6
Poverty Alleviation through Sustainable Health Education
Every Home Should Have One
Map of the Republic of the Philippines -
The Philippine map illustrates the over 7,100 islands divided into regions with more than 10 major dialects. Current population is estimated at 85 million with 40% poverty incidence.
Translate " A Handbook on Children's Diseases ", published in April 2005, into dialects in the Philippines. It is about disease awareness and its implications for prevention. Written in English- information about 23 diseases prevalent in the country such as Measles, HIV & Dengue fever with the potential of causing outbreaks.
Facts
2005
| Two years ago: | |
| Last year: | |
| This year (forecast): | 34,783 |
| Year 2 (forecast): | 69,565 |
| Year 3 (forecast): | 104,348 |
| Two years ago: | |
| Last year: | |
| This year (forecast): | 7,894 |
| Year 2 (forecast): | 21,582 |
| Year 3 (forecast): | 35,375 |
| Two years ago: | |
| Last year: | |
| This year (forecast): | 4 |
| Year 2 (forecast): | 5 |
| Year 3 (forecast): | 7 |
Finance needed
| Finance needed for fixed assets (buying of machines, buildings, ...) | |
| Finance needed for working capital (salaries, stock, rental, leasing, transport, ...) | 3,000 |
| Total finance needed (US$) | 3,000 |
How do you expect this to be financed? Please note: the total amount mentioned here should be equal to the total finance needed at the previous question.
| Own Contribution in cash | 2,000 |
| Loans (debt) | |
| Share capital that you seek from investors (equity) | |
| Other sources | |
| Total finance needed (US$) | 2,000 |
The Business
The concept is to promote wellness and preventive health. The book is currently written in English. The plan therefore is to translate it into the national language which is Filipino and into other major dialects or regional languages. The idea of selling wellness is still in its infancy in the Philippines. We are not only selling a product but a concept, too. This concept will make the book easily understood by the majority of the masses and the expected sales therefore will turn into profits.
Labour will come in the form of research, editing, proofreading, which will be handled by the publishing company. Other labor will be in the promotions of the book wherein a pilot group of 5-10 barangay health workers and volunteers will be trained to understand the concept and the business plan. They will be the frontliners in barangays who will conduct seminars with my supervision initially.
The main customers will be the parents who are the primary caregivers of children. Next will be the students, health providers i.e., doctors, nurses, midwives; and teachers. Anybody can be a customer including the barangays where a portion of their budget for health can subsidize the book. The idea is to sell wellness and the right information to protect themselves and their loved ones. They will buy because they can relate directly to the book which is written by a filipino doctor in the local context.
With regards to the supply chain, the paper materials are available all year.
Marketing will be done directly in schools where sales agents will be hired coupled with a symposium to be presented by the author to parents, teachers and students. Talks in civic organizations and in corporations will also be done. Promotions will also be pushed in seminars, conventions, and the like. Mass media will be highly considered. Posters and flyers shall be circulated in schools and selected places like bookstores and pharmacies. Appearances in TV health shows and radio programs will be resorted to. Endorsement from a national figure is also considered. The internet through email groups is also a good marketing ploy.
Currently, there are books authored by foreign writers and 2 books locally who may give a competition. I strongly feel that my book has the edge in terms of pricing @ Php 150 compared to the rest at around Php 300. My book has the uniqueness and simplified discussion, making it better understood by the layman.
My business partners are into networking and creating opportunities for market penetration. A partner is with Anvil Publishing in Mandaluyong City, Philippines. He takes care of book distribution in all the major bookstores in the country.
The product's uniqueness comes in the form of health education through a book that is written in the layman's language. Short "clinical stories"
have been incorporated to make it more entertaining which could serve as a valuable lesson in the importance of health and environmental maintenance .
The Entrepreneur & Management
Being the author of the book, I can say that it is a well researched product based on clinical experience and scientific materials. The product is specifically targeted to the Philippines.
