How to Start a Social Enterprise
Looking for opportunities to combine work with something that matters? Here's how to start a social enterprise to work on issues facing society and make money along the way. A social enterprise is about real business, business with ethical integrity. In other words, a for-profit organization established to tackle social or environmental issues.
- Difficulty:
- Easy
Instructions
-
-
1
Choose a cause that's near and dear not only to your heart, but to the heart of others. For example, trending today revolves around clean environmental issues. This is of concern to a great many people. One such social enterprise revolving around the environmental could be an enterprise developed to remove used and worn tires from landfills, or developing methods of recycling plastic water bottles into useful houseware items-instead of allowing them to sit until the end of time in landfills (along with plastic baby diapers and cigarette butts) because they don't biodegradable. With the force of many, there's more likelihood to affect change for the good (and make money), while impacting many and have long-lasting affect on the masses.
-
2
Understand the nature of your chosen endeavor. This means making sure you've researched the topic, held viewpoint forums and have made good solid effort to determine whether or not there's an actual need for the endeavor your social enterprise wished to pursue.
-
3
Establish a solid business management background. Remember, a social enterprise is a for-profit business. Do not let good-will and the 'ideal' behind social enterprising cause you to lose sight of a social enterprise being for-profit. A social enterprise and non-profit organization are not the same. Social enterprises are competing against hard-nosed corporate companies. Make your business case and activities reflect that fact. Otherwise, your endeavor won't be in business for long.
-
4
Choose the right people to work for the organization. Employees must have bona fide knowledge, skills and abilities. Ideally those working for a social enterprise share the same concerns as the founder. Working for a social enterprise may require more commitment because many endeavors extend beyond professional life and spill into personal life. Lifestyle changes are often required. For example, if an enterprise is committed to training persons (for profit) to eat naturally throughout life to reduce the risk of heart attack among men, it would look pretty bad if company employees were witnessed pigging out at a local Burger King. Make sure members and workers understand the full continuum of commitment required when employed by a social enterprise.
-
5
Establish a global viewpoint. There's a great big world out there. Anyone serious about making it in the business world must think outside of their immediate ethnocentric views. Travel, read newspaper, visit international websites and blogs online in order to begin developing a larger view of the world.
-
6
Establish a global presence. You can accomplish this by reaching out (in person) to people around the world. Demonstrate respect and consideration for other cultures in your social enterprise' s philosophy and mission statement.
Get online by using websites, blogs and other social media platforms.
-
7
Put it on paper. Social enterprises are just like any other business. You must write a solid business plan, marketing plan and have a solid public relations campaign.
-
1
