Finding the Right Market: How WeWork Is Helping MasterPiece Development Foundation Grow

In Uganda’s growing circular economy, what many people see as waste can become the raw material for a business. At MasterPiece Development Foundation Limited, Juliet Bridget Kusiima has built an enterprise around turning discarded glass into products such as glasses, chandeliers and wall hangers.  

Through the WeWork – Green and Decent Jobs for Youth project, Juliet received mentorship, business coaching and grant funding to strengthen the areas of the business that could unlock its growth. The engagement helped her take a closer look at her customers, strengthen her sales approach and identify new opportunities to create value from the skills and materials already available to the business. 

Understanding the customer

A key focus of the mentorship was helping the entrepreneur identify the customers most likely to buy the business’s products and services. 

The coaching covered customer identification, sales strategy and market outreach, helping Juliet become more deliberate about how she approached potential customers. Structured weekly sales plans were also introduced, turning customer outreach into a more consistent part of the business. 

“The mentorship helped me better understand who my customers are and how to approach them. Having a clear plan for reaching out to potential customers has also made our sales efforts more intentional,” Juliet said.

This shift helped the business expand its customer base to include restaurants and customers reached through social media platforms. 

The business has also strengthened its partnership with Sheraton Hotel, securing space to showcase its products and increase visibility among potential customers. 

With a clearer approach to the market, MasterPiece Development Foundation was able to turn its customer outreach into tangible business growth. 

Growth beyond the numbers

Over five months of mentorship, the business increased its monthly revenue by 775%. 

While the percentage reflects significant financial growth, the progress was also driven by changes in how the business approached its market. A clearer understanding of target customers, more consistent outreach and structured sales planning helped create stronger demand for its products and services. 

During the same period, MasterPiece Development Foundation served more than 83 customers and produced and sold over 3,000 glass products and services. 

The growth also created an opportunity to look beyond the business’s original product range. 

Creating new value from existing skills 

MasterPiece Development Foundation previously focused on recycled glass products such as glasses, chandeliers and wall hangers. 

As the business developed, it expanded its offering to include glass-cutting services and storage jars. 

The introduction of glass-cutting created an additional revenue stream while allowing the business to serve a wider range of customer needs. Meanwhile, the addition of wooden covers to storage jars provided an opportunity for value addition. 

“We realised that we could do more with the skills and materials we already had. Adding glass-cutting and storage jars helped us create new products and reach more customers.”

These changes demonstrate how businesses in the circular economy can find new opportunities by building on the materials, skills and processes they already have. 

Investing in the next stage of growth

The grant enabled the business to strengthen its production capacity and expand its market outreach.

The funding was used to engage sales personnel, undertake market outreach activities, and facilitate the collection and transportation of raw materials. It also covered production inputs such as sandpaper belts and investments to add value to the business’s products.

Together, these investments helped the business strengthen the activities needed to support its growth, from production to reaching customers. 

As the business expanded, the impact also extended beyond sales and production. 

Creating opportunities for others

Within just five months, the growth of MasterPiece Development Foundation has enabled the business to create two jobs, contributing to new employment opportunities in its community.

This reflects one of the broader objectives of supporting youth-led businesses in the green and circular economy: enabling entrepreneurs to build enterprises that can create opportunities beyond their own livelihoods. 

The business has also adopted Zoho Books to strengthen financial record-keeping and improve the management of its business finances. 

As MasterPiece Development Foundation continues to grow, stronger financial systems will help provide a clearer picture of business performance and support more informed decision-making. 

A clearer path to growth

MasterPiece Development Foundation’s progress shows that business growth does not always require starting over or creating an entirely new product. 

The foundation already had products and the skills to produce them. The opportunity was in understanding the market more clearly, reaching the right customers and identifying additional ways to create value. 

For Juliet and MasterPiece Development Foundation, the journey illustrates how the right support can help entrepreneurs move from simply having products to building a clearer, more deliberate path for business growth.

The WeWork – Green and Decent Jobs for Youth project, is implemented by StartHub Africa in collaboration with Enabel, the Belgian Agency for International Cooperation, under the Global Gateway strategy and funded by the European Union and Belgium.