Scale Business Impact

Scaling and Growth Capital Objectives

Required Materials:

To establish Scaling and Growth Capital Objectives, you will need to visit the Nonprofit Finance Fund website. You will also need the Deliverables created in Modules 1 and 2 of Business Impact Accelerator©.

To Do List:

There are three actions for you and your team to complete:

1. View four short Youtube videos on the subject of growth capital and revenue-based finance.
2. Download and review an article on the purpose and role of growth capital.
3. Discuss the purpose of growth capital in your enterprise and identify 5–6 key results you want to achieve as a result of scaling your Sustainable 10X Impact Business Model.

Coaching Tips:

In Gender Wealth Strategy©, you learned that gaining access to flexible growth capital on friendly terms is a major barrier to the expansion of many enterprises, especially those led by women without 10X profit-driven business models (95% of the population).

But what is growth capital and what is the purpose of revenue-based growth capital in helping your enterprise scale its impact? These four YouTube videos will help you and your team understand the role of growth capital and the power of revenue-based finance:

• “What is Growth Capital?”
• “What Social Entrepreneurs Need to Achieve Scale”
• “A Different View on Impact Investing”
• “Introduction to Cypress Growth Capital”

As you watch these videos, listen for comments related to patient and flexible capital, access to capital, and the right financing vehicle. Please note the video from Michael “Luni” Libes (“A Different View on Impact Investing“). This is the same video introduced to you in Key Finding #5 of Gender Wealth Strategy©.

The Cypress Growth Capital video will give you an example of how one investment firm is using revenue royalties (another term for revenue sharing) to fund the growth of mature technology companies. Arthur Fox, one of the early pioneers of revenue-based finance is a senior advisor to this firm. You’ll remember Mr. Fox’s name from Key Finding #6 in Gender Wealth Strategy (“few entrepreneurs, investors, and educators know about revenue-based finance”).

The article from Nonprofit Finance Fund to download is titled Nonprofit Growth Capital: Building is Not Buying. The author is George Overholser, former director of this social finance enterprise. Be sure to review the definition of growth capital on page 2 of this article: “Growth capital is an investment of funds from financial partners who join with management to build a sustainable enterprise.” Note this important comment: “Growth capital covers the deficits incurred en route to sustainability.”

Although the article is focused on nonprofit finance, Overholser provides a clear definition of growth capital for any enterprise, regardless of legal structure or tax status. Be sure to review the section explaining why it’s important to separate growth capital investment from operating revenues in your financial statements. Many enterprises co-mingle these funds, and it leads to poor cash flow management, one of the primary reasons for business failure. This is a good reminder for you to track accurately the inflow and outflow of growth capital, whether these funds come from owners, retained earnings, or revenue-based crowdfund investors (or ideally, all three).

Next, bring your team together and lead a discussion about these videos and article. Ensure all team members are on the same page about the difference between growth capital and operating revenue. This discussion will give you an opportunity to start identifying potential uses of growth capital to scale your positive impact.

Potential Growth Capital Uses

So, what expenses can you build into a growth capital budget and include in your 3X-in-10™ Revenue Sharing Offer to women and HeForShe investors? Here are just a few examples:

• monthly or annual subscriptions to business development or financial management tools like QuickBooks™ or LivePlan business planning software.
• new hires to support scaling plans
• outside consultants or technical experts to design and redesign systems, processes, workflows or tools
• assessment tools and online business simulations to develop an entrepreneurial culture
• capital raising costs associated with your crowdfund investment platform-of-choice (they typically charge between 2–8% of the capital you raise).
• CPA costs to conduct an independent review or audit of your previous two years of financial statements
• Legal fees of $5,000 for retaining CrowdCheck to conduct background checks and review of your governance documents, 3X-in-10™ Revenue Sharing Offering documents, and SEC Form C (reference first two Activities in Module 6, Fund Business Impact).
• Marketing costs for planning and launching a successful 3X-in-10™ Growth Capital Campaign

After your team discusses possible uses of growth capital, identify (or confirm) the objectives or goals you want to achieve as a result of scaling your newly validated Sustainable 10X Impact Business Model. We recommend you establish a Primary Goal of “scale impact and grow sustainably after scale-up.” This sustainability goal is the “take-off” point described on page 4 of Overholser’s article and the “burn rate” commonly referred to in the world of finance and investment.

It is not the BHAG you identified in your Vision Story of Sustainable 10X Impact (achieving that BHAG will take ten years or more). Growth capital investment is designed to get you to the point of being able to scale-up, operate sustainably at this higher level of scale, and then continue steady and sustainable growth for the rest of the ten-year investment period (and beyond).

