in the future. However, the most crucial benefit for the author is the learning process of the entire thesis procedure.

1.4 Key Concepts

The focus of the thesis is to describe how the research model was set up by applying three selected frameworks – Lean Start-up, Agile methodology, service design, lean startup, and Minimum Viable Product concepts. The author will not

describe content or use of Agile methods but will concentrate only on the ways of the working model within the Lean Start-up.

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Agile Method: In general, agile software development offers a professional approach to software development that encompasses human, organizational, and technological as- pects of software development processes. Specifically, the main ideas of agile software development are first introduced by describing the Agile Manifesto and its implementa- tions, and second by presenting specific agile practices that enable agile teams to accom- plish their development task with high quality. (Hazzan & Dubinsky 2008.)

Service Design: It is a human-centered, collaborative interdisciplinary, iterative approach that uses research, prototyping, and a set of easily understood activities and visualization tools to create and orchestrate experiences that meet the needs of the business, the user, and other stakeholders (Stickdorn, Hormess, Lawrence & Schneider 2018).

The Lean Start-up: This is a set of practices for helping entrepreneurs increase their odds of building a successful startup. In contrast, a startup is a human institution designed to create a new product or service under conditions of extreme uncertainty. (Ries 2011.)

Minimum Viable Product (MVP): This concept from Lean Start-up stresses the impact of learning in new product development. (Ibid. 2011.)

Transfermarket: a site where people go to find and discuss information about soccer play- ers. (Smith 2021.)

1.5 Commissioning company

AfriPro is a startup company located in Finland and was established in June 2021 by John Samuel, an ex-Nigerian professional footballer. AfriPro now has a team of two, hence the founder and CEO John Samuel and business associate Tuukka Ylälähti who is the CTO.

Services rendered are essential services at a 15€ one-time reoccurring fee for a year and 150€ for premium player profile service.

AfrIpro is a digital platform that empowers African footballers to create their profiles and upload their CV / Youtube links / Transfermarket links. It gives them the digital visibility needed to be scouted and monitored faster and efficiently by top football teams across Scandinavian regions. AfriPro is a gateway to stardom. It is a business idea to connect

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African professional and amateur footballers with the desire to play in Europe with teams looking for undiscovered talent.

Africa’s population is rapidly growing, even at over 1.2 billion populaces, Africa is dubbed the ‘New Asia ‘as its population projection is taunted to grow from 17% in 2020 to 26% in 2050 and 39% by 2100, while the share of Asia will fall from 59% in 2020 to 55% in 2050 and 43% in 2100. Africa has the world's largest free trade area and a 1.2 billion person market. The continent is creating an entirely new development path, harnessing the potential of its resources and people. There has been no better time for investors to invest and business development to be implemented, and the need for more startups has been on the rise in Africa in the last decade. ( World Bank 202).

With over 100 million men and women vying to become the next big football star and a one-time fee of 15€ yearly reoccurring charges, the addressable service market is 1.5 billion euros. ( Afripro 2021).

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10 2 Lean Start-up theory

The Lean Start-up approach offers a framework to identify customer needs, market opportunities, and product/market fit as part of the opportunity identification and venture creation process. It also provides firms the opportunity to develop dynamic capabilities to en- gage a competitive and ever-changing marketplace (York JM & York JL 2019).

The Lean Start-up provides a scientific approach to creating and managing startups and getting the desired product to customers' hands faster. The Lean Start-up method teaches you how to drive a start-up-how to steer, when to turn, and when to persevere and grow a business with maximum acceleration. It is a principled approach to new product development. (Lean startup 2021).

Too many startups begin with an idea for a product that they think people want. They then spend months, sometimes years, perfecting that product without ever showing the product, even in a very rudimentary form, to the prospective customer. When they fail to reach broad uptake from customers, it is often because they never spoke to prospective customers and determined whether the product was interesting. When customers communicate, through their indifference, that they do not care about the idea, the startup fails. (Ries 2018).

2.1 The Lean method and how it works

A new methodology for launching companies, called "the lean startup," has replaced the old regimen in the past few years. Traditionally, a venture's founders would write a business plan, complete with a five-year forecast, use it to raise money, and then go into

"stealth mode" to develop their offerings, all without getting much feedback from the people they intended to sell to. Lean startups, in contrast, begin by searching for a business model. (Blank 2013.)

