blog posts
Insight
Why we’ve Broken Up with Social Enterprise
If you’ve ever experienced a break up, you’ll probably know how we feel right now. We began our relationship with Social Enterprise full of excitement. We saw our shared future together – it was the manifestation of all our hopes and dreams for a better world. We believed that together we could achieve so much more than we could on our own. But after a seven year relationship, the itch has truly kicked in. We’re breaking up. And to be honest it’s because we’re disappointed with Social Enterprise. It’s hasn’t been easy, and we are feeling pretty heartbroken (there may be a tub of ... READ MORE
Exploring the Tension between ‘Doing Good’ & ‘Making Money’
This blog was written by TDi’s Pacific Investment Readiness Program Lead, Anna Moegerlein. TDi exists to awaken the possibility of doing good and making money; this deeply motivates us and shapes how we work with businesses and not-for-profits. However until recently, I didn’t realise how difficult this can be, and how deep my own dualism often runs. Socrates, Plato and later Descartes held that the immaterial mind and the material body are two completely different types of substance. For nearly 2,500 years this dualist thinking, deeply rooted in Greek philosophy, has more often ... READ MORE
Announcing our Second leveraged Investment into the Pacific with Tanna Coffee
TDi are proud and excited to announce the second investment that we enabled into the Pacific. Following months of working closely with various partners across the region including DFAT and Pacific Trade & Invest, we are pleased to announce that we have leveraged $656,000 in investment capital, for a business making a real difference to peoples’ lives in the South Pacific. In 2015, Cyclone Pam devastated many of Vanuatu’s 84 islands. One island, called Tanna, suffered the full force of the storm, and the coffee-growing hub, comprised of 750,000 plants, was almost completely ... READ MORE
Charity’s Dead- So What Next?
Charity, as we know it, is dead, but there’s a new alternative to solve the world’s problems. A blog by our CEO Bessi Graham that initially appeared in Probono in August 2016. This is going to be a difficult pill to swallow for many, but it is time to accept that the charity and philanthropy models as we know them are unfortunately not going to solve the world’s problems. If they were, then the range of complex social and environmental challenges we face would be solved by now. The same goes for traditional aid and development approaches. Despite ... READ MORE
Anthea’s Blog About Finding Opportunity in Adversity
I love hearing the stories of social entrepreneurs; their stories of courage and passion, stories of overcoming obstacles and creating something that will deeply affect someone else’s life. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think everything or every idea is a winner, I’ve had my fair share of the opposite. When everyone else in the room is heralding the newest hero in social impact, sometimes I’m just not on the same page. It’s the same in reverse, sometimes all I hear in a room is “no”, but I come out seeing a great opportunity. I often get asked, how am I able to hear a different ... READ MORE
Creative Ways to Refresh Your Business Model
This blog was written by Isaac Jeffries, an associate of TDi. Designing new business models is exciting – conversations full of optimism and intrigue, especially when you get the gut sense that this idea is a winner… It’s important that we don’t fall in love with our first idea. Yes, it’s a good idea, and there are several aspects that will probably succeed. But an idea being exciting does not mean that it has earned permanence. It’s more likely that this idea contains the DNA of a highly successful model, but it needs to go through some refinement in order to get it out. What ... READ MORE
Business Model Alarm Bells
This blog was written by Isaac Jeffries, an associate of TDi. Filling in a business model canvas is a means to an end – creating a company that is desirable, feasible and viable. If there are any issues with the idea, let’s get them out on the table now – in an environment where they are easy to address, or we can convince ourselves to steer clear of a potential disaster. Alarm bells create panic. They also save lives. By understanding the issue early, we give ourselves the best chance of survival. Sometimes it’s a false alarm, like when your hot shower sets off your smoke ... READ MORE
Why is a Business Model Important for Creating Impact?
This blog was written by Isaac Jeffries, an associate of TDi. Think about your favourite brands. What made you a fan of their work? Was it the way they went the extra mile to delight you? How their pricing structure saved you some money? How they solved a pain point? Maybe they created positive social impact? The fact is, every successful business you can think of runs on the back of a well-designed business model. This applies to every type of organisation – including charities, social enterprises and internal teams within larger companies. What do we mean by a Business ... READ MORE
Five Tips from Ben to Broaden Your Network
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International Women’s Day at TDi
What does International Women’s Day mean to you? For us in business, it’s another opportunity to celebrate the achievements of women throughout the world. At TDi, we work in an office where women are the majority. Today, globally, many women are striking to show how without women, the world stops. If we did that, TDi would stop. At TDi, we’re passionate about empowering women to run enterprises that do good and make money. Over 70% of the businesses we work with in Australia are women-led, which we think is pretty awesome. Especially considering the start-up space still has a gender ... READ MORE
What do TDi & the Oscars have in common?
Over the past year, we’ve been working closely with coffee-growing and producing enterprise Tanna Coffee on the island of Tanna in the south of Vanuatu. But Tanna Coffee isn’t the only entity drawing attention to the island- last night saw Australian filmmakers Bentley Dean and Martin Butler head to the Oscars with the stars of their nominated film Tanna. The feature film, shot entirely on the island of Tanna, powered by solar batteries, was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film. We caught up with Bentley before the ceremony to discover how they found filming a movie on Tanna and how ... READ MORE
Bessi’s Reflections on Samoa
It was such a privilege to be in Samoa recently and not only have the chance to meet some incredibly inspirational local entrepreneurs but also to meet young people who will be the future of the country. TDi’s reputation in the Pacific is growing and we were encouraged to have entrepreneurs seeking us out to pitch their businesses. We can’t wait to find ways to support these wonderful organisations. Spending a few days on the island of Savaii was the highlight for me. We had the chance to spend time in farmers’ homes talking about how the work of one of our investees, Samoa Coconut ... READ MORE