If this Primary Goal isn’t coming into focus right away, read the previous paragraph and Overholser’s article again. We’ve seen more than a couple of management teams and boards struggle with the purpose and role of growth capital. In addition to this Primary Goal, think about the other results you’d like to achieve in the estimated 3–5 years it will take to achieve “take-off.” Use all of the documents created so far in Business Impact Accelerator© to identify and prioritize your 5–6 Scaling and Growth Capital Objectives.

Be sure to record these objectives or results on a flip chart and use this information to help draft Scaling Action Plans, estimate the growth capital amount you will raise, create a 3X-in- 10™ Revenue Sharing Offer, and develop a Sustainable 10X Impact Business Plan.

Review Questions:

Before moving to the Next Step, ask these questions:

1. Does everyone understand the purpose and role of revenue-based growth capital in scaling the impact of our business or social enterprise?
2. Is the Primary Goal of “scale impact and grow sustainably after scale-up” clear?
3. Did we establish 5–6 Scaling and Growth Capital Objectives to guide development of our Sustainable 10X Impact Business Plan, 3X-in-10™ Revenue Sharing Offer, and Growth Capital Campaign?

Estimated Time:

It will take approximately 3–4 hours (over 1–2 meetings) to discuss and clarify Scaling and Growth Capital Objectives.

Featured Certified B Corporation: 

Better World Books

Recommended Resources:

To learn more about revenue royalties and revenue-based finance, we recommend the following:

• The Road Less Travelled: The Story of Revenue Royalties by Robert Steven Kramarz (available in the free resource Library of the Intelliversity website).
• The Larry and Barry Guide to Understanding Royalties by Arthur Lipper (available on KindleUnlimited; other free articles and resources about revenue-based finance are available on the Pacific Royalties website).
• Revenue Royalties: Why and How Revenue Royalties Will Become The Standard Finance Approach for Both Investors and Company Owners by Arthur Lipper.
• The Realities of Funding a Startup by Michael Libes (part of The Next Step Series of books for business and social entrepreneurs).

To learn more about impact metrics (which might influence your scaling objectives), we advise the following:

• IRIS (or Impact Reporting and Investment Standards; provides a database of metrics used by the B Impact Assessment and impact investors).

3X-in-10™ Revenue Sharing Offer

Required Materials:

To create a viable and high-quality 3X-in-10™ Revenue Sharing Offer, you will need to access the Business Impact Accelerator Library. You may also need to review key sections of the Gender Wealth Strategy© learning program.

To Do List:

There are four actions for you and your team to complete:

1. Review the video by Michael “Luni” Libes titled “A Different View on Impact Investing” and if needed, key sections of the Gender Wealth Strategy© learning program (“A Failed System”, “Whose Needs Come First?”, and “Women’s Wealth System”).
2. Access the BIA Library and review 3X-in-10™ Webinar Series, including the 3X-in-10™ Calculator.
3. Use the 3X-in-10™ Calculator to determine the revenue sharing percentage your enterprise can safely offer women and HeForShe investors on your crowdfund investment-platform-of choice.
4. Rank order different revenue sharing scenarios and incorporate this information into your Sustainable 10X Impact Business Plan, 3X-in-10™ Revenue Sharing Offering documents, and Investor Pitch Deck (discussed in Fund Business Impact, Module 6 of Business Impact Accelerator©).

Coaching Tips:

In the first Activity of Module Three, you identified objectives and plans for scaling the positive impact of your business or social enterprise. Now, it’s time to create a viable and high-quality 3X-in-10™ Revenue Sharing Offer that will enable your business to raise the flexible growth capital needed to scale positive impact and grow sustainably after scale-up.

As you know from the Gender Wealth Strategy© Mini-Course and full learning program, there are several benefits for raising flexible revenue-based growth capital on your terms (instead of begging for money from lenders and investors focused only on their 10X-profit or 10X-exit):

1. Attracting patient, mission-aligned investors with a compelling 3X-in-10™ Offer of “triple your impact investment in ten years.”
2. Raising flexible and entrepreneur-friendly capital based on a share of top-line revenue (i.e., a revenue royalty).
3. Gaining “breathing room” and time for scaling new, high-impact business models and value propositions.
4. Making an investment offer you can deliver on without taking unnecessary risks (e.g., 50%+ hyper-growth every year).
5. Staying in control of your enterprise with flexible capital instead of taking on inflexible debt or selling a percentage of your business to outside investors.

