The Business of Doing Good
Insights from one social enterprise's journey to deliver on good intentions
Anton Simanowitz, Katherine Knotts
Why is it that so many organizations, seeking to do good in the world, miss opportunities to do so – and indeed sometimes exacerbate the very problem they seek to address? The Business of Doing Good reveals six insights for microfinance and other social purpose organizations using the marketplace to tackle a range of pressing social challenges. To deliver on good intentions, we need to do more than simply deliver ‘good products’, and become organizations designed to do good.
The insights focus on creating a business model that moves beyond conventional wisdom about clients and marketplace. This means getting to grips with the realities of clients’ lives, and delivering products that address their real needs (rather than simply chasing market demand). It also means recognizing that our vision is realized through our people. By tapping into their potential, and supporting them to do difficult work, we can do quality work – and innovate to constantly do it better. Finally, the insights challenge us to make our social value proposition work from a business perspective – defining our own trade-offs, and evolving our approach to respond to a fast-changing world.
The Business of Doing Good charts the course of one remarkable and profitable social enterprise (AMK) that has, with single-minded purpose, made radical choices and reached deep into rural Cambodia, touching the lives of almost two million people living in poverty.
This book is important reading for microfinance and development practitioners, social entrepreneurs, impact investors, philanthropists, researchers, and students of international development.
Published: 2015
Pages: 176
eBook: 9781780448640
Paperback: 9781853398650
Hardback: 9781853398643
The insights focus on creating a business model that moves beyond conventional wisdom about clients and marketplace. This means getting to grips with the realities of clients’ lives, and delivering products that address their real needs (rather than simply chasing market demand). It also means recognizing that our vision is realized through our people. By tapping into their potential, and supporting them to do difficult work, we can do quality work – and innovate to constantly do it better. Finally, the insights challenge us to make our social value proposition work from a business perspective – defining our own trade-offs, and evolving our approach to respond to a fast-changing world.
The Business of Doing Good charts the course of one remarkable and profitable social enterprise (AMK) that has, with single-minded purpose, made radical choices and reached deep into rural Cambodia, touching the lives of almost two million people living in poverty.
This book is important reading for microfinance and development practitioners, social entrepreneurs, impact investors, philanthropists, researchers, and students of international development.
| Prelims [About the authors |Foreword |Preface |Acknowledgements |Abbreviations and acronyms | Key people in the history of AMK] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Prologue: Seila’s story | |||
| Introduction: Going beyond good intentions | |||
| Building a business model for good | |||
| Does it work? | |||
| A brief history | |||
| Part I Shedding assumptions about clients | |||
| Meeting needs as well as wants | |||
| Ensuring access | |||
| Balancing the needs of different groups | |||
| Chapter 1 Insight: Don’t just offer products; respond to client needs | |||
| Understanding client livelihoods | |||
| Designing products that respond to needs | |||
| Looking ahead | |||
| Chapter 2 Insight: Ask good questions; have good conversations | |||
| Asking good questions | |||
| Having good conversations | |||
| Using data better | |||
| Looking ahead | |||
| Part II Translating good intentions | |||
| Managing what matters | |||
| The end of ‘command and control’ | |||
| Chapter 3 Insight: Do what it says on the tin | |||
| Laying the foundation for growth | |||
| Stress testing the model | |||
| Learning the lessons | |||
| Looking ahead | |||
| Chapter 4 Insight: Motivate staff to do difficult work in an excellent way | |||
| Creating a learning culture | |||
| Supporting the learning culture | |||
| Building the right Board to deliver value | |||
| Looking ahead | |||
| Part III Building a business model that works | |||
| Choosing the dirt road | |||
| An evolving business model | |||
| Chapter 5 Insight: Own the dirt road | |||
| At war with conventional wisdom | |||
| AMK’s ‘outside-in’ strategy | |||
| Making the maths work | |||
| Maintaining a focus on poor people | |||
| Looking ahead | |||
| Chapter 6 Insight: Adapt to the changing landscape | |||
| Balancing your offering with capacity and context | |||
| The dangers of standing still | |||
| Exploring the limits of the product offering | |||
| The savings story: Bringing it all together | |||
| Looking ahead | |||
| Conclusions: Taking the road less travelled | |||
| How can we do better at doing good? | |||
| One organization in a big world | |||
| Looking forward |
Anton Simanowitz
Anton Simanowitz has been influential since the late 1990s as a practitioner and thought leader in the field of microfinance and social enterprise. He works globally with practitioners, investors, technical assistance providers and policy makers to improve the effectiveness of microfinance and social enterprises in delivering positive social outcomes.
Katherine Knotts
Katherine Knotts works with social purpose organizations to help them become better learners and communicators, in order to be more effective in sparking positive social change.
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