Shortly after joining us mid-year, our four 2023 social entrepreneurs jumped into phase one of our mentoring programme. During this intensive eight week period they each tapped into the expertise of our founder, Rod, to craft a unique business plan and budget for their enterprise. As part of that process, they identified their high level strategic priorities, breaking them down into manageable and very specific tasks spread across the next three-year, one-year, and quarter periods.
So what actions are HEZA Initiative, Ripple Movement, Jabulani Rural Health Foundation and Lids 4 Kids working on right now? Let’s take a look…
Two of HEZA’s big milestones in the last five months include officially registering their Egg Hub business and securing a plot of land - a banana plantation to be exact! - for their poultry farm. Talk about big steps. They recently applied for a construction permit, following which they'll begin to develop the farm itself. They're also excited to have secured a grant from Adam Bradford Agency to help with that. Simultaneously they’ll be refining their business’ pricing and sales strategies and carefully writing a marketing and communications plan. Of equal priority is getting their governance sorted, which will involve establishing a dedicated board and deciding how board meetings will run.
Left image: While HEZA Initiative works hard to progress their Egg Hub social enterprise, they also continue to implement other programmes to achieve a goal of 'One Egg Per Child, Everyday' for local kids.
Right image: The banana plantation HEZA Initiative recently purchased, where they'll eventually build the Egg Hub building.
Ripple Movement
Ripple has logged some impressive achievements lately, including several successful gear drives in collaboration with businesses and a record-breaking week of collection bag sales. Going forward their focus is developing two different models: a collection control model to make sure clothing donations are managed really well, and an impact reporting model – because stakeholders want to know the difference they’re making! Project leader, Michelle, has lots of document work on her list too, including an HR plan, and a marketing and comms strategy. All the while she’ll focus on more gear drives; leveraging each one for case studies, testimonials, and social media content.
Left image: Ripple's founder, Michelle (centre), pictured with Downer employees at a recent gear drive.
Right image: The number of gear boxes Michelle is distributing through Oranga Tamariki and other partners continues to grow.
Jabulani Rural Health Foundation (JRHF)
Using Rod as a sounding board, JRHF has decided to focus specifically on the development of their Siyabulela Coffee Shop as first cab off the rank. Later down the track they’ll kickstart other social enterprises within their ‘Livelihoods’ arm. Currently they’re chasing health and safety compliance to mitigate any risks for Siyabulela staff and customers. Customer experience is also big focus - they’re arranging barista training to up the quality of their coffee, and conducting qualitative research about how welcoming community members find the coffee shop. Implementing a Point of Sale (POS) system is also a top priority, and they’re also working on a pricing model to maximise profitability.
Left image: The view overlooking Zitheulele Village, the home of Jabulani Rural Health Foundation (JRHF).
Right image: With the help of All Good Ventures, JRHF is focusing on the development of their Siyabulela Coffee Shop.
Lids 4 Kids (Rescheduled for 2024)
Lids 4 Kids' participation with us this year has been rescheduled to 2024. We look forward to supporting them when they're ready to begin their journey next year.
Talk about hard workers! Having completed phase one of our mentoring programme, and armed with a great business plan and budget, each entrepreneur has now moved onto phase two. For the next 10 months they’ll be working with a dedicated business mentor, who will play a crucial role in helping them progress these actions – as well as giving tailored advice and support. We'll remain closely connected with their progress through reports from their mentors. Stay tuned for ongoing updates on their entrepreneurial journeys!