Our Partners World Pathfinder Children’s Fund had an incredible interview with Frankie Picasso on her Mission Unstoppable radio show!
Her shows are always a blast and this one was no exception. Jeff Overall, Founder of World Pathfinder Children’s Fund, spoke about the amazing work they’re doing to support children’s education in Nepal. Check out what he had to say here!
By one perspective, social entrepreneurs are about as good as the people they surround themselves with. Social entrepreneurship is the kind of field that relies, and indeed thrives on collaboration, not competition, with others.
One of PATHFINDER’s first connections was Solène Pignet, the founder of Creators for Good, a social enterprise that provides online consulting services to (aspiring) entrepreneurs committed to making a difference in the world, in financially sustainable ways. From the beginning, Solène demonstrated that collaboration and sharing knowledge with other SocEnts was essential to their combined success. Creators for Good are an excellent example of how working together opens incredible opportunities. And they motivate us to do the same.
Because of this, we thought it would be great to share some of Creators for Good’s insights and lessons learned. Here is some of the most valuable advice we’ve come across on our journey.
There are so many! I launched Creators for Good a year and a half ago and I keep learning new things EVERY week, with no exception.
I think one of the main reason may be that at school – or in the French society I grew up in– we don’t prepare for becoming entrepreneurs. We learn to be good employees for corporations, which need lots of qualified obedient workers (and not out-of-the-box thinkers and creators!).
I believe becoming an entrepreneur is a kind of rebellion: it is about not selling your time, your energy and creativity to mainstream companies – who are creating most of our planets problems (environmentally and socially). But instead, spending your time, energy and creativity to contribute to making the world a better place, in a financially sustainable way.
Learning – or convincing yourself – that you don’t need an employer to work, and earn a living, is probably the biggest step of all. However, it’s not the only one!
At school we learn that the more you work, the better. Becoming an entrepreneur means freeing yourself from this limiting belief!
For example, we are used to working from Monday to Friday (in my part of the world). In my previous work I was working from 8am until 8pm (sometimes more). I had a managerial position and a great salary, and I thought it was ‘normal’ to work a lot when you had a lot of responsibilities.
When you become your own boss, you get to set your own rules. Tim Ferris’s “The 4 hour work week” is a great example of this!
However, I do not work 4 hours a week (I love my work way too much for that!), but I am distancing myself from the idea that the amount of hours put in equals the equivalent in results. This translates into the fact that when I started Creators for Good, I was mostly selling my time (clients hire me to work on their project and I would spend X amount of hours helping them). Now, I am developing more and more products that don’t require my own time, so that I can scale my impact without working more (I co-wrote a book for example. Whether we sell 1 copy, 100 copies, or 10 000 copies, our amount of work is exactly the same, and the impact has (almost) no limit).
Now I don’t look at the amount I work, but at the quality: how can I better impact the people I want to help without spending more time working? How can I have a better work-life balance?
Creators for Good’s summer office (in the south of France!)
My question to social entrepreneurs is what could you create so that your impact goes beyond the amount of hours you spend (and make your life even more enjoyable than if you had a ‘traditional’ job)?
At school we are taught to study first, get a degree, and then work. Being an entrepreneur doesn’t require any specific degree-and you get to learn along the way!
This is maybe the most limiting belief of all: “Am I ready to start?” “Shouldn’t I be more qualified?” are questions I hear all the time from aspiring entrepreneurs. And it makes perfect sense in a world where the norm is to build your CV, to become an employee.
But when you are an entrepreneur, it’s not your degree that people pay attention to. What people look at, is whether or not your service/product will help them resolve a problem or challenge they face. They only care about themselves, not about you or your qualifications!
For example, you don’t buy bread from the baker that went to the best bakery school, but from the baker who makes the best bread in your area (he may have graduated from a good baking school, but also is using delicious ingredients, has a clean and attractive store, has a smile on his face when you come in to buy bread, etc. In other words, many things that go way beyond the theory of bread making).
