Scaling Business Operations
PT Rekan Usaha Mikro Anda (RUMA), which translates to Your Micro-Business Partner, is our implementing partner for Village Phone in Indonesia. By December 2009 and after only four months of operations, PT RUMA had deployed more than 1,000 microfranchise businesses to empower the poor in Indonesia. Due to this rapid growth, operation systems and processes needed to be updated. PT RUMA reached out to the Bankers without Borders® for help.
BwB volunteer Daniel Kreps, a recently retired banker with over 30 years of experience in management and finance, worked onsite with PT Ruma staff for three weeks to streamline financial processes and controls, create a strategy for expanding the company’s sources of financing, and prepare a business plan for attracting social investors to support their work. As a result of Mr. Krep’s work, PT Ruma and Grameen Foundation were able to highlight possible barriers to scalability and refocus their priorities accordingly. As of March 2010, Ruma has begun conversations with a large commercial bank in Indonesia.
This experience had an impact on the volunteer as well, furthering his understanding of the needs of the poor in Indonesia. Mr. Kreps has been actively spreading the word about RUMA’s work that serves the needs of the poor through his blog. To read his testimonial here.