How to Become a Social Entrepreneur?

As Nelson Mandela rightly said, “Vision without action is just a dream, action without vision just passes the time, and vision with action can change the world.” Most of us wish that the current state of affairs in our country could be changed. While it’s true that you can’t change the world all by yourself, you can definitely try to do your bit! Wondering how? Become a social entrepreneur!

Who is a social entrepreneur?

A social entrepreneur is someone who is able to identify problems in the society. These individuals solve social issues using innovative techniques by taking help from different people of the society.

Can you earn money in this field?

Yes, social entrepreneurship is about creating a business that makes a difference as well as profit. We live in empowering times and so making money and a difference does not have to be mutually exclusive.

What do you need to become a social entrepreneur?

If you have an immense passion for your cause, you can start right there!

Now coming to the main question – how can you become a Social Entrepreneur?

Pick a cause:

From eradicating hunger and encouraging education to fighting for women empowerment and child rights, there are a number of causes you can work for. Choose a cause that is closest to your heart. To begin the process, list down a few causes and ask yourself how you feel about them. There will be 1 or 2 causes that will tug at your heartstrings more than others. Those are the ones you want to work towards.

Research about the cause:

Research is integral to understand the roots of the problem. It will give you an insight into the amount of investment that will be required to get things up and running. You can engage in either primary or secondary research. Primary research would include gathering first-hand data from already established social entrepreneurs as well as speaking to affected individuals about how you can improve their situation. Conducting interviews, surveys, polls, studies, laying out questionnaires are all forms of primary research. While secondary research would include reading from published sources such as articles on the internet, journals, magazines, bulletins, research papers among other sources

Make a solid plan:

Once you’ve educated yourself about the cause, it’s time to design a plan of action. Just like any other form of entrepreneurship, money is essential for your cause to move forward. Start by pitching the idea to investors. You can even use crowd-sourcing as a means of funding. Post that, recruitment of volunteers as well as other members of the team is a crucial process. These two activities are important to keep the fuel of social work burning.

Enthusiasm and Optimism:

Spreading word about the cause you’re working towards is a challenging process. Social media has made networking with people simpler. Word of mouth publicity, offline modes like hoardings, pamphlets, leaflets, door-to-door advertising work well too. Some proven ways to increase awareness include hosting seminars and sessions that talk about why change is necessary.

As Mahatma Gandhi rightly said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Remember, every change is spearheaded by someone.

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