With Creators for Good, I invested in a 6 month coaching program at the very beginning, to make sure I set the right foundations to start my business, because I knew my Master’s Degree in Sustainable Development was only good “in theory”.
Skype session with my coach Delphine Boileau-Terrien (she lives in the US and I live in Turkey)
Later, I completed training on how to blog (to make sure the hours I spend on writing content actually become useful for the people I wish to help through that medium), social media training (to make sure many people know about the help I can provide), finance training (to not go broke and sustain my impact over time). I also read books, blogs, watched YouTube videos and attended webinars on a weekly basis to make sure I put in place the best practices available for my business and clients.
My question to you is, instead of putting emphasis on your academic background (or wait to finish a degree to launch your own social enterprise), look at all the areas you want to perfect over time. Get started on something that you love and perfect your product/service and it’s delivery along the way. There is no better school than ‘the school of life’ and actual client feedback to know what and how to improve!
At school we learn that individuals perform at the expense of others. Only one person gets to be top of the class (or get the best job), and helping others means you diminish your own chances to ‘win’. In entrepreneurship – or at least in social entrepreneurship – helping others is actually the best way to move forward!
When I started Creators for Good, I opened a folder called “competitors”. I used to save all websites I came across, of companies doing the same thing as me (helping social entrepreneurs get started and grow their impact). Sometimes I felt so small looking at all the great work they were doing. Sometimes I wish they didn’t exist.
Until I realised, there is room for everyone! And until the problem I am working on solving (it is hard for people to start their own social enterprise) was not solved, everyone is needed. PLUS every so called competitor could actually become a collaborator, one way or another!
I renamed the folder “potential collaborators” (amongst many other actions) and here’s what happened:
And those are just a few examples amongst many!
The most successful partnership is the one with Danielle, the founder of theSedge.org. We both are on the same mission: guiding social entrepreneurs get started and grow. We even have the same tool – we work online with individuals around the world. Our formats are slightly different (she offers online courses, I offer 1on1 programs). We could have “competed” on our own. And yet, when we started to work together, awesome things started to happen!
Danielle Carruthers & Solène Pignet joining forces during the 1st “Global Socent Lab”
We started with a one-shot online event (where we invited both our communities to join a 1 hour live question-answer session). This transformed into a lively facebook community (with over 500 members in less than a year, and growing every day!) FAR beyond our expectations. We are now working on a common service that we will launch in June 2016 (spoiler: it will be called Changemakers Association).
AND we actually wrote a book together! Something that was far out of our comfort zone, but together we felt we had the strengths to make it happen. This book is actually based on our experience of driving a successful collaboration forward as impact entrepreneurs and the tons of research and interviews we did to put together an actionable tool for fellow changemakers. It is called “Meetings of the Minds: the Social Entrepreneur’s Roadmap for Collaborations That Work”.
Solène is a globetrotter, committed to sustainable development and passionate about alternative entrepreneurship. She founded Creators for Good in 2014. She provides online consulting services to (aspiring) entrepreneurs willing to make a difference in the world, in a financially sustainable way.
For more information about her and Danielle Carruthers’ book, “Meetings of the Minds: the Social Entrepreneur’s Roadmap for Collaborations That Work” visit the website: http://globalsocentlab.com/roadmap-for-collaboration-that-works/
What’s a social enterprise? What do they do, and why are they important?
These are some of the question we come across on a weekly basis. And although social entrepreneurship has become a big part of our lives and who we are, it’s good to check in every now and again to get back to the basics of what social enterprises, or #socents are all about.
The international development sector, PATHFINDER’s primary focus, has increasingly realized the important role social entrepreneurs have to play in tackling global development issues. But what are social entrepreneurs and how do they fill these industry gaps?
In this context, Devex Impact associate editor, Adva Saldinger, really gets it right.
Check out this short video and learn everything you need to know about social entrepreneurs!
A while ago, I had the distinct opportunity to speak with Mr. Joel Solomon, Renewal Funds Chair & Cofounder, and Hollyhock Chair. He had been so generous with his time and advice for PATHFINDER. Imagine my excitement when he accepted my recent request for a more detailed follow-up interview.
