Become A Social Entrepreneur: Characteristics, Tips & Ideas
Entrepreneurship is the buzzword of the hour and has evolved in a lot of awesome ways. Notably, the focus on social issues and changemaking is what really grabs my attention. So welcome to how to become a social entrepreneur.
This post explores some key characteristics and seriously helpful tips to start. Throw in some entrepreneurial ideas for inspiration, and we’ve got ourselves a party post.
We’ll start with some quick definitions, before looking at some common traits to focus on.
I’ve also included a brief section at the end about my own brand (this site) and how I’m using travel, music, art and filmmaking to create a social entrepreneurial brand.
Alright, enough chit chat, let’s get it!
So, What Is A Social Entrepreneur?
Social entrepreneurship is an on-trend topic, with origins dating back to 19th century Europe – but it still has a lot of room left to grow.
In fact, data from the United Nations suggests that, while the concept is top of mind for corporations and (even moreso) consumers, only about 3% of working age people in 58 countries were engaged in social entrepreneurship start-ups.
However, these numbers come from a 2015 survey. So things have likely (hopefully) shifted since then.
Also, coming from the same report, significant data gaps exist for tracking social entrepreneurship, making it difficult to know the true state of things with full accuracy.
Still, social issues persist, climate concerns worsen and demand from people around the globe for ethical brands continues to grow.
So I think it’s safe to say we can count on more altruistic business models popping up and sticking around for many years to come.
But what is a social entrepreneur anyway? There are a few definitions floating around, but here’s my take:
A social entrepreneur is someone who leverages business and brand opportunities to address and work towards solving social issues.
8 Social Entrepreneur Characteristics To Hone
Becoming a social entrepreneur is a laudable thing — for sure.
But besides your skills, passion and hard work, honing in on certain personality traits and characteristics will definitely help.
Below is a collection of some of the most important and common characteristics that successful social entrepreneurs share.
And if I’ve left off any traits that you think should be included, let me know in the comments – I would love to hear from you!
1. Imaginative
Being able to think outside the box is incredibly helpful when it comes to addressing complex social issues.
Being imaginative means being creative. It means storytelling. It means thinking in new and different ways. I’m a firm believer that all of us humans all have creative, imaginative muscles.
We’re all artists, in our own right. So hone in on this skill, it’ll come in handy.
2. Resourceful
Having the right tools is half the battle. But knowing how – and when – to use them is the other piece of the puzzle.
When looking to solve social issues as an entrepreneur, knowing how and where to tap the right reserves will be essential. This skill goes along with problem solving.
So be sure to sharpen your resourcefulness and it’ll surely be a key asset for you.
3. Curious
Finding novel solutions to complex problems requires constant education and research. A curious mind will keep you going.
If you’re always soaking up knowledge and seeking out information and answers to questions, then you should have an easier time becoming a social entrepreneur.
So stay curious, take those deep dives and head down all those rabbit holes. Who knows, all those “random” facts could come together and end up being serendipitous solutions one day.
4. Adaptable
Staying flexible and nimble in your approach is critical. Setbacks, obstacles and hard pivots are just the reality of being an entrepreneur – and that goes for social entrepreneurs as well.
Adaptability means you’re able to adjust to new conditions, take in new information and data and make the necessary changes.
It’s a competitive skill and will give you an almost Darwinian edge.
5. Team-Oriented
It’s all in the name: social entrepreneurialism. And let’s face it, going it alone has its perks but there’s going to come a time when you’ll need some help.
Being a Jack- or Jill-of-all-trades is fun, but it has its limits. Knowing when to ask for help or outsource certain tasks is important.
So whether you’ve run out of time or extra hands, or your skills just aren’t up to snuff (no shame there), having a team-oriented mindset is crucial.
6. Empathetic
Empathy is our intrinsic, emotional guide. It’s sort of like our subconscious sherpa.
We humans are naturally empathetic, and tapping into this skill can be incredibly beneficial to be more fully tuned in as a social entrepreneur.
Compassion, sympathy, empathy – all of these emotions are drivers in the changemaking vehicle. So use that sh*t.
7. Driven and persistent
Solving social issues is incredibly rewarding and actually pretty fun. But that doesn’t mean it’s not hard.
Having discipline and focus is essential, because inspiration and motivation won’t always be there —especially on those boring, clerical business days.
So remember your why, and stay persistent. All good things…
8. A willingness to try new things and take risk
No risk, no reward? Perhaps so. But even if your ideas are risk-on, putting humans and the betterment of society first is rarely the wrong way to go.
Still, you’ll need a healthy dose of risk-taking personality to implement any new ideas and changemaking concepts. And there won’t always be a roadmap to follow.
Risk-taking is in the blood of an entrepreneur – it drives you. So plan things when you can — and mitigate risk when possible — but also embrace the uncertainty.
How to Become A Social Entrepreneur: Key Tips
Deciding to become a social entrepreneur is super exciting. This is the fun part.
