Social entrepreneurs often enter a space where experience, competitors, and new entrants are sparse.  The level of documented intellectual property and lack of industry veterans to seek out makes succeeding even more difficult.  Yet these resources are critical to gaining tracking in the market and ensuring your idea lives to see the next day.

Triple Pundit wrote  a great piece on shifting more to collaboration between NGOs and businesses.  If values are aligned, – which is no standard clause; value misalignment can be the most critical downfall to partnerships  - the complementary skillsets can mean more impact.

Even in the developed world, partnerships for good can alleviate a lot of headaches that can allow entrepreneurs to focus their efforts on other areas of their business.  Linking up with an organization that can provide you insight, expertise, resources, or (the golden nugget) customers can help you avoid many pitfalls of the entrepreneurial race.

Partnerships do not imply that you can’t do it by yourself, but that you want to leverage the power of your network, and see your product succeed through any means.  Syncing up with like-minded people who understand and share your priorities – especially in the social enterprise realm – can truly bring energy and fuel to  brainstorms and visions.

So next time you debate putting down the work and heading out to an event, think about the unlimited options that partnerships can bring you in ways that product development alone could not.  Your product and idea is cool – but it can be so much more with the right partnership.

- Chris

But family isn’t just about genetic ties.  Just look to facebook; apparently many of us have brothers and sisters (or even spouses) that are really just our best friends.  This isn’t just new weird digital behavior—it has existed for ages.  Who can deny that girls have been calling their closest friends sisters since the beginning of time?

Organizations and programs that wanted to develop communities adopted this nomenclature because of our  natural instinct to associate strong familial feelings with the words “brother” and sister”.  This is precisely why the two words describe members in organizations from the likes of Fraternities and Sororities to Big Brother and Big Sister mentorship programs. 

There are other places where you develop the same kinds of relationships described above, even though we have much different titles from brother & sister to describe them.   For instance, teammates often feel that kind of bond, as do travelers.  Co-workers is another prime example.

One Life, Many Families
In fact, if you think about it, your life consists of several families.  In some families you’re a frequent participant, or the family leader, while in others you’re the delinquent teenage child.

Sometimes you’re temporarily ostracized from families and some families come and go quickly, with reunions over the years.

Joining A Family
It’s also possible to join families—this often happens when you move or start a new job.  When I joined Acumen Fund as a Fellow a year and a half back, it was immediately obvious to me that I was joining a family.  Now that I’ve left Acumen and founded my own company, the continuous emails and hellos keep me in the loop.  Plus, we’ve had more than a handful of get-togethers in the bay area already.

I actually discovered multiple families within my Acumen experience: the broader Acumen community, the Fellows in my class, the Pakistan community, my host family home, and so many groups of friends, including some I now work with!

Returning After An Absence
When I joined the Acumen Family, I was leaving another one—that of the Bain San Francisco office.  I had worked there for three years without a transfer or even a travel case (gasp).  Most of my close friends & even my roommate were from the Bain family.  I had layer up on layer of families in Bain—from various case teams, to my class, to my close friends and mentors and more.  It was a very hard family to leave.

Perhaps it is because it was so difficult to leave that I had such a hard time staying in touch once I did.

I did a terrible job keeping up with friends or mentors while I was in Pakistan, so needless to say I was a little nervous that my return on Friday would be awkward.

How wrong was I! After having lunch with one of my favorite managers I wandered the halls and caught up with old friends, made new ones, and even acquaintances gave me enthusiastic welcomes.

What Does Family Mean To You?
Let me bring this back to the question I asked at the beginning: When you think about your life as it stands today, what does family mean to you?  How do you balance your families in your life?  Have you neglected one? Are there any you’d like to prioritize or join?

Keep this in mind as you set your plans for the coming weeks—you might not actually be balancing your families the way you’d like to be.

-          Bryan

I won’t go too much into the application of the Lean Startup Methodology in the social enterprise realm (as an aside, check out Social Earth for a good take on that).  However, I think that some of the principles that a startup can learn from can be applied when looking at the social enterprise industry or even sub-sets of industries.

