Microfranchise: Early Adopters

By David Stoker, Guest Author

Whenever ‘MicroFranchising’ is mentioned a prominent example is cited: the Scojo Foundation. It was recently highlighted in the January 2007 edition of the Economist and in an article by Swaminathan S. Anklesaria Aiyar in the Economic Times entitled MicroFranchising: the Next Big Thing. Scojo brings reading glasses to the poor by providing a ‘business in a backpack’ to rural vendors along with training and a system of operations. They provide reading glasses, create jobs for women, gain referrals for comprehensive eye care and overall raise the socio-economic and quality of life through vision care. Scojo’s strength lies in its partnerships: local microfinance institutions as well as the sponsoring for-profit company Scojo Vision. They currently operate in four countries and are being inundated with requests for partnerships throughout the world.

To show the range of products that can be packaged as a microfranchise we can also look at Honey Care Africa in Kenya. They provide a complete package of financing (only $65 startup costs per hive), technology, training, and market access. This feasibility study by FINCA International gives a detailed analysis of Honey Care.

Up Next: Endless Possibilities

This segment is a part in the series : Microfranchise