They test, revise, and discard hypotheses, continually gathering customer feedback and rapidly iterating on and reengineering their products. This strategy reduces the chances

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that startups will spend a lot of time and money launching products that no one will pay for. (Blank 2013.)

Simply put, it is an approach (also known as Build-Measure-Learn) that helps entrepreneurs use their available resources in the best and most efficient way possible to manage startup risks, and at the same time, also search for a repeatable and scalable business model. (Pearbits 2011.)

It is based on the belief that “the theory that is the foundation of Toyota's success can be used to dramatically improve the speed at which startups find validated learning” (Ries 2011,188).

The attraction of the lean startup approach is straightforward. It seeks to offer a "scientific approach to the creation of startups," pushing entrepreneurs and innovators to undertake structured experiments based on an underlying hypothesis

and incorporating feedback from these experiments directly into a process of rapid itera- tion and innovation. The lean startup has also

introduced a shared vocabulary for discussing startup activity and has provided several valuable tools and concepts, including

the business model canvas, the minimum viable product, customer development, and validation, and pivoting. (Ries & Blank 2013.)

2.2 Application of Lean Method

In this chapter, the author will explain and overview how the Lean Method is applied to starting a venture with every attribute, factor, and step taken to use the lean method.

To implement the lean method, it all starts with a hypothesis based on assumptions, as shown in Figure 1

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12 Figure 1. The Lean Start-up Process – Diagram

2.3 Build - Measure – Learn

Build, Measure, Learn sounds simple. Build a product, get it into the real world, measure customers' reactions and behaviors, learn from this, and use what you have learned to build something better. Then, repeat, learning whether to iterate, pivot, or restart until you have something that customers love. (Blank 2015.)

2.3.1 Build (Hypothesis):

In contrast, a hypothesis means an educated guess that requires experimentation and data to validate or invalidate.

These hypotheses span the gamut from who is the customer(s) to what is the value proposition (product/service features), pricing, distribution channel, and demand creation (customer acquisition, activation, retention, etc.)

That the Lean Startup begins with acknowledging that your idea is simply a series of un- tested hypotheses is a big idea. It is a big idea because what you build needs to match the hypothesis you want to test.

BUILD

MEASURE

LEARN

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The minimum viable product you will need to build to find the right customers is different from the minimum viable product you need for testing pricing, which is different from an MVP you would build to test specific product features. And all these hypotheses (and minimal viable products) change over time as you learn more (Blank 2015.)

Lean startup places a firm emphasis on experimentation and the scientific validation of hypotheses through customer interaction. It puts less emphasis on hypothesis development itself. For this reason, the lean startup tells founders to stop spending time planning or theorizing and to get out of the proverbial office to talk with, listen to, and interact with customers. Rather than waste time planning, startups should quickly develop a "minimum viable product" and get rapid customer feedback and input. Business plans are actively dis- couraged by the lean startup approach because "business plans fail on contact with customers" (Blank,2013; cf. Blank & Dorf, 2012).

Instead, founders and managers are told to interact with potential customers to iterate and learn from them as soon as possible. The central logic is that customer interaction ele- vates startup hypotheses from the realm of guesses to the realm of facts and data (en- couraging learning and pivots), thereby rendering startup activity more scientific and evidence-based (Blank & Dorf, 2012,37).

2.3.2 Measure (Testing Hypothesis):

Before the hypothesis is tested, it is first put into diagrams to visualize it using Alexander Osterwalder's business model canvas presents a visual overview of the nine components of a business on one page. They are:

• value proposition, product/service the company offers (along with its benefits to customers)

• customer segments, such as users and payers, moms, or teens

• distribution channels to reach customers and offer them the value proposition

• customer relationships to create demand

• revenue streams generated by the value proposition(s)

• activities necessary to implement the business model

• resources needed to make the activities possible

• partners 3^rd parties needed to make the activities possible

• cost structure resulting from the business model

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Steve Blank stated that '' once these hypotheses fill the Business Model Canvas, how does an entrepreneur go about testing them? If you are a scientist, the answer is easy:

you run experiments. The same is true in a Lean Start-up. (The National Science Founda- tion described the Lean Launchpad class as the scientific method for entrepreneurship.)’’.

