By Joanna B Pinneo, Communications Manager
Solar Sister enables women to be successful entrepreneurs, gaining independence, confidence, and skills. Our goal, “to empower women entrepreneurs with the confidence and skills they need to build and grow their businesses,” informs our Training Modules and the curriculum. The curriculum contains both soft skills and hard skills. On the soft skills side, confidence and an understanding that you already have strengths and abilities and can learn, grow, and succeed.
Hard skills start with problem-solving or solution-seeking. Delivered over a twelve-month period, each module teaches you how to identify an issue and resolve it using the resources you have on hand. Additional skills include planning ahead, accounting, market solutions, and so on.
Empowering Entrepreneurs: Solar Sister’s Training Modules
At Solar Sister, our training philosophy centers around the unique needs of adult learners. We believe that adults learn best through hands-on practice, peer interaction, and a bit of formal instruction. This philosophy underpins our entire training model.
Learning by Doing
Our approach is built on the idea that entrepreneurs learn entrepreneurship by doing it. From day one, our entrepreneurs dive into real-world selling, practicing their skills, making sales, and learning from their mistakes. This hands-on experience accounts for 70% of their learning. They receive immediate rewards and gratification when they make a sale, reinforcing their learning through direct experience.
Peer Learning and Support
In addition to hands-on practice, 20% of learning happens through peer interaction. Our Sisterhood groups play a crucial role here. These monthly meetings bring women together to share their successes, challenges, and advice. A Sisterhood group might include a veteran of ten years and a newcomer of ten days, creating a dynamic environment where experience and fresh ideas blend. The veteran can offer tried-and-true advice, while the newcomer might introduce innovative ideas. This peer learning and mutual support are invaluable.
“At Solar Sister, we foster a sense of sisterhood among our entrepreneurs. They meet monthly to share their successes, failures, challenges, and advice. It’s a supportive community where they celebrate each other’s wins, commiserate with each other, and offer advice.
Katherine Lucey, CEO
Structured Instruction
The remaining 10% of learning comes from more formal instructional modules. We deliver one module monthly, focusing on specific topics such as record keeping, managing money, and connected selling. This bite-sized approach ensures that the women can absorb and apply each lesson effectively. Unlike other entrepreneurship training programs that jam all the information into a single day, our method provides continuous, manageable learning that fits into their busy lives.
Accessible Education
Our training is designed to meet women where they are. Many of our entrepreneurs have only primary school education, and some may not have completed secondary school. To address this, we’ve developed a “mini MBA” program—a stripped-down version of a Business School curriculum. This program covers essential business skills in a way accessible to women with varying educational backgrounds.
Solar Sister’s training modules focus on delivering practical skills essential for entrepreneurship. They are structured into three key components and provided monthly over a twelve-month period.
Business Skills and Tools
The first component covers essential business skills such as record keeping, managing money, and best sales practices. These foundational skills are critical for running a successful business. They are reinforced throughout the year to ensure deep understanding and practical application.
Technical Skills and Knowledge
The second component imparts technical skills and knowledge, including understanding how products work, how to repair them, and the benefits of solar energy. This technical know-how empowers entrepreneurs to use and maintain their products effectively, enhancing their credibility and service quality.
Agency-Based Modules
The third component, agency-based modules, focuses on personal development skills such as self-awareness, identifying limiting beliefs, and leadership skills. These softer skills are crucial for personal growth and effective business management, helping entrepreneurs build confidence and leadership qualities.
“Our training ethos emphasizes sharing practical knowledge and skills in an interactive and supportive format. Women engage in these lessons surrounded by their peers, fostering a collaborative learning environment where they support each other. The grassroots MBA-style program is designed to meet the women where they are, making it highly practical and hands-on.”
Katherine Lucey, CEO
Advanced Modules and Continuous Learning
We also offer advanced modules, or Business Booster, for entrepreneurs who have been with us for several years. An entrepreneur might take a record-keeping class when they first join and then revisit it in subsequent years. This repeated exposure allows them to build on their initial learning, gaining deeper insights and improving their skills over time. The first encounter with a lesson might focus on the basics. At the same time, later sessions delve into more advanced techniques and best practices.
Peer Teaching and Reinforcement
As entrepreneurs progress, they often become teachers themselves, sharing their knowledge and best practices with newer members. This peer-teaching approach not only reinforces their own learning but also strengthens the community. Teaching others helps solidify their understanding, turning them into role models and leaders within the Sisterhood groups.
Adapting to Needs: Advanced Training at Solar Sister
At Solar Sister, our training modules have been thoughtfully developed to meet the evolving needs of our entrepreneurs. We place a strong emphasis on practical, applicable skills, ensuring that our training remains relevant and accessible. Here’s a closer look at our advanced training approach.
Preparing for Advanced Decisions
One of the key aspects of our advanced training is teaching entrepreneurs how to create a business plan. This training helps entrepreneurs grasp these more complex topics, preparing them for making critical business decisions. For instance, understanding the risks and benefits of extending or taking on credit is crucial. This knowledge enables them to make informed choices that align with their business goals. We emphasize the importance of making informed decisions about taking on credit by thoroughly understanding the associated risks. While access to capital and taking out loans can help grow a business, they come with significant risks that must be carefully considered.
Adapting to Emerging Needs
We continuously adapt our training to address emerging needs. For example, we’ve introduced digital literacy training as digital skills become increasingly vital. This includes using mobile technology for marketing, mobile money payments, and other essential business functions. We ensure our entrepreneurs are well-equipped for the modern business landscape by staying responsive to new developments.
