Thunderbird for Good

By: Kush Brahmavar

One might argue that success without challenge is possible, and exists. But let’s be honest, we all need a little challenge in our lives on our paths to success. I’m not saying that one needs to overcome every challenge in order to reach success, but challenges serve as a motivator and help guide out vision towards success.

Over the past three months I have been working with a group of 14 women entrepreneurs in Lima, Peru. As a part of the USAID Farmer-to-Farmer program that Thunderbird oversees in Peru.  The participants of the program are graduates of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 women’s program. I help the women entrepreneurs to seek new markets, up their sales, and improve their marketing material. Needless to say, each case is different and each of them face unique challenges that impede their progress.  These challenges vary from organizational to financial and often even of the personal kind, of both, simple and complex natures. Some are as a result of Peru’s awareness and infrastructure, or lack thereof, and others are simply deep rooted in the local culture. It takes patience to understand and effort on our parts to help guide these women through these obstacles.

We often tend to present “success stories” in our blogs, but let’s take a look at what some of these women battle through. One woman for example owns a little yogurt stand in their local market. To her advantage, she has no competition, as she is the only yogurt seller in the market. She offers eight different delicious varieties of natural flavored yogurt, however she has her fair share of challenges. Product placement: She has one presentable glass display towards the entrance of her stand that faces the street. One would expect that she placed her premium product – yogurt, in that space for all to see and want. However, she places them in jars bunched up in a corner with no labels, completely inconspicuous to her customers. She has a timid personality and struggles to demonstrate the aggressiveness necessary to create a street presence to attract more customers. This shyness is common among many of the women. She also lacks a logo and brand identity that would help her market her product better in the neighborhood.  Little tweaks in the way she organizes her store, marketing, and identity should help her gain more clientele.

Another woman sells alpaca meat for consumption. Alpaca meat is a common source of proteins in the highlands of the Andes Mountains such as Cuzco and Puno, however the biggest issue seems to be that the Lima market is not a big consumer of this meat. Popularity of alpaca in the city is limited to just it’s fur.  The challenge this entrepreneur faces is to not just to find a market but also to create a market through education and promotion of the meat in general. Few restaurants offer alpaca meat on their menu, and typically demand on the best cuts. This works out to be unsustainable for the meat producer as five kilos of prime meat demands the slaughter of ten animals. These animals are bred on natural grass of the highlands, hence the transportation to Lima, meat processing and packaging costs result in higher prices than comparable meats such as beef or lamb. We are currently trying to work through a local culinary school to help promote the meat, educate the local market about the nutritional benefits and also erase the misconceptions of versatility and taste of alpaca.

A number of women operate out of their own homes, often seeking the help of family members. Their “processing plant” is really a crudely modified extra bedroom or backyard. Even when demand goes up, they are forced to limit sales due to lack of capacity. Other domestic issues make it difficult for some to operate in such environments and are forced to seek out rental workshops, which of course come with a high price tag. Women who share such spatial issues are looking to come together and operate out of a shared rented workshop, which, one day they hope to collectively own.

Some of the women face product differentiation challenges. Case in point is a woman selling poultry (chicken, duck, and turkey) at the local market. In every market in Lima, you will find dozens of chicken vendors selling all kinds of cuts at a highly competitive price. How does one differentiate their product and services from the other? Even though most of the chickens are farm grown and ecologically raised for consumption, organic certification is expensive and the process is arduous.  Small chicken vendors cannot account for such costs. To help her situation out, we are currently developing a line of pre-breaded and pre-seasoned chicken products she could offer.

Another entrepreneur sells pork products from a town called Haucho, three hours north of Lima. She has one store/restaurant in Huacho, and one in Miraflores – an upscale, popular tourist district of Lima. Her products are unique and excellent, however the neighborhood is unaware of the presence of this restaurant. Admittedly it’s a little hidden from the main thoroughfare, but even when one passes by the venue, it doesn’t present itself as a restaurant.  At the very least a simple architectural facelift is needed. To add to the dilemma, their marketing material contains unprofessional photos that often render their fliers unappetizing, deterring potential clients.  We developed new photos, fliers, and a distribution plan to target the tourist population at hostels and parks in this neighborhood.

Last but not the least of the challenges the women face, is financial. These are small to medium sized entrepreneurs, and loan rates are typically much higher than what is common in developed countries. Borrowers need to have a solid credit history before being considered for subsidized rates, but this poses a challenge for small businesses strapped for cash and looking to grow their businesses. It’s a classic catch 22 situation. We are in the process of working with a local lender to provide subsidized rates for our group of women that would help with their next step.