We created the 3X-in-10™ Revenue Sharing Offer to help your enterprise “stand out from the crowd” with a compelling offer that provides investors with an opportunity to:

1. Invest in a stable and sustainable enterprise led by women with impact-driven business models (or HeForShe advocates with business models that positively impact women).
2. Receive liquidity (cash) in the form of quarterly revenue sharing payments (which provide the opportunity to invest in other high-quality Revenue Sharing Offers).
3. Realize a quicker return on invested capital as compared to equity investments (e.g., as outlined in the 3X-in-10™ Piggy Bank video, “time-to-1X” is potentially 4.5 years).
4. Potentially earn a higher rate of return if revenue growth is faster than projected.
5. Safely exit the revenue sharing investment after the “3X cap” is reached.

As discussed in Gender Wealth Strategy, we designed our 3X-in-10™ Revenue Sharing Offer after learning about the work of Michael “Luni” Libes in funding entrepreneurial start-ups with this form of flexible capital. If the team has not watched “A Different View on Impact Investing”, take the time now to ensure everyone has an understanding of the major differences between revenue-based financing and traditional debt and equity financing. As discussed in Gender Wealth Strategy/Key Finding #6:”Few entrepreneurs, investors, and educators know about revenue-based finance.”

Also, be sure the team is familiar with the 3X-in-10™ Revenue Sharing Model. If needed, review contents in the WIIN learning program category titled 3X-in-10™ Revenue Sharing.

Just Six Numbers

In order to create a winning 3X-in-10™ Revenue Sharing Offer specific to your enterprise, you need six numbers: (1) starting revenue base (use net revenue at end of current fiscal year), (2) estimate of your average annual growth rate during the next ten years, (3) revenue sharing (or revenue royalty) percentage you can safely afford to offer investors, (4) the amount of growth capital required to scale your positive impact and grow sustainably after scale-up, (5) investment multiple (3X), and (6) investment time period (10 years).

In turn, this information will tell you: (1) how much flexible revenue-based growth capital your enterprise potentially could raise on a crowdfund investment platform, and (2) the potential financial return for your prospective women and HeForShe investors.

Remember, an IRR (internal rate of return) above the benchmark 7–10% range is considered a competitive return (see key finding #7 in Gender Wealth Strategy).

Keep in mind that you may be able to create other revenue sharing offers other than 3X-in-10™. For example, a viable 2X-in-5 offer that provides a compelling financial and social return might be a better alternative. Our 3X-in-10™ Revenue Sharing Model is a starting point. You must make the final decision of what will work for your impact-driven enterprise.

Here are a couple of points to keep in mind as you begin working with the 3X-in-10™ Calculator:

• Typically, 1–10% is the revenue royalty or revenue sharing percentage used by enterprises seeking growth capital investment.
• Use 25% of net revenue as a “safe” starting point for your estimated growth capital funding target; as a rule of thumb, you will need gross margins of 30% or more (or be able to improve these margins with increased cash flow, higher prices, and improved cash flow management).
• Make sure the 10-year average revenue growth projection is realistic (we advise 5-10% as a “safe” point to start; a good strategy here is to underpromise and over-deliver).
• Use the net revenue you project for the current fiscal year as the starting base.
• Calculation of the revenue sharing percentage is an iterative process; you’ll need to incorporate your projections of revenue growth and revenue sharing percentage into your pro forma financial spreadsheets and Sustainable 10X Business Plan.

If necessary, go back and review videos and materials from the Business Impact Accelerator Mini-Course and 3X-in-10™ Webinar Series programs. These learning programs will help everyone on your team understand the what, why, and how of crafting a 3X-in-10™ Revenue Sharing investment offer.

A Viable 3X-in-10™ Offer

As you begin to calculate the 3X-in-10™ Revenue Sharing Offer, be sure you are not “making commitments” you can’t deliver (e.g., annual revenue growth forecasts for the ten-year investment period).

Remember, 10% growth every year for ten years is a significant achievement. In Gender Wealth Strategy, we pointed out the Bain Consulting study that revealed less than 10% of large corporations producing this level of organic growth over a ten-year period of time.

Plus, we don’t want to see you underestimate the potential negative impact this growth will have on the cash flow of your enterprise. Be conservative in your estimates and ensure delivery of sustainable results. The only downside of under-promising and over-delivering is that you “exit” investors more quickly with a higher rate of return!

