Train your brand with Juanjo Manzano from AlmaNatura
We are what we manage to build with our circumstances. Today more than ever, with the circumstances we've been given to live through, standing still is not an option.
That's why we want to create special, different episodes of our Solublabla podcast. Special episodes called #TrainYourBrand, just like the initiative we have open on our website and that we invite you to discover. If you have a brand and this situation concerns you, maybe we can help.
In this episode we'll have, as always, Ismael Barros and Máximo Gavete, and we'll be joined by Juanjo Manzano, founder of AlmaNatura, to talk about how rural entrepreneurship and a B-Corp company (the first in Spain, by the way) are handling the current situation. We discuss decentralization, localism, the rural as an alternative, and much more.
"A purpose can't be faked. This is about being coherent."
Who?
Juanjo Manzano, mentor, social entrepreneur, and trainer with over 20 years of experience in developing social innovation and corporate reputation processes. Currently head of the Communication and Development area at AlmaNatura.
Episode highlights
- What is AlmaNatura and where are you based?
- What kind of projects do you do?
- You work collaborating with large companies. How do you collaborate from a small town with large multinationals?
- What is a social enterprise? How does it differ from other types of companies and how does it affect your day-to-day operations?
- Are you the first Spanish BCorp? What is the BCorp program?
- What is your stance on this trend of using CSR as a marketing tool?
- What is AlmaNatura's purpose?
- Rural entrepreneurship. Is the future of rural areas dependent on economic viability?* How is this situation playing out in rural communities?
- What differences are there in going through lockdown in a city?
- What initiatives are you carrying out from AlmaNatura?
- What role do you think towns will play in this entire scenario once the health crisis passes? (Relocation).
- What do you think it would take for this to happen? Is it just a matter of resources or does it require a shift in mindset?
- What should be the next step in rural management to make this relocation possible?
- Do you have anything in the works from AlmaNatura or Holapueblo?
- What difficulties do you think you'll face?* What does a business based in a village need to have to succeed?
- Do they have to be local businesses or can they be ambitious ventures?
- How do you approach this? Do you provide the business idea, or does the entrepreneur have to come with their own idea?
- What kinds of ideas come your way? Because there's more to life than rural tourism, right?
- Is it positive when certain rural-world trends become fashionable? Like rural tourism, artisanal products...
- What role do brands play in this scenario? Both the established ones and the new ones emerging in rural settings.
- What would you say to someone considering starting a new life in a village? When all this is over, will that be the perfect moment?
- What difficulties will someone face when starting a business in a village?
- And finally, why should we start a business in a village?
"Deliver maximum value in what you do: that's the challenge we face after coronavirus. Our differences are our strengths."