As volunteers our challenges are to increase the entrepreneurs capacity so that they can sustain the business contacts that we help them make after we leave. Our biggest challenge is to teach the women to maintain these contacts and function independently long after we are gone. We need to motivate them enough and build their confidence to stay committed to the growth of their respective businesses. We serve as not just consultants, but as mentors who truly empower these women entrepreneurs towards success.

Some of these challenges are certainly surmountable, while others might just take a little longer. The idea is to be creative with options and keep trying them out until we hit tangible results. All the hard and soft skills we learn through school, work, and life in general come into a play in this challenging environment, and account for a promising success story.

Eight years ago, Thunderbird welcomed the first group of Project Artemis “Fellows” to our campus in Glendale, AZ.  This group of Afghan women made such an impact on the students, faculty, and administrators who were involved, that the school started the Office of Thunderbird for Good to continue this and other measures designed to bring a world class business education to students from disadvantaged backgrounds all over the world who would not otherwise be able to access a Thunderbird education.  Since our inception, Thunderbird for Good has trained over 70,000 entrepreneurs and business professionals from 26 countries all over the world.

Please join us next Tuesday, January 29th, to welcome our fifth class of Afghan women entrepreneurs to campus for Project Artemis.  Project Artemis is a two-week business education program that aims to build the entrepreneurial skills of promising Afghan businesswomen. Mentors assigned to each participant provide additional support for at least two years as the women return home to establish or expand their companies. The 63 women who have graduated from the program since 2005 have gone home to create more than 2,000 jobs in Afghanistan through their businesses, and have trained and mentored well over 15,000 Afghans in business and management skills that they learned during the program.

This year’s fellows come from five provinces in Afghanistan, and own businesses ranging from IT services to jewelry fabrication to the cultivation of Saffron.  These women already own businesses in what is without question one of the most difficult business environments in the world… especially for women. We look forward to sharing this inspiring program with the Thunderbird community.

Read on for a short synopsis of each of this year’s fellows and their businesses.

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On July 11^th, 2012 the Goldman Sach’s Foundation 10,000 Women Peru and the USAID Farmer to Farmer program of Thunderbird for Good hosted “Weaving the Runway: Fashion Show and Cocktail Celebrating Women’s Entrepreneurship in Peru ” at La Mar Cevichería in Lima, Peru.  The innovative event marked the end of a joint effort in which the two programs have worked together to support approximately 50 small and medium enterprises by increasing their access to domestic and international markets through hands on mentoring and training programs.

Participating graduates of the Goldman Sach's 10,000 Women Peru program

In conceptualizing the event our team of Farmer to Farmer volunteers based the idea firmly on the mission statement of USAID’s Farmer to Farmer program: “promoting sustainable improvements in food security and agricultural processing, production, and marketing.” In the six months of our service we had identified that within the local context a need for dialogue and network capacity – which often can begin with a sparkling night of celebration.  Complete with the publicity that fashion, high-end gastronomy and power players (our partners all) we were convinced that we could lend to a launch.  In one sentence we sought to bring together the various components in the supply chain in both food and textiles, from the small producers to the international buyers, ultimately connecting women entrepreneurs who are graduates of the 10,000 Women program (and as Farmer to Farmer participants) with the myriad players in the movement of goods (both textiles and food products) locally and internationally by offering them the opportunity to showcase their innovations.  True to our charge, the event sought to forge new partnerships, provide publicity and create new market linkages; however, on behalf of the team, I would articulate an underlying goal of our teams to be to provide the entrepreneurs with the opportunity to feel empowered, valued and celebrated in their efforts to support their communities as they seek to grow their businesses.

The restaurant La Mar is a a chic seafood restaurant, and also an international chain based in Lima, that is owned by Gaston Acurio, a champion of Prom Peru’s Marca Peru and of entrepreneurship and gastronomy throughout the country.  Since our goal was to weave together both food and fashion – we hoped that a place as reputable and elegant would provide an interesting context for a fashion show (unusual, yes).  Our list of invitees included representatives of all partners, international buyers from the food and garment industry, people from the embassy and participants from the program.  In attendance were the US representatives of Goldman Sach’s 10,000 Women, Thunderbird for Good, the heads of Prom Peru, Itessa, Mi Banco, IDB as well as individuals such as the fashion designer, executives and renowned chefs throughout the country.   The program was pleased to host the Consul General to the Ambassador of the United States in Peru, who spoke to the crowd on women’s entrepreneurship in the country and region and called for more extensive collaboration throughout the region in regards to supply chain linkages and networks.  To kick off the event, entrepreneurs from the program developed a degustation menu in collaboration with the chefs of La Mar that was served by the staff, featuring products ranging from whole wheat crackers to caprese salads, brazil nut chips and pisco sours.  After both the program coordinator, Ximena Querol and the Consul General, Elizabeth Powers spoke; two of the participating entrepreneurs spoke regarding their experiences in the program, Olinda Inga, of Manos Artesanas who worked with the designers (Jose Miguel Valdivia and Giancarlo Gallo) and Karla Gabaldoni of NOA Gourmet who featured her products during the tasting.  Both entrepreneurs spoke of the skills developed through the 10,000 Women business education program and of the additional support provided by Farmer-to-Farmer volunteer mentors to a standing applause.

