What are the poor spending on?
World Consumption data reveals the incredible market opportunity at the BoP By Priya Thachadi There are around 4.5 billion poor living in 92 countries around the developing world who collectively spend more than USD 5 trillion a year, according to the World Consumption Data. The data reveals that the lower consumption segments spend more than the middle and higher consumption segments combined. They spend about USD 2.3 trillion a year on food and beverages alone, with USD 646 billion spent in South Asia and USD 926 billion in East Asia. The household spending data released by the World Bank [...]
Understanding Inclusive Business
Why world leaders are promoting inclusive business as a way to tackle poverty By Priya Thachadi One of my top moments of 2016 was hearing Paul Polman deliver an inspiring speech in Singapore at the DBS NUS Social Venture Challenge Asia awards. Two key things he highlighted that are critical to the development agenda: First, the cost of not acting is higher than acting, it makes economic sense to address development challenges. Second, we have an unprecedented opportunity to work together and ‘finish the job now’ to eradicate poverty. To do that, we need businesses with purpose - from [...]
20 tips to better market your event
By Aditi Seshadri Once you’ve organised your event, the next big worry on your plate – how do you get people to attend it? Even if you don’t have celebrity endorsements or a big advertising budget, it is possible to use these simple but well-tested tips to make sure you get those numbers in. 1) Event page – auto response, agenda The very first step to marketing your event is an event page or the event posting on your website. A clear, concise write-up describing the topic, time, venue, agenda, event fee, who should attend and a big ‘register [...]
Building a CSR strategy? Here’s what you need to do to know:
By Aditi Seshadri Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is ever more so important today, most directly because of the April 2014 mandate for companies to invest 2% of their net profits in CSR projects, but also because of the private sector’s eroding ‘license to operate’ due to the growing inequalities in societies. Historically, companies have viewed their CSR commitments through a philanthropic lens—they are spending some of their profits in the community to garner positive PR and customer goodwill. Today, many businesses are taking the next step in the evolution of CSR - moving towards responsible business and recognizing that [...]
5 must-watch videos for entrepreneurs
Have an idea? Looking to become an entrepreneur? Here are the top 5 great videos you must watch as you set out to test your idea and build your business model. 1) Alexander Ostewalder takes you through the business model canvas, an essential tool to map out all aspects of your business: 2) Steve Blank summarises the Customer Discovery process, identifying your customers and then doing the important task of validating your product-market fit: 3) Chris Yeh gives an energetic talk on go-to-market strategy and great tips on pricing: 4) Guy Kawasaki shares his tips for a great pitch [...]
