FREEDOM BUSINESS 101 | Part 3
The Four Types of Freedom Business
Written By Freedom Business Alliance
This article is Part 3 of a three part series on the basics of Freedom Business. It is based primarily on the Freedom Business Code of Excellence, available for download here. Read Part 1 and Part 2.
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The Freedom Business movement started in response to the extraordinary need of survivors of human trafficking for safe places of employment.
Those working toward their rescue and restoration observed that too many survivors were getting swept back into the grip of traffickers after failing to find safe and sustainable employment. The following Four Types of Freedom Business developed over time, each playing a distinct role in meeting the challenge of starting and growing an organization that flips standard business practices upside down in service of the most vulnerable.
Type 1:
Freedom Business Enterprise
At the start, pioneering entrepreneuers launched business with the sole mission of directly employing survivors of human trafficking and exploitation in safe and supportive environments. We call these Freedom Business Enterprises. This type of Freedom Business offers more than just a job, but a place of healing and growth, governed by the Freedom Business Code of Excellence.
These businesses form the core of the Freedom Business movement.
Where most businesses seek to hire the best and most qualified, a Freedom Business Enterprise seeks to hire those who are often underskilled and have experienced trauma and Human Trafficking. These individuals require extra support and services to cope with a work environment, heal, and succeed, both personally and professionally. The list of interventions and ethical considerations required to create positive impact in their lives has developed over time as these organizations, in cooperation with industry researchers, learn more about the process of healing and development in the workplace. But one thing is certain: the path of growth for a Freedom Business Enterprise is challenging and requires committed investment of resources to create transformed lives.
Continued below
The Six Commitments
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Pictured above: 4 Types Diagram from the Freedom Business Code of Excellence, available for download here.
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Type 2:
Freedom Business Champion
A Freedom Business Champion is an organization that supports, facilitates and extends the work of Freedom Business Enterprises, primarily in the area of generating market demand for their goods and services.
Freedom Business Champions play a vital role in job creation. While some Freedom Businesses are vertically integrated, many are not and require partnership with Freedom Business Champions to bring their products or services to market and generate sufficient revenue to grow and create more jobs. Freedom Business Champions do not typically employ survivors, but they are vital to the success and job creation efforts of those who do.
Type 3:
Freedom Business Initiative
A Freedom Business Initiative exists to create jobs for survivors of Human Trafficking and those At Risk. It is undertaken by an organization which exists for some other central purpose, but has elected to help end Human Trafficking through job creation as a part of its commitment to corporate social responsibility.
Freedom Business Initiatives are vital to scaling the number of jobs created for survivors and those At Risk and require support and investment from the parent organization to succeed. It is only when all businesses adopt policies and structures that support the most vulnerable that human trafficking will end.
Type 4:
Freedom Business Startup
A Freedom Business Startup is the fourth type of Freedom Business. It is one that has not started operations or has been in operation for less than 12 months.
Their inclusion is vital to the growth of Freedom Business globally and vital to their own growth. These organizations require guidance and support at this critical, early phase. Yet because operations are in the early stages, many of the Guidelines within the Code of Excellence will not fully apply. Therefore We have given these early stage Freedom Businesses their own designation.
It will take hundreds, if not thousands of businesses committed to the practice of Freedom Business to fulfill our vision of a safe job for every survivor of human trafficking and exploitation.
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“I am liberated from the trade, so I want all women trapped in the brothels to be liberated as well. I used to be afraid of people but now I am afraid of no one. All women should have the opportunity to do fine work, to live with dignity and respect, and be able to realize their own value.”
