Balance sheets and liquidity forecasting may seem far from impacting rural lives, but they are more connected than one could imagine. Social entrepreneurs that employ women in rural India need every bit of detailed financials as much as heads of global corporates. Therefore Women on Wings recently worked three days with ROPE International to get a better understanding of its finances.
Cost pricing affects income rural women
Expert Anita Joosten worked with the ROPE team on issues like the importance and methodology of correct cost pricing of its products and stock keeping units. Cost pricing includes more than just raw materials and labor and it impacts the company’s results and the income of the rural women making the products. Also she highlighted that liquidity forecasting critically important for a company like ROPE which will benefit immensely from live tracking of debtors and creditors.
Artisans benefit from professionalizing ROPE team
An important issue for discussion turned out to be more than just a financial issue. Sreejith NN, Founder and Director at ROPE: “Anita explained the importance of functional alignment for correct financial management. It’s not just Finance. Also Sales, Production and Procurement need to share their inputs. We are now working on a better meeting and governance rhythm in which we include the entire team. Ultimately we want our products to be sold for the right price and measure and optimise every part of our cost. Our goal is to enhance the standard of living of people who make our products. This workshop has helped us become better professionals and the artisans will also benefit from that.”
ROPE International, the company
ROPE International empowers women from rural families with employable artisan skills. Women make home and lifestyle products from natural materials like bamboo, river grass, and banana fibre that even find their ways to some of the biggest retailers in the world. Since 2016, Women on Wings and ROPE join hands to increase the number of jobs for women that find employment through ROPE, which is short for ‘Responsibility Of People & Environment’.