This would be a good time to mention that you will be documenting your investment offer in two customizable documents: a 3X-in-10™ Revenue Sharing Promissory Note and 3X-in-10™ Subscription Agreement. You can download these two documents from the BIA Library. We recommend starting sooner rather than later in familiarizing yourself with these two documents and drafting a draft promissory note and subscription agreement.

In Module 6, we’ll discuss these documents in more detail and introduce you to CrowdCheck and their related law firm, CrowdCheck Law. CrowdCheck drafted these templates for The Social Impact Foundation and will be guiding your enterprise through the due diligence process needed to (1) pass our Investment Readiness Check, and (2) promote a high-quality Revenue Sharing Offer to women and HeForShe investors on a crowdfund investment platform.

Review Questions:

Before moving to the Next Step, ask these questions:

1. Do we all understand how the 3X-in-10™ Revenue Sharing Offer works?
2. Did we identify the six numbers needed to create a growth capital funding target and a high-quality 3X-in-10™ Revenue Sharing Offer?
3. How does this growth capital target compare with the resources identified in our Scaling Action Plans? Do we need to change or revise any of our plans?

Estimated Time:

It will take approximately 3–4 hours (over 1 or 2 work sessions) to establish a viable Revenue Sharing Offer for your business or social enterprise.

Featured Certified B Corporation: 

Plum Organics

Recommended Resources:

To learn more about revenue-based finance and  royalties, we recommend the following:

• “The Road Less Travelled: The Story of Revenue Royalties” by Robert Steven Kramarz (available in the free resource Library of the Intelliversity website).
• “The Larry and Barry Guide to Understanding Royalties” by Arthur Lipper (available on KindleUnlimited along with many other articles about revenue-based finance on the Pacific Royalties website).
• Revenue Royalties: Why and How Revenue Royalties Will Become The Standard Finance Approach for Both Investors and Company Owners by Arthur Lipper.
• “The Realities of Funding a Startup” by Michael Libes (part of The Next Step Series of books for business and social entrepreneurs).

To learn more about improving your cash flow to pay for the revenue sharing percentage (or revenue royalty), we suggest:

• “Scaling Up: How a Few Companies Make It … and Why the Rest Don’t”  by Verne Hamish (especially chapters 12–14 on Cash Flow). Note: the Scaling Up website offers some free tools, including The Power of One and Cash Acceleration Strategies that we discuss in the next Activity.
• Cash Flow Story (website by the developers of The Power of One).
• QuickBooks Resource Center (look for the Cash Flow section of this website to learn more about improving the cash flow of your enterprise).
• LivePlan Business Planning Software (look for LivePlan Blog and free articles on cash flow management).

Sustainable 10X Impact Business Plan

Required Materials:

To create a Sustainable 10X Impact Business Plan, you will need to access the Business Impact Accelerator Library. You will also need The Plan-As-You-Go Business Plan book plus Deliverables created in other Modules of Business Impact Accelerator©.

To Do List:

There are five actions for you and your team to complete:

1. Review the Business Plan Checklist and Investment Readiness Checklist in the BIA Library category of the WIIN learning platform.
2. Review the table of contents in The Plan-As-You-Go Business Plan book and become familiar with the Plan As You Go website.
3. Identify 2–3 team members to draft a Sustainable 10X Impact Business Plan over the next 4–6 weeks (or schedule that works for your enterprise).
4. Incorporate your 3X-in-10™ calculations into the draft five-year business plan and verify accuracy of all forward-looking financial statements.
5. Review the five-year scaling and growth plan with the entire team and ensure all items of the Business Plan Checklist have been addressed.

Coaching Tips:

Former general and U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower famously said: “The plan is useless, but planning is essential.” We wholeheartedly agree and offer these four reasons for creating a high-quality business plan to scale your impact-driven business model:

1. Clearly communicate your business strategy and growth capital needs to women and HeForShe investors and other strategic investors (e.g., leaders of philanthropic and community foundations).
2. Reduce the risk of business and investment failure (e.g., 40% of new ventures fail by year three and 60–80% of strategic plans fail to deliver on one or more key objectives).
3. Describe how your business or social enterprise will change and transform itself to deliver sustainable results and impact during the ten-year investment period.
4. Develop business and financial acumen within the entire leadership and management team.

To start, review the Business Plan and Investment Readiness Checklists found in the Business Impact Accelerator Library. Examine these documents as a team. You’ll see a direct connection with the Deliverables you’ve been creating in Modules 1–3 of Business Impact Accelerator. Then, identify 2–3 team members (including yourself) to draft a Sustainable 10X Impact Business Plan over the next 4–6 weeks. The time frame is approximate as it will depend on the availability of staff and the quality of your current business plan and financial statements.

