Skyrocket Your Business at Zero Cost

Make a Difference with Company Growth and Community Development

Francis N. Mbunya

• Publisher: Morgan James Publishing
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781642797961
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Consulting
• Index: Business

Skyrocket Your Business helps readers create a gateway to the change they want to make by showing them how not to waste another moment investing their money and effort in the wrong direction.

There are several good reasons to donate to a cause. However, very few people have been able to leverage the hidden business potentials in a donation. Understanding how to make a donation to impact one's cause, business, and life will help create the next big steps and gain the competition and recognition needed to stand out.

Over the past seven years, Dr. Francis N Mbunya has helped donors identify and leverage the potentials hidden in their donations in order to create massive value for themselves and their businesses. In Skyrocket Your Business at Zero Cost, Dr. Mbunya uses simple and straightforward steps to explain to donors how to:

• Pick their interest in the cause they donate to
• Pitch their interest in a donation
• Enable their donation to give back to themselves and their business
• Duplicate the impact of a donation in order to better benefit their business

Chapter 1:

How Can I Grow My Business by Contributing to Community Development?

How Can I Be More to My Community?

Despite the increase in development as a result of increased employment opportunities and advancements in technology, quality of life continues to be a big problem. Unemployment, poor housing, and quality education still remain among the top challenges of community development. This has continually riled up many businesses executives who are interested in doing business beyond the usual level. They are worked up because they clearly understand the role a sustainable community can play in their life and in their business. This also explains the reason why top executives are investing a lot of money through donations to contribute to solving community development challenges.

In a conversation with Tricia, a top executive of a successful construction company, on how she is confronted by these challenges, I learned great insight. She explained to me that she is worried daily about the alarming rate of individuals who are unable to afford basic accommodation and better education because of poverty. She also explained her interest and willingness to be a part of the solution to this problem; however, her busy schedule and demanding job as the president and executive officer of her company might be keeping her from doing a lot. In a long conservation with her, I was able to pick out her value and to suggest a solution, which was a dream come true for her because of several reasons I will share as you read along. Right now, I would like to share with you some of her values, which made her an outstanding executive and her company successful.

She focused daily on helping her business leaders create and execute the visions of her company. In addition to working with the leaders of her company to develop smart strategies, she was passionate about working with early-stage entrepreneurs. She expressed that it was incredibly satisfying to invest in people who love what they are doing. She also enjoyed sharing best practices through storytelling, mentoring, and recommending best-in-class advisers. That was why she spent most of her time providing one-on-one coaching to her business leaders, creating value throughout organisations, far beyond the top line. This helped her understand disruptive forces in the leadership chain of her business and how she could get ready for what was next.

Despite her busy schedule trying to pave a successful path for her company, she was interested in giving back to her community, especially in the area of urban education. Like many executives, she was most excited about working in areas where she could have the biggest impact. She was also concerned about how quick her contribution can actually cause the change she desired in community development. But most importantly, whether she was doing volunteer work or building companies, she had learned that creating lasting change is a lot like running a marathon. Pacing mattered a lot to her. In addition, she was very critical in looking for milestones and her focus was on how to measure progress along the way.

Away from work, she chaired the board of directors of a nonprofit that was committed to contributing to community development. She loved co-creating in this space to lend a hand to the neighbourhood. Her company’s dedication to community development ran deep; it was instituted with an initiative to encourage associates to take active roles on the board of a local nonprofit. Many of her company leaders serve on nonprofit boards. She was heavily involved with serving nonprofit and loved to tell her visitors about the work she and her company were supporting. She was concerned about unemployment, poverty, and housing.

She was energetic about community-building opportunities. Every day she would ask herself the question “How can we all achieve greater social impact?” She knew that the answer required putting together a strategy that would improve her community and the individuals living in it. Despite all that she was already doing, she also expressed interest in exploring new opportunities to improve her impact. I knew that there was a lot of information out there and many people were also doing great jobs to make an impact. But Tricia was particularly concerned about how her donation could better impact community development while also adding value to her company.

Like Tricia, many executives and entrepreneurs are worked up daily with the challenges on how they could contribute to community development and hope they could be a magic solution to the problem. They are willing to contribute in any way they can. However, their job tasks are major challenges for them to step up and fully engage in the contribution of community development. Given that the sustainability of their company also depends on how much profit they are able to make, they are very conscious of how much time and money they can eventually invest in solving the problems they might be interested in and still keep their business on the front line of competition. Like Tricia, many executives wish that there was a win-win solution to the challenges of community development. What if I tell you there is a win-win solution? Yes, certainly there is, but first you need to clearly identify what exactly is keeping you awake, what type of solution will be a dream come true for you, and, most importantly, what it might cost you if this problem is not solved. This will help you to see beyond the challenges and create a sense of urgency in your interest. It will also help you better lay down a road map for how you could contribute to solving these challenges and at the same time still being able to keep the interest of your business in front of you.

