Introduction
The growth path of the business is one of the decisions that an entrepreneur has to make. Such a decision should consider the input of the stakeholders of the business. The Housing Action Network is a business at such a point in its growth curve. This decision is even more complex when there are multiple associates involved as stakeholders. The fact that the business is owned by an individual who works with several associates makes the decision even more challenging. . Some lingering questions include whether the customers buy from the owner of the business or from the Housing Action Network.
Other issues include whether the owner should advance the business under his name and outsource any work he gets to his associates or whether to proceed under the Housing Action Network banner. These questions and the conclusion regarding the path to the continued growth of the business can be answered by performing a survey on the stakeholders to determine their input in various issues that important to making this decision. This paper presents the recommendation to Tony Gilmour using the conclusions drawn from the analysis of the data collected through the surveys administered to the stakeholders of the Housing Action Network.
Methodology
The data was collected using a mixed methods approach. This implies that both qualitative and quantitative data was collected during the surveys. The researcher used a diverse sample size for the various groups of participants. The number of associates surveyed were five. The researcher surveyed eleven participants each for the customers and stakeholder groups. The questionnaires used in the survey were administered through an online platform.
Findings and Discussion
Tony Gilmour thinks it is a viable option to grow the business further under the Tony Gilmour banner rather than the Housing Action Network. There are elements in the data collected from the customer survey that offer empirical support to this option. For instance, 72.73% strongly agreed that communicating with Tony Gilmour was relatively easy while another 18.18% agreed with the same comment. Only a small percent (9.09%) were unsure. This is a significant finding, especially when considered in the context that the largest proportion of the customers (81.82%) came to know of the existence of the Housing Action Network through Tony Gilmour, and that 36.36% came to know of Tony Gilmour through industry conferences or speaking engagements. This shows the influence that Tony Gilmour has publicizing the Housing Action Network.
There is a need to determine whether the customers purchase from Tony Gilmour or from the Housing Action Network. This is necessary considering the fact that 90.91% of the customers agreed that they would recommend to other customers to use the Housing Action Network while the same number reported that they would recommend the use of Tony Gilmour to other customers. This situation is further illuminated by the fact that 72.73% of the customers had never dealt with the associates. However, the reason why such a large proportion of the customers had not dealt with the associate is not because they preferred dealing with Tony Gilmour as 28.57% reported.
The most prevalent reason for not using the associates is the lack of knowledge of the existence of associates at Housing Action Network as reported by 42.86%. To further illuminate on the issue, the researcher sought the input of the customers as to whether they would use the services of the Housing Action Network, 88.89% of the customers reported that they would work with both the associates and the Housing Action Network while only 11.11% of the customers reported that they would only work in direct contact with Tony Gilmour. This is an indication that despite the influence of Tony Gilmour, his ability to network and acquire more customers, the associates are still an indispensable unit for the continued viability of Housing Action Network.
Conclusion
It is not up for debate that Tony Gilmour has a lot of influence in the operations of the Housing Action Network. It is through his activities that the Housing Action Network has gained many customers. The associates who work with the Housing Action Network are an active part of the operations. There is empirical evidence in support of this finding. The analysis of the data collected shows that despite the influence of Tony Gilmour, the customers still prefer dealing with the associates and the Housing Action Network. This leads to the conclusion that any path that the Housing Action Network takes towards its growth should include the use of the associates.
Recommendation
It is recommended to Tony Gilmour to maintain the structure of the Housing Action Network as it is presently constituted. This entails the continued use of the associates in the present capacities. This recommendation is based on the finding that the biggest proportion of the customers prefer working with the Housing Action Network as well as the associates. The recommendation is based on the finding that even though the customers know Tony Gilmour, only small proportion of the customers attributed their decision to work with the Housing Action Network to the opportunity to work directly with Tony Gilmour. Tony Gilmour best approach for ensuring the growth of the Housing Action Network is to retain the associates and use his network to get more customers for the business.
