SocEnt Magazine
India: Opening Up Opportunities
Finding a job can be a daunting task; building a long-term career seems even more impossible. Imagine your typical Toronto job search and how competitive it is because every budding business major, scientist, lawyer, philanthropist, and writer is looking for their one shot. Now imagine doing that in a country of 1.3 billion people.
Eleven26 Jewelry: Empowerment Through Entrepreneurship
Can you imagine being a single mother, homeless, and struggling to make ends meet?
What is social entrepreneurship? What are its impacts? Why has it become such a dominant discussion topic? I asked myself these questions when I was first introduced to the term “social entrepreneurship” in junior high. Quite honestly, I was puzzled by the concept, because how do you reconcile the terms “Charity” and “Profit”?
In a corporate setting, the goal of most firms is to maximize shareholder’s value; in other words, firms want to drive up the return on investment (ROI) as much as possible. In the world of social finance, ROI does not stop there. Social finance takes an additional step and adds value from the “social dividends” the company receives.
Social entrepreneurship isn’t always about creating something new; it can be as simple as identifying solutions for common social problems. One example is Colalife, a UK based charity. The concept is simple, but not easily identifiable.
Have you been hearing the words “social innovation”, “impact investing”, and “SROI” often? Interested in social entrepreneurship and don’t know where to start (or exactly what it means)?
Take a look at these resources and organizations for a grounding in social enterprise:
Top 5 ways to find a summer internship if you have no experience and no connections
Sick of applying on job boards and not getting a response? Need a summer internship (paid or otherwise) to boost your resume and earn some extra cash to pay for your student loans? Check out these alternative ways to finding a job!
Entrepreneur Culture: How Singapore Became One of the Hottest Entrepreneurial Scenes
Small republic. Big Ideas.
Singapore; a country so small, yet so highly regarded for their spectacular cultivation of entrepreneurial spirit. Regarded by The Economist as “The World’s Most Tightly Packed Entrepreneurial Ecosystem”, Singapore has truly shown the world what it is capable of. Just a few years ago, Singapore’s name was rarely mentioned within the entrepreneurial scene; however, the brilliant republic managed to completely turn this around, rendering it as one of the global entrepreneurial hotspots. How did Singapore do this?
So many things can go wrong in business. Companies with great products, services, and people can and do fail. This can be for a number of reasons: poor cashflow, poor marketing, or some external force. But in many cases failure can be attributed to a few simple things. Sometimes, it can be something as simple as lack of a clear message. This is why your pitch is critical.
Crowdfunding has created a permanent shift in the financing landscape. Nonprofits, businesses, Entrepreneurs, and potato salad enthusiasts individuals are using this new channel to tap into a mass of investors to fund their ideas. Crowdfunding should be especially appealing for nonprofits, as it allows hundreds or even thousands of supporters to vote with their wallets and bring worthwhile projects or causes to life.