Social Enterprise Services: Growth Stage
Things I can help with
Using Market Insights for Growth – Using your understanding of your customers, competitors and trends strategically to identify new product/service/market opportunities
Growth Strategy Development – Market research; ideation workshops; idea assessment, refinement and testing; operating model development; simple financial modelling
Impact & Purpose – Refining your Theory of Change; updating your impact measurement framework to reflect your growth strategy
Case studies
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From Disjointed Stores to a Cohesive Retail Strategy
When I joined Australian Red Cross as General Manager of its national retail division, the organisation had a bold vision: to transform its sprawling network of op shops into a modern, vibrant social enterprise that blended mission with retail excellence. But realising that vision meant addressing some deeply embedded challenges.
The division, while one of Australia’s largest social enterprises, had inherited a legacy of fragmented operations. Stores were still operating under a state-based model, despite a national restructure. There was no consistent strategy, branding or approach. Most stores were concentrated in outer suburban, regional and rural areas, with little to no metro presence. Many sites were tired, cluttered and difficult to shop in, with outdated systems—some stores still used cash tins instead of registers—and aging inventory that no longer resonated with customers.
That’s where I came in.
My approach
As General Manager, I led a multi-year transformation across 164 stores, 100+ staff and 4,500 volunteers, focused on improving financial performance, operational consistency and social impact. Key initiatives included:
Strategic & Financial Transformation
Drew on best practice from global retail to develop national retail and merchandise strategies that aligned commercial performance with humanitarian goals, setting a clear direction for growth and impact
Led cost-reduction initiatives that decreased cost of goods sold from 19% to 5% of revenue within two years—without compromising income
Introduced scenario planning and financial modelling to support strategic, forward-looking decision making and shift teams from reactive to proactive resource management
Organisational Design & Capability Building
Restructured teams and optimised workforce mix to reduce paid staff costs while increasing volunteer engagement and store-level support
Implemented annual planning processes to align day-to-day operations with broader strategic objectives and improve accountability
Store Innovation & Brand Positioning
Opened a number of new stores as part of the national growth strategy, including flagship vintage concept stores and boutique recycled fashion outlets in premium locations
Used these launches to reposition Red Cross retail as a modern, mission-aligned brand in the sustainable fashion space
Launched the Fashion Trade partnership with Country Road, securing national media coverage and in-kind donations that elevated brand visibility
Attracted a younger, more values-aligned customer base and generated over $2.5 million in earned media coverage, elevating visibility and broadening public engagement
What was achieved
This transformation helped turn a fragmented and outdated retail operation into a nationally recognised social enterprise brand—financially sustainable, operationally resilient, and mission-aligned.
By the end of my tenure, the business had shifted from loss-making to delivering a significant surplus, directly contributing to the funding of Red Cross’ humanitarian programs and strengthening the organisation’s overall financial sustainability.
It’s this blend of strategic thinking, operational pragmatism and deep understanding of purpose-driven business that I bring to my consulting work today—particularly with social enterprises and not-for-profits looking to scale impact while staying true to their values.
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When Organic Growth Isn’t Enough
The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) had built a strong, values-led social enterprise in ASRC Cleaning—delivering both reliable income and meaningful employment for people seeking asylum. But after several years of organic growth, the business had reached a critical inflection point: it was well-established, delivering impact, and operating sustainably, but needed investment to scale further.
With strong internal capability already in place, the ASRC team sought external support to guide the next stage of their journey—developing a clear, evidence-based business case for board and funder investment, without losing sight of their social mission.
My approach
I led a structured, collaborative consulting process to help ASRC Cleaning chart a strategic path forward, focused on balancing commercial growth with social impact. Key components included:
Impact Alignment
Facilitated key strategic conversations—through stakeholder interviews and participation in a Theory of Change workshop—to clarify the social impact goals that would guide all business decisions
Opportunity Mapping
Designed and facilitated social procurement and ideation workshops to identify and prioritise growth opportunities aligned to ASRC’s mission and operational strengths
Viability Assessment
Conducted customer research and market testing to validate growth ideas
Developed a detailed financial model to evaluate the commercial and impact potential of different scale pathways
Strategic Planning
Synthesised insights into a practical, phased three-year roadmap
Ensured all strategic choices were backed by data and aligned with ASRC Cleaning’s dual goals of economic sustainability and employment impact
What was achieved
The resulting growth strategy projected:
30% revenue growth
4% increase in net profit
8 new employment opportunities for people seeking asylum
This project demonstrates my ability to support social enterprises as they navigate the shift from stability to scale—building strategies that are commercially viable, grounded in impact, and ready for investment.
“Olivia was fantastic! Her mix of real-world commercial experience, business acumen and depth of business theory really helped size up our growth opportunity for our social enterprise. The outputs were practical, actionable and have been used to support the funding and implementation of our three-year growth strategy.
Olivia’s genuine engagement and curiosity, attention to detail, proactive communication and constructive challenge were all first class. I highly recommend speaking to Olivia if you’re looking to identify and develop viable business growth opportunities to sustainably increase your impact. ”
“I worked with Olivia at Australian Red Cross and because of her, it was one of the best professional periods of my career. Olivia is super organised, highly professional and provides solid, structured and intelligent leadership. She is unbelievably motivated and her work ethic is a great example to her team.
As a leader, she understands the importance of both macro and micro thinking and how the individual skills within her team provide this balance.
As her team member, I grew in confidence, skills and management capability because meeting her standards was a healthy challenge - a challenge she supported you in along the way.
She’s a super smart operator who would be an asset to any organisation.”
“Olivia has a curiosity that enables her to thoroughly delve into the depth of a situation, with strategic insight, while simultaneously being a genuine listener. Her discipline, persistence and conscientious means she always does what she says she will do, with incredible attention to detail, producing error free deliverables and building enormous trust and credibility.”
Curious about working with me?
If you’re interested in exploring how we might work together, let’s schedule a call to see if I can support your goals.
Book a free phone or video call, where you can share more about your organisation, goals and the project or support you’re looking for.
I’ll talk you through the services I offer and you’ll have the chance to ask any questions about how we might work together.