Can Social Entrepreneurs Make Money?
Posted: Wednesday, July 23, 2008
by Hillel Porath
iyazam
This is a type of entrepreneurship that many people fail to understand how money can be made here. First let us understand what social entrepreneurs do – Social Entrepreneurs focus on social problems and work to improve and make things better. If that's the case then how do social entrepreneurs make money?
To understand this question lets look at the main industries where social entrepreneurs are active in:
- Health
- Human Rights
- Environment
- Economic development
I recently read a very interesting quote by Bill Drayton of Ashoka:"Social entrepreneurs are not content just to give a fish, or teach how to fish. They will not rest until they have revolutionized the fishing industry".
Social entrepreneurs are not just individuals who go around with baskets of candy and giving them out to poor children or volunteer teachers who do extra curriculum activities after school. Social entrepreneurs are regular business people who create new businesses or companies that will help change a social problem. Their focus is to revolutionize an industry by developing new products and services that will make peoples lives better.
Can social entrepreneurs make money? Of course they can – when we look at all of the successful "green" companies or the many other educational companies, we can see that social entrepreneurs can make money and a social difference at the same time.
This is the true essence of social entrepreneurship.
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)Hi Hillel, I appreciated your article. It is reassuring to know that we can help the helpless and still come out ahead. If not just enough to create additional opportunities for those who need the hand up. Hey, want to join my fan club?
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