The last 150 years have given us famous examples of social entrepreneurs such as Susan B. Anthony, John Muir, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Theresa, and Martin Luther King Jr. For everyone of these famous names, there are countless others that worked tirelessly for their big idea with little or no public accolades. My guess is they weren't in it for the public accolades.
Social entrepreneurship is, according to some, one of the ways to efficiently address some of the significant issues facing our planet using entrepreneurial approaches. The current wave of social entrepreneurship started 25 years ago when the concept of micro-finance was born.
The environmental and social problems that the world faces are like none we have faced in recent history. The good thing is that the tools we have are like none we have faced in recent history. I believe that it is the responsibility of businesses, as well as citizens, to devote time and resources to address the societal issues in the communities they serve and operate in. Call that social entrepreneurship, triple bottom line or whatever you want, it is important for our future.
The Skoll World Forum seems to agree. The Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship, according to its website, is the premier, international platform for accelerating entrepreneurial approaches and innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing social issues.
The video below is the video they used to open this years forum. I find it to be a wonderfully optimistic and encouraging video. I find that it nicely highlights one of the most spectacular and magical elements of the internet, the fact that so many of us are so interconnected for so little.
It has encouraged me to write this blog on social entrepreneurship. It is a topic I intend to return to frequently. If you know of social entrepreneurs who inspire you, let me know about them so I can feature them in future blogs. If you learn of a company (perhaps YOUR company) that does amazing and impactful things, share with us.
It won't change the world, but if it can inspire one person, then it is well worth it.
What a beautiful and short presentation of Social Entrepreneurship!
ReplyDeleteFor a thorough presentation of Social Entrepreneurship and the impact it will have on the future of humanity,
I strongly recommend a recent book, Social Entrepreneurship, The Secret to Starting a Business Worth Living For.
A good review of the book can be found Here.