After a lot of motivation in the Introductory Session, the second day got straight down to business: What is your business idea? What about your vision? From green businesses to technology services, educational and network marketing ventures – our participants are not only the prime examples for the resourcefulness and energy that one will encounter among many young Haitians, but also one of the reasons that make our initiative all the more exciting and rewarding.
4Cs and SWOT
Participants were eager to volunteer ideas about their own business as well as to question ideas and offer constructive feedback to their peers. As the workshop went deeper into strategic issues, it covered the 4C ecosystem (Company, Customer, Competition, Circumstances) which offers a clearer image of the status-quo of the business, of how to expand the customer coverage, uncover blind spots and of how to makes their product unique.
The SWOT analysis, which became deeply engrained in the minds of last year’s participants, could not be missing, of course. As easy as it may sound to list the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of a business, it is much harder to get out of the comfort zone and actively integrate them in the business strategy. The latter was done in smaller groups, in which each business’ SWOTs were discussed, along with suggestions of how to overcome weaknesses, deal with the threats, and make good use of one’s strengths and opportunities.
Nils and Mike drove the whole day with great energy. The combination of their knowledge and experiences made the class very dynamic and interactive and many a comfort zone had definitely been left behind in this session.
Internalizing Mission, Vision and Fun
At the end of the day, more than one person probably dreamt of their mission statements, vision and strategy outlines but most importantly, had a clear idea of the importance of being honest with themselves, to rethink ideas and to build a new network of peers, mentors and mentees.
And another crucial aspect in all entrepreneurial endeavors that our participants, Nils and Mike internalized today: Have fun!
A demen! See you tomorrow!
Haiti Entrepreneurship Camp 