At this stage, the hypothesis will be tested after the customer development process has been concluded. This hypothesis will then lead to Customer discovery captures the founders' vision and turning it into a series of business model hypotheses. This, in turn, leads to a series of experiments developed to be tested to get customers' reactions and perception of the hypothesis and turn them into facts. For the experiments to be practical, potential customers will be asked a series of questions to prove a minimal viable product to help customers understand the solutions to be provided

So, another big idea here is startups are not building minimal viable products to build a prototype. Instead, they are building minimal viable products to learn the most they can.

2.3.3 Learn

Finally, the goal of designing these experiments and minimal viable products is not to get data. The data is not the endpoint. Anyone can collect data. Focus groups collect data.

This is not a focus group. The goal is to get insight. The entire point of getting out of the building is to inform the founder’s vision.

The insight may come from analyzing customer responses. Still, it may also come from ig- noring the data or realizing that what you are describing is a new, disruptive market that does not exist. Therefore, you need to change your experiments from measuring specifics to inventing the future. (Blank 2015).

2.4 Digital Platform

In this chapter, the author will discuss the digital platform, its meaning, its theory, and why it is the core functionality that transforms the existing player acquisition model into a digitized concept.

In business enterprise terms, a digital platform can be thought of as the sum of a place for exchanges of information, goods, or services to occur between producers and consumers as well as the community that interacts with said platform. (Watts 2020.)

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In today's world, people use digital platforms for everything. The global issue with the coronavirus pandemic has compelled businesses providing virtual physical chains to mi- grate to virtual value chains using digital platforms. However, the digital platform serves various purposes depending on the business model used, target customer, etc., some conspicuous digital platforms examples.

• Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn

• Knowledge platforms like Stack Overflow, Quora, and Yahoo! Answers

• Media sharing platforms like YouTube, Spotify, and Vimeo

• Service-oriented platforms like Uber, Airbnb, and Grub Hub (bmc 2021).

2.5 Competitors and repositories

As mentioned in previous chapters, Africa is a continent lacking existing data. This has often debarred so many businesses in investing in Africa or having difficulties carrying out feasibility studies due to a lack of existing data.

However, there are existing competitors in the business who have already digitized the concept of player acquisition using repositories such as YouTube, Transfermarket platform. These competitors are Wy scout, Yooscout, and 11transfair. These platforms are designed to scout ready-made or established footballers; their platforms are expensive, difficult to use, and designed for premium agents and teams, leaving African players at the mercy of predatory agents.

AfriPro, on the other hand, was designed to empower African footballers to create their profile, upload their YouTube links or videos at inexpensive annual reoccurring at 15€, and give the digital visibility needed to be monitored and scouted easier and faster by top teams in Scandinavian regions. AfriPro repository uses personal know-hows, personal contacts, and local networks. This model is straightforward and personalized to target undiscovered talented African football players.

Although Africa has the highest rate of poverty, yet it is rich in many ways. Africans are tech-savvy; hence, an average African owns a mobile phone, regardless of their location in their respective country, and most phones are smartphones. As a result of this research, AfriPro was designed to have mobile functionality, designed to be 100% mobile- friendly (meaning players can use the platform on their mobile with ease, with imagery onboarding support, etc.). From the moment the App is downloaded, player onboarding is animated with a few texts support to enhance the onboarding process and make it easy.

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During the onboarding process, players are asked a series of questions that helps the validation of these players to confirm who they say they are (Identity confirmation)

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17 3 Research Methods

In this chapter, the author explains and justifies the choice of research methods utilized in the study. Each research phase with corresponding research methods will be described in detail to internalize the study's structure better.

3.1 Research design

A research design is a strategic framework for action that serves as a bridge between research questions and the execution or implementation of the research. Research designs are planning that guide 'the arrangement of conditions for collection and analysis of data in a manner that aims to combine relevance to the research purpose with economy in procedure' (Sellitz, Jahoda, Deutsch & Cook. 1965, 50.)

The figure below portrays the research process. In this study, research is divided into three phases, used at intervals for a common goal. Due to the lack of existing data for quantitative analysis, the author decided to utilize qualitative research methods in the study. Therefore, the first phase of the research began with an online survey to ascertain the need for the platform and proceeded with a second phase, a semi-structured theme interview aimed at finding answers to IQ 1 & 2. These results help the author to understand the value proposition of existing competitors and facil- itate research during comparison analysis with existing platforms and mediums of the player acquisition model.