Balancing Basic and Advanced Training
In our Sisterhood groups, we often have a mix of newcomers and experienced entrepreneurs. To cater to varying levels of experience, BDAs (Business Development Associates) may intersperse basic and advanced training or run two modules concurrently. The BDA, being on the ground, understands the group’s needs and tailors the training accordingly, ensuring that everyone receives the appropriate level of instruction.
Responsive and Practical Training
Our training modules are designed based on direct feedback from our entrepreneurs. By listening to their needs, we develop practical training that addresses specific gaps in their knowledge and skills. This includes everything from record keeping and best sales practices to creating a connection-first approach to selling.
Evolution from Experience
Our training approach evolved from our experiences in Uganda. Initially, we identified the entrepreneurs’ knowledge and skills gaps and developed modules to address these needs. Whether it’s record keeping, effective sales techniques, or other critical business skills, each module was created in response to a specific requirement.
Empowering Youth: Solar Sister’s Apprenticeship Program
Solar Sister’s Apprenticeship Program is a distinctive component of our training offerings, designed to provide a more concentrated and immersive learning experience. Unlike our monthly training modules, the apprenticeship program runs over three months with daily sessions.
Intensive Learning
The apprenticeship program covers the same essential learnings as our regular training modules but in a more intensive format. Apprentices receive daily instruction, allowing them to delve deeper into the material and develop a robust understanding of business skills, technical knowledge, and personal development.
Job Readiness Skills
In addition to business and technical training, the apprenticeship program emphasizes job readiness skills. Many of our apprentices are youth coming from challenging backgrounds, including slums, where basic job skills are not always learned. The program intentionally teaches crucial skills such as punctuality, appropriate dress, and professional behavior. These skills are fundamental for their transition into the workforce and help prepare them for future employment opportunities.
Comprehensive Development
The apprenticeship program focuses on immediate business skills as well as broader aspects of professional development. This holistic approach ensures that apprentices learn not just how to run a business but also gain the essential skills needed to succeed in any professional environment.
Solar Sister’s training is not just about imparting knowledge but about making it applicable and practical for the entrepreneurs’ daily lives. By continuously adapting and responding to their needs, we provide relevant, hands-on training that empowers our entrepreneurs to thrive. Our advanced training ensures they are prepared for complex business decisions, making our program both dynamic and effective in fostering sustainable business growth.
To highlight a few of the modules, we spoke with six Business Development Associates, two in each country, to talk about three of the modules.
Planning Ahead – From Elizabeth Chepchumba in Kenya and Jennifer Oiji in Nigeria.
The ‘Planning Ahead’ module equips SSEs with essential planning skills and the ability to set SMART goals. This module uses road mapping to help participants create daily schedules, prioritize tasks, and understand their market base. It fosters a mindset shift, emphasizing the importance of smaller, manageable steps towards goal achievement. The 30-day engagement approach allows them to assess what worked, identify areas for improvement, and make necessary adjustments. This hands-on approach is particularly beneficial for those who struggle with time management and determining optimal product placement.
Managing Money – From Purity Chepngeno in Kenya and Selenghei Nguchicha in Tanzania.
The ‘Managing Money’ module is a practical guide that helps entrepreneurs understand disciplined financial management and avoid debt. By focusing on reaching financial goals and increasing savings, this module teaches participants to comprehend their capital and profit, control cash flow, and appreciate the importance of reinvesting profits into their businesses. The module incorporates practical field sessions where the entrepreneur group role-plays as ‘entrepreneurs and buyers,’ enhancing their financial acumen through real-life scenarios.
Credit Benefit and Risk – From Victoria Mfinanga in Tanzania and Juliet Echimina in Nigeria.
One of Solar Sister’s Advanced modules is ‘Credit Benefit and Risk.’ This module is designed for entrepreneurs who have been with Solar Sister for at least two years and are ready to take their business to the next level. This module equips SSEs with the knowledge to enhance their business growth creatively and strategically. As part of the business booster initiative, this program helps participants understand sales techniques to double their income and plan monthly and yearly budgets. The module ensures that participants comprehend the benefits and risks associated with credit, including the ability to finance their businesses without initial capital and the potential pitfalls related to repayment conditions and interest rates, especially if they cannot pay on time.”
Participants learn to maintain accurate business records related to credit, manage repayment schedules, and calculate percentages. Given the technological limitations many women face, record-keeping and profit tracking are done manually using a logbook. Additionally, the module guides SSEs in preparing comprehensive business plans, identifying potential problems and solutions, and understanding the market and its competitors.
The key takeaway is that one must plan meticulously and clearly identify the target market before taking credit. If there is uncertainty about the market, it is advisable not to consider taking credit. Notably, the business booster credit loans offer SSEs zero-interest credit with a payback period of 30 to 45 days, providing a practical and supportive financial solution. This module helps participants maintain focus and direction, ensuring they are well-prepared to effectively leverage credit for business growth.
Solar Sister’s training is not just about imparting knowledge but about making it applicable and practical for the entrepreneurs’ daily lives. By continuously adapting and responding to their needs, we provide relevant, hands-on training that empowers our entrepreneurs to thrive. Our advanced training ensures they are prepared for complex business decisions, making our program both dynamic and effective in fostering sustainable business growth.
Interview with Katherine Lucey by Joanna B Pinneo, Interviews with the Business Development Associates: Aisha Suleiman Abba, Solar Sister Intern, Constellation Fellowship Program.