While the path forward will vary from person to person, there are some helpful tips and steps worth knowing.
Here are my top key tips for success.
Define your purpose
Knowing your purpose will add structure and direction while helping to maintain motivation and inspiration.
So think about and answer these core questions:
What’s my vision?
What’s my mission?
What do I care about?
Which social issues do I want to focus my attention on?
Self audit: identify your strengths and weaknesses
Once you know your focus and vision, things should start getting more clear. So now it’s time to take stock and do a self audit of our strengths and weaknesses.
Be honest with yourself and answer the following questions:
What am I good at?
What are my passions?
What is my expertise?
What are my weaknesses and where can I improve?
Identify core issues in your wheelhouse
Knowing the issues at hand is necessary. Unfortunately, there’s no shortage of social woes to address. So now is the time to start researching the core issues in your focus area and understanding them completely.
Consider these questions:
What are the main social issues affecting people in my focus area?
How are these problems being addressed?
What are the symptoms and effects of these social issues?
What are their causes and why are these problems still persisting?
Isolate issue(s) related to your core skills and mission
After you’ve identified your vision, your passions, your strengths and the core issues you want to address, then things really start coming alive. So let’s pull it all together.
Consider these questions:
Are there any overlaps between my skills or passions and the identified social issues?
Are there opportunities for me to apply my current skills in unique ways?
What weaknesses do I need to work on to better solve these social issues?
Are my skills, interests and vision aligned?
Brainstorm solutions and find your unfair advantage
This stage is an extension of the previous one. But it can be the trickiest – coming up with answers. Novel solutions often come from novel combinations of skills and interests.
So here is a quick strategy to try:
Use a Venn diagram to map out your different skills and interests
Look for interesting overlaps and matches
Are there any combinations that could be unique solutions to some social issues?
For example, my core passions are music, art, travel and filmmaking – so I blended those together to create unique creative projects that can help address social issues while sharing my success directly with my audience
(but more on that later)
Take Action
All the planning in the world won’t mean a thing if we never take any action (I know, duh). Still, I’ve been guilty of sitting back and scheming for longer than needed – you know, being an armchair entrepreneur.
So here are some tips to take that first step, especially if you’re not feeling like you’re ready for prime time:
Stop overthinking and just do it
(I know, this one is annoyingly obvious – sorry)
Focus on the present
Take mini steps – everything doesn’t need to happen all at once
Try to shift any anxiety to excitement and remember your why
Visualize and really feel your successful launch
Talk it out and get some help if needed
(remember, a teamwork mindset is an important social entrepreneur characteristic)
8 Social Entrepreneurship Ideas + Ways To Address Social Issues
If you’re feeling stuck with where to start, I’ve got your back. We all need a little inspiration sometimes – it’s how we keep growing.
So here is a short list of some potential social entrepreneurship concepts worth exploring. Of course, your options are endless, but feel free to run with any of these ideas if they’re hitting for you.
I’ll also try to circle back to this list periodically to keep things updated. But here are a few ideas and ways to blend entrepreneurialism with social progress:
Edtech software to address opportunity gaps
Food delivery box that addresses food waste
Donating a portion of proceeds towards climate change initiatives
A financial education and literacy app that also functions as a microlending platform
A new product that addresses and supports sustainability in the environment
Hiring and raising awareness for wage gaps and inequality
Addressing women’s healthcare rights
Building a social impact program to address clean water access and sustainability
How I’m Becoming A Social Entrepreneur (As A Traveling Creative)
Becoming a social entrepreneur wasn’t always on my radar.
I mean, I love writing music, drawing and capturing life on a camera while traveling. So jumping straight into social changemaking wasn’t exactly an obvious next leap.
But entrepreneurialism was always in the background.
I won’t go into my whole life story here, but after having a few too many serendipitous moments, I stumbled onto my big idea.
I’m going to blend music, art, filmmaking and travel to create a brand with a purpose that gives back more than I take.
Eureka! I can share my successes directly with my audience and donate a large portion of my profits as well. It’s a philanthropic creative brand.
So here’s how I’m planning on turning my creative pursuits into social entrepreneurship:
I travel and make travel-adventure films
I write original music while traveling and use those songs in my films
I create original artwork while traveling and attach a unique canvas to each travel-film-music project
I then wrap each project into an NFT, available for purchase
The NFT owner receives the original artwork + 35% of all project proceeds, in perpetuity
(video ad revenue, any merchandise sales attached to that project, etc.)
Another 35% of all project proceeds are then donated to a charity for social change
So that’s it. That’s my whole grand brand plan in a nutshell.
It’s worth noting however, that everything is still pretty nascent over here (as I write this post). So I’m sure things will continue to evolve and be pretty dynamic moving forward.
But I’d love to hear from you if you’ve read this far! Let me know in the comments what you think, or drop me an email through my contact page :)
Otherwise, thanks for stopping by today – cheers!
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