VisionSpring Case Study: Hub & Spoke Model in Central America
At the time of the case study, May 2017, VisionSpring had provided eyeglasses to over 3.7 million consumers. It had won awards and had great success. But on the path to scale, VisionSpring had also experienced failure. Find the full case study here.
Over its history, VisionSpring had experimented with different business models to achieve its mission. In one case, VisionSpring successfully piloted a “Hub and Spoke” retail model in El Salvador and were then given a grant to scale that model across Central America. As the model scaled, costs increased, VisionSpring experienced mission creep and had staffing challenges. In the end, the decision was made to shut down the program completely and return funding.
In doing so, VisionSpring learned valuable lessons and shares advice about how to:
- iterate on business models to achieve greater impact;
- refine target customers and avoid mission creep;
- set effective “trip wires”, metrics to signal when scaling plans are going off track;
- create a culture that is accepting of and learns from failure; and,
- staff effectively for scaling
This case is relevant for any social enterprise considering ambitious scaling goals; pursuing cross-subsidy revenue models; evolving its guiding metrics; and working to create a culture of innovation and learning.
Notable Quotable: “Don’t fall in love with your ‘pretty, little solution.’ Ask yourself: ‘Is it really working or is it not going to achieve your goals?’” Reade Fahs, VisionSpring Board Chair
Find the full VisionSpring case study here. For other scaling snapshots and case studies, visit the Scaling Pathways Scale Stories page.
The VisionSpring Case Study was published in May 2017. Authors are Erin Worsham, Robyn Fehrman, and Cathy Clark.