The data collated from these interviews requires further research on IQ 3 & IQ 4 on understanding what features are needed to deliver a first product version (Beta version) of the platform. Based on all the data collected and analyzed in the study, the author will discuss and conclude the results to answer the research question.

Phase 1 Online

survey

Quantitative survey

Phase 2

Semi structured

interview

Qualitative

survey

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18 Figure 3. Research design

Qualitative research

Qualitative designs rely on description quality; rather than quantifying large samples of people or units, qualitative designs rely on detail in reporting human processes. For exam- ple, field research is primarily a qualitative design, where researchers go into a field set- ting to observe people, collecting detailed information about some smaller group, process, and interaction. Content analysis is another qualitative design, where cultural artifacts are examined to provide context and derive meaning from what people create. Both designs offer a wealth of detail about social patterns. (Abbott & McKinney 2013).

Quantitative research relies on numerical analysis and measurement of the data collected through a set of structured questions with predetermined response options to many respondents. In contrast, qualitative research aims to understand a phenomenon through analyzing and interpreting non-quantified data collected by observations (Burns & Bush 2014, 146).

Considering the geographical location, the volume of the target respondents, and the limited we decided to use the survey method to research. This enabled us to collate data and analyze the data, and it would be convenient to administer and flexible for computing.

3.2 Research design phases and processes

Before the author could embark on creating and designing the platform, a series of phases had to be undergone to test the concept, prove the concept and develop the concept. First, this was done to understand the demand for the concept in the market and create awareness for the concept in Africa. Then, with the details gathered, the platform's creation was designed based on the data received during these phases.

Below are the phases of data collection leading to the creation of the platform, AfriPro.

Phase 3 Online

Survey

Quantitative

survey

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19 Phase 1: For the players

The Phase process began during weeks 23-34, 2021 (from 11.6.2021-

18.6.2021). A survey questionnaire was created on google form with the intent to inquire from footballers of all ages of an idea,' what if we have this type of solution, would you be interested '? The questions were shared with the community of footballers online, personal contacts, and via WhatsApp and WhatsApp groups of footballers.

These questions were strategically constructed to understand the needs and demand for a digital platform for players to be monitored and scouted by top teams across Europe.

The respondent had one week to answer the questions. The responses were able to help us validate the design model and how to create the platform that would meet the needs of the players from a player's perspective.

The questions asked that be seen in the appendix (see Appendix 4)

Phase 2: Early-bird access

Feedback received from Phase 1 was incredibly positive and overwhelming, which prompted us to initiate phase 2. It was pretty evident the need and demand for this platform are high hence the need to proceed to phase 2.

We applied for an innovation voucher (a business grant) from Business Finland on June 26^th, 2021, and the same day we created our Instagram page. The grant was approved three weeks later. The grant was meant to develop the first version of the App. To prove our MVP, we proceeded to launch our marketing website, www.afri.pro on July 27^th,2021.

The purpose of creating the marketing website was to get 1000 early-bird signups in 3 months who would get one year of free access to the platform when launched and see if the platform's demand is genuinely out there. Marketing content for the early-bird signups was also launched with a video ad, as shown below in figure 4. These contents were shared using a paid ad model on Instagram and Facebook to target most sub-Saharan Af- rican countries. As a result of these ads, we got over 600-page views daily, as seen in the image below. The questions asked for the early-bird signup and responses can be seen in the appendices below. (See Appendix 5)

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20 Figure 4. Marketing content

Surprisingly, it took less than 2.5 weeks for us to get over 1000 early-bird signups, as seen in the image below.

Figure 5. Early-bird signup responses

The above result confirmed an urgent need for the platform to be set up to provide these football players digital visibility.

Phase 3: Interviews for the coaches and team representatives

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The interviews were carried out during weeks 31-32 and 33, 2021 (from 02.8.2021- 12.8.2021 and from 14.8.2021-16.3.2021). The third phase of the thesis is conducted through qualitative methods, which entails interviewing coaches, football team administra- tors, and football team owners.

A personal interview approach was made via zoom sessions with each of these representatives for validation purposes, which would help service design. During this interview, the interviewer was able to understand better the existing player acquisition model, the perception of the interviewees of African and African footballers, and the interviewer was able to understand the previous approach used in acquiring football players from Africa.

