Gender Makes Business Sense

Gender makes Business Sense (GmBS)

A new approach to entrepreneurship that
works

Are you an entrepreneur or an aspiring entrepreneur in Africa looking to grow your business and become a changemaker in your community ?

The Gender makes Business Sense e-learning course will equip you with practical business management skills, financial know-how and an understanding of the socio-economic impact of gender dynamics in your business. Participants, both women and men, will benefit from the business development and empowerment aspects of the Gender makes Business Sense course.

“ Africa is the only region in the world where more women
than men become entrepreneurs. “

All entrepreneurs face challenges, including access to capital and markets. Often, female entrepreneurs face additional constraints because they are women. Social norms and access to networks, among other things, can prevent them from growing their business. For this reason, it is important to address gender constraints in entrepreneurship.

GmBS is a comprehensive e-learning course that improves entrepreneurs' situation and their communities across Africa by creating thriving and profitable businesses that unlock employment opportunities.

WHY YOU SHOULD SIGN UP FOR THE COURSE?

Learn how to make more strategic business decisions that are cost effective and collaborative.
Appreciate the socio-economic impact of gender dynamics in your business.
Apply the Business Model Canvas to visualize the key building blocks of your business.
Develop a business growth plan that takes gender-transformative approaches into account.
Receive a certificate from AUDA NEPAD, the development agency of the African Union

ABOUT GmBS

GmBS is an online capacity development journey for entrepreneurs that enhances their understanding of business plus an integrated gender dimension to thrive with a new mindset

Women’s Empowerment in Entrepreneurship

Gamifying Gender Transformative Change

Using the Business Model Canvas

Why Gender makes Business Sense ?

Gender diverse teams are more creative, better at generating new ideas and avoiding ‘groupthink’, especially if the company culture values diverse views.
Diversity programs have a positive impact on motivation.
Diverse workforces perform better financially.
Greater diversity in organisations reduces staff turnover.
Reducing the gender gap in the workforce has been proven to improve GDP
Gender diversity on boards leads to greater corporate transparency and enhanced ethical orientation.
Increased gender diversity protects women against sexism and sexual harassment.

Course Contents

Module

Course Overview & Gender Landscape

Module 1 of GmBS is an introductory module that aims to:

Provide an overview of concepts and strategies related to the promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment in entrepreneurship;
Introduce the basic concept of gender as a social construct;
Explore how gender impacts on your business by looking at the main constraints and opportunities in your context.

Module

My Business Model

Module 2 of GmBS deals with the basics of business and addresses:

A business vision that integrates both economic and social aspects in order to move from the simple idea of increased income to more holistic human development;
An appreciation of different types of business (legal formats) and the reasoning behind selecting different types based on what best suits your context;
The lean start-up approach and the drafting of a consequent action plan;
An analysis of empowerment indicators at the community level and the exploration of the possible consequences on the business model.

Module

Gender-transformative

Module 3 of GmBS addresses the personal and social orientation of your business. Aspects considered of this orientation concern:

A self-evaluation of your personal characteristics to determine your profile as a Change Maker;
Power dynamics and the different stages of Gender Transformative Change;
An exploration and integration of social considerations likely to induce sustainable business development and women’s empowerment.

Module

Managing my Business Finance

Module 4 of GmBS addresses the issue of business viability and the financial management of your business. The module provides a simplified overview of the most relevant economic indicators, exemplified by the following three concerns:

How do I identify the most flourishing business (competitive in the business environment both economically and socially) regarding all my income-generating activities?
What is my profit margin and what are the factors that could improve or reduce it?
How to respond to the many loan offers by financing institutions (find out if my business is eligible and what are the limits)?

Module

Me and the Power of 3

Module 5 is the final module of the GmBS online course. As such, it focuses on the convergence of all learning accumulated during Modules 1 to 4 towards the key objective of formulating an integrated vision for your business – one that considers both economic and social aspects.
The integrated business vision forms the basis for the road to transformative change that is laid out in your business development plan.

This is achieved by your progressive introspection (self-analysis) of “Me” as a Change Maker, “We” at the relational level and “All of Us” at the community or societal level.