Ditch The Hero Complex, And 3 Other Tips For Female Social Entrepreneurs

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Ten years ago, social entrepreneurship was a pretty lonely field. There weren’t degree programs or associations; impact investing and microfinance were barely even recognized terms. Even organizations like Ashoka – which has a 25-year history of investing in entrepreneurs with high potential for solving social problems – would have struggled to promote their “Everyone a Changemaker” vision.

All of that has changed. Economic bubbles have burst and sent us searching for meaning first, money second. Social media has transformed global into local. And Generation Y, my generation, has grown up believing that they can do anything – especially change the world. Social enterprise is not only mainstream, it’s superbly cool.

Even though there are still no “how-to” manuals, I see more and more women stepping up to carve out their place in this rapidly changing business environment. They are undaunted by the uncertainty. I believe that women play an essential role in shaping what it means to be a purpose-driven entrepreneur with a for-profit enterprise. But if we are going to get ahead and create the impact we know we are here to make, we have to break the unwritten rules of what it means to be a change agent.

Source: Forbes (link opens in a new window)

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