Why social entrepreneurs will save the world

Once upon a time there was an idea.

Over the existence of the human kind, we people, have been struggling, first to fit into the circumstances of the nature, then to create the environment that will suit our needs the most, and last but not least, to ensure there is constant growth and progress. But one question pokes the intelligence – how do we know what we really need? Do we need weapons of mass destruction? Do we need tons of medicines marketed as ‘eternal youth’ or ‘instant happiness’? Do we need tons of product packaging that creates piles of indestructible toxic waste?

Out of so much growth and progress, we forgot to pull the plug and consider how much is enough? Is business’ role still to maximise one’s profit?

The facts of today’s world are that air is polluted, food contaminated, water is in a pipeline to become a luxury good, diseases are mutating and threatening more than ever. Industrialization and consumerism will turn out to be the most treacherous developmental stage in the history of this planet.

But, as in every story, just when it’s the darkest part of the day, the sun appears. Transformation of businesses has already started. And it is the social entrepreneurs that will save the world.

Who are these people? A teacher who got laid off after a service of 20 years, an athlete desperate to reinvent himself, ex-model in search of inner peace, a guy stuck in a midlife crisis, women who said enough after being a stay-at-home mom for the last 8 years, a couple of teenagers – IT geeks who enjoy creating malware from time to time, a retired couple who realized all they wanted to do is support children with drug abuse problems…. The list is long, social entrepreneurs don’t necessarily fit a generation X, Y, Z…it can be everyone, anyone, me, you. Whatever the motivation and passion they carry, one thread is common – they wish to change the way business operates, the way world operates.

Social Entrepreneurs are a special breed, born out of a need, out of a necessity – to live and to contribute. To continue living on this planet, to start re-sharing and re-distributing, so that many more can have a little, and not only one or few can have a lot. They are people in a search of meaning, purpose, in search for a way to contribute to something bigger than them.

What else led to the appearance of social entrepreneurship? USA is currently the fourth most uneven income distribution country in the world. The land of opportunity turned into the land of inequality. I don’t have anything against rich; I have more against the ones serving the rich. The rich are following their dream, which and whose dream are we following? If we continue working in the corporate world, earning 5% of what the bosses are earning, then the gap will remain forever. It was my parents’ generation that believed it’s perfectly fine (and safe) to spend a lifetime working for one company, but already my generation from the mid-70s started rebelling towards a more creative and fulfilling work and better income.

Social entrepreneurs are people who understand that staying in the corporate world is directly feeding the gap of inequality, and they decide to play the wild card. Not only to earn more, which is usually not the case anyway, but to start doing what is really close to their heart and to start redistributing – giving more back to the frequently neglected support system – the environment, the underprivileged. Social entrepreneurship is not necessarily non-profit business, but it’s a business with a twist, with a new perspective and a different view towards growth and progress. Caring not only about a financial return, but also the social return is the sustainable type of progress – the one that spreads on all levels and includes all. ‘Social’ defines as ‘relating to society’ and entrepreneurship as ‘organizing, managing, assuming risks in business’. Common jargon recognizes ‘social’ as caring and ‘entrepreneurial’ as the one with initiative, enthusiasm, risk taking. Tying these two values into a leading economic engine could propel any economy. Doing something I really love, enjoy, something I’m passionate about, while creating opportunities for underprivileged individuals or community. Having social entrepreneurial spirit unfolding into all levels of society. Why not?

It is not a coincidence that social enterprises also pioneer in green economy. It is because besides care and responsibility for the social inclusion, environmental concerns are one of their core values. It is a holistic and systemic approach to the world we live in, if a business cannot encompass it all – then it’s not complete. And this is exactly why these businesses will be more powerful than the corporate world. Essence of social entrepreneurship is a personal, individual responsibility to preserving this world, its people and its resources. A responsibility to start behaving and acting in a sustainable way. A responsibility to stop the mass production and consumerism for its side effect could be equal to genocide.

Social entrepreneurship is a wakeup call of consciousness and love. Being conscious of all aspects of your life, all consequences of your everyday actions and choices, being aware that what you do today has an impact on tomorrow.

And so came an idea. Idea of a marriage between responsibility to something bigger than us and passion for doing what you love. This is a type of marriage I’ve been waiting to witness all my life.