A quick note first: I cannot overstate the importance of the information here, certainly for investors and entrepreneurs alike, but also for various leaders, influencers and for impending decisions that will shape the future of our world.
Is more money being diverted to socially driven businesses? Are people catching on to the benefits of investing for social impact alongside financial gain? Are financiers looking into the feasibility of creative new models?
In general, we are now past vision, invention, and seeding of these ideas. We are in early growth stage. Awareness still remains largely limited to those who are directly involved. However, social entrepreneurship, enlightened investors, the questioning of conventional wealth management assumptions, and emergence of a new generation of values are combining in a powerful formula. This formula is gaining momentum, credibility, proof of concept and initial mainstream acceptance.
There is tremendous opportunity for emerging entrepreneurs to benefit financially from creating ways for people to align their money closely with their values.
Wealth managers are the first to feel the trend via pressure from clients. They’ve struggled to provide comprehensive, satisfactory solutions. Firms are repackaging solutions to highlight their efforts in these directions. New products are being launched. Wealth management firms that understand this demand, its value to the world, and how to relate to clients are gaining strength and growing.
In fact, we are now at an inflection point and cannot be stopped. Socially conscious business and economic practices are to become a given.
What areas are investors most excited about? Clean energy has had a lot of the focus thus far. Is that to remain the case for now, or are financiers starting to notice other parts of the industry?
Every sector of the economy, indeed of how people live on the planet, needs overhaul. Yes, clean energy will be massive.
But so will clean transportation, clean buildings, clean water, clean air, clean food, clean mining, logging, clothing…
Take organic food for example. Decades of early adopters persevered with businesses that grew, processed, manufactured, distributed and retailed organic foods. They worked in virtual obscurity. Only a small committed consumer helped this early stage. Organic food began to show up on grocery shelves. For several decades, organics outgrew conventional food by multiples of sales. Growth steadily picked up velocity. In the last decade it has become a major industry. And yet, in 2015, organic food remains under 10% of the North American food sales. It may be under 2% globally.
Organic food is now unstoppable. The common sense is too compelling. Health, worker safety, chemical runoff into water systems, depleted soil, and an entire system of damaging practices are now facing the threat to reform or die.
The same cycle is steadily evident in renewable energy, efficient transportation, green buildings, carbon pricing, local production, regulations to protect the commons, worker’s rights, taxation and many more systems. Every part of the economy will shift.
Essentially, all solutions that lend to responsible, sustainable living while generating profits?
Yes, exactly.
Is seed capital likely to remain limited and competitive?
Seed capital will likely always remain competitive. If it were in easy supply, the demand for it would only grow.
Do financiers remain nervous about the risk associated with models in this industry? What advice might best help overcome?
Investors are always nervous about risk. Two things are slowly changing that dynamic. One, wealth holders are learning to ask themselves, “How much is enough?” The other is that the marketplace of socially relevant products and services is getting bigger and smarter.
My advice is to practice reflective inquiry as a first step. Find the meaning of ones’ life. Use a little money for basic security and the rest as a tool for doing good in the world.
What is your best guess for when the concepts of Impact Investing and Social Entrepreneurship will become the mainstream trends everyone wants to get in on?
I do see money rapidly aligning with core values and high purpose. The signs are showing up everywhere and picking up velocity. Smart people are seeing how post-WW2 industrial values were naive and unsustainable. New experimentations are underway around the world, more than that can be tracked, in fact. Demand for sustainability degrees in universities is beating supply. Socially driven businesses are proliferating and expanding. Capital sources that seek these businesses are growing. People who want these products and services are growing even faster.
The visionary, early-adopting risk takers are often the originators of major changes. These are the people who transform the conversation from “it’s impossible” into “that was obvious.” If we can find our way to fair taxation, carbon pricing, regulations to protect the commons, universal health care, education, welfare for those in need, livable minimum wages, responsibility in manufacturing, recycling all waste, protecting natural systems, and terminating machinery that pushes rabid consumption, we may, just may become the ancestors who turned trends towards caring for our future generations.
