GROUP A

Framing a Social Change Issue: Small Business Development

Olusanya Oyeyemi

Walden University

Abstract

My social change idea is based on establishing a small business in my new location to bring African/Caribbean groceries closer to my ethnic group in the three communities around. Before now, they have to drive close to an hour before they can shop for any desired item from Africa and Caribbean culture or send money to their loved one. This service is what I am starting, to provide with my small available fund when Bank rejected my request to finance the project.

Final Group A Summary

 Framing a Social Change Issue: Small Business Development

Last year September I resigned from the military with an intention to start my own business. I attended military Boot-To-Business organized by Small Business Administration. The initial idea that came to mind was importing cocoa beans for the chocolate companies since I grew up where one of the best cocoa trees is grown in the world. All my feasibility studies to get the ball rolling shows that the business is a long process which may not be achieved within a limited time frame as purposed.

Since we started MMSL 6140, most especially reading Paradigms: The business of Discovering the Future by Barker and analyzing what it takes to make a different and lead a successful project in reference to the Apollo program, making a different where I leave has changed my business idea. Recently, I discovered that it takes my entire ethnic group in my area of about three communities almost an hour and a half to drive to where they can buy our ethnic foodstuff. And I have been in food business all my life with my mother; I grew up with it and believe that I am well knowledgeable about the business. I have always nurse the idea that one day I will still divert my engineering skill to the food business, which was the reason behind my master program in management in the first place.

In my research, this is a newly developing area where the population is increasing by the day because of the quiet and cheap accommodation. No similar stores in close proximity to the three neighborhoods because we all shop from the same place. My assumptions are that there is more than enough space for expansion area and presently my ethnic group in these three communities are more than a hundred families, in which a family is an average of three people presently. All these people eat our local food irrespective of the distance and will prefer closer distance. I remember Barker pointing out “you can make significant contributions at any time” (1992, p. 63).

The concept is to bring our ethnic groceries closer to our ethnic group leaving in this area. The only obstacle now is the finance and my Bank has just denied the loan request for the small business start-up even with my developed my business plan and the proposal. I believe this business will help to frame a social change because it will be another meeting point for our entire ethnic group apart from Saturday soccer on the field. 

The purpose of my social change idea is to bring ethnic services closer to my ethnic group in my new location, by reducing their driving time to our ethnic foods. I am not changing their food, this is what they are used to and they will always source for it only that I will relieve them the stress of a long time driving. In addition, it will create jobs as the business grows because the store is going to be more than just food but include selling and sewing of African clothes and all Items that comes from Africa for those that still cherish the culture as we have in other parts of the state. They can as well send and receive money to and from their loved one back home.

I am not creating demand for my type of product but my assumption is that my people will prefer to buy their groceries in a nearby location when both the price and the quality are the same with what they will buy from a long distance store. This implies that women will not be waiting for their husband to drive them to a long distance to shop for our ethnic foods. Even though many have thought of the same idea but the same fear of business risk to all idealist apply. Meanwhile, “personal risk is an important part of charismatic leadership” (Murphy, & Ensher, 2008). The store is more than just ethnic food, it will include all item that comes from Africa that may be of interest to any African indigene that still embrace the culture. Even though the Bank's response is not favorable, yet I will source from every available mean to establish the business.

 I am not creating demand for my type of product but my assumption is that my people will prefer to buy their groceries in a nearby location when the price and quality are the same with the long distance store. This implies that women will not be waiting for their husband to drive them to a long distance to shop for our ethnic foods. Even though many have thought of the same idea but the same, fear of business risk to all idealists, apply. Meanwhile, “personal risk is an important part of charismatic leadership” (Murphy, & Ensher, 2008). The store is more than just ethnic food, but all item that comes from Africa that may be of interest to any African indigene that still embrace the culture.

Thanks to all that contributed to my discussion on how to fulfill my social change vision from the group discussion. The bank denied my request to fund my business based on my credit score not because of the poor business plan. I have a connection with an expert at SBA who is perusing my business plan and proposal. Anyway, irrespective of the bank decision, I have taken a step ahead to register the business. My intention is to start my business from scratch now and grow it step by step. The stage I am in now is 30 days newspaper publication of the business name starting from Monday. I will search investor-financing option as Brandon suggested, I have never thought of that before.

Reference

Barker, J. A. (1992). Paradigms: The business of discovering the future. New

            York: HarperCollins.

Hanks, T. (Executive Producer), Bostick, M., Grazer, B., & Howard, R. (Producers).

                  (1998). From the Earth to the Moon. New York: HBO Home Video.

                  "Galileo Was Right"

Lenard, K. (2016). Week 1. Discussion 1. MMSL 6140. Walden University.

Murphy, S. E., & Ensher, E. A. (2008). A qualitative analysis of charismatic leadership in

            creative teams: The case of television directors. Leadership Quarterly, 19(3),

Marquardt, M. J. (2014). Leading with questions: How leaders find the right solutions by knowing what to ask. (Rev. ed.) San Francisco: Jossey-Bass

Roberts, B. (2016). Week 6 group discussion. MMSL-6140-1. Walden University.