Our end customer market is everyone who cannot afford safe drinking water daily Our target customers are the middle 70% of urban emerging market populations.
What is your core product?
Drinking water is our anchor end customer product, but Jibu, Inc is a franchising company. Our core product is franchise businesses which we license to local, high-potential entrepreneurs.. Drinking water functions as an anchor product which is also used to sell other needed products to our customers
How do you recruit and select entrepreneurs?
We have a limited number of franchises available relative to the interest we receive. At the core of our selection process below is a reseller trial period. Only the most successful resellers are invited to apply for a franchise, after which they must invest a licensing fee and working capital to launch. .We aim for at least 50% of our franchise owners to be women.
What is the difference between a franchise and a reseller?
A Jibu franchise has a retail space, as well as on-site water treatment, bottling, and sealing. Jibu franchises produce thousands of liters of bottled water each day. Resellers, in contrast, distribute water but do not produce it. Resellers buy bottled water in bulk from a franchise, and sell the water from a small retail space or via a delivery vehicle. Through this spoke-and-hub model, Jibu brings water to more neighborhoods, and is able to vet and train future franchisees.
How many of your entrepreneurs are women?
Our goal is to always have at least 50% of Jibu franchises owned by women. In Jibu’s experience, women-owned franchises on average drive more growth, manage finances better, and are more compliant with Jibu’s franchise system standards.
What is the start-up cost for franchisees?
A single franchise owner generally invests $3,000-$6,000 in initial licensing fee and start-up working capital.
Jibu, Inc and Area Master Franchisors typically invest $16,000-$30,000 in the launch of each franchise.
Area Master Franchisors typically invest $250,000-$350,000 overall in the launch of a new market.
Are your stores profitable?
The majority of franchises are profitable within the first year of launch.
On average, the franchisor recovers its initial investment within 18 months of launch.
What technology do your franchises use to filter water?
Technology is chosen and adapted based on the source. Jibu uses primarily ultra-filtration based water treatment systems or hybrid reverse osmosis based water treatment systems. We optimize selection and adaptation for low energy consumption, low water waste, and ease of maintenance.
What is your water source?
Production franchises purify and treat water onsite from piped municipal water or bore holes.
How do you keep products affordable to your customers?
Jibu end customer prices are standardized by franchise agreements in each market.
The secret to Jibu’s prices is the efficiency of decentralized production, and the savings of a circular economy.
- We virtually eliminate transportation costs by serving the immediate neighborhood within walking distance of production. All of our bottles are re-used. Jibu customers pay a one-time bottle deposit and then exchange empty bottles for full bottles, paying only for the water.
- We use hyper-energy-efficient, low-waste production technology.
How do you measure impact?
We measure impact by tracking the quantity and quality of safe water sold, number of jobs created, number of women and youth launched as entrepreneurs, amount of CO2 saved, and the number of new business owners launched. The tools we use to measure this are surveys, interviews, water meters, and sales reports. Our KPI focus is on performance that is as relevant to business growth as to social impact.
Are you a for-profit or a nonprofit?
We are a for-profit on a mission. We think the best way to have lasting impact is to have a financial model that is self-propagating. A true hybrid, Jibu has integrated goals of making money and making charitable impact without compromising either.