The grand finale of the evening was a fashion show that featured designs from 7 well-known designers, including Jose Miguel Valdivia, Meche Correa, Sonia Lozada, Jenny Duarte, Giancarlo Gallo and Harumi Momota who worked with several graduates with textile workshops from the program to develop their collections.  Through the development of the collection, the entrepreneurs received hands on mentoring from the designers as well as forged new relationships and with them access to new markets and future collaboration.  In a packed house (with maximum capacity reached and the cameras flashing) models showcased the creations.  While the attention was blaringly on the models and the amazing designs, if you looked to the right of the stage you could see the faces of the women artisans who participated as they laughed with glee watching their work walk down a catwalk.  Closing the show, and to a roaring applause, the fashion designers took their bows hand in hand with the women entrepreneurs who had sweated alongside them in the days leading up the big night.

Designs of Meche Correa

Isabelle Mancillas of Ekeko Textiles worked with the designers Jose Miguel Valdivia and Sonia Lozada in developing several garments from their collections.  She shares, “Having conversations and working with them in developing their designs has given me the great opportunity to improve my own design skills as well as create relationships for future work.”  Karla Gabaldoni of NOA Gourmet, who spoke at the event, has been contacted by La Mar to work in a mentoring relationship with the head chef.  The event was attended by extensive press, including local television company ATV, all major newspapers and magazines and was featured in a full-page article in the Sunday edition of the national paper El Comercio.  It has sparked innumerous conversations and the program has been contacted by various key players in the local textile and food economy, including designers such as Sumy Kuhon who seeks to work with 10,000 Women graduates and Thunderbird Hotel chain, hoping to partner in future events featuring the programs participants.

6 months later, 100 percent of participants reported sales and/or new contacts as a result of the event and many of the textile workshops continue to collaborate with the designers.  The event reflects the power in collaboration – in dialogue and conversation – that the programs of 10,000 Women of Goldman Sachs, Thunderbird for Good and USAID Farmer to Farmer seek to mobilize.  One evening of celebrating the women entrepreneur we hope leads to finalized sales and increased opportunities, of course, but ultimately we hope that the event leads to a increased commitment and a sparked dialogue amongst the various stakeholders in the supply chain, from providers of Alpaca and aguaymanto to the artesanas to the brokers and the press and the NGO’s and agencies that promote their work and well-being.

Ximena Querol, 10,000 Women Peru Program coordinator interviewing with ATV

Written By Craig Brammer:  Program Manager Thunderbird for Good

On October 10, 2012 Proyecto Salta launched its 3rd and final campaign.  In 2010 The Multi-Lateral Investment Fund of the Inter-American Development Bank, AusAid, Mibanco, Grupo ACP and Thunderbird School of Global Management entered into an agreement to provide training to 100,000 women entrepreneurs throughout Peru.  This program brings an innovative approach to training entrepreneurs by incorporating “telenovelas” (soap operas) into the training.  The curriculum for this training is developed jointly by Thunderbird School of Global Management and Aprenda which is the education and training arm of Grupo ACP one of the leading social mission corporations in Latin America.  The production of the telenovela is completed by Somos Empresa the communications subsidiary of Grupo ACP, and the training is administered by trainers from Aprenda.

Telenovelas are very popular in Peru as they are in other parts of Latin America.  Participants in the Salta training follow the story of a woman entrepreneur facing challenges that they can easily relate to.  Throughout the training the women follow the story of this entrepreneur as she faces business challenges.   In order to overcome the challenges she faces it requires her to apply business principles such as accounting, marketing, strategy, networking, and negotiating with suppliers among others.  At the beginning of the training each entrepreneur is provided a workbook with exercises designed to build their business acumen on topics covered in the telenovela.   As the character in the telenovela confronts each of the business challenges listed above the trainer for Aprenda will stop the tape and ask the entrepreneurs in attendance to identify ways that the character can overcome those challenges.  The trainer then educates the entrepreneurs in attendance on the relevant business principle needed to overcome that particular challenge.  The trainer then has the entrepreneurs complete an exercise that helps them apply that concept to their own businesses.   After the business principle is taught the next segment of the telenovela is played and the entrepreneurs in attendance can see how the character in the telenovela utilizes this business principle to overcome her challenge.  In order to encourage the entrepreneurs to put these principles into practice in their businesses the workbook also contains blank worksheets and templates that the entrepreneurs can take home with them and begin using in their businesses.