Ten years from now, we won’t have this conversation. It will all seem redundant. That’s how social change works. Once enough people accept a premise, it is hard to remember how things were ever done differently.
Joel Solomon is President of Renewal Partners and Chairman of Renewal Funds, he is also the co-author, with Tyee Bridge, of the upcoming book by New Society Publishers.
I recently attended Impact Bazaar, the first of its kind by Impact Hub in New York City. I wasn’t sure what sort of conference I was signing up for, exactly. There wasn’t much information online and the event was scheduled to last over two months. But not only did I find the experience to be useful, engaging and fun, I also found it difficult to leave at the end of my two weeks there!
Impact Hub NYC is a subsidiary of MissionHUB, the organization responsible for the hugely popular SOCAP series. Over time, MissionHUB has established Impact Hubs in San Francisco, Berkeley, New York, DC and Philadelphia, and they exist to “support social entrepreneurs and impact investors in building sustainable businesses that drive long-term social and environmental change.”
Impact Hub NYC is a certified B Corporation. It’s “a coworking & events space for a community of entrepreneurs, activists, creatives, and professionals taking action to drive positive social and environmental change.”
Impact Hub NYC’s Impact Bazaar was well attended. There were organizations big and small, from around the country and a few from further away. It was a close and informal setting for the most part. And it was always cheerful. But what really set Impact Bazaar apart from other such conferences is the fact that it was so accessible. Admission was only $10/day and it bought access to most events, the work space, and good, fair-trade, coffee. Lunches, a range of ethically made products, and specialized engagements were available for sale.
Throughout the event, there were a variety of meetings, presentations and workshops by experienced, committed professionals. In general, there was this unmistakable sense of camaraderie. Everyone involved seemed genuinely dedicated to being helpful. Certainly, the opportunities for intimate networking were impressive.
My own favorite part of the conference was the people. I met (and learned much from) some great people at Impact Bazaar. These people were full of helpful expertise, contagious energy, and promise for the future we have the power to create, together.
Since this was the first such conference, I can’t wait to see what the future holds. I suspect this will become an annual thing, where lessons learned along the way will be applied for bigger and better events. Over time, I have no doubt that more participants and impressive names will join the roster. What I’d love though, is for this unique, open and accessible culture of Impact Hub NYC’s to thrive.
-Shivani
And we’ve come a long way. In addition to the many entrepreneurial tasks of setting up a new business, we’ve had lots of training in relevant subjects ranging from marketing to investor relations and development finance. We’ve had discussions with various experts, all of whom were incredibly helpful, positive and encouraging. We’ve begun partnering with impressive people and organizations. We’ve been published a lot and interest continues to grow steadily.
We’ve even received feedback from Ashoka’s Changemakers, noting our strengths to be our “Idea Originality, Team, and Understanding of Marketplace”. Their experts assessed that we have “good aspiration and an interesting idea”, and “a great ambition with this endeavor.”
We’ve often heard people remark that aside from our compelling work, we have an undeniable passion, infectious energy, and that we seem to be well ahead of the curve.
Based on our progress markers, our R&D, and on our outreach, it seems like we are on the right track; that’s all the motivation we need to continue to strive towards game-changing success!
Shivani is currently in New York City, where PATHFINDER was invited to participate in the Impact Bazaar. She’ll be meeting with experts, investors and academics alike. If any of you are in the area and want to connect, give her a shout out here.
Jess is currently completing the World Bank’s course, ‘Financing for Development’, that we were invited to attend with professionals from nearly 200 countries around the world. This unique course focuses on the United Nation’s new Sustainable Development Goals, and what’s required to achieve them.