Validated Learning Cycles (VLCs),  a term that is used to describe the rapid development cycles of building, measuring, and learning from your product, is typically done in isolation during your initial stages.   The energy put into spreading your product and gathering user feedback is tremendous.  But, what happens to the feedback that you’ve gained?

I propose that organizations in such industries as microinsurance and microsavings share their findings from their VLCs.  Developing a whole other level of finance for over a billion people spread across the world in completely different conditions can not and should not be done in isolation.

When the uniting thread is to drive real impact and create a new and sustainable market for the unbanked, there should be no stone unturned in the quest for validated customer learning.  Microlending is starting to come around to this concept, and is beginning to unify and share their learnings.

If the global financial crisis has taught us one thing, it is just how interconnected financial ecosystems are.  For such powerful (and potentially life-changing) products as financial instruments at the BoP, shared insight is critical towards developing a product that is effective in driving impact and implemented in a safe manner.

As Ries puts it, “[s]tartups exist not to make stuff, make money, or serve customers. They exist to learn how to build a sustainable business.”  Many organizations that offer microinsurance and microsavings are for-profit organizations.  They may know how to create insurance and savings vehicles, but do they know how to do it sustainably in the third world?

Think what the industry can accomplish if sharing validating learning was the norm – instead of like pulling teeth?

- Chris

Perhaps it is the first time that we start to realize the Sun doesn’t circle around us.  Either way, it is a tender time for toddlers with lots of outbursts, screaming and crying sessions.

When I was three, I went through somewhat of a green stage; yes that means I wore only green twenty-four-seven for at least a month (and some of you wonder where my fashion problems began).  My hair used to be a lot lighter too.

Try to picture me in my terrible threes: a tiny man with platinum blond hair, eyes of fire, lime green overalls and a fists-on-hips pose that could scare away most animals.

My poor Mom was the recipient of that pose and my mantra all too often:

I KNOW! YOU DON’T KNOW!!!

                                                                 - 3 year old Bryan

Sometimes I still feel that way and have to work hard not to express it.  Growing older is about learning to put a stopper on the outward flow of emotions like these that rise up unexpectedly.

There is a little three year old hiding inside all of us…just ready to pounce when instinct overwhelms us.

Even today I have to fight the urge to yell “I know, you don’t know” at someone every day (usually it is Chris).

Though I’ve mentally come to understand that others often have better insight and perspective to add, there is still a I’m-the-best mentality that is liable to flare up, if that inner three-year old gets wind of a debate or argument he deems worth participating in.

Keep your three year-old on timeout and open yourself to the perspectives of others.  You’re guaranteed to learn something.

You might also avoid having a fight with someone else’s inner three year-old

-          Bryan

Most of Google’s products and services are pretty fascinating.

Street view? Maybe it has been around long enough to lose its wow factor, but if you take a step back: how spectacular is that?

Gmail has a wonderfully clean interface and I’m a huge fan of labels & the navigation keyboard shortcuts are wired into my brain.

I made a big splash about Google+ when it came out last summer, and I still think it is structurally far better than Facebook (which admittedly means nothing if no one is using it).

I could go on; the point is simply that Google is capable of awe inspiring, jaw dropping stuff.

Yet, they fall short.

Apparently 90% is ‘Good Enough’
I love Google for the products that they build, but hate them because time and again they stop short of 100%.   It seems that at some point someone always says, “Well, that’s good enough” and they move on to creating the next cool product.

Let me provide a few examples:
The other day I was thinking of taking my sister to the movies; conveniently Google was smart enough to show me the movie times (see the pic above). Google even gave me the address and phone number of the theater.

Naturally I wanted to double check in Google maps to make sure I knew where the theater was….but wait, why do I need to copy the address and paste it into a maps search?  Google, please, turn that address into a link.  You have maps, why not integrate them?  Oh, and don’t forget that phone number you looked up for me might be a good link for Google Voice.

Here’s another one: have you ever tried to search your Gmail?  Google’s biggest business is their search engine.  They can magically scrape only blue clip art images from all across the web if you want, but somehow searching my inbox is difficult.

