What It Means To Be A Social Entrepreneur

By James Watson


Entrepreneurship is of many types depending on the major objective of the investor. The social entrepreneur is a very important person in the development of the society as a whole in general terms. They are the drivers of innovation and progress. In the realm of business, they are seen as the initiators of growth which in turn brings about a variety of innovations and opportunity to cause economic advancement within their communities and even beyond.

Funding has, without a doubt, been a major problem. Even though they may be intended to run as non-profit organizations, they still need funds to meet their day to day needs. To keep themselves in business, some are able to generate some income from the sale of socially valuable goods and services. Other sources of income may include corporate investments, donations and government funding. As these entrepreneurs soon find out, it is not always easy to approach investors as many fear that they may not recoup their investments being that these enterprises mainly focus societal value rather than profit generation.

Another major problem is that a good proportion of the enterprises fail to remain loyal to their mission. Establishment of a good strategy for the enterprise helps a great deal in dealing with this challenge. One of the major reasons for this is unexpected changes in the initial mission resulting in confusion and dilution of the impact of the organization.

There are a number of other ways in which the benefits of these ventures can be passed to the community. For instance, the entrepreneurs may choose to give a donation of their profits in order to fund some specific programs in society. They are also known to make partnerships with the government, existing charities or target communities in order all of which are ways in which the society can benefit from them.

Entrepreneurs also engage in the process of continuous innovations, adaptations and learning. In this manner, the society is at the advantage of benefiting from such innovations. The main limitation may be the fact the room for innovation is a bit restricted due to limited funding. Innovation is at times risky and may culminate in losses. This makes it difficult for a good number of social enterprises to exploit their full potential.

Entrepreneurs in this category are always looking for opportunities to advance their mission, whether social or environmental. Through this, they are able to better the lives of their target beneficiaries. It is not unusual for the investors to collaborate with governments and nongovernmental organizations who share their vision of improving service delivery.

Passion is one of the most important attributes for any investor wishing to to create a venture in this area. The passion should not be built on the desire to make money. Rather, it should be on the need for bringing about a positive change in society. Passion is what keeps the investor going when major challenges are encountered.

Just like all other sectors, the enterprise is also faced with numerous challenges that hinder its growth and development. Such challenges need to be looked in to in order to ensure the development of the entrepreneurship sector. Governments and the corporate sector are best placed to collaborate with small start-ups to help them remain afloat in the ever competitive business environment.




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