The first Salta campaign was launched in June of 2010 with the story of Vicky a women entrepreneur that owned a small store and dreamed of opening her own restaurant.  The story followed her as she learned the lessons of a first time entrepreneur and fought to make her dream a reality.  The second campaign told the story of Pilar an entrepreneur who started her catering business to help her family get through financial hardship.  She is met with resistance from family members and is able to overcome this and also learn the skills necessary to become successful.

In May of 2012, I traveled to Peru along with Thunderbird professors Dr. Christine Pearson and Dr. Karen Walch to develop the framework for the third and final campaign of Salta.  We met with the program coordinators for Aprenda Miriam Vazquez and Giancarlo Cafferata and developed the framework for the script of the Telenovela and identified the topics that will be covered in the third and final campaign.

The third telenovela centers around Zoila a single mother who seeks to transform her sewing business into a dress making business.  The final campaign will address the many of the same topics addressed in the previous two campaigns such as cash flow, marketing, and networking, but will also address new topics such as sales skills, utilizing technology, and analyzing an appropriate capital investment.  The main character from the first campaign Vicky is featured throughout the other two campaigns and serves as a mentor to both Pilar and Zoila.  The trailer to the final campaign is embedded below:

In its first two campaigns the Salta campaign has trained nearly 62,000 women entrepreneurs throughout Perú.  The third and final campaign will be the largest to date and will train over 40,000 women entrepreneurs, bringing the total number of entrepreneurs trained by Salta to over 100,000.  We anticipate that the final chapter of Salta will be an instant hit for all the entrepreneurs that have the opportunity to watch it, and will help these entrepreneurs to become leaders that create sustainable prosperity throughout Perú.

Nasim Gul and Thunderbird President Emeritus Dr. Angel Cabrera at the 2010 Artemis graduation

Nasim Gul has been very busy since graduating from Project Artemis in 2010.  She opened her food processing business, Bano Business Co.  in 2004, and has continually grown her production capacity and employee base since opening the business.  When she came to Artemis she had 20 employees processing raw ingredients into finished food products such as juices and jams in her home province of Herat.  She tells us “After coming to Thunderbird I returned home with high motivation to improve.  I learned that it is never too late to learn.  We can work and improve at any stage of our initiative.”

Bano Business employees cleaning and preparing fresh vegetables to be processed into finished canned goods

She has beautifully executed that motivation, and exceeded everyone’s expectations in the process.  Since her graduation from Project Artemis, NasimGul has used her Thunderbird knowledge, newfound confidence in her own abilities, and her continually expanding network, along with the assistance of her mentor to grow her business and gain access to additional resources and trainings in Afghanistan and the U.S.

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Written by:  Adrienne Chaille

This last month we launched the second round of USAID Farmer-to-Farmer in Lima, Peru with Thunderbird for Good, the Goldman Sachs Foundation 10,000 Women Program and Universidad del Pacífico.  While there is funding for 4 volunteers, we are just 2 currently, myself, a previous Farmer-to-Farmer business consultant returning to complete the second cycle, and Ankush Brahamamar, an architect by training and a recent graduate from the Thunderbird Masters in Business Administration program. In coordination with our team we threw a kick-off event to orient and celebrate the selected entrepreneurs, all graduates from one of the 12 cohorts of Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Program in Peru.

The women entrepreneurs with whom we are working range businesses producing granolas to teas to fruit liqueurs; producers of alpaca garments and fabricants of cotton shirts and jewelry designers – each of them related to textiles in some form true to the charge of the farmer-to-farmer grant.  Our charge: to analyze their current needs and identify the strengths and weaknesses that may catapult them towards the next level in their businesses through increased marketing efforts, trainings all with the final goal of accessing new markets.

A Snapshot: Lupita

One women, Guadalupe Marrufo Bazan, or Lupita, hails from San Juan de Lurigancho, a region on the outskirts of Lima, Peru that is known for its poverty and high crime rates.  With three small children,  Lupita was forced to provide for her entire family when her husband fell ill and could no longer work for a period.  She began a small business selling jewelry and clothing to her neighbors with imported products from Panama called GM Pretty Peru.  Lupita heard about Proyect SALTA, the project that Thunderbird supports in Peru providing one-day business training modules to women entrepreneurs in underserved areas using an innovative soap opera model that taps into the local culture.  Lupita, who is always looking for new opportunities in the community received this training from Programa SALTA and was also selected to receive mentoring from an MBA candidate from Thunderbird School of Global Management, Marcela Cubas.  This experience opened her eyes to the possibilities of the market, “in my city and in the world.”  Marcela assisted her in reorganizing her finances, articulating her goals and tapping into to more community resources.  Through SALTA, Lupita was introduced to the Goldman Sachs Foundation 10,000 Women Peru program and promptly applied.

