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SG2X Playbook Advantage: From the Entrepreneur's Perspective
By Mariah Grubb | Sun Sep 18 2022
We look forward to seeing you on September 22 to celebrate the launch of USAID and RENEW’s SME Gender Growth Acceleration (SG2X) Investment Playbook (or “the Playbook”) hosted by the 2X Collaborative. The Playbook is part of their growing toolbox of resources for the responsible investment community.
In our past communication, we focused on the purpose of the Playbook and the trainings, templates, tools, etc. it contains. Today, we want to share feedback from entrepreneurs who have first-hand experience with the training and related materials.
Most of the SMEs with whom we spoke said the implementation training program changed the course of their companies as well as their day-to-day lives.
“We covered certain foundational principles that I simply didn’t know. This information was not available to me in other business or entrepreneurship training programs that I’ve taken. Things like board governance, gender-smart marketing, cashflow management – I didn’t realize how important they were until after I took the program.”
Many of the participating companies joined the training after seeing how their businesses were negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and needed to decide how to manage cash flows, add new business lines, or pivot to a new industry.
“My company is pivoting in what we do because of COVID-19, and I found the tools to be immensely helpful in executing our new strategy and managing my time as CEO.”
“My business badly needed this overhaul at this point in time, especially after COVID-19. My understanding of executive management and having the business move to a more secure future is now much more clear.”
Since men still typically dominate the executive space, participants also came to learn the value of gender inclusion and promotion in the business environment.
“I appreciated that the program had a consistent message throughout that gender equality contributes to the bottom line. Financial performance and gender equality don’t have to be at odds with one another.”
“Even as a female executive, I didn’t understand why I had to intentionally pursue gender equality, but now I understand why it’s so important, which makes it easier to implement. Now that I understand the “why” and have that reasoning in hand, I feel that I can now go to my team and properly explain.”
One of the consistent praises from those that have interacted with the Playbook is how accessible and user-friendly it is. We can all understand the frustration of opening up a guidebook and staring down countless pages of description and methodology without a clear step-by-step implementation plan and practical tools to support the process.
“I loved the fact that they were brief! I don’t have the time to read really long documents; one to two pages is enough. When you produce a piece of information that’s 30 pages, it’s hard to maintain your attention. The tools are easy to talk about and drum into people’s minds. In fact, my eyes were opened to the potential of tools already at my disposal. I now have a fresh perspective on how to leverage the simplest of tools, like my calendar.”
REGISTER TODAY to learn more about this innovative toolkit and how it can benefit you and your business(es).
- DATE: Thursday, September 22, 2022
- TIME: 9:00 a.m.-10:30 a.m. EST; 4:00 p.m.-5:30 p.m. EAT
Renew Capital is an Africa-focused impact investment firm that backs innovative companies with high-growth potential. Renew Capital manages investments made on behalf of the Renew Capital Angels, a global network of angel investors, foundations and family offices who seek financial returns and sustainable social impact. For the latest on investing in Africa, subscribe and follow us at our social links below.
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