1. Applicability at Scale:
A Guide for Scaling Social Business
Rizwan Tayabali
Supported by Ashoka Globalizer

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3. Adapted from
The PATRI Framework
for Scaling Social Impact
© Rizwan Tayabali, 2014
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4. The PATRI framework takes you step by step
through all the aspects of diligence needed to
understand whether or not scaling is feasible
for you and if so, to produce an effective scaling
plan that you can follow during implementation.
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5. PATRI
Framework
I
Purpose
II
Applicability
(Viability)
III
Transferability
IV
Readiness
V
Implementation
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6. An overview of the complete
PATRI Framework, is provided in a
linked presentation called ...
“PATRI Framework for Scaling
Social Business”
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PATRI
Framework

7. Caveats
1. The following guide is specifically targeted at social
businesses and therefore places an emphasis on
financial viability along with impact i.e. It is
designed for organisations that create their impact
through the use of business models.
2. The PATRI Framework is focused on scaling rather
than incremental growth. If you are simply aiming
to set up operations in another location or enter
another market, then the framework will still offer
you value, but some aspects of it may only be
applicable a bit further down the line.
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8. The 1st step of the Framework is to define
purpose and targets, without which you have no
useful basis for planning or design.
If you haven’t already got clarity around
these, more support is provided in a linked
presentation called ...
“Defining Purpose: A Guide To
Scaling Social Business”
Purpose

9. Once you’ve identified your goals and set
targets for scaling, you can assess whether or
not your impact or business model is capable
of achieving those targets
i.e. if it will still be applicable at the scale
you are aiming for.

10. This guide thus focuses specifically on the
2nd step of the Framework, which is to
understand whether or not your model will be
applicable at scale, and if not, how you could
adjust it to make it more relevant and viable.

11. Applicability
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12. Operating practices and models that apply
on a local level do not necessarily apply on a
larger scale.
Depending on your model and how it is
designed or delivered, scaling can either bring
economies or a series of additional costs.
Applicability
(Viability)

13. Assessing applicability is therefore a critical
stage in understanding whether or not your
model will need adjustment or redesign in
order to work effectively on a larger scale.
Applicability
(Viability)

14. In the case of social businesses, where
impact is either intertwined with, or dependent
on the business model, whether or not a
solution will be applicable at scale hinges
significantly around whether or not it will
be financially viable at scale.
Applicability
(Viability)

15. The key point of assessing viability of
your business model is thus to manage risk
and understand whether or not it is likely to
1. Scale as is
2. Need some tweaking,
3. Require significant rework, or
4. Not be scalable at all
Applicability
(Viability)

16. Key
Factors
Demand
Market
Variances
Cost
Effectiveness
Competition
Feasibility
of Organic
Growth
Efficiencies
& Scale
Economies
Financing
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Applicability
(Viability)

17. Applicability
(Viability)
The assumption by this stage is that you are
assessing viability of scaling your business
model into areas and demographics that you
have already selected, and that selection has
already considered demand.
Demand

18. If you haven’t done so, then your first step is to
analyse demand in more detail to get a decent
understanding of market potential.
Applicability
(Viability)
Demand

19. Demand should not be confused with need.
Just because people need something,
doesn’t mean they want it.
If financial sustainability is a key consideration,
then demand, or the feasibility of generating
demand, plays a critical role in success.
Applicability
(Viability)
Demand

20. The new markets you are considering may
have different characteristics, both to your
existing markets and to each other.
Applicability
(Viability)
Market
Variances

21. Look for variations in
~ Demand (Market Size & Potential Revenues)
~ Consumer Preferences
~ Access
~ Risks
~ Compliance (Regulation)
~ Competition
Applicability
(Viability)
Market
Variances

22. Then assess whether or not your
current business model will be able
to cope with these variations.
Applicability
(Viability)
Applicability
(Viability)
Market
Variances

23. Source – From Vision to Large-Scale Change – A Management Framework for Practitioners, Cooley & Kohl 2006
The easiest models to scale are:
Applicability
(Viability)
Market
Variances

24. If it seems that your current model may be
unable to effectively cope with market
variations then you could consider other
ways to improve adaptability
~ Consider new product/service lines
~ Consider different pricing strategies
~ Consider new audiences
Applicability
(Viability)
Market
Variances

25. You could also look for ways to improve the
flexibility and customisability of your model by
adding or adjusting components to improve the
range and relevance of your solution.
Applicability
(Viability)
Market
Variances

26. Scaling social business models can bring
additional and sometimes unexpected costs ...
Cost
Effectiveness
Applicability
(Viability)

27. ~ Hidden set-up costs
~ New compliance requirements
~ Variable staffing and infrastructure costs
~ Varying lead times and local delays
~ Varying costs of ensuring impact
Cost
Effectiveness
Applicability
(Viability)

28. Impact oriented organisations also often
receive subsidies in donation, free skills, kind
and even physical land and infrastructure in
areas where they are well established.
These subsidies don’t always transfer into new
environments, so you need to account for them
when costing for scale.
Cost
Effectiveness
Applicability
(Viability)

29. If your social business model involves products,
you will also need to see if you can find cost-
effective local manufacturers, distributors,
suppliers or agents depending on your model.
If you can’t find suitable ones, you may have to
factor in import/export costs.
Cost
Effectiveness
Applicability
(Viability)

30. Once you’ve established your costs,
compare them against potential revenue from
estimated demand to assess whether or not
your business model will still be cost-viable.
If it isn’t, you may need to go back to the
drawing board, or reconsider where you
choose to scale.
Cost
Effectiveness
Applicability
(Viability)

