Why we do it
From poverty to conflict and climate catastrophe, the world remains haunted by injustice. Yet local entrepreneurship in vulnerable communities, people creating something out of nothing, is often at the heart of the solution.
An entrepreneur innovating with medical supply chains in Rwanda is improving healthcare, creating employment and building resilience in a community still afflicted by extreme poverty and vulnerable to climate change.
Grow Movement has learnt through years of research by some of the best business schools that volunteer business people across the world can effectively improve the performance of these entrepreneurs through remote coaching.
Our volunteers have found the meaning that comes through service and the excitement that comes from using their skills to directly work on the defining challenges of our time.
Our entrepreneurs have gone out and changed the lives of thousands of people.
Haraka Meds: Innovating with medical supply chains in Rwanda coached by Chicago Booth Executive MBA students with Grow Movement
Our Mission
Support entrepreneurs anywhere solving the world’s most difficult problems through remote business coaching
Where we work
Grow Movement aims to work anywhere where entrepreneurs are building a more just world. Today we work across Asia, Africa and the United States, from entrepreneurs innovating with mobile payments or improving nutrition in Kampala, to non-profits rehabilitating ex felons in Chicago and social enterprises in Mississippi.
How we do it
We work with local partners in each operational country to identify entrepreneurs and small businesses that may be suitable for our program. Each entrepreneur is assessed before being accepted onto the program. Each volunteer coach is also assessed to identify their skills and strength in order to be matched to the right entrepreneur.
Once matched, the coach and entrepreneur hold 5-8 coaching sessions to identify and start to resolve the key issues affecting the business. Grow Movement contacts the entrepreneur 6 months after the completion of the sessions in order to evaluate the benefit of the programme for the entrepreneur.
How we do it…
at ultra-low cost
Grow Movement operates on an ultra-low cost basis. All of our Grow volunteer consultants work remotely with their entrepreneurs without having to leave their country.
What we do
Grow Movement helps entrepreneurs build their businesses and increase impact.
Our volunteer coaches train entrepreneurs by WhatsApp, video call, and email, and transfer business skills. This enables the entrepreneurs to run their businesses more effectively, increasing profitability (or funds for non-profits), create jobs in their communities and impact with their products and services.
Our volunteer coaches are global business professionals with skills in marketing, finance, strategy and business development who offer 5-8 coaching sessions for free.
Grow Movement is both an education technology company (Grow Movement Ltd) and an independent UK charity (Grow Volunteer Consulting). The charity provides our grant funded volunteer coaching activities. The company provides experiential learning for business schools and corporates with entrepreneurs.
Who we work with
Micro
Small
Medium
Our Grow volunteer coaches work with entrepreneurs with micro, small and medium sized companies and non-profits across most sectors. Our entrepreneurs’ businesses must be having a positive impact on their local community, for example by creating employment in a developing country or left behind area, or by creating a product that addresses an environmental or social problem.The majority of organisations that we work with have up to 15 employees. Each entrepreneur must have access to a mobile phone, an email account and be committed to the hard work required during the 5-8 sessions to see the program through.
Our Story
Chris Coghlan had the idea for Grow Movement in 2009. Chris felt frustrated by the ineffectiveness of current methods to tackle poverty. Chris believed that a new approach was possible and to started Grow Movement with Violet Kobusingye.
An initial trial of 10 coaches working with Ugandan entrepreneurs grew into an academic study with almost a thousand entrepreneurs in Uganda (see results) which found that remote coaching raised their sales by 27% on average. Today Grow Movement works with hundreds of entrepreneurs every year across the world who in turn support thousands of employees and their families.
Where we started: Chris Coghlan in 2012 on starting Grow Movement with Violet