We interviewed three team leaders and team representatives such as Antti Sinkkonen of Pepo, Richard Dorman of Seinäjoki, SJK, Fredrick of FF Jaro, and Kari Hakala of Musa Fc ) majorly to gather information relating to their existing player acquisition model, how fa- miliar they are with acquiring football players from Africa, what experiences they had with African football players, the cost implication to bring a football player from Africa to play in Finland and understanding the cultural overview and differences and how these African football players were integrated into the Finnish community.

Semi-structured interviews are conducted conversationally with one respondent at a time;

the semi-structured interview (SSI) employs a blend of closed- and open-ended questions, often accompanied by follow-up why or how questions. (Wholey, Harty & Newcomer 2015). Although the author implemented a semi-structured approach model, the questions were predefined, the respondents were able to give an open-end answer which would freely allow the respondents to provide broader reviews to the questions asked.

The following themes were used for the case study interview:

Theme 1: Team’s player acquisition model Theme 2: Repository in acquiring football players Theme 3: Experiences with signing African players

The aim for theme 1 is to understand how the team scouts for fresh players for the new season, what criteria they seek in the types of players they want.

The aim for theme 2 is to understand which platform, geographical location, and channels they acquire football players.

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The aim for theme 3 is to understand their perception of African football players, past experiences, and what they would like to have in place before considering getting a player from Africa. The interviews with all interviewees were carried out on a virtual meeting platform using a Zoom link and on the phone. Responses from interviewees were recorded on notes during the session, and the records of these notes can be found in the appendices section. (See Appendix 3)

3.3 Reliability and Validity

Reliability refers to the consistency of the results we obtain from an assessment. (Darr 2015.) The reliability of an assessment tool is the extent to which it consistently and accurately measures learning. The validity of an assessment tool is the extent to which it measures what it was designed to measure. (TKI 2015.)

To test the reliability of the quantitative study, the author implemented the '' Test/retest '' method of reliability by using the same questions or an equivalent version asking the interviewees at two contrasting times. The two sets of results are then compared to calculate the reliability coefficient. This method indicates how consistent the results are over time or between equivalent forms of the same test.

Validity is better understood as an evaluation of the quality of the interpretations and deci- sions based on an assessment result. That is, how well the inferences we make or actions we take based on an assessment result can be justified. (Darr 2015).

The validity of an assessment tool is the extent to which it measures what it was designed to measure without contamination from other characteristics. (Ibid. 2015.). Ensuring the reliability and validity of results depends on creating a robust research design, choosing appropriate methods and samples, and conducting the research carefully and consistently.

For Validity assessment, the author ensured that your method and measurement tech- nique was high quality and targeted to precisely measure the quantitative study results and were thoroughly researched and based on existing knowledge using a standardized questionnaire. In contrast, reliability was considered throughout the data collection process. To avoid any factor hampering the results or misconstrued data. The questionnaire was made with clear and simple grammar. To reach a larger audience, online surveys

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were carried out via mediums such as social media, WhatsApp, emails, chat mediums, and phone calls.

3.4 Risk

During the ideation phase, a survey was carried out to collate data from target respondents to know their interests in the concepts, and the results were outstanding, with every- one responding. After this, the next step was to create a marketing website to get 1000 early-bird signups for the MVP (Minimum Viable Product). However, the data collections do have risks of failing because the user data itself is the key. If no users are reached, no data is collected; hence no money is generated, which would mean the concept itself or execution is fatally flawed. Furthermore, the risk that no one replies would mean the concept and implementation do not work and would need to return to the drawing board and be re-planned.

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24 4 Results

Chapter 4 discusses the findings for the need for a digital platform for African players seeking to be discovered by teams and coaches across Europe and a player acquisition platform for coaches and team representatives to search for undiscovered talents from Af- rica faster more accessible at inexpensive costs.

4.1 Identifying players and coaches/team representative matchmaking digital platform The first phase of the survey was conducted to know the demand for a platform that connects footballers to teams and coaches across Europe at an inexpensive rate and among the 91 respondents. According to these results, 74.7 responded very much interested.

This result is a very positive response for this phase which is the hypothesis phase.

A critical phase of the process was the data received from the hypothesis, which compelled the author to test the hypothesis to prove the MVP (Minimum Viable Product) by creating a marketing website that received over 1000 early bird subscribers in less than three weeks.

After data were measured, it proceeded to create the App; the responses from the App then enabled the author to learn how the users responded from the use of the App, collected feedbacks for better modification.