This is the first book that i have published although i have had experience previously in this line of work as I have been editor of my school paper in De La Salle College of Medicine in 1985; and currently editor of newsletters and souvenir programs in two hospitals and one professional organization. Definitely, i have enough knowledge on the ins and outs of the publishing industry.
We have succeeded so far in the acceptance of the book as far as buyers are concerned. Modesty aside, i can say that most of the buyers that i have talked to have only praises to say about the content. Failure so far is in the direct marketing and low awareness.
Development
The impact will be much felt in the publishing and advertising industry, the pharmaceuticals/vaccines and sales/marketing. More people will be involved and this will trickle down to the rest for employment and income. Short-term development plan will achieve an aggressive strategy in terms of marketing and information dissemination which will help improve the knowledge and skills of all sectors involved. People will be motivated to promote sanitation, proper garbage management and personal hygiene. Subsequently, environmental cleanliness shall have been inculcated. During this time, the organization of cooperatives for the poor will be put in motion for a chance of earning through the marketing of the book with the help of their LGU's. Selected barangays which may have an average of 150 families or 1,000 individuals will be organized in order for the families achieve a sense of well being.
Currently a family may earn 1 euro a day which is hardly enough to sustain a decent living. With the book incentives, a family or cooperative may be able to earn as much as 150 euros a month additional income.
In ten years, the rest of the industries involved may have tapered a bit but the cooperatives will have the potential to expand their business into other concerns such as retailing of food and medicines. More people will be expected to have improved economic status and shall have elevated their knowledge and enhanced their environment. A cooperative by this time may be earning 500 euros each month.
6 comments
COMMENTS FOR YOUR TIMELINE AND DELIVERABLES IN EMAIL
Hi Macky,
Thank you for this one. This looks good and focused. To guide us on our narrow focus and the accountability of your team aligned to the timeline and priority, I suggest the following to enhance your good work in how my role as Coach can be of more value to you and your team. Please feel free to suggest and throw in your ideas. I am here to support you.
COMMENTS on this:
Write on excel a PROJECT MANAGEMENT GANTT CHART (simple only) like the one in red you did. Create columns for deliverables, then milestones, accountability (who will do what) and timeline for each task under deliverables where milestones can be the result of the deliverables.
On the SWOT, I SUGGEST WE do first a FEASIBILITY ANALYSIS based on the OBJECTIVES AND FINANCIAL PROJECTIONS and what are the current assets and liabilities we need to see. It helps us fine-tune the objectives, resource of the business plan based on the feasibility plan you have now . We EXPAND IT TO ACHIEVE THE PROFITABILITY projections or modify or expand. Then we do the SWOT analysis on the whole picture. We see where we are and where we are going at the same time SOME OF WHICH WE DISCUSSED in our initial meeting last July 14. :-) that was a good meeting.
In summary,
1. PROJECT MANAGEMENT CHART for you to monitor our progress and output and clarity of team members what to do when. Between now and July 21
2. REVIEW OF FINANCIALS MARATHON MEETING 1: for next meeting (zero in on the money -- revenue and profit ratios which is bottomline, the rest can follow when we do the SWOT analysis) HOMEWORK: SWOT of income and fund-generating initiatives: marketing and financial tools. We can discuss how you will write/rewrite the plan based on the templates of round 2. THIS IS REALLY A FEASIBILITY PLAN THAT WILL COMPETE FOR ROUND 2 which is the basis for selecting finalists. The dimensions of social empowerment and social entrepreneurship are vital to the pfine-tuning of the plan. Where to get the revenues and roll-back of your current resources are important so you can measure profitability in quarters oer annum.
3. STRATEGIC PLANNING MARATHON MEETING 2: SWOT ANALYSIS: pair dimensions like marketing and sales or printing cost and bank loans or other sources of fund-generation that go together or are interdependent in pushing for the bottomline
Please open a Skype account so we can talk. We might be able to have a conference call with other contacts in the BIdnet later to fine-tune further the plan. Skype to Skype is free of charge.