And finally, PATHFINDER is proud to announce a cool, new pilot project: Agri-Cycle from Namibia. Agri-Cycle is an agribusiness startup run by three Namibians who have an excellent, locally-sourced, sustainable and scalable plan to convert organic waste into potent protein to use as fodder and such, 100% of which is currently imported. There are actually several national and regional uses for their model which we will introduce on our website soon. With the inclusion of this project, PATHFINDER now has a portfolio to help launch profitable local businesses in Nepal, India and Namibia, covering the social sectors of education, economic independence, equality, sanitation, agriculture and the environment. That’s a portfolio of work we cannot wait to get started on!
We are at the leading end of a great movement. There is so much potential in what we have planned through our pilot projects. Many people can be employed in their own communities. Many great problems can be solved through existing creative, sustainable and scalable solutions. Resources can be connected to requirements. Powerful partnerships can be formed for compelling, profitable work around the world. And these powerful teams will slowly change the way the world comes together.
But first, WE NEED YOU. We are featured on Fundable (by Startups.co) as their first ever social enterprise! Our services are also detailed here; have a look and help spread our message! Let’s come together and do something amazing.
“I have committed to being as helpful as I can”, is why Mr. Solomon took a call with me. He had responded immediately. He agreed to share some expertise with this new social entrepreneur, a follower from Twitter.
I had been researching, studying and interviewing for our new social enterprise, PATHFINDER, when I met Mr. Solomon. I was fortunate enough to have spoken with a few successful people, each of whom had been so kind. While every conversation had been educational, I found increasingly, that “social enterprise” and “impact investing” etc. are rather specialized concepts. The idea of using business as a force for good has only gained traction over the past few decades. Expertise remains concentrated among those who have spent years working in the industry themselves.
Joel Solomon co-founded and runs Renewal, “a collection of organizations that utilized the powerful tools of business and philanthropy in support of long-term societal solutions.” Mr. Solomon, himself a successful private financier, has affected several socially viable operations. He has empowered many people through his work and commitment to a better world. Our conversation turned out to be as targeted and helpful as I imagined it might be.
“What advice would you offer a brand new social enterprise? Please focus on how to attract attention and funds.”
Mr. Solomon spoke of 3 keys areas he believes to be critical to building a brand and raising funds. Master these, and a social enterprise is well on its way to legitimacy, perhaps even success:
1. Access, which referrers to one’s own network distribution. How many contacts can introduce one to money, or to events and circumstances that boast money?
2. Knowledge, about where the money is. There are specific institutions that offer seed capital, such as incubators and venture capitalists. There are organizations that promote equity crowdfunding. There are showcases one can participate in, for admittance to a particular audience and network. And then there are wealthy individuals who are looking for causes to get involved with. One needs to search hard, find these organizations, and work with them.
3. Lists, of potential bridges to private money. The goal is to maneuver oneself into situations where there is wealth aplenty. Know that building and executing these lists may be tough, as the exercise challenges one to step out of one’s bubble of comfort. How best does one get to, and represent oneself in a situation of power and wealth? What might hold one back? The intention is to capture as much stage and glory as one can while of course, championing the cause.
And of course, finally there is the “art of engagement”. Mr. Solomon briefly summarized characteristics of successful people everywhere, such as intelligence, strategy, personality, presentation, being realistic etc. The better known attributes of prosperous entrepreneurs play a crucial role as well.
35 million people comprise the wealthiest 10% of the United States and Canada, combined. “This means that 1 in 10 people have money here”, said Mr. Solomon. The rise in private money for business ventures with social impact, corresponds with a decline in public investment due to the decreasing reach of government. For those setting out to run socially sound businesses, its helpful to know that not only are there plenty of funds, but also, this is a rapidly developing trend.
Social Entrepreneurship is a powerful new movement (as I see it); one that allows people everywhere to take charge instead of relying on bloated bureaucracies and corruptible governing bodies. There will be several successful models of engagement over time. The best models will generate victorious public-private partnerships.
Much yet remains to be seen, learned and studied about this industry. But what we have set out to do is good. We will stay the course, build expertise and develop credibility. Hopefully, we will succeed and change many lives for the better. In any case, a few years from now, we will look back and remember our first supporters and advisers.
-Shivani
PATHFINDER 