Eye to Eye: Jibu’s Partnership Model for Unlocking Entrepreneurial Opportunities
Galen Welsch is the co-founder and CEO of Jibu, a social franchise that capitalises and equips emerging market entrepreneurs to create affordable access to drinking water and other necessities in East and Southern Africa. Under Galen’s leadership, the company has launched 150 franchises and distributed over 174 million litres of affordable drinking water. His work in the social enterprise sector has been celebrated globally with recognition from Forbes 30 Under 30, Fast Company, The Guardian and BBC World, amongst others.
Building and sustaining meaningful relationships has been pivotal in propelling Jibu forward. In this interview, Galen opens up about the role relationships have played in his remarkable entrepreneurial journey.
What was the inspiration behind Jibu? Was there a particular moment when you realised that you wanted to create a venture to address the water crisis in Africa?
There was no “Newton moment” for Jibu — Jibu is an amalgamation of many ideas brewed over time. I co-founded the company with my father with whom I shared a passion for creating an opportunity engine for local entrepreneurs. My conviction of the importance of entrepreneurial opportunity came from my time working in Morocco with the Peace Corps. Entrepreneurship is our primary driver, and the provision of essential services like drinking water is the secondary driver.
With so many risks involved, why did you believe the franchise model was the best one to employ from the start?
The myriad of challenges to growing a meaningful business on the continent have one thing in common: they are local challenges that require local solutions. The franchise model rewards local ownership while providing essential resources to overcome the systemic issues for small and medium-sized business owners, like supply chain gaps or brand power. Franchising gives entrepreneurs the tracks to run in while also providing critical owner-operator flexibility for a hyper-dynamic market.
As an American social entrepreneur working throughout the African continent, you have been determined not to perpetuate colonial patterns of power relations. How have you achieved this and why do you feel it is crucial?
My role is as a liaison between markets and cultures. I started Jibu after witnessing patronising attitudes towards Africans. Jibu is an eye-to-eye partnership model that I hope develops increased confidence in new types of trusted business partnerships between old markets and new ones. For me, keeping the right perspective that does not over-appreciate or under-appreciate the value I can bring as a liaison means staying forever curious about everyone I meet.
What role has relationship-building played in growing Jibu as a social enterprise?
Authentic relationships drive 100% of Jibu’s success.
I believe that the companies that best empower others via genuine eye-to-eye partnerships will be the companies that will most shape the future.
When you first began, how did you get local partners to trust in your solutions and intentions?
We did nothing at all, and for a good reason: we didn’t know what we were doing! Our first three pilots failed, and it was only after we shut those down and then spent a year focused on one franchise that we had the requisite learnings and a model worth replicating.
How has the pandemic affected Jibu’s operations? Has your decentralised model helped you survive?
Fortunately, we are an essential service operating via a decentralised production model. Franchise owners proved to be highly resilient and have thrived.
Through Jibu’s franchises, you have intentionally opened up opportunities to women and empowered them to take charge of their financial freedom. Why is that important to you?
Jibu is an opportunity company. More than water, fortified porridge or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), we provide access to opportunity. If we unfairly distribute access to opportunity, we will miss top talent; we will become less resilient and have tunnel vision regarding how to best serve our customers — who are equally made up of men and women.
Finally — selfishly — I find that women are generally just more pleasant to work with than men :)
Who inspires you in your work with Jibu?
I have been fortunate to have had many incredible mentors on my journey who provide rationale and emotional support. One of the biggest influences has been my father, Jibu’s co-founder and one of our Board Members.
What have your experiences as a social entrepreneur taught you about working effectively with people and building impactful relationships?
One of the cool parts about being an entrepreneur is working with many different stakeholders — customers, partners, employees, investors, board members etc. Caring about others has been vital for me to build impactful relationships. At early stages, I could care about others “casually” but as the company has grown, intentionally maintaining relationships and organising quality time for others has become critical.
The year is still young. What are you hoping to achieve in 2022?
This is a big year for Jibu! With a new investment round, we plan to more than double our volumes and footprint, while also scaling our newest product — LPG.
