All about Social Entrepreneurs

Social entrepreneurs must remain open to solutions. This includes knowing when to pivot and change their strategies if their initial methods do not succeed. Adaptability and flexibility are integral in the development of early-stage social enterprises. Also persistence and pragmatism are key.

Social entrepreneurship is a popular term that has been trending in the entrepreneurial domain in recent decades. Many industry experts believe that women particularly, given their innate sense of empathy, make good social entrepreneurs.

However, it is not everyone's cup of tea to become a good and successful social entrepreneur. Therefore if you are contemplating on embarking upon your journey as a social entrepreneur, it would be beneficial to read on and understand the inherent traits that are required to become one.

"Social entrepreneurs must nurture a sense of curiosity about people and the problems they face," says Radhika Bose who works in a firm that mentors startups. She explains, "The best social entrepreneurs seek to truly understand the needs and desires of the people they serve. There is no scope and place for superficial understanding or quick fix solutions. Great social ventures often start through immersive market research, which is essentially an empathy-centric process through which social entrepreneurs gain knowledge in the field."

In order to design effective solutions, social entrepreneurs must be inspired by the people and problems they encounter. "Inspiration motivates action and helps social entrepreneurs tackle challenges that others shy away from addressing," shares Bose.

"In the world of social entrepreneurship, key resources, such as human and financial capital, can often be scarce. Successful social entrepreneurs know how to leverage the resources at their disposal and develop innovative methods to overcome obstacles. In other words, a social entrepreneur must be resourceful," says Bose.

Changing the world takes time, effort and experimentation. While visions for massive social change may provide their inspiration, experienced social entrepreneurs know that they need to take small steps in pursuit of their goals. "Great social ventures are not born overnight! Therefore the value of pragmatism or a pragmatic approach can never be overemphasized," says Bose.

Nivedita Kashyap a city based aspiring social entrepreneur adds, "Social entrepreneurs must remain open to solutions. This includes knowing when to pivot and change their strategies if their initial methods do not succeed. Adaptability and flexibility are integral in the development of early-stage social enterprises."

While embarking on a quest to change the world may feel lonely, it is important to remember that social entrepreneurship is a team sport and other people are willing to help. "Social entrepreneurs need to stay open and attentive to potential partnership and collaboration opportunities. In many cases, collaborative initiatives and joint-ventures can achieve social/business goals much more effectively than solo endeavours," observes Kashyap.

Finally persistence is of paramount importance. "Social entrepreneurs take on some of the most daunting challenges that our society has to offer. This often creates a recipe for early-stage failures. However, the successful social entrepreneurs are the ones who persist past initial setbacks and persevere to deliver effective solutions. Experienced social entrepreneurs know how to learn from failures, adjust their methods and make continual strategic improvements. So do not give up if at first you don't succeed," advises Bose.

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