Over the course of the four and a half month training, Lupita created a business plan launching her new products made from recycled bulls horn (cuerno de toro), as well as other ecological products from the country. She benefited from the networking opportunities within the program, the wrap-around training services and ultimately was selected to participate in the USAID Farmer-to-Farmer program working with myself. Lupita and I are in the process of completely renovating her business, creating a new brand (Eco Art Peru) complete with a new logo, marketing materials and product lines. She is actively seeking new markets internationally as well as strategic points of sale throughout the local market, including art galleries and ecological gift stores that target foreign tourists.

One Woman at a Time

Through this immense growth as an entrepreneur Lupita has also launched a social project completely independent of her business – Mujeres Exitosas Ensenando Mujeres (MEEM), in English, Successful Women Teaching Women, that involves local businesswomen in human giving chain.  The idea is founded in that having received services of any kind such as trainings like SALTA and 10,000 Women each woman has a responsibility to share with others around her and involve them in these services.  The numbers speak for themselves:  Lupita began with reaching out to one woman in the community who she felt could benefit from the programs and as a requirement to assist asked them to reach out to 1 more.   In this fashion MEEM has grown to over 100 members, each inviting one more entrepreneur after receiving assistance.   “It is our responsibility to reach out to at least one other woman so they may experience the benefits of the services in the community,” says Lupita. The participants are from all backgrounds and businesses, from the corner grocery store to a seamstress to an artisan using traditional weaving methods.  Various neighborhoods have been affected throughout the city, and Lupita is beginning to look for some assistance because she cannot communicate with all the women that she has reached.  These women attend Program SALTA and several have now graduated from the 10,000 Women business education program. She is now conducting multiple sessions of trainings using only a small banner, an inspirational video that she found online and a small survey that she has developed to capture data.  Like her new business, Eco Art Peru, Lupita wants to take MEEM to the next level.  Her goal is to formalize it as a nonprofit, creating a system nationally with local leaders at the head of the neighborhood organizations and organizing monthly meetings between the participants providing trainings and opportunities for growth.   SALTA and 10,000 Women have an unspoken champion in the community, proving that building community begins one woman at a time.

Written by:  Elliot Rossbach, MBA candidate Fall ‘12

This year’s Net Impact conference in Baltimore brought with it a number of innovative and inspirational speakers including representatives from multinational corporations, NGOs, and progressive new start-ups. While delivering more than a hundred professional epiphany-inspiring sessions would be a tall order for any conference, at times I felt the panelists were too protective of their brands, glazed over topics, or tried too hard to appeal to the audience’s well-intentioned nature.  One example of this was the lesson imparted to us by one of the sustainability panels where the overarching takeaway was that in order for an environmental initiative to make it into practice, it had to be economically feasible – yes, yes it does.

In complex global organizations it is difficult to accomplish lofty environmental goals, and in my professional career I’ve come across many frustrating roadblocks to projects I felt were meaningful, important, and even economically advantageous. I don’t think we should shy away from talking about these situations though.  Life and work aren’t always positive.  It’s in these moments that we learn. Good intentions don’t always pay the bills when quarterly earnings are at stake, and hearing stories of sustainability initiatives that compliment the status quo just don’t satisfy. Luckily for me, I attended the breakout session entitled “What’s Going to Happen to Renewable and Low-Carbon Energy”, which was quite the opposite.

Here, Laura Clise, Director, Sustainable Development at AREVA; David Carlson who works in the renewable energy department at GE; and Miranda Ballantine, Director of sustainability at Walmart shared their views, stories, and struggles for sustainability, moderated by Ryan Fitzpatrick, Senior Policy Advisor at Third Way. For me this was an amazing session. It was noticeable that the speakers were comfortable with each other and not afraid to share honest opinions. There were interesting and differentiated business perspectives, respectful dissent, and most importantly, passion. I have to say I know the least about Walmart and I was amazed how they’re leading the way for green tech at their stores, and the pragmatic approach by which they critique their own projects. I love that they are willing to test new technology on their own stores and it’s understandable that sometimes, things just don’t work out.  What’s most meaningful to me is the chance that they provide to new ideas.

The first, most impactful topic was on the intersection between power generation and long-term carbon mitigation. Laura pointed out that current natural gas prices make new, cost-competitive renewable and nuclear generation extremely challenging, adding to the difficulty of realizing a truly sustainable market for low-carbon generation in the U.S.  David was slightly more optimistic, believing that renewable energy has the potential to become cost effective as long as there is consumer support; it’s just a matter of perspective. David mentioned that renewable energy policy ramps down over time (unlike oil, gas, and coal subsidies), which is ok, but it’s important to drive market demand as consumers as well. Although renewable and low-carbon energy options are typically more expensive, by opting to utilize them, consumers can drive demand and lower costs in the long-term. He followed this by mentioning the Green Up Program, which allows for consumers to choose where their energy comes from. Green Up allows energy customers to make voluntary payments on their electricity bill to cover the slightly higher cost of producing and integrating renewable energy into the Northwest grid. According to David, the Green Up Program only has 10% participation in Portland and 3% participation nationally, reflecting a weak user base.

