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How can I Social Enterprise?

Challenge

Wing Luke Asian Musuem, cultural cornerstone of a community, expands facility, incurring debt that threatens financial stability and long-term viability.

  • Business plan not sustainable for the future.
  • Organization focused on preserving current visitor loyalty , narrowing potential to attract new members.
  • Mission statement “tired,” limiting board and staff’s ability to bring focus, clarity or strategic guidance to organizational planning.

Solution

Marketing platform driven by hard-hitting, collective information from staff, board members, and stakeholders.

  • Create new mission statement and positioning framework to draw-in new customer base while retaining historical followers.
  • Research, online surveys, executive workshops, and competitive analysis to forge consensus and build recommendation.
  • Evaluate museum business practices and alternative exhibit strategies from leading cultural museums in Europe and the U.S. to support mission re-alignment.
  • Incorporate analysis, comparative analysis, and recommendations in major five-year business plan.

Results

Non-profit thrives on business model that integrates financial success and community involvement at same level.

  • Unanimous board approval of new mission statement.
  • Organization launches new identity campaign and visitor effort based on recommendation.
  • Ford Foundation considers WLAM as one of only 3 cultural museums for expanded grant funding, citing exceptional work on mission statement and business plan.

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How can I Social Enterprise?

Challenge

Rapidly growing coffee company under competition from local, regional, and national roasters.

  • Unique commitment to sustainable coffees and origin farmers creates significant cost disadvantage.
  • Distributors under intense exclusivity pressure.
  • Resources lacking to pursue an aggressive retail location strategy.

Solution

Strategy to build and protect sustainable competitive advantage; turn small size and underdog position from liabilities into competitive assets.

  • Segmentation study that uncovered a lucrative audience – college and university food service customers – underserved by industry giants.
  • Product strategy built on 100% commitment to fairtrade, organic, and sustainable coffee.
  • Value proposition marrying rational and emotional benefits key to establishing strong target loyalty.
  • Brand architecture to support the “leader in sustainable coffee” position.
  • Partnership strategies with leading food management companies insulating small business from exclusivity pressures.

Results

Company growth in excess of 300% since strategic redirection.

  • 2007 sales in excess of 5 million.
  • Secured strategic partnership with world’s largest food management company as the preferred provider of “sustainable and ethical” coffee to 10,000 commercial accounts nationwide.

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