Role: Part-time Consulting Entrepreneur to coach and support a new community-driven, health-focused business in Flint, Michigan
Duration: 12 months starting July 2009
Initial Application Deadline: June 26, 2009
Contact: Hyung T. Kim, MD, MBA, Vice President, Research & Development
Ascension Health, the largest Catholic and not-for-profit health system in the United States with operations in 20 states and the District of Columbia, is seeking an individual with deep entrepreneurial experience to serve as an independent consultant and start-up coach to a community driven business we are germinating in Flint, Michigan. This engagement will require a twelve-month commitment starting in July 2009, dedicating an average of 50% time.
ENTERPRISING HEALTH OVERVIEW
During the Summer of 2008, a group of Flint, MI residents, along with a team from Ascension Health, began participating in the first US-based implementation of the BoP Protocol: a non-traditional innovation process that guides corporations in co-creating new enterprises and markets with residents of low-income or vulnerable communities. Dubbed “Enterprising Health”, the initiative in Flint focuses on conceiving and developing a self-sustaining and locally managed business that would improve the overall health of people in the Flint community.
Over an initial six-month immersion and engagement period, the Ascension Health team drew together a core group of 15 local “business partners” made up of residents from throughout the Flint area, and with them, co-developed a business concept focused around the business and health values of pulling people together in neighborhoods. Today, Ascension Health and the business partners are building Successfully Uniting Neighborhoods (SUN) Enterprises, through a Protocol-led process of product/service co-creation that engages with the broader Flint community. The consultant will serve as an entrepreneurial resource and coach to help the business partners refine and codify these co-created services into organizational practice, as well as helping SUN Enterprises to develop the business systems that support them.
KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES
The key accountabilities of the Consultant would be working with the Ascension Health team and business partners during the completion of Phase II – Building the Ecosystem and coaching the SUN Enterprises business partners during Phase III – Enterprise Creation. Key elements of these phases of the work include:
1. Phase II - Business Prototype Co-Creation, which includes the following activities:
- Guiding the local team in developing an initial service/product offering and working with them to develop an initial business prototype through small-scale business experiments
- Coaching the business partners in developing customer engagement, sales, pricing, and other business skills that are needed during the prototyping phase
- Working with the local team to build an organizational foundation for the new enterprise
- Planning for Phase III – Enterprise Creation
2. Phase III - Being a coach and mentor to SUN business partners through creation and stabilization of the enterprise. Key activities will include working with the business partners to:
- Develop the organization systems and business management skills necessary for managing on-going operations
- Identify and codify lessons from initial service offerings and customer engagements
- Establish a committed market base through deeply vesting the community in the business success
- Assisting the transition from start-up to self-sustaining enterprise through sharing and coaching on the difficult but vital decisions entrepreneurs must make to bring a sustainable business to life.
The consultant will work closely with the current project director, be in direct interface and collaboration with the SUN business partners, and be a key interface with the Enterprising Health Advisory Council made up of executives from Ascension Health and principles from ESW.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES
Within successful candidates for this role, it is anticipated that accomplishments and capabilities would include:
- Entrepreneurial experience with multiple businesses, preferably multi-person start up experience
- Experience in evolving organizations, hierarchies and decision making structures as a business grows – particularly in early phases
- Evolving business models and developing business systems based on early market lessons
- Entrepreneurial marketing – marketing with limited funds
- Pricing, accounting and operations in a small, growing businesses
- Effective functioning more as a coach/advisor for all of the above
Familiarity with the Flint community and the available resources to start-up business would be valuable. A willingness to live in or near Flint during the period of the work would be preferred.
SELECTION PROCESS AND KEY DATES
The selection process will consist of screening interviews conducted by Patrick Donohue, Enterprise for a Sustainable World (ESW) and Scott Lambert, Ascension Health (AH) followed by detailed interviews conducted by a Steering Committee with representatives from Ascension Health, Enterprise for a Sustainable World, several business partners in the start-up enterprise and members of the Flint entrepreneurial community.
Initial Application due Friday, June 26, 2009, 5 p.m. EST: Email brief expressions of interest and current resumes to Patrick Donohue (patrick.donohue@e4sw.org) and Scott Lambert (slambert@ascensionhealth.org)
Ascension Health is looking to fill the position as soon as possible, with a candidate getting started during the summer (2009). The final selection process will include a 1-2 week mini-immersion to give selected candidates and the local business partners a chance to determine if there is a mutual fit (candidates will be compensated for the mini-immersion). As the selection process will kick off as applications come in, interested candidates are encouraged to submit applications before the deadline.
NOTE: This is only an overview of this position. For a full job description or for questions about the selection process, key dates and arrangements, contact Scott Lambert (slambert@ascensionhealth.org).