Overall I was very impressed by the panel. I think we in the United States still have a long way to go before our energy mix reflects a sustainable carbon intensity, and I believe that the clock is winding down on our ability to do so before witnessing grave environmental catastrophes. As much as policy and large businesses are a driving force for change, it is necessary to also stress the power of the average end user of energy, the consumer. David made a great point when he said, “don’t rely on Washington, you are a consumer, do it yourself.”
Major Quotes and Takeaways:

1. If Master Limited Partnerships were extended to non-extractive tech, we would see a much more level playing field
2. “We would love to see a price on carbon.” – Laura
3. “You don’5 go to a coal plant opening and see families bringing their kids.” – David, on his optimism for the future of wind power
4. “Yes, you do need that pastry!” – Laura, in reference to how she met AREVA’s founding CEO, Anne Lauvergeon (who was standing between her and a Pain au Chocolat at the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit)

Written by: Sharon Saxelby, EMBA Candidate

EMBA students visit Pepe & Nina

I and over 40 others recently returned to the U.S. from the Executive MBA Field Seminar in Brazil.  The week was filled with phenomenal executive speakers from companies such as Unilever, GE Lighting, Embraer (largest world-wide manufacturer of mid-size airplanes), and Fifa, sponsor of the upcoming World Cup tournament in Brazil.  One of the most unique experiences of the seminar was our visit to three of the Goldman Sachs sponsored 10,000 Women businesses based in Rio De Janeiro.  Joe Whalen, Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Program Manager; Kelly Kreiser, V.P. Thunderbird for Good;  Roy Nelson, Thunderbird Professor; and I (lowly student) partnered to bring this opportunity to our class.

Saturday morning we chose a business of greatest interest or one that aligned with our current positions, and split into three groups.   The 10,000 Women Scholars who opened their businesses to us manufactured and sold: women and children’s bags and backpacks; beachwear; and frozen pasta.  I still don’t understand why so many men decided to visit the women’s beachwear business… We jumped in our vans and headed to the outskirts of Rio.

I, Brent Nelson, Greg Lehmann, Pavola Fernandes, Brett Plains, Wai Chain, Michelle Arguedas, Ken Cloud, Scott Warren, Jochan Mehrle, participated in the visit to Pepe & Nina, a company that 10,000 Women Scholar, Alex Smapaio, founded when she realized the poor quality of diaper bags and children’s back packs available for the middle class consumers in Brazil.  She gave us a great over-view of the genesis of the business, the progress she has made (she recently purchased her own sewing machines and brought the production in-house, resulting in significant cost savings), and the challenges she now faces (how to market and scale the business).

In Brazil, the customer base is often segmented into A,B, and C categories, based on consumer purchasing power, C being the middle class customer who aspires to a higher income/way of life.  Alex is marketing her business to this segment.  The A segment can travel to the United States or Europe to purchase name brands for much less than they can purchase in Brazil due to the import tariffs.  The C consumers want nice quality, but shop locally.  Pepe & Nina captures this market segment.

Currently, the business is a retail business that attracts customers through product fairs and word of mouth.  Return customers place orders via the internet, and some traffic comes through various public interest stories they have been able to generate in the media about the products.

All of the T-birds in attendance agreed the quality of the products was excellent.  In fact, many purchased products which made Alex very happy.   We asked questions and then offered suggestions, based on our experiences in the U.S.  Some may fit the Brazilian market, others may not.  We will submit a complete report for her to reflect on in the next week.

Some recommendations that came from the meeting were to consider Fair Trade certification in the U.S. Pep & Nina products would be distributed as high quality and manufactured with fair trade labor practices.   Another recommendation was to consider a sales model that has been very successful for a manufacturer of eco-friendly beauty products in Brazil, Natura.  Natura sells to nearly half of the population in Brazil, and they attribute their success to network sales.  These person to person sales networks have been very successful for Avon and Amway, for example, in the United States.  Since Pepe & Nina products are more saleable when you can see and appreciate the quality of the workmanship, this is a low cost way to generate greater sales volumes utilizing word of mouth.

EMBA students strategize on how to improve the 10,000 Women's businesses

Alex mentioned she wants to focus on internet sales. They will need to invest greatly on the design of their website and partnering with other sites to make it easy to navigate and focus on the detail of the bags. Testimonies from previous customers are also recommended.

