RESOURCES

From Acumen Academy, the world’s school for social change

The following courses are especially relevant and serve as an excellent foundation.

- Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship

- Social Impact Analysis

- Lean Startup Principles Social Sector

From Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women

This 10-course collection, developed in partnership with Goldman Sachs and the University of Leeds, builds on the face-to-face business education program that has enabled over 10,000 women to experience immediate and sustained business growth.

Value Proposition

To refine your value proposition, try to leverage the Value Proposition Canvas developed by Dr. Alexander Osterwalder. The Value Proposition Canvas is a tool which can help ensure that a product or service is positioned around what the customer values and needs. This framework helps evaluate product-market fit.

If you are unfamiliar with the framework, try out the following resources:

- The following three-minute video gives you a quick rundown: Introduction to Value Proposition Canvas

- The following instructional guide provides step-by-step details: The Value Proposition Canvas Instruction Manual

UN SDGs

The Sustainable Development Goals are the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. They address the global challenges we face, including those related to poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace, and justice. The 17 Goals are all interconnected, and in order to leave no one behind, it is important that we achieve them all by 2030.

IRIS+ Impact Themes & Metrics

IRIS+ is the generally accepted impact accounting system that leading impact investors use to measure, manage, and optimize their impact. Proper use of the IRIS+ system ensures a minimum level of consistency in a users’ impact claims and performance, which makes it easier for investors to analyze and extract useful information for decision making. Use of IRIS+ also facilitates the comparison of impact information.

To learn more about IRIS + Impact Themes & Metrics, please visit the IRIS+ site.

To review your business model, we suggest using the framework developed by Dr. Alexander Osterwalder, the Business Model Canvas. It is a tool that can help you map out the different components of your business systematically and understand the interactions between them.

If you are unfamiliar with the framework, try out the following resources:

- The following 3 mins video gives you a quick overview: Business Model Canvas Explained.

- The following instructional guide provides step-by-step details: The Business Model Canvas Instruction Manual.

To evaluate your scaling strategy critically, we suggest you leverage the PATRI framework, developed by Ashoka Globalizer Team, authored by Rizwan Tayabali. The PATRI framework is a step-by-step guide for social entrepreneurs on the journey to scale.

If you are unfamiliar with the framework, try out the following resources:

- The following twenty-minute video gives you an overview by Rizwan: Scaling Impact.
- This is the full paper detailing the framework: PATRI A Framework for Scaling Impact.

Building a Board

Take a look at “Don’t give away your board seat,” for a great briefing on board of directors versus advisors, and how to leverage both effectively.

For more details around how to build an effective board, check out the Primer for Building an Effective Board by the Kauffman Foundation.

Building the founding team is critical, as your business will need different skill sets for success. The following post discusses the key to building great founding teams. At the early stage of your business, it is also important to realize you will need team members that are beyond the traditional job title. This article on hiring discusses some of the most salient points in why recruiting and managing teams can be one of the biggest challenges at the early stages of a startup - specifically when you are still validating business models and pivoting products.

Cap Table

One of the most critical cap table issue to keep in mind as a female founder is the Gap Table. The Gap Table refers to the fact that women are significantly underrepresented in equity ownership. The following article #TheGapTable gives you an overview by #Angels (a group of ex-Twitter women executives, who banded together to encourage greater diversity with their investments)

As suggested by #Angels, “You control your cap table, who gets shares, and how many. The people you bring in early on, both investors and team members, will be among the largest shareholders in the company. Prioritize diversity from day one. Ask your investors for introductions to women and underrepresented minority co-investors and early hires.”

Vision

A Vision Statement is the north star of an organization. It defines why your organization exists and its purpose. It explains the state of the world or community as a result of your company achieving its mission. A great framework for thinking about the “why” is the Golden Circle by Simon Sineck. If you are unfamiliar with the framework, the following five-minute video gives you an overview by Simon: The Golden Circle.