After eight whirlwind weeks of business mentoring with our co-founder Rod, our four entrepreneurs have streamlined their business ideas into concise one-page strategic plans, complete with budgets.
They’re now ready to embark on Phase Two, where they’ll be paired with external mentors for tailored guidance. Curious about the insights they've gained during their initial phase? Here are their reflections!
As part of your strategic planning process, you worked on nailing your business purpose. Can you share that with our readers?
Sungeni, Village Solar: Our purpose is to empower and create livelihoods for marginalised rural women in Malawi. Our approach involves partnering with these women to distribute solar products to rural and impoverished communities with low energy access.
Yisehak, Hulu Medicine: Our business purpose is to fulfill the right to relief of [Ethiopian] patients in urgent need of medication. We ensure that patients can access critical medications they require in a timely manner, preventing potential health complications or life-threatening situations.
Becki, Glow Early Learning: Glow Early Learning's purpose is to transform the lives of our students and their families by providing quality play-based education in the heart of Phnom Penh. Our services extend to the clients within Bloom Asia’s vocational programme as well as the wider community.
Julia, Our Sansar Recycling Centre: The purpose of Our Sansar’s new recycling centre is to [help] eliminate child labour in Southern Nepal by providing good income opportunities to the families so that they can afford children’s education and other necessities.
Our enterprises defined their business purpose as part of their strategic planning with All Good Ventures. Village Solar exists to empower and create livelihoods for marginalised rural women in Malawi.
What has been most valuable during this first phase of business mentoring?
Becki, Glow Early Learning: I have found the time spent developing my one-page strategic plan (OPSP) the most valuable part of this phase of business mentoring. Rod asked me all the right questions and helped me form a complete - yet straightforward - OPSP that will guide me, and the centre, as we work toward opening.
Yisehak, Hulu Medicine: The biggest takeaway for me is the importance of having a concise [strategy] document that summarises the company's direction and priorities. Previously, I prepared a detailed draft business plan to articulate my business. However, having an OPSP is much more effective. I can reference my OPSP in daily operations, easily share it with employees and stakeholders, and continuously modify it as I learn more about my business.
Sungeni, Village Solar: The mentoring process with Rod has helped clarify our business goals, create actionable steps, and prioritise what needs to be done next at Village Solar. Basically, we now have a better understanding of the strategic direction to take. This has reduced uncertainty and given us confidence to grow and succeed as a social enterprise.
Julia, Our Sansar Recycling Centre: I found the sessions with Rod incredibly helpful. It was great to pull all our ideas and notes into a strategic plan that’s now coherent and easy for the whole team to follow. The process made us think carefully about risks, mitigation, roles, and the steps needed for success. It was clear and hands-on, much more practical than other business plans I’ve worked on, and we’re now considering using the same template for future projects.
Bloom Asia's Glow Early Learning Centre will open in South East Asia later this year. Project leader, Becki, says that crafting a one-page strategic plan with All Good Ventures has been vital in preparing the centre for what's ahead.
How has your business idea, or how you think about your business, changed or evolved since starting the strategic planning process?
Yisehak, Hulu Medicine: Before the strategic planning process, I wasn’t sure what my next steps with Hulu Medicine would be. During the sessions, we mapped out strategic actions, 3-year priorities, 1-year priorities, and worked back to quarterly actions. Now, I have a clear path for immediate actions and how they align with our 1-year and 3-year goals.
Becki, Glow Early Learning: I really appreciated how the process helped me pinpoint the strengths and weaknesses of [Glow Early Learning]. It clarified where I need support and what kind of help to seek. Without the business mentoring, I don’t think I would have identified these areas on my own.
Sungeni, Village Solar: During the strategic planning process with Rod, we asked key questions: 'How can we achieve long-term sustainable impact? What can we learn from other solar and rural electrification initiatives in Malawi and Africa to improve and avoid pitfalls?' We realised we could better involve women in the design and execution of our initiatives. As a result, we’ve shifted our approach to engage our beneficiaries more deeply, enhance operational efficiency, and ensure long-term sustainability. We’re excited about the transformation ahead.
Julia, Our Sansar Recycling Centre: The original recycling centre business idea remains the same, and we’re still following our original plan. However, the strategic planning process has been really helpful in ensuring we haven’t overlooked anything obvious. We managed to iron out many details that could have been neglected. One key improvement since starting the process has been the allocation of roles—we took a closer look at our existing skills and adjusted to ensure maximum efficiency.
As Our Sansar looks ahead to launching their recycling centre in Nepal, project leader Julia said All Good Ventures' strategic planning process helped them rethink roles and make adjustments to ensure everything runs smoothly.