I can’t speak for the other two groups and their 10.000 Women business visits, but ours was a great way to get to know a young Brazilian businesswoman and to assist her in achieving success.  As she said to me before we left, “It helps to know we are not alone.”

Written by:  Heather Gayle, Alumna and DreamBuilder Fellow

Heather and Beta Testers from the Candelaria mining community

The first days of the Beta Test went amazingly well; even better than I could have dreamed it would go.  On Mondays and Wednesdays the women are scheduled to meet in the afternoons (I refer to them as “Tarderas”, as they meet in the tarde; which means afternoon), from 330p to 6p.  The majority of my 13 Tarderas are computer beginners.    However, when the Beta Test began, there were only 8 computers in the Infocenter.  My Community Development team had been working for months to replace the computers in the Infocenter; however, the company that they lease the computers from had been experiencing many internal changes, and the Candelaria account continued to get lost in the shuffle of employees.  Although the Tarderas were short 5 computers, the group did not allow such a matter to impede their progress; a couple of women brought their own laptops, one woman always used my laptop, and a couple of the women shared computers and helped each other through the course.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, my women meet in the mornings, from 930a to 12p.  At first I called this group, Mañaneras (because they meet in the mañana; which means morning), however my women decided to change their name to Las Luchadores por un Sueño, because Mañaneras can have a less than savory meaning.  I have 8 women in this group, and the majority of them are pretty computer savvy.

Although 2.5 hours is a long time for a session, I want to ensure that the women who are not experienced computer users do not feel rushed, and are able to comfortably do the program and learn from it.  During the first day of both my Tardera and Mañanera sessions, I distributed  DreamBuilder Welcome Packets that consisted of a laptop carrier shoulder bag, mirror, “leather-bound” portfolio, pen, calculator, and ear buds; all emblazoned with the DreamBuilder logo.  Saying that the women were pleasantly surprised is an understatement; they opened the goody bags like kids at Christmas and immediately started using the DreamBuilder mirrors and admiring the rest of their booty.

The first order of business was to have the women who did not have professional-style email addresses create them.  Those that already had email addresses, and remembered what they were, helped out their fellow DreamBuilder participants.  Once everyone had email addresses, the women began to register themselves into DreamBuilder; continuing in the spirit of sharing computers and helping one another.  Those that are advanced computer users were anxious to get started with the program; but I explained to them that I had to approve their registration, and they would begin the course in their next session.

Once it was verified that everyone had received confirmation registration emails; we discussed their impressions of the registration process; and the consensus was that it was not difficult at all for those that are experienced computer users, nor for those who aren’t experienced users.  The most difficult part is just finding the letters and numbers on the keyboard and feeling comfortable using a computer.

As a whole, the women’s first impressions were that they enjoyed DreamBuilder.  They appreciate Alma’s (Alma is the avatar that leads the lessons in the online program) dialogue pace, yet think that she could be a bit more lively and engaging with her voice.  The navigation directions and buttons are very well explained (Katina mentioned that she liked the map), the novela characters are relatable (Olga commented on the fact that Jennifer, Julia’s daughter was the one to point out that Julia’s marmalades could be an income option for the family), and inputting data about your support system is important.  The only drawback about the program was the videos kept stopping; on EVERYBODY’S computers, including my laptop, which one of the women were using.  So not only are the computers hopefully soon to be a resolved issue, but the internet is one as well.

Tracy Bame of Freeport McMoRan and Alma, the avatar instructor

Four Weeks Later

As it is almost four weeks since the Candelaria Beta Test group has begun, it can honestly be said that my Beta Test Participants are devoted to completing the program.  In every session, almost every woman is taking copious notes from the program.  They are serious about the information they should be inputting into the Business Plan and are always asking questions to ensure that they correctly understand what is being asked of them.  Yes, there are a few women who are a bit lazy with the program, in the sense that they’ll first ask me how to answer a question, as opposed to really reading and listening; however, they really enjoy the group dynamic that the sessions offer.   During the sessions in which there was no internet available due to technical difficulties; the women discussed business practices, the importance of having a support system, and encouraged one other.  In one session, one of the participants began to tear up as she shared with everybody the oppressive life she lived for decades, due to a husband that would not allow her to work.

In every session, the women enter the Infocenter and go directly to their computers to begin their DreamBuilder course.  Those women that don’t remember the DB site name, copy the website from their DB swag bags.  Even the women who did not have computer experience have learned how to log into DB.  In the first few days of the course however, these women experienced a problem logging into their DreamBuilder accounts because despite being advised to note exactly how they wrote both their usernames and passwords, they did not.  It’s a good thing that that is an easy enough issue to fix as long as someone has “Administration” access of the program.

