One of the solutions to solving world poverty, may in fact be the same solution for solving the current economic state of those in need here in the United States. Perhaps poverty may be too strong a word to use for the majority of those in the US having economic hardships, but there’s probably agreement that in both cases there’s a living situation that’s considered merely surviving. In either case, what is needed is a means of creating wealth, no matter how hardship its defined or where it is taking place.
The Need for Fish
In the US Poverty is defined in terms of a threshold that is based on an annual income. Relative poverty is the condition of having fewer resources or less income than others within a society or country. Regardless of the definition, the common variable is that the statistical unit is in some form of economic hardship.
Give a Man a Fish
In Microfranching, Creating Wealth at the Bottom of the Pyramid, the authors’ (Fairbourne, Gibson, Dyer), argue that by simply giving or donating goods to those in need, stifles any incentives for the recipient to produce the goods and worse makes them dependent and eventually resentful of the providers of that good. For the world or the nation, it’s a solution that has not produced long lasting positive results.
Teach a Man to Fish
A single skill in today’s economy is no guarantee of a lifetime of success. The business world is not static. What is a marketable today is no guarantee of a of long term means of wealth. There are numerous examples of industrial skills in the US, once thought of as lifetime careers that are extinct or no longer capable of supporting the worker. While necessary, teaching a man to fish as the final solution does not guarantee long terms success.
Teach a Man to Sell Fish
Business skills obtained through the experiences of starting a business are long lasting. The product or service may change, but the skills required to plan, market, operate, and manage a business don’t really go out of style. Yes, the tools and challenges may change but the fundamental skill sets are generally standard.
Teach a Man to Teach Fish Mongering
The microfranchising book argues that the use of micro commerce in the form of microfranchise solutions may be more suitable solution to solving world poverty by generating long term wealth. Microfranchising goes beyond simply starting a business. Like franchising, it’s about starting a business that’s worthy of being replicated. In it’s simplest form, it’s about an historically successful business model that includes a network of business owners as a means of expanding a business. What’s compelling about microfranchising is that it’s about making a better small business — not by making a better product.
A microfranchise business could arguably include any of a number of self-employed business models from network marketing to sole-proprietorships. The micro in microfranchising refers to the relatively small investment required to start and operate the business. The size of that investment is, of course, relative. Generally, anything from a couple of hundred dollars to thousands depending on the type of business and your budget.