Try searching for an email from a friend, first search their actual email address, second search by typing in their name.  You’ll find emails from that friend or with that friend cc’d in each search, but not necessarily the same ones.  This is a sure headache when you’re looking for something specific.  Whole companies have been born out of Google’s shortfalls in inbox search (e.g. Attachments.me).

While we’re on the subject of Gmail; have you ever tried to enter a bulleted list or a numbered list in Gmail?  Formatting is a nightmare on its own, but god forbid if you’re in the middle of a thread and start to add formatting.  Just don’t even try.

Okay one more: Google+ circles are great for people who like to organize the people they know.  Actually, several people already do this in their contacts list.  My Gmail contacts are organized by how I know them.  One of the biggest complaints about Google+ when it first rolled out was the fact that those of us who have polished our contact books couldn’t transfer that organization over to circles.  C’mon Google!

I can’t expect everything to be perfect, but with nearly 35,000 employees some of the holes in Google’s products should be considered embarrassing.  Especially stuff like the lack of a maps link on the movie showtimes search result.  Maybe Larry Page doesn’t go to the movies?

How Does This Apply To Me?
Okay, so you aren’t managing the Google machine, but surely you are producing something of value for someone.  Whether you’re an accountant who build financial models or a McDonalds employee making burgers…you still have the choice to go 90% or 110%.

Maybe you’re a Social Entrepreneur trying to change the way the world handles a particular problem.  Whoever you are, keep asking yourself, “what else?”.  “What is missing?”

Your first draft might be ‘good enough’, but it is definitely not your best.  Even your final draft is probably not your best.  Keep improving.

110% is more of a state of mind than something that can actually be achieved.

Please, please, please go 110%.

-          Bryan

- Confucius

When you’re passionate about your work or your hobby, the ‘work’ becomes less of a drag, and you’re eager to learn and produce more.  But what if that very passion gets tested by an outsider?

Sharing your work/passion with others is a critical part to evolving the idea and making sure it is as strong as possible.   No one can develop the perfect idea or product in a vacuum without seeking – and more importantly – incorporating feedback.  Hearing someone’s reaction about your passion can be a very humbling experience.

Yet what makes the social enterprise movement so fascinating is the unifying goal of driving impact.  Feedback is not necessarily a criticism of you or your idea; it is simply a way to refine your quest to drive the best level of impact.

We are in this together, and we should aim to help each other out by seeking out (and incorporating) feedback from all angles.  This is a true test for your passion.

Are you ready?

- Chris

I loved the introduction because it captured two very interesting concepts in one go:

A)     Drawing Connections:
I’ve always marveled at the tremendous connectivity that exists within the social enterprise space.  Through overlapping & shared networks, it seems as if you are never separated from another #socent geek by more than two social connections.

This candidate used a very sophisticated and impressive conversation tactic by immediately offering me with a common ground—a connection—to discuss.  She very naturally steered the conversation towards something that she knew we could connect over and that I would enjoy, which brings me to my next concept:

B)      Genuine Praise:
By complimenting my blog, she immediately scored points for her advantage.  Now it is important to offer genuine compliments only; I once received compliments on my blog from a guy who seemed like he had never even been to it and it didn’t do much more my opinion of him.

A genuine compliment from the get-go is a fantastic way to make almost any conversation go well.

There is a lot to learn from this, especially about how to win people over in just 10 seconds.  Think about a person that you’ve met for the first time recently; did you draw connections for them? Give genuine praise right off the bat?

Probably not, right? I certainly didn’t.

Now, imagine that you were meeting the same person for the first time again (or first time in a long while) armed with a common interest and a compliment ready to go.  How much less awkward would things have been?  How much more would you have enjoyed the conversation?

Try it out!

-Bryan

p.s. it even works with close friends!

The first thing I notice when I enter a poor area or a slum is usually the laughter, often of children. Inevitably I always see groups of people with interlocked arms and neighbors gathering around shared TV sets.

Last year, in the flood affected areas of Pakistan, I played cricket with our residents and ball toss with their kids.  The community is truly a family, with everyone working together in a trusting, jovial way.  The happy survive.

