2b Design: A creative social business in Lebanon

2b Design: A creative social business in Lebanon

Introduction

After accumulating enough managerial experience as an entrepreneur, Raja Moubarak and his wife Benedicte de Blavous moved to Lebanon in 2003 and three years later decided to create a social business named 2b Design which specialized in transforming architectural salvage into works of art. 2b Design has a clear mission: “restoring the unseen beauty of the broken” which will focus on maintaining disappearing artwork, buildings, and tradition through artistic creations and employing marginalized individuals especially the unemployable along with the disabled. This mission is accomplished by gathering and utilizing wrought iron, decorative wood, and other elements found in scrapyards and old Lebanese homes thus preserving a heritage that was ever more in danger of disappearing while touching and improving the lives of the broken (people whose socio-economic status or disabilities hindered them from leading a decent life).

Problem Analysis

Apart from preserving Lebanon’s rich culture alive for future Lebanese generation, 2b Design focused on employing the unemployable, disabled, and marginalized people. Based on the employees’ status 2b Design opted for a “needs-based policy” rather than the generally adopted “market wage policy”. However, the adopted policy doesn’t come cheap. The company has to provide higher training cost to their employees for up to seven months which caused production delays at times and allow women to work from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. so they can be home early to look after their children.

The most challenge faced by 2b Design was from indirect competitors from China and India that sells in mass similar-looking items. With 90% of their products exported, Moubarak thought it will be a good idea to bring investors on board since Lebanese did not appreciate their own heritage as much as foreigners did. But this decision was postponed until the company felt it could prove its social business model worked.

Recommendations

Entrepreneurship comes with risks, so I will personally advise 2b Design to explore the option of having investors on board. With 90% of products being exported, having investors will increase their exposure, expand the main power capability, and reduce risk which in return, will increase sales exponentially. My other recommendation will be to market themselves properly by advertising their arts on Social Media. Their experience with online shopping should be nourished by creating a full website that will display their reason for existing and exposing their authentic arts.

Personal Application

Raja Moubarak and his wife Benedicte de Blavous are a good example of the “Power Entrepreneur Couple”. They have managed to look beyond traditional companies by preserving the Lebanon nation’s culture and provide a decent life to the underprivileged. The lives of many have been changed and the country's perception has been redefined thus being recognized internationally.