Additionally, it was an event where there was a high need for the unique service it could render. The traffic view on the page after launch can be seen below, which shows over 6000 page views daily.

Figure 6. Google analytics pageview

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25 Player status and demand for App

Images 6,7 and 8 below show the connection between the player's playing status, agent status, and need for the platform. To understand how the player acquisition process works in the football world, the author refers to FIFA's football governing body and a professional player.

Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA)

FIFA or the Federation Internationale de Football Association is the highest governing body of football in the world. (FIFA 2021.)

A professional is a player who has a written contract with a club and is paid

more for his footballing activity than the expenses he effectively incurs. All other players are amateurs. (FIFA 2021.)

Player’s playing status

A Player's playing status is a vital factor that attracts teams to select them or even monitor them. Ordinarily, suppose a player is an amateur or without a team. In that case, it is hard for teams to show interest due to lack of playing form and competitiveness because football is all about how active you are, fit, and readiness to play. Image 6 shows of the 91 respondents, 25% are professionals, while 63.7% are amateurs and 11% other. Please note, being an amateur does not mean being idle or without a team; it simply means not playing in a professional team. Also, it is a known fact that many teams also prefer to go for amateur players because it is inexpensive or cheaper than the almost free model of player acquisition hence getting the player without paying any transfer fees.

According to FIFA, the transfer of players between clubs belonging to the same association is governed by specific regulations issued by the association concerned by article 1 paragraph 3, which FIFA must approve. Such regulations shall lay down rules for the set- tlement of disputes between clubs and players, following the principles stipulated in these regulations. Such regulations should also provide a system to reward clubs investing in the training and education of young players. (FIFA 2021).

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26 Figure 7. Player playing status

Figure 7 above shows 63.7% of amateur football players, 25.3% professionals, and 11%

unattached players participating in our survey. This result helps the author to under the playing status of players to create more validation process for the players to be scouted.

Player’s agent status

Concerning figuring 8, we considered another factor: the player's agent status, which could also be another factor football teams would like to view before inquiring about a player.

FIFA defines an intermediary as 'A natural or legal person who, for a fee or free of charge, represents players and clubs in negotiations to conclude an employment contract or represents clubs in negotiations to conclude a transfer agreement.’ (FIFA 2021).

So, an intermediary represents for a fee or a charge:

• players in negotiations to conclude an employment contract; and

• clubs in negotiations to conclude:

o an employment agreement or o a transfer agreement.

If a player has an agent, the process goes; thus, the team will have to contact the agent, discuss their interests for the player while the agent will negotiate the demands for the player based on his worth and needs. Sometimes these things happen fast, and sometimes it drags on for a long time that teams lose interest because, in as much as the agent

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is looking after the need of the playing, they are also seeking compensation for his services. Because of the costs of acquiring a player with an agent, most teams would prefer to go for a player without an agent. Figure 8 shows that among the 91 respondents, 72.5% do not have an agent, 15.4% do have an agent, while 12.1% responded no, which in turn could be added to the 72.5 equating to 96.6% responding not having an agent.

Figure 7 and 8 results help us validate the status of players, which in turn will be repli- cated during the onboarding steps on the App where players will need to identify their playing status and agent status that helps the coaches and team representatives make a better decision of the type of players they will be looking for.

Figure 8. Player agent status

Figure 8 above shows that among the 91 respondents, 72.5% are free players, 15.4 % are players with agents, while 12.1% also indicates they don't have any agents at all (these are players who don't have access to having agents). This data suggests there are more free players for easy acquisition and paper transfer of players from one team to another than players with agents that are time-consuming with lengthy negotiations, and expensive.

Player's playing status for the App

Lastly, image 9 showed the responses on the survey to know if the players will be paying 15€ one-time yearly reoccurring price to use the platform. Among the 91 respondents, 74.7% responded they would pay, 20.9% reacted maybe, and only one replied no.

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The above-stated results were indeed a match for what the AfriPro platform can offer, connecting coaches and team representatives to undiscovered talented African footballers in Africa.

Figure 9. Demand for the platform

Figure 9 shows that of the 91 football players who participated in the survey, 74.5% indi- cated they would pay, 20.9% replied maybe, and only one replied no. This result shows that there is indeed the demand for the platform and the willingness to pay for it is evident.

