Groups and the Returnee Circle

Levels and groups

Your level is set by your assessment score together with your verified experience. Nobody builds alone: Level 1 and Level 2 members work in regional groups, led by experienced founders and supported by coaches and coordinators.

LEVEL 1

Founder Circle

For first-time founders who have never started a business.

• Groups of 5 to 8 members from the same region, and where possible the same sector
• One shared business plan built in the Business Planner
• Shared startup capital, repaid together by the group
• A written group agreement on roles, decisions and profit sharing
• Led by a Level 3 Group Leader

LEVEL 2

Rebuild Track

For those who have started something that did not last, worked as self-employed contractors, or hold partial business knowledge.

• Smaller groups of 3 to 5 members from the same region
• Each member may run a unit of a shared venture
• Shared startup capital, repaid together by the group
• Coaching on what held the business back before: cash flow, systems, sales and discipline
• Led by a Level 3 Group Leader

LEVEL 3

Leaders and Solo Founders

For seasoned owners who have started and run a successful business, with a verified track record.

• Lead Founder Circle and Rebuild Track groups
• May also run their own business solo
• Leadership-level coaching: scaling, financing, export and managing people
• Track record verified by the coordinator

For every level

• A local coach, a returnee who built a successful business, guiding you.
• A coordinator who verifies progress and repayment and prepares reports for donors and lenders.
• Going solo after success. Once the group’s success is confirmed, members may go solo, still guided by their local coach.
• Launch support at no cost: a free business website, social media accounts set up for the business, and applied data science and business intelligence from the start.
• Forums, groups and associations where returnees lift each other up.

Moving up: the returnee ladder

1. Founder Circle member: learn by building one business together, with shared capital repaid together.
2. Rebuild Track member: run your own unit within a shared venture as your skills and results grow.
3. Solo founder: once the group’s success is confirmed, run your own business, still guided by your local coach.
4. Group Leader: lead a new Founder Circle or Rebuild Track group as a Level 3 founder.
5. Coach: every returnee who succeeds can become a coach and guide the next generation home.

The weekly Returnee Circle

Every week, returnees meet by Zoom or at the local office to share ideas and successes, and how they overcame obstacles. Knowledge travels faster when it is shared, and every member grows faster together.

1. Quick round of wins from the week
2. One member’s obstacle and how it was solved
3. An idea, tool or book of the week
4. The group solves one live challenge together
5. Commitments for the coming week

Facilitated by the coach or Group Leader, with the coordinator recording progress. Chapter 4 gives the full meeting guide.

Registered communities and associations

Before any member can qualify for startup capital, his or her community or association must be registered with the Global Human Capital Reinsertion Initiative. The registered association then provides each candidate with an affidavit of good character, signed by its leader. This links every returnee to people who know them, strengthens accountability and builds the trust of lenders and donors.

1. The community or association registers: name, country and city, leader, contact details and members.
2. The coordinator verifies the association.
3. The leader signs an affidavit of good character for each candidate.
4. The coordinator records the affidavit, and the candidate’s capital readiness can then be completed.

Register a community or association