Download and use the Action Plan tool from Change Accelerator to organize this important assignment. Be sure to set aside time on a weekly basis to “touch base” and check progress. Ensure the planning team has access to all of the Deliverables generated so far in Business Impact Accelerator, as well as the 3X-in-10™ Revenue Sharing Offer created in the previous Activity of this Module.

Business Plan Requirements

The Business Plan Checklist explains requirements for each of the eleven sections. Aim to keep the main part of your plan to 25–30 pages (plus or minus). The five-year pro forma financial statements go in the Appendix, along with other supporting documents you feel are essential to “make your case” to women and HeForShe investors on your crowdfund investment platform-of-choice.

We recommend everyone in the planning team as well as larger leadership or management team purchase a copy of The Plan-As-You-Go Business Plan by Tim Berry. Mr. Berry has a website called Plan as You Go that also provides supporting information. Review the Table of Contents in this book and go to any section that is of interest at any time during the planning, writing, review, and revision process.

We recommend you consider using the LivePlan business planning platform. This tool is offered by Mr. Berry’s firm (Palo Alto Software) and provides a number of advantages (e.g., benchmarking against organizations of similar focus and size). Also, the software will help you learn about and focus on key financial metrics used by investors, especially the angel investors who will be attracted to your 3X-in-10™ Revenue Sharing Offer and its potential internal rate of return (or IRR) of 15–25%. Plus, this feature of LivePlan will increase the financial and business acumen of your team.

If you do have a current business plan, you may need to rewrite a few sections or reconfigure some content to align with the Sustainable 10X Impact Business Plan Checklist. Our template is a bit different than conventional business plan templates because an enterprise driven by sustainable 10X impact is a much different entity than one focused only on maximizing short-term profit. This is the reason why we include a few more sections that what is typically required in pitch decks or investor-focused business plans. You’ll appreciate this when women and HeForShe investors respond positively (and quickly) to your high-quality Sustainable 10X Impact Business Plan and 3X-in-10™ Revenue Sharing Offer.

Near the end of the planning and writing process, select 1 or 2 individuals to be the final editors and polishers of the five-year plan. You will need to integrate your 3X-in-10™ Revenue Sharing Offer into the plan, along with your growth capital budget and itemized list of needs. Then, proceed to the Cash Flow Pressure Test, the next Deliverable in this Activity of Module 3. You’ll address the results of this Pressure Test in the section of your business plan titled Financial Performance (and possibly in the Appendix as well). After you’ve conducted the Cash Flow Pressure Test, schedule a time to review your Sustainable 10X Impact Business Plan with the entire team.

And remember, you may need to “iterate” between the business plan and 3X-in-10™ Revenue Sharing Offer during this time. This process is not perfectly linear.

Review Questions:

Before moving to the Next Step, change coaches should ask these questions:

1. Did we adequately address all questions of the Sustainable 10X Impact Business Plan Checklist, including the question of positive impact on women?
2. Did we address and resolve any issues that surfaced in the development of this plan, including pro forma financial statements for the next five years?
3. Is this a plan that will capture the attention of women and HeForShe investors in the WIIN 10X Impact Forum and on our funding portal-of-choice?

Estimated Time:

It will take approximately 4–6 weeks for you and your team to create and review a Sustainable 10X Impact Business Plan (including pro forma income, balance sheet, and cash-flow statements).

Featured Certified B Corporation:

Sinnova Tek

Recommended Resources:

To learn more about business plans, business planning, and accounting software, we recommend the following:

• The Plan-As-You-Go Business Plan by Tim Berry (check out the Plan As You Go website).
• LivePlan (look for LivePlan Blog at the bottom of the main menu).
• QuickBooks (look for Support and QuickBooks Resource Center at the bottom).

Two additional business planning software systems you may want to check out are BizPlan and BizPlanBuilder. They offer many free resources and articles about planning, cash-flow management, and business development. BizPlanBuilder also sells other systems focused on marketing and sales, human resources, and safety (as does Palo Alto Software)

We also recommend:

• The Art of Startup Finance (free 10-part video series from the Kauffman FoundersSchool).

Business Transformation Readiness Assessment

Required Materials:

To complete the Business Transformation Readiness Assessment, you will need to visit the TransformationReady website.

