Hello all. We arrived in Bangalore last night, and had our first day with our client today. We have been very generously welcomed here. It was a very productive day, as we were able to meet with the heads of Finance, Marketing, Fundraising, and Strategy. They were all very impressive, and they run an extremely sophisticated operation. We were able to get a strong sense of their goals, and how they hope to achieve them. We also got a sense of the many challenges they face.
There is no lack of potential projects. However, our stated project (helping choose the optimal domestic expansion targets) will probably have to change. Currently, they expand into new regions based on invitations from the local governments. They only decline invitations if they lack the resources (i.e. private donations, municipal commitment, and availability of real estate) to operate viably in that region. They already have well developed methodologies for evaluating expansion targets. Our efforts are better served elsewhere, in helping with the many other challenges they face in reaching their aggressive expansion goals.
Potential areas of focus:
- resource procurement optimization
- marketing strategies to improve domestic and international awareness
- labor force efficiency: training, knowledge transfer
- formalized strategic plans: 2-3 year plans, and a rolling 10 year plan
These are just a few of the many issues that were raised in our interviews with the staff, which we recorded and look forward to sharing with you.
Tomorrow we will be touring the main kitchen in Bangalore, as well as some of the local schools. We will keep everyone abreast of our progress. As always, any and all feedback is appreciated.
-Saman & Reggie
