Stepping into a Better World with Social Entrepreneurship
Rakshita Nain | Aug. 30, 2020, 2:53 a.m.
"In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity” – Albert Einstein
If I put it in another way: “In the middle of someone else’s difficulty can lay your opportunity”, after a little change, this quote could be what defines social entrepreneurship. What I mean is: using other’s crisis as an excuse to help and grasp the opportunity to serve the society whenever your capabilities and privileges allow you to.
In 1980, forty years ago, Bill Draytoncoined the term- “social entrepreneurship”. He believed that society was changing drastically,therefore, a change was needed in conventional entrepreneurship.It was the time when most of the countries were taking their first independent step towards development. He envisioned the ways in which an entrepreneur can make remarkable changes in people's lives. He asked a few questions and observed societal trends. This led to the conclusion that the future will be full of change contradicting the past of rules and efficiency. Also to bring about this revolution in all the fields, he diversified his ideas in this single term. The concept of social entrepreneurship is to combine the business mindset with the spirit to bring change. The economic value of an organization determines its profit while the social value is often considered to be non-profitable. The words "social" and "profit" are seen on the polar opposite ends, so what lies in the middle? The answer is- The ideas to solve social issues while making a profit and running successful organizations. These associations are the grey matter, existing between the profitable and non-profitable ends, which was most meaningful 40 years ago and still is to this day. This is the whole ideology of social entrepreneurs in a nutshell; the implementations and impacts are wide. Further, let us find out why social entrepreneurship?
The initially developing modern world required social entrepreneurship to thrive but unfortunately, the present world needs it to survive peacefully. Our main focuses arethe current social issues and environmental crisis that the world and mankind are facing. Comprising of the best-combined strategies to counter them,undoubtedly social entrepreneurship is still the most suitable solution. This concept, if implied widely even after decades of its foundation, can altogether elevate society ethically, socially, and economically. It is about replacing the meaning of success from a moneyed concept to a change-making vision. The change-makers are the people with a mindset of a business tycoon and an activist.
There are a number of ways in which a company can become a part of this ideology:
- Funding: If your startup does not coincide with some social cause, you can fund an organization that is working on societal welfare.
- Corporative: Creating a business that looks into the concerns within their community groups is also a step towards balance and better lifestyles of people. Although, it is restricted and may not reach the actual underprivileged people.
- Product-based: Innovation is all you need to create a product that can help society in positive ways. It also includes the trendy eco-friendly production of goods.
- Profitable: This category consists of well-established businesses that spread awareness, run programs to donate, and or support social causes.
Social Entrepreneurship forced the most successful startup owners to ask the big questions and step up to revolutionize. Does the richest section represent the whole community or country? Or is it the majority that is shackled by poverty and hunger? Is it the privileged people who make the world or the socially neglected masses? The world is autonomous; does it mean it had got rid of the social evils?
The answers are simple and evident, but a few are willing to accept them. The growth of the economy does not imply the uplifting of barriers to social development. A society might be home to the most successful entrepreneurs yet worst encompassed by the social corruptions. All these problems intersect and overlap,making them more difficult to eradicate. Social entrepreneurs take the responsibility to bring a balance in society. Their aim is not to accumulate wealth but to use it for a better world.
The concerns are never-ending, but not taking a step forward is worse. It is about time to plan more than a profit chart, to create goals. About how various social entrepreneurs plan to achieve these goals is a different story for everyone. Your innovation, your creativity, and your will can lead you to the antidotes to problems you see around you. Some problems are so obsolete that they are deeply embedded in society- poverty, illiteracy, environmental issues, discrimination on different grounds, and the list goes on. The more future vision is shifted to equality and sustainability, the eradication of these issues seems possible.Social Entrepreneurship is a boon for society and for great minds. As no success is bigger than leading the way to a brighter and promising tomorrow, that way you don’t just save money, you save lives.
The sustained and balanced world of social entrepreneurs is still far as a utopia. There is a long way ahead to enhance its span and effectiveness. This cycle of making fortunate people more fortunate and deteriorating the less fortunate needs to break. The main stakeholder of the future is the young generation- our teen entrepreneurs. If you wish to be one of the great entrepreneurs who took responsibility not just for themselves but the world, then this is your chance to step up.
I will be writing a follow-up blog discussing ideas of great social entrepreneurs, stay tuned!
Written by
Rakshita Nain
Blogger | Writer
