Exploring Growth to Scale Impact with Project Etico
The Social Impact Hub works with social enterprises across Australia to help them amplify their impact. The meaningful and innovative work these organisations undertake never ceases to amaze us and as such, we always jump at an opportunity to share the stories of some of our clients.
Recently we've had the privilege of working alongside the team behind Project Etico Australia (Project Etico). Project Etico is an Australian registered charity behind Hotel Etico in the Blue Mountains, Australia's first social enterprise hotel providing on-the-job work, training, and live-in opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities. Based on the model established in Italy, Project Etico are currently exploring how the organisation can optimise and replicate their model so they can grow their impact in Australia.
To support this work, consultants from Social Impact Hub's Professional Impact Network teamed up with Project Etico's Board, leadership team and staff to explore growth options for the organisation and consider the implications of these options on the enterprise's business, operating and social impact model.
The team came together in the Blue Mountains for a full day workshop to identify and prioritise a set of growth options and then co-created a 6 month action plan to build growth readiness for Hotel Etico. We even had time for some team building and drinks to wrap up the day.
REFLECTIONS ON EXPLORING GROWTH
The importance of carving out dedicated time to be strategic. A lot of the social enterprises we work with are at that exciting stage of scaling their impact, but whilst exciting, it's no mean feat! Teams are often running at 100 miles per hour to get through the day-to-day so it can be difficult to find time to focus on strategy. By planning well in advance and hosting the workshop at an offsite location, the Project Etico team were able to clear their diaries and dedicate a full day to focus on thinking strategically.
Collaborate and co-design for the best outcomes. Great ideas and innovative thinking is always better with a diversity of perspectives around the table (or whiteboard!). Being able to bring everyone together face-to-face was a great opportunity to ensure everyone had the opportunity to share their ideas and perspectives.
Have fun on the journey. We love social enterprises and we love working with them. But there's no denying that there's a lot of hard work that goes into creating awesome businesses that do good and have viable business model. Sometimes it can be hard to take a step back, smile and enjoy the ride. Finding time at the end of the day to have some fun and socialise together was a good reminder of this!