One of the things I picked out from Tricia’s case is that she is worried about a problem she could not really solve. Why do I say so? Community development challenges, including poverty, unemployment, and poor housing, are developmental issues that are too broad to have a generic answer to solving them. Thus, if your focus is on how you can solve poverty or unemployment, you might end up providing a generic solution that only prompts the need for more follow-up solutions. In that way, you will notice that you are continually overworked because you are unsatisfied with the outcomes of your solution. So, the first thing that Tricia needed to do to find a magic solution to the issue that was keeping her worried was to narrow down this issue to a level were a solution could come directly from her.

We can say that what was driving Tricia crazy was not what she could do to solve the problem of unemployment or poverty. Specifically, what was driving her crazy was how she could contribute to solving poverty, unemployment, and housing by donating to a cause that would contribute significantly to solving these problems. Breaking down the problem to a more specific level helped Tricia be able to specifically evaluate how valuable her previous contributions had been and what she could do to increase her impact. This also boosted her confidence to explore more ways in which she could add value to the work she was doing rather than thinking she completely needed a new way of doing it.

Tricia was most worried about how she could achieve greater impact in her business and society while still donating to causes that were helping to solve this problem. In addition, she was also frustrated about the fact that she can only do a little due to her busy schedule and limited donations and wished she could multiply her impact. On the other hand, we can also learn here that if Tricia could have the opportunity to increase the profit output of her company, she would be willing to do more by giving more financial investments. However, in most cases, many executives like Tricia are confronted by the fact that although they would like to do more, they have limited financial resources to contribute.

We also understand that Tricia’s inability to find a sustainable solution was the main thing keeping her awake most nights. We also noticed that she was doing all she could within her power to be a part of the solution. She volunteered as a chair in a nonprofit that was working to solve the challenges and also encouraged most of her executive to take up the same approach. These were already great initiatives with high potentials to contribute in solving the problems she was facing. However, the question that remains unanswered is why was Tricia worried about the fact that she was not doing enough? In other words, what was it worth to Tricia if she did not find a satisfactory solution to this problem?

In my conversation with her, I learned the she and her team had spent a lot of money in building infrastructure that could solve some of the problems of poverty and unemployment. However, this also meant putting aside resources that could be reinvested in her business to expand their market and generate more income. Tricia and her team’s inability to explore new market opportunities and stay in competition with other companies could be a potential threat to her company. This would also put her in a situation where she might no longer have the opportunity to make her impact because her company might be unable to generate enough revenue to sustain itself. This was because her ability to continually donate was sustained through the work of her company. Thus, Tricia needed to find a less costly and more sustainable way of protecting the interest of her company while at the same still being able to give more to support her community.

What Difference Does It Make Solving the Problem?

Contributing to solving some of the major problems limiting community development was a greater achievement to Tricia’s personal value as one of the leading CEOs interested in adding value to her community. Her engagements in community development would contribute greatly to her company legacy and continually promote its brand as the people’s brand. Tricia wished that her effort in giving back to her community through the donations she was already making had more impact to herself and her business. If this was accomplished, she would be satisfied that she had succeeded in giving her company a legacy. This would make her feel more fulfilled in her accomplishments. In a nutshell, Tricia’s dream come true was to ensure that any donation she made added great value to solving unemployment, poor housing, and poverty in her community while at the same time creating more business opportunities for her company.

In the next chapter you will learn how, based on Tricia’s challenges and her dream result, she finally solved this problem and at the same time created more opportunities for her business by simply increasing the impact of her donation. The approaches in the subsequent chapters show how you can simultaneously support any cause you are interested in and grow your business at the same time without having to set aside extra time and money for both. It is a one-stop solution that gives you the opportunity to scale up the results of the cause you support and skyrocket your business growth with the same cost.

Chapter 2:

What Do I Need to Do for My Donation to Start Making Impact?

Being the Difference

It might not have been clear to me at the time, but the result of one person’s donation seven years ago added more value to my life than I ever thought possible. I can still picture the scene very clearly. It was my last year in high school. That particular day was a Monday. I was dressed in blue pants and a jacket. It was a wet afternoon, and the time was exactly 12:15 p.m. It was lunch-time, and I had no money for lunch. I decided to distract myself by taking a walk to the art classroom to talk to this pretty lady I had met a few days back in school. Normally, the last year in high school was the busiest year, and you had to take things very seriously because it was the gateway to a prestigious university, which was just next door. We all did everything we could to make sure we graduated, from wearing the uniform to start dressing up like smart teenagers. The last year in high school was termed “the master key to freedom.” So most final-year high school students would spend their break time studying or participating in group discussions.