31. Having established cost-viability you will
need to consider whether you face
significant competition
~ Other social businesses
~ Non-profit competitors
~ Commercial competitors
Competition
Applicability
(Viability)

32. Other social businesses represent your direct
competition. Their main advantage may be that
they are already well established.
Competition
Applicability
(Viability)

33. Non-profit competitors have the luxury of
off-setting their impact related costs through
philanthropic sources, which gives them cost
advantages.
Competition
Applicability
(Viability)

34. Commercial competitors should be your
biggest concern. These companies don’t have to
worry about impact costs, and so have
significant pricing advantages, especially if the
market isn’t willing to pay a premium for
supporting social impact.
Competition
Applicability
(Viability)

35. If your target markets are competitive,
you will need to assess whether or not you can
realistically compete, and if not, consider
strategies for co-opting and partnering with
non-profit or social business competitors,
or countering commercial ones.
Alternatively you might consider focusing on
more underserved markets instead.
Competition
Applicability
(Viability)

36. Scaling by definition implies disconnecting your
rate of impact and revenue from your rate of
physical or cost growth.
Feasibility
of Organic
Growth
Applicability
(Viability)

37. If your goal is to make a macro scale impact
with your business model, then the size of
reach needed will most likely make it
impractical to organically grow your
inputs to match.
Feasibility
of Organic
Growth
Applicability
(Viability)

38. There is a simple way to assess this feasibility...
1. Divide the estimated size of need/demand by
the number of people you currently reach.
2. Then multiply your current operating costs by
that number.
Feasibility
of Organic
Growth
Applicability
(Viability)

39. If the result is a number that feels feasible,
then organic growth based on your current way
of delivering impact is a realistic option.
Feasibility
of Organic
Growth
Applicability
(Viability)

40. If the resource required to make an impact on
your chosen scale feels impractical, then you
may need to consider new ways to increase
your reach without being limited by the
resources available to your business.
Feasibility
of Organic
Growth
Applicability
(Viability)

41. As a social business, you have
a number of options you could consider
~ Franchising
~ Licensing
~ Distribution Partnerships
~ Joint Ventures
~ Strategic Alliances
~ Mergers
~ Spin-offs
Feasibility
of Organic
Growth
Applicability
(Viability)

42. The most common approach for scaling social
businesses is probably franchising.
The fact that you have a business model which
is financially profitable will give you the
leverage needed not only to attract franchisees,
but also to set the quality standards needed to
ensure impact across the network.
Feasibility
of Organic
Growth
Applicability
(Viability)

43. Source – Waltraud Martius, Syncon
Feasibility
of Organic
Growth
Applicability
(Viability)

44. Finally, if you are willing to consider
relinquishing proprietary control in order for
your business model to have greater reach and
impact, you could also consider allowing others
to independently replicate your model.
Feasibility
of Organic
Growth
Applicability
(Viability)

45. Increasing your output may also enable you
to maximise the capacity of your existing
resources and investments in infrastructure or
technology, bringing you economies of scale.
The key is to assess whether or not these
economies off-set the potential increase in
costs and growing pains resulting from an
increase in size and spread.
Efficiencies
& Scale
Economies
Applicability
(Viability)

46. Having established an effective mechanism
for scaling you could consider improving
internal efficiencies that allow you to generate
more output while keeping your costs
relatively fixed ...
Efficiencies
& Scale
Economies
Applicability
(Viability)

47. ~ Streamline processes
~ Connect/share services
~ Leverage technology
~ Leverage the web
~ Outsource
~ Repurpose existing assets
Efficiencies
& Scale
Economies
Applicability
(Viability)

48. The final consideration for viability is whether
or not you need external financing in order to
scale.
Financing
Applicability
(Viability)

49. Servicing returns on investment can quickly
become the highest priority for any business
that takes it on, and this applies the same to
social businesses.
Financing
Applicability
(Viability)

50. Profit challenges can also create a conflict
between maintaining the costs of social impact
and servicing the needs of financers or
investors, so it is important to choose wisely.
Financing
Applicability
(Viability)

51. If you can’t afford, or don’t have access to,
financial and legal expertise, then you may find
yourself at a significant disadvantage against
investors, some of which are impact-oriented
in name only.
Financing
Applicability
(Viability)

52. Finally, you should establish whether or not
the finance is actually affordable in terms of
returns expected.
If your margins are small, then servicing this
finance may result in losses that your venture
cannot sustain.
Financing
Applicability
(Viability)

53. By this stage you should have a good sense of
whether or not your business model is likely to
be financially viable when scaling.
Applicability
(Viability)

54. If your model appears viable, then it is worth
testing the waters as an early check for
implementation practicality.
For this you will need:
1. A high-level business plan
2. A summary pitch for raising finance
Applicability
(Viability)

55. If the costs of finance don’t appear manageable,
you could loop back through the process
and reconsider
1. The areas or demographics you’ve focused on
2. The pathways you have chosen for scaling
Applicability
(Viability)

56. Once you’ve ensured that your model will be
both applicable and viable at scale, you can
focus on improving its ability to be replicated or
delivered by others i.e. if it is systematic and
transferable for use in scaling, either by your
own teams or by external partners.
Applicability
(Viability)

57. A guide to the next step of ensuring that
your model is standardised and ready for
replication or delivery by others is provided
in a linked presentation called ...
“Transferability for Scale: A Guide for
Scaling Social Business”
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Transferability

58. ©Rizwan Tayabali, 2014
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