A few women are still a bit shaky on how to enter each individual course, I believe that may be because there are a few screens to go through to actually begin the course, and there is a lot going on -word wise- on these screens as well; so it tends to be confusing to the women.  The women remain engaged throughout the course, and help one another if need be.  A few also have completed a topic or course in their own homes.  My chief duty is to ensure that all participants have an incredible user experience. The internet speed and capability in the Candelaria Infocenter impacts the showing of the videos.  The first few classes, because the videos continued to start and stop, we watched the videos as a group, in order to ensure that everyone did not miss the storylines of each novella (soap opera) character, as well as the testimonials from the female entrepreneurs.

As a whole, the women enjoy the lessons and are best practices in which they can apply to their businesses and home lives.  The testimonials and the novela are icing on the entertainment cake.  Several of my women identify with the novela characters of Julia and Lucrecia the most.  They have felt the struggles and joys that these two beloved characters are experiencing. Due to Chile’s Independence Day Celebrations, my Beta Test Participants had to take a week off from their sessions, and one of my women sent me a message on Facebook saying that she’s anxiously waiting to begin their sessions again.  I can’t ask for anything other than that!

Peter Quinn, General Manager Candelaria Mine, and Beta Testers

Written by:  Margaret Free, Thunderbird Alumna and DreamBuilder Fellow

Upon arriving in Arequipa, the main goal for DreamBuilder was to get the program tested and launched.  Due to many unforeseen circumstances, that testing phase or Beta Test was pushed back further than expected and set to launch in September.  Preparation for the Beta Test in Arequipa began in April of 2012, this included lots of research of the programs that Cerro Verde currently offered as well as relationship building with Cerro Verde’s partner Colectivo Integral de Desarollo or CID. This relationship building involved keeping CID abreast of where Thunderbird was with the development of the program, keeping them updated with possible beta testing launch dates as well as making sure this organization completely understood DreamBuilder, its purpose and the ideal participant.  Realizing that we would need support from partners other than CID, I also took an active role in walking around Arequipa and interviewing women to understand the preferences of possible participants.  Questions such as, What times of day would you participate? Could you commit to a three-month testing phase?  What is your motivation to begin or improve your business?, allowed me to begin to understand the market in which I operated and based on that, pattern the Beta Test Process in a way that would ensure success for Arequipa.

As mentioned above, Cerro Verde relied heavily on the help of CID to interview and select 25-30 women for the Beta Testing and I was lucky enough to select 5 women through the networks of other programs that Thunderbird has in Arequipa.  Based on this collaboration, Arequipa began the Beta Test with 33 women at four computer labs spread throughout the city.  The first computer lab, PromPeru, was found and contracted by myself and Cerro Verde contracted the remaining three, Instituto del Sur, Insitucion Educativa ‘Francisco Mostajo’ en Tiabaya, and Instituto Educativo CDU en Uchumayo.

On September 3, 2012, Cerro Verde held a Kick-Off Lunch at a restaurant in Arequipa called El Restaurante Tipika.  This lunch was a chance for all of the participants to begin to build bonds with one another as well as a chance for them to get to know the Cerro Verde Community Relations Team and Thunderbird.

The lunch began with a message from Pablo Alcazar, General Manager of Communications, Public Relations & Community Relations, welcoming all of the women to the program and thanking them for their dedication.  He explained to them that they were the best of the best in Arequipa and that they would have the tough job of helping us improve DreamBuilder for the larger population of the city.  This speech really set the mood of the dinner and the excitement towards the program.  Nathan Ulberg, DreamBuilder Program Manager, flew down from Arizona to attend the lunch and was able to express to the participants how thankful and excited Freeport-McMoRan & Thunderbird were to be launching this pilot in Arequipa. He expressed that after all of the hard work we’ve put into this program over the past 6 months, it was great to finally see the program come alive.  Next, the Cerro Verde Community Relations team introduced themselves and we also had an encouraging word from our partner Alvaro Ojeda Sotomayor.  Last but not least, I wrapped up the comments by thanking the women for their participation and dedication and asked each of the participants to introduce themselves and their dream.  This was the most touching moment of the lunch, as for all of the Cerro Verde Team Members and Thunderbird Staff this was the first time they were able to put a face and a story to the names of those individuals that this program is aimed at helping.  The Kick-Off lunch was a great way to begin the Beta Test and really set the mood for the coming weeks.

We are not about a month and a half into the testing phase and getting great feedback from the women in Arequipa.  Our group of 33 has fallen to about 26, but this is still a solid number and each of these 26 women is excited to take part in this phase of the project.  We have made some changes to our computer lab locations and tweaked our testing schedule a bit, but overall the sessions run smoothly and we are all enjoying the process.  I am thankful to be apart of this project and for the relationships that I am subsequently building with the women of Arequipa.