Martina Perez-Verzini: Designing with Purpose: Business Skills in Community Work
Before this fellowship, I viewed business skills primarily through a corporate lens; pricing models, operational efficiency, and strategic planning all tied to revenue growth. This winter at Veggielution, I've gained a new perspective on how those same skills are essential in community centered work. The same tools are applied, the difference is just the purpose behind them. I’ve begun to see that strategy is not defined by profit, but by the impact it supports.
One of my primary projects has been leading marketing clinics for local food entrepreneurs, where we’ve been developing structured catering menus in breakfast, lunch, and coffee break formats. On the surface, this looks like a design exercise in Canva. In reality, it’s an application of core business principles: per-person pricing models, cost logic, value positioning, and operational clarity. Through business courses, these frameworks are often discussed in the context of scaling companies. At Veggielution, they become tools that help entrepreneurs communicate their value clearly and feel more confident presenting their services to clients.
What has shifted most for me is recognizing how essential structure can be within nonprofit and community work. Limited resources require intentional systems. Creating standardized menu templates, thinking through pricing strategy, and helping entrepreneurs articulate their value are not just about aesthetic improvement, they are strategic shifts or interventions. Skills like analytical thinking, financial literacy, and clear communication have proven just as important here as they would in a corporate setting.