At the end of the day, as your coach, I check the framework and data and suggest motivate what is doable based on what you see and where you want to go. You will execute it. :-)
Thanks a lot and lets keep the synergy.
Grace
Grace
FORMAT OF THE BUSINESS PLAN ROUND 2
Macky,
As coach, I browsed on the tools here that you can use.
Please look at the format prescribed templates of the business plan for round 2. It is here in the Bidnetwork site. Please download it and encode basic data (some are cut and paste). Please use also the tempolates for the financials which come in more elaborate format.
These I can check if you send me the filled-up copy by email so I can review and comment. We can take that up in the two strategic marathon meetings. You can align your thoughts now for every meeting you may have with Phil Medical Association and other contacts you have.
Thanks and have a good day.
REVIEW OF THE BUSINESS PLAN ROUND 2
Hi Macky. I saw your template for round 2. Comments:
1. Please edit the narratives into bullet points -- easy to digest and crisp. Sentences can be cut into bullet points so the reader (coach, contest principals and investors) can easily grasp the CRITICAL POINTS.
2. For the data/info on diseases, please include incidence and mortatlity rates by medical reference in footnotes (journals etc) to put more teeth into the importance of the book as information/preventive agent or catalyst of knowledge for people. Or present diagram of data in tables or graphs. You may have that in your data base in the book. This will heighten the importance of your book more than the mere general or motherhood statements.
3. Please use statistical data as population in family or household by geographical distribution to correlate the figures of how many books will be distributed and sold in the strategic distribution channels ie per city or province or Regions. This supports the need for revenues and how the number of books printed will be farmed out in marketing strategies.
4. You might like to project a progressive printing in 1-2-years as projection of the ROI for first year which makes the revenue or capital needed not that huge all at once. At the same time, the accreditation plan for DILG endorsement can take place in year 2 or before year 3 which will print the number as per census statistics we can average.
5. Translation to Tagalog and Cebuano is a target market that should be supported by statistics on how many Filipinos will benefit fromt he translation nation-wide. Meaning, there is the English version which Cebuanos and Hiligaynons can use. The Ilocanos have a big base so maybe we can explore that. Or you might just want to print it in year 1 Tagalog and year 2 Ilocano and so on... This determines the cost of printing. Hence, your product has variations based on the language or dialect translation. This will be an inventory projection needed for the profitability correlated with population statistics and enhanced by illness incidence and mortality rates.
5. Infusion of capital and source can be made more concrete in the financial plan. With all the above taken into account, the financial plan may need to be aligned.
Thanks
Grace
feedback
Dear Grace,
Thank you for all the inputs that you have shared/suggested. I am in the process of reviewing my plan and taking stock of the current situation.
I appreciate the 1st meeting we had at the Fort. I was able to get some initial inputs from Erwin which i sent you thru your email. I am preparing the project management chart and looking forward to see you for our 2nd meeting on monday.
Best Regards,
doc macky
Health and Fitness
Dr. Macky,
I'm so happy and proud of you my friend. I'ts been so long since we've last met.
Now, you have also your legacy through this book "A Handbook on Children's Diseases." I'm looking forward to have a copy of this bestseller book in the filed of medicine.
I'm also into health and welness program for the past five years. I shared inputs on food as medicines and stress management exercises.
I know 5 years from now, you will be the next DOH Secretary he he he.
THIS BOOK IS A GIFT OF WELLNESS
THIS BOOK HAS GREAT POTENTIALS NOT ONLY IN THE PHILIPPINES BUT IN MANY COUNTRIES AS WELL. The way it is written and published simplifies the information needed by ordinary people to be empowered with medical terms and their proper interventions.
It is also a good working and study reference for nursing, medicine and parents for proper medical management and partnership with their local and choice physicians. Every Library should have this.
IT CAN BE TRANSLATED IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES to make it more understandable to people who are not fluent in English. The key to peace is knowledge and knowledge is wellness.
Cheers Doc Macky! Let's move your bid for challenge GO forward. See you soon with my complimentary copy. Thanks!!
Grace