To Do List:

There are five actions for you and your team to complete:

1. Visit the TransformationReady website and review About the Assessment, including sections titled How It Works and What is Business Transformation?
2. Take the free confidential assessment focused on the readiness of your business or social enterprise to manage change and lead a business transformation initiative.
3. Open the TransformationReady Results email and review your assessment profile, including a comparison of your scores with averages for various industries in the TransformationReady database.
4. Print your assessment results directly from the website page or record scores and suggestions for improving your organization’s readiness.
5. Discuss and analyze results from the Business Transformation Readiness Assessment and incorporate any “next steps” into Scaling Action Plans, Case for Change Story, or other change management activities.

Coaching Tips:

In the military, readiness assessments are a way of life, especially if a combat or support unit is getting ready for deployment. Yet, in many business or social enterprises, leaders and managers often assume that because they are “in charge,” everyone in the organization is ready, willing, and able to move forward on a major strategic initiative or project.

During Mark’s career as a Certified Management Consultant™, he referenced and used this video–“They’re Not Ready”–from the motion picture The Last Samurai to drive home the point about readiness. We won’t tell you what happens in the next scene of this compelling movie and story. Needless to say, it doesn’t turn out very well for the young soldiers when they have their first (and last) encounter with an experienced army of samurai warriors.

To help you avoid this negative result in your enterprise, you and your team have access to the online Business Transformation Readiness Assessment (BTRA) from Emergent Consultants, creators of the Change Accelerator© and Rocket Manager™ platforms. BTRA is a free, confidential assessment that takes five minutes to complete and will help you gauge the health of your current organizational change and transformation efforts. It consists of 30 questions focused in six areas: (1) Governance, (2) Urgency, (3) Sponsorship, (4) Engagement, (5) Alignment and (6) Sustainability.

Visit the TransformationReady website and review About the Assessment and the two sections titled How It Works and What is Business Transformation? Then, click on Take the Free Assessment. You’ll need to enter your name and contact information in order to receive results by email.

In minutes, you’ll receive a TransformationReady Results email with your assessment profile. Open the link and review your scores in each of the six areas. A short analysis is provided for each section with 1–2 suggestions for improving readiness. Scroll down the screen to see how your results compare to average scores from companies in the TransformationReady database. Go ahead and print the web page or record the scores and improvement suggestions prior to meeting with your fellow team members.

Are You Ready?

Next, facilitate a discussion about TransformationReady results with your team. Go around the room and capture scores on a flipchart pad for each individual in each of the six sections of the assessment. Calculate a team average for each section and compare your scores against the averages of companies in the TransformationReady database.

Look for wide variation in scores and if one is found, ask team members for more information (“tell us more”). Use active listening skills to assess if your enterprise is truly ready to move forward in launching the scaling plans in your five-year Sustainable 10X Impact Business Plan and/or raising flexible growth capital on a crowdfund investment platform. Do not make the assumption everyone is “on-board” or you may replicate the experience of the young soldiers in The Last Samurai.

Continue to use the BTRA, along with Change Accelerator Phase Health Checks, to gauge the current level of organizational readiness for growth, change, and transformation. Note that “readiness” is not something to be achieved once and forgotten. As you grow 5-10% or more each year during the next decade, expect to see readiness levels increase and decrease. The BTRA and Phase Health Checks will help you recognize “early warning signs” and take proactive action.

Review Questions:

Before moving to the Next Step, ask these questions:

1. What opportunities do we have for improving our level of readiness for organizational change and business transformation?
2. Was there a wide variation in our individual assessment results or are we in agreement on our strengths and weaknesses in the six areas of the assessment?
3. Is this team ready for the changes and transformations that will take place in the next ten years?

Estimated Time:

It will take approximately 1–2 hours for you and your team to complete, discuss results of the Business Transformation Readiness Assessment, and make decisions on “next steps.”

Featured Certified B Corporation:  

King Arthur Flour Company

Recommended Resources:

To learn more about strategic change and transformation, we recommend the following:

• Emergent Consultants (look for Transformation Resources and a free newsletter, journal, and white papers; Emergent is also the creator of Rocket Manager™, an online management development program we highly recommend.
• Growing Pains: Building Sustainably Successful Organizations by Eric G. Flamholtz, PhD. and Yvonne Randle, PhD.
• Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change by William Bridges, PhD. with Susan Bridges.
• Getting Your Organization to Change: A Guide to Putting Your Strategy into Action by Dennis T. Jaffe, PhD., and Cynthia D. Scott, PhD., MPH.