JoinYou - Empowering women in poverty with group buy and direct sales
- Community development
- Consumer protection
- Employment
- Economic development
- Poverty alleviation
- Women's issues
Example: Walk us through a specific example(s) of how this solution makes a difference; include its primary activities.
Shawn
Xu
JoinYou
, HCW
, NYL
Less than a year
The information you provide here will be used to fill in any parts of your profile that have been left blank, such as interests, organization information, and website. No contact information will be made public. Please uncheck here if you do not want this to happen..
Operating for less than a year
Ada and Ben, young entrepreneurs who have experience in both social enterprise (Ashoka) and traditional business (Mars, Shell, Deutsche Bank, KPMG) decided to devote their knowledge and innovation to solving our society's problems.
Since college they have been passionate change-makers. Together they founded BTP (Beyond the Pivot), a Hong Kong NGO organizing volunteer programs to Ghana, Mainland China and Hong Kong. Stayed in Hong Kong for three years, they are deeply inspired by the seriousness of poverty there. After graduation, Ben decided to withdraw a promising job offering and work on their social enterprise.
JY has participated in 2010 Hong Kong Social Enterprise Challenge and was one of the two champions. Apart from securing key suppliers, JY also carried out close co-operation with communities. So far we have partnered with four large local community organizations, through which our women network is introduced.
101-1,000
More than 10,000
JY is confident about completing its ultimate missions. For the coming July and August, two marketing campaign events will be held to examine our product and price strategies. Meanwhile, our community team is developing the network of Tuentai with the cooperation of partner organizations.
Within the first year (starts from this September), JY aims at reaching 50 Tuentai and 1,000 households in Tin Shui Wai District. Within three years, we expect to serve 3-5 districts and gather 300-350 Tuentais, reaching a customer size of more than 7,500 households.
The major barrier of JoinYou’s business is that it takes time for targeted customer to acknowledge JY's business model and products. Before that, we will have quite a lot convincing to do. JY will build its image through marketing campaign events. Similarly to our previous test market events, JY co-operates with community organizations and have big discounts at the events.
The other barrier is the difficulty of persuading organizations and communities to join JY’s network. JY’s solution is to first establish cooperation with a few key or famous local organizations through personal network, and thus prove its model to other entities.
JY has secured two key suppliers (Hong Kong) that produces daily chemicals. On the community side, two community organizations have agreed to help us build the community network and introduce potential Tuentai and another showed great interest in sales events. Several NGOs in Hong Kong, has showed enthusiasm in delivering training courses to Tuentai and their families.
JY has received HKD 240,000 (USD 30,000) funding from the Hong Kong Government through Hong Kong Social Enterprise Challenge. We also collected HKD 360,000 (USD 45,000) from individuals.
JoinYou plans to strengthen its project in two ways:
1. Keep looking for key partners: local NGOs, community organizations and suppliers. These parties are keys to JoinYou's success. Among these three, communities are of greater importance as this is the very portal for us to reach potential Tuentai.
2. Marketing and promotion: JoinYou hopes to build a friendly image in the community. We plan to spend 10% of total budget on marketing, including campaigns and sales events, so as to reach more Tuentai and customers. It is also crucial to distinguish us as a social enterprise.
Please select up to three in order of relevancy to your project.
PRIMARY
Underemployment
Lack of skills/training
Lack of access to information and networks
JoinYou holds that the biggest challenge for the jobless women in Hong Kong is the inadequacy of jobs within their residential areas. Wages are much higher around the city center, yet it's just too costly to work there.
So we create jobs exactly where they live. Tuentai will not even have to leave their public houses to work, making lives easier for those with children to take care of.
The other challenges faced are lack of skill training and access to information and networks. JoinYou's training and meeting sessions, in cooperation with local NGOs, shall provide the necessary skills, information and networks.
If yes, please check up to three potential pathways in order of relevancy to you.
PRIMARY
Enhanced existing impact through addition of complementary services
Grown geographic reach: Multi-country
Repurposed your model for other sectors/development needs
In the near future, JoinYou hopes to enhance its impact through adding new features. We hope Tuentai, the middle-aged women could become real entrepreneurs, and host businesses through our help: JoinYou acting as a supplier, and they would have their own vendor business selling different products.
They would be able to use the existing network, and have their own Tuentai for business. This in turn boosts employment in these distant areas.
NGOs/Nonprofits, Academia/universities.
NGOs would provide professional skill training to our "Tuentais", while university students will act as a main volunteering force in JoinYou's daily operation. We also encourage the collaboration of these two parties, bringing more college students to communities.