The best Senegalese cabinetmakers work on word of mouth. That works for 5-8 jobs/month at 300,000 - 2,000,000 FCFA each. A digital portfolio + WhatsApp Business catalogue takes them to 12-15 jobs/month with better-paid projects (interior architects, hotels, restaurants) — these prospects never work without solid digital references.
TL;DR
- A Dakar cabinetmaker with a digital portfolio shifts from 70% retail clients to 60% B2B architects / hotels / restaurants, with 3x average ticket.
- A WhatsApp Business catalogue with 40-80 photographed pieces = 24/7 salesperson that qualifies prospects before your human time.
- A good workshop portfolio eliminates 80% of end-of-project "I had imagined it differently".
What a serious B2B prospect wants to see
Mr Camara, interior architect, looking for a cabinetmaker for a 320m² Almadies villa. Custom-furniture budget: 8M FCFA. He asks 3 fellow architects: who do they use?
→ 3 names. He checks all 3:
- Workshop A: Facebook with 20 blurry 2018 photos, no site, DM "could I see your work" → 3 photos the next day.
- Workshop B: clean site with 6 detailed projects (mood photos + technical details + wood species used), WhatsApp Business catalogue with 50 pieces sorted by type (table, sideboard, bed, dresser, bookshelf, kitchen).
- Workshop C: old Wix site, average photos, no pricing.
Mr Camara goes with B. He signs 8M FCFA for the villa. A and C never even got the call.
What belongs on the site
Portfolio by type + material
- Custom kitchens
- Dressers / bedrooms
- Dining (tables, sideboards, cabinets)
- Outdoor furniture (iroko, teak)
- Retail (full fit-out)
- Hospitality / restaurants
Each project: 10-20 photos (mood + technical details + cabinetmaker signature) + wood used + build duration + budget bracket.
WhatsApp Business catalogue
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Retail clients who don't know the interior-design world scroll the WhatsApp catalogue. Each piece: title, description, standard dimensions, base price, customisation options. Enables selling "custom off the shelf" furniture (standard base + tweaks) at 300-800K.
"Wood species" page
Customer education: iroko vs teak vs padouk vs caïlcédrat vs mahogany. 2026 market prices (volatile: iroko +40% in 2 years). Typical build time. Warranties.
Project calendar
Clients see 2027 availability. If they want a kitchen for September, they must sign by April latest. Creates real urgency.
What Kolonell delivers
Cabinetmaker Portfolio Pack: 6-8 page site + categorised hi-res portfolio + WhatsApp Business catalogue setup + project calendar + online custom quote + wood-species/trends blog.
Delivered in 5 to 7 weeks, 720,000 to 1,080,000 FCFA. Maintenance 45,000 FCFA/month.
"Before, 100% of my clients were retail. Now 60% is architects, hotels, restaurants — 3-10M FCFA projects. The site built my credibility with prospects who used to only work with workshops abroad."
— Cabinetmaker, Bel Air Dakar workshop
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You're a Dakar cabinetmaker and architect prospects are skipping you?
kolonell.com/en/devis-gratuit — WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Ba
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
