Have you heard the term ‘profit with purpose’ in your business ownership circles, but not sure how exactly it could be applied to your franchise? As a franchisor, entrenching this model into your core business strategy could see your current growth potential multiply – along with the communities that play a role in your business’ success.
“By leveraging resources, market access, scale and their capacity for innovation, businesses can advance and accelerate development while generating commercial returns.”– Serial entrepreneur Cindy Langeveld.
Considered the key to profit and progress, the shared value business model enables your franchise to go beyond just ticking the CSR box. Here’s why and how your franchise can start establishing partnerships for business growth:
Indicates your business has a conscience
Not only is a profit-first business approach is no longer viable for long-term business growth, the role of the consumer is becoming more prominent – and they are leaning towards buying from corporations that demonstrate conscientious business practices. Donating blankets to a charity is good, but how are you impacting those involved in the value chain that sustains your business?
Chicken franchise chain Nando’s, for example, creates shared value for the key players in the success of their brand – the small farmers in Southern Africa who farm their unique African Bird’s Eye Chillies used in the PERi-PERi flavour.
This farming initiative was started ten years ago in Mozambique with just six small farms. Today it includes 1400 farmers and produces in excess of 360 tonnes of chilli across Southern Africa.
Ensures your profit creates progress
While implementing shared value business models helps consumers see your business in a better light, it’s important for the initiatives that stem from it have a visible, positive and measurable impact on the communities concerned.
“I’ll never forget my first impact assessment. I sat with one of our farmers and a translator who told me about the impact growing chilli crops for Nando’s was having on his life and his community” recalls Sam Hirst, Nando’s PERi-PERi Farming Initiative Manager.
Nando’s has grown and sustained its network of farmers through learning and improving on the process, despite the challenges involved. Empowering the small farmer has required unprecedented effort and working very closely with farmers every day and every step of the way to overcome challenges such as generating working capital to set up the infrastructure the farmers needed, managing unpredictable weather conditions, and high transactional costs.
Creates sustainable partnerships
The purpose of implementing a shared value business model is so make a sustainable difference in both your business’ growth and that of the communities involved in your supply chain. For Nando’s the motivation was the potential impact the chilli farming could have in its communities.
The franchise has consequently invested in providing these farmers with the tools and skills for sustainable farming. Investing in technologies and various new processes has enabled Nando’s to secure prices and contracts directly with the farmers, avoiding potential negative economic impact on the farmers’ financial security.