Those who might be poor in monetary terms are a far cry from poor in spirit.

The photograph on the right, titled ‘Give me a reason to cry’ is from an Everest Uncensored post about the 2008 Saptakoshi Flood in Bihar, India, one of the country’s poorest states.  Millions of people were displaced by the massive natural disaster, among them the children in this photograph.

The boy in the center is laughing and holding his brother’s hand while the little girl in the front has a perfect smirk. These kids are a stunning example of resilience.   Despite their poor conditions and tremendously unfortunate circumstances, the children bounce along happily.

As you work towards the betterment of our world, hold a picture in your mind of the happiness of the people you are trying to serve.  Not only will it remind you to not let the little stuff bother you, it is far more positive than to think just about the issues with poverty.

-          Bryan

Today marks the last Monday of January and the first monthly Microfinance Monday on Rising Pyramid.  Each last Monday of the month, we’ll take a look at the growth and trends emerging from the microfinance industry.  We plan to offer a holistic and balanced look into an industry poised for a critical year.  Enjoy!

Time for Microfinance to Retool

As venture capitalists maintain their distance from MFIs and large for-profit organizations continue to report poor results, it is clear that now is the lull in the industry lifecycle where MFIs must go back, retool, and change the way  business is done while investors take a sideline role.

Microfinance’s reputation in the past few years alone has pushed the industry to its bounds and essentially made it too sexy too fast.  The rewards and opportunities that microfinance presented were overblown from both the investor and consumer side.  As bold MFIs drank the kool-aid, the IPOs began to trickle out, met with great surprise, trepidation, but spurred on by hopeful confidence.

The now-infamous backlash from the Andhra Pradesh region kicked off a wave of negative press that highlighted a rip in the seams of the microfinance growth bubble.  While the AP region in India is not wholly indicative of the state of microfinance globally, its damage was lasting because it shed light in a dark corner of the industry in which no one cared to fix.

The flight of investor confidence has resulted from the lack of a grasp that MFIs appear to have on controlling borrower sentiment.  Yet quietly in the past few months, the sense of organization, regulation, partnership, and collective learning has given life to feeling of rebuilding.

So long as investors continue to sit on the sidelines debating on whether or not to re-enter the space, MFIs will retool and work to shore up the weaknesses in an industry that still contains billions of untapped opportunity. I don’t necessarily view the lack of investor confidence as a terrible thing.  If anything it is causing MFIs (as well as governments and regulating bodies) to re-examine their normal ways of operation and add in more protection for both the lender, borrower, and governments.

A point that I haven’t heard used too much when speaking of the downswing in the microfinance industry is the fact that the financial markets are at best a mess – and like it or not: microfinance operates in the financial services industry.  While the lull in the industry will generally mimic the overall strength of the global economy, now is the time for MFIs to reconnect not just with their consumers, but with other organizations.

The developing of smart regulation, combining industry knowledge to develop ratings agencies, and providing feedback into better protection will show a united front to an industry that is too promising and important to be taken down by a few nefarious parties.

The strength of the microfinance industry lies in the changes driven from cooperation across the board.

- Chris

Life is one big golden coast line, with each wave slowly washing away intricate sand castles and footprints of passersby.  One wave at a time, paving the way for something new.

New beginnings & change can be sad…something is always lost, the moment is gone, the memories start to jumble with reality and eventually they fade too.  But the waves open the door to a whole ocean of possibility.

‘New’ is in.  Ironically, that is probably the most permanent rule of thumb of our time.  ‘New’ is risky, it’s different and some people will hate it because they are stuck in the old.  But ‘new’ wins out every time…until it’s no longer new.

There are two ways you can experience change; you can mourn the old or you can bask in the new.

Naturally you’ll do a little bit of both, but you have to pick a side.  I might suggest that you pick ‘new’—after all, it is here to stay (for now).

There are a lot of new beginnings happening here at Rising Pyramid—and the change is welcome.  Watch out for new features and exciting announcements.

Evolution is natural; the cycle is ‘permanent’.  The tide will always come back in, so enjoy the ride while you’re in the moment.

-          Bryan