Because of that, I knew exactly where I could find this pretty lady. At my own end, I could not study because I was hungry and could barely focus. When I went to meet her that afternoon, she was having a good discussion with her friends, but when she saw me show up, she decided to give me about fifteen minutes of her time. Although I sounded and looked as happy as I could possibly be, she immediately picked out the difference compared to the couple of times we had met up.

She said to me, “You look hungry. Why don’t we go to the dinning shelter and get something to eat?”

The dinning shelter was an assigned location in school where food could be sold during break period. I hesitated because I did not have money with me. However, I did not know how to turn down her offer because that was the only way I could spend some time with her. Besides I still wanted to keep my pride and not be a “broke” guy. However, she insisted and noted that the bill was on her. I reluctantly accepted the offer, although that was the best thing that could happen to me at that particular time. I still had to spend about six hours in school and I could certainly not be at my best if I went with an empty stomach.

Although she did it out of her generous heart, she did not actually understand how important that offer was to me. She gave me not only a meal but also everything I needed to stay strong the rest of that day and beyond. I am sure that the reason I am still able to picture every bit of that moment – how we walked to the dinning shelter, what exactly we ate, and where we sat – was because of how important the act was to me. I am also sure that she does not even remember all these details at this particular time. That gesture made me to start appreciating life in a different way. I began to understand how little helping hands could be magical and the amount of hope they could bring to the life of people. I think one of the main reasons that moment made a difference in my life was because I was in need. However, that moment also was the beginning of the creation of the value I have today in helping people make the difference they need in any field of life they found themselves it.

A Gift That Pays Back

A gift that pays back is a gift that comes from the heart either consciously or unconsciously. My pretty friend offered me a meal when I was deeply in need. I strongly believe that the reason it left a remarkable memory in my life was because that act alone increased the value I had for her as a person and also gave me the value I have for helping others today without expecting payback. By giving, I understand I am creating more opportunities for a better world. I noticed that the value she created in my life became transferable after the incident. While I was in university, my class had a field visit, and students had to pay to take care of their transportation. I noticed some of my friends were unable to pay. The trip was part of the final course assessment, and I clearly understood the need for them to be part of it. At that moment, I understood the value of helping people in need, so I was able to pay for a few people from the money I had saved. A year after we graduated from the university, one of the students I helped came back to thank me and to share with me how the act had been one of strength she looked to when she felt like giving up. She also told me she was committed in helping others in need because of the impact and the value she felt when she was helped.

Seven years later, I came across that pretty lady again – my friend who saved my day with the magic lunch. Ironically, at this point I was in a position where I could be of tremendous help to her and I did provide my help without having second thoughts. She might have wondered why I was sacrificing so much to assist her with what she was doing at that moment. However, at the end of the day, I was able to share the big lesson I learned from her while we were in the high school and how it created the value she could see in me. This was also a great lesson for me because when she offered the magic lunch, she did not expect pay back. She could hardly imagine the impact that act triggered in the lives of hundreds of people I have come across. I have had so many exciting circumstances where I have been able to benefit from the seeds I have planted along my journey by being of help to the people I meet. This is the same value I started practicing in 2012 when I started working as an executive for a nonprofit organisation where I also happened to be a cofounder.

Small Actions and Expensive Steps

When I started working as the executive director of the Resource Centre for Environment and Sustainable Development in 2012, one of the core values I brought into the organisation was how to create opportunities where small actions could generate great results. One of my goals was to uncover the value of how people could make the difference in their community by being an asset to other people in need. I noticed that in order for me to generate more attention for the need and urgency for people to...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Table of Contents
• Chapter 1: How Can I Grow My Business by Contributing to Community Development?
• Chapter 2: What Do I Need to Do for My Donation to Start Making Impact?
• Chapter 3: How Do I Make More Impact to My Business through My Donation?
• Chapter 4: How Do I Solve a Problem That Grows by Business?
• Chapter 5: How Can I Add Value to My Donation?
• Chapter 6: What Cause Should I Support?
• Chapter 7: How Will My Donation Help My Cause?
• Chapter 8: How Can I Evaluate the Output of My Donation?
• Chapter 9: How Will the Cause I Support Help Me?
• Chapter 10: How Can My Donation Grow My Business?
• Chapter 11: What Makes the Difference When I Donate with a Purpose?
• Chapter 12: Conclusion
• Acknowledgements
• Thanks for Reading
• About the Author