The results from data from figures 7,8 and 9 follow the concept of 'build 'in the lean method steps build-measure-learn. The purpose of this survey was to get the responses of football players about the concept, 'If there was a platform that gives such services. The responses were astonishing, which compels the author to proceed to different phases hence, 'measure learn.

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29 5 Conclusion

This is a summary chapter of the thesis findings, the platform, target groups, and the chapter ends with a self-evaluation of the benefits of the studies for the company.

5.1 Key Outcomes

The summarized analysis of the main results is discussed in this chapter. The validation of these results shows connections to the research questions and investigative questions in Chapter one. The research question was, ‘What are the critical value propositions and price points for the key customer groups (Players and recruiters), on which the player acquisition work model for AfriPro business should be based? The key components to denote the value proposition and price points are stated below using figure 10 below.

The image below shows the key competitors in the market and their repositories.

Figure 10. Competitor map

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IQ 1. Who are the key competitors, and what are their value propositions, price point, and player acquisition model for the football teams?

Key Competitors and Player Acquisition.

The above map shows the positioning of the competitors in the market. Starting with the region of focus, it is noticeable that these competitors (11transfair and Yooscout) are majorly focused on other regions to provide their services instead of AfriPro, which is focused on the Scandinavian market. Furthermore, the competitors mentioned above provide their services at an expensive pricing rate average of 100 – 10,000€ compared to Afripro, which offers similar benefits with added value at 15€ annual reoccurring price.

IQ 2. What are the challenges of player acquisitions of African footballers to Scandinavia football teams?

Challenges of player acquisition.

Compared to the competitors who are majorly focused on other regions in Europe, AfriPro is concentrated in the Scandinavian regions. The reason for these differences is that most online platforms and football agents know the difficulties of bringing a player from Africa to play in Europe's top five best leagues like the UK, Italy, Spain, France, and Germany because for African players to play in these regions mentioned they are required to either have Eu passports/Eu residents/Eu second citizens (married to a European). On the other hand, Afripro focuses on the Scandinavian region because it has easy access for African players with fewer restrictions without living in the Eu states or having Eu passports.

IQ 3. What are the required features on the App for the first product version for key customer groups, Players, and football teams?

Essential features on the App.

During the validation phase of interviewing the coaches and team representatives, they were keen on seeing players' transfermarket links, YouTube links, videos, profiles filled with their ages, height, playing positions, and preferred foot. One prominent feature they would like to see is players' release documents from the team are sorted with the parent

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club, player's travel documents like passports are up to date and travel-ready without any hinge to being stopped by the previous team. The details of these interviews can be seen in the appendices section (See Appendix 3).

IQ 4. What is the demand for an affordable scouting digital platform for football players?

Demand for the Platform

In figure 8 of the chapter, the results showed the demand for the App was very high. Dur- ing the online survey, it was evident that a matchmaking platform that would connect undiscovered African football talents with football teams in the Scandinavian region was very high. This validates the MVP. In addition, the image showed that players were willing to pay 15€ for the service because it was cheap, inexpensive service and affordable compared to existing platforms designed for premium agents, premium teams, challenging to use, and costly.

RQ. What are the critical value propositions and price points for the key customer groups (Players and recruiters) on which the player acquisition work model for AfriPro business should be based?

The Value Proposition

Reviewing the above-stated results to each IQs AfriPro gives to the players and recruiters compared to their competitors, it is evident that AfriPro unique value proposition can be stated as, ‘Providing an inexpensive localized and personalized digital platform connecting undiscovered African players to football teams in Europe to make their dreams of stardom come true.

Not much African football players' data can be found on Google, YouTube, or transfermarket link. This has been a significant issue why most African players don't get the necessary digital visibility to be scouted. Moreover, the platforms that provide these platforms

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are too expensive and difficult to use. Still, AfriPro, with their localized and personalized approach of getting these players on the platform, making the platform user-friendly and very affordable, shows that AfriPro has the edge over their competitors.

5.2 Recommendation

Considering the market characteristics of football across the globe and player acquisition model and considering the focus of competitor’s repository as opposed to AfriPro coupled with the pricing model of competitors, the author believes there is a viable market for Af- riPro. AfriPro should focus more on onboarding football teams to create more opportunities for acquiring players via the platform. The more the teams, the higher the success rate of player acquisition via the platform. The company should also consider hiring Finn- ish speaking in sales and marketing for cold calls and social media marketing. This will increase their visibility and validity in Finland.

