The Agbole Business Model & Brand

In Spanish, there is a popular phrase that says, "Abuelo arriero, hijo caballero, nieto pordiosero," which is translated as, "Grandfather, hard worker. Son, gentleman. Grandson, beggar." It means that family wealth is typically gained and lost within three generations. Coincidentally, perhaps, this parallels what physicists tell us about the behavior of energy, which is said to transition  from creation to stasis and finally dissipation. The energy never disappears, of course. It eventually becomes part of another creation and the cycle repeats endlessly. The Agbole - which is deliberately organized as an extended family institution - aspires to break the cycle of wealth dissipation by extending the creation phase so that it lasts at least one hundred years. 

As a family,  if the Agbole fails to sustain the creative enthusiasm and passion of the first generation, we increase the risk of our wealth slipping into stasis and then dissipation. Here, it's a good idea to offer up a working definition of wealth. Family wealth manager, James E. Hughes tells us that family wealth consists of three forms of capital: 

1. Human: Each member of the family is an asset. 
2. Intellectual: Individually and collectively, the family members possess unique knowledge, experiences and skills. 
3. Financial: Individually and collectively, the family members generate and possess money, investments and holdings. 

Even more importantly, Hughes goes on to emphasize the fact that few families have understood that without active stewardship of their human and intellectual capital, they cannot preserve their financial capital.  This means that, in addition to generating financial capital, the successful family will also develop and maintain a vigorous succession plan that assures that wealth continues to grow from one generation to the next.  

One way in which the Agbole intends to operationalize its wealth management plans is by making good use of the traditional Yoruba family hierarchy, which can be conceptualized as a pyramid: 

1. The Elders function as Master Craftsmen. They operate at the top of the pyramid. They expand the Agbole network by building strategic relationships that continuously generate financial success for the Agbole.  You might say that the Elders hunt for a living.  They devote 80%+ of their time to business development and account management.  In this regard, their job is not project delivery or production. Instead, they find work that others will deliver on.  They build financially beneficial relationships.
2. The Mentors function as Journeymen (in business terms, they would be considered managers). They spend their days working directly with clients (i.e., sponsors, investors, and donors) and keeping their teams busy and on track.  They project manage others and keep the wheels of the projects running at optimal levels.  They hold the Agbole together! In addition, the Agbole leverages the Mentors by empowering them to coach and correct the Youth who, in the end, are the future talent pipeline of the family.
3. The Youth function as Apprentices. In business terms, they are Junior Consultants. The Youth are the bright, up and coming professionals - generally between 21-25 years old - who are super impressionable, eager to please, and ridiculously smart.  They are putting in the long hours figuring out how to do research, run queries and crunch data into fine powder.  By the time they have been on a half dozen projects, the Youth should client-ready and fairly self-sufficient. 

Every Agbole project will make use of all three roles. They represent what you might call the archetypes and the typical roles that the Agbole will activate on all projects. This business model is intended to encourage the generation of financial capital and support the succession plan, assuring that wealth continues to grow from one generation to the next.  

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