Finally, the author would recommend the company to partner with social media influenc- ers to promote the App and, in return, give commission for every player that signs up and pay to use the App. e.g., 5% from 15€ paid by each player to the influencer.

5.3 Evaluation of Project Management and Outcomes

After the launch of the App, there have been over 1000 active users of the App and over 3000 generic followers who are equally potential users of the App. Although no payment system has been integrated for the use of the App yet, there have been high demands for payment because users who are not on the App would like to use the App as well, and at the moment, the only users are the ones who signed up for the early-bird access cam- paign. A critical area that would need improvement would certainly be a more digital market for digital visibility hence working on the SEO (Search Engine Optimization), Investing in google ads, and other social media paid ads such as Facebook and Instagram.

5.4 Further Research Suggestions

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The viability, sustainability, and growth of the platform rely on the number of teams that can be onboarded. The larger the teams, the greater the chances of players on the platform to get opportunities to be scouted, which equates to the company's success. That being stated, it is imperative that AfriPro research success stories of the integration of for- eigners in Finland, especially in sports. This would help AfriPro implement or remold a similar strategy into a package for teams as a service that would enable them to use the platform, knowing that AfriPro would support the integration of the players into the country.

In addition, further research could be done on FIFA policies and regulations in areas of players' contractual agreements with exiting football teams. Africa is plagued with conspicuous incidences of players signed with the team, unpaid for the entire season, the players get offers to play elsewhere, yet the parent team refuses to release the player's release papers. Having a good understanding of the FIFA regulations on players' contracts and rights of release should be understudied.

5.5 Reflective writing

Admittedly, it has been a mentally excruciating yet positive experience writing this thesis thus far. The biggest challenges I encountered were putting collated data into segments and giving appropriate labels in thesis format. In addition, although getting an online survey done was easy, getting football teams or coaches to interview them for validation was quite challenging. This was due to not being able to communicate fluently in English, which often is the case with most Finnish people or lack of interest in the project. Still, after much convincing, I was able to get coaches and team representatives' validation.

Even though the entire process was heavy and time-consuming, on a positive note, I was able to speak with top coaches and team representatives whom I never had the chance to meet or talk with during my active playing days. In addition, working on this thesis gave me deeper insights into the project itself. Also, I had the chance to do more research to understand the concepts of the Lean Method and its methodological application, which helped me gain more profound knowledge about it.

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34 References

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Charles Darr 2015. file:///C:/Users/footb/AppData/Local/Temp/A+hitchhikers+guide+to+validity.pdf Accessed September 21^st,2021

FIFA 2021. https://www.fifa.com/ . Accessed: November 16^th,2021.

Gersung, C., & Resengren, W. 1973. The Service Society, Cambridge, MA: Schenkman Publishing. URL: https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/301358725.pdf . Accessed: 20 Septem- ber 2021.

Hassan & Dubinsky, 2008. Agile software engineering. URL: https://pdf.zlibcdn.com/dto- ken/7d8431f6659fa4411be0422b4cce7bb0/Agile_software_engineering_by_Orit_Haz- zan,_Yael_Du_539477_(z-lib.org).pdf . Accessed: September 20th, 2021.

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https://www.lucidchart.com/blog/what-is-a-service-blueprint. Accessed: September 3rd, 2021.

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36 Appendices

Appendix 1

Table of content Contents

1 Introduction ... 1

1.1 Background ... 1

1.2 Research question ... 4

1.3 Benefits ... 7

1.4 Key Concepts ... 7

1.5 Commissioning company ... 8

2 Lean Start-up theory ... 10

2.1 The Lean method and how it works ... 10

2.2 Application of Lean Method ... 11

2.3 Build - Measure – Learn ... 12

2.3.1 Build (Hypothesis): ... 12

2.3.2 Measure (Testing Hypothesis): ... 13

2.3.3 Learn ... 14

2.4 Digital Platform... 14

2.5 Competitors and repositories ... 15

3 Research Methods ... 17

3.1 Research design ... 17

3.2 Research design phases and processes ... 18

3.3 Reliability and Validity ... 22

3.4 Risk ... 23

4 Results ... 24

4.1 Identifying players and coaches/team representative matchmaking digital platform 24 5 Conclusion ... 29