7 Skills for Social Entrepreneurs
Social entrepreneurship has been a buzzword for a couple of years, and it’s now transforming into a practice. Today, giving back to society goes far beyond charity and writing off a check. Social entrepreneurs exhibit a set of unique skills that enable them to influence positive change in society. At the same time, business owners who aim to stand apart often adopt novel and effective approaches to addressing social issues.
Before diving into the skills required to become a social entrepreneur, let us understand what social entrepreneurship stands for.
What Is Social Entrepreneurship?
Social entrepreneurship is an approach by individuals, groups, or start-up companies geared towards developing, finding, and implementing solutions to social issues. This concept can be applied to different organizations irrespective of their size. The term social entrepreneurship entails social entrepreneurs who typically work without a profit motive. However, social entrepreneurs might establish a profitable social enterprise. For instance, a social entrepreneur might open a restaurant on the side to provide employment for the homeless and generate revenue.
7 Skills For Social Entrepreneurs
Social entrepreneurs work on a wide variety of social issues; therefore, they need to harbor various skills. Below are 7 skills a social entrepreneur must have to become successful at helping others.
1. Recognizing Injustice
Many instances of injustice can be found within our society. Social entrepreneurs highlight underlying problems in society that either marginalize a society or a portion of humanity. This separated population suffers from a lack of resources and the ability to enjoy a stable life. Social entrepreneurs work in groups to find robust solutions for such problems and provide financial, mental, and sometimes physical involvement to help underprivileged parts of society.
2. Turn Social Problem Into Business Opportunities
The word ‘social entrepreneur’ is incomplete without the latter. That is why some social businesses end up making a profit. There is nothing wrong if that profit is utilized to fund other social projects. Microfinance is a telling example of rewiring social problems into generating revenue. These institutes provide banking services to unemployed or low-income individuals who otherwise wouldn’t be catered by traditional financial institutions.
3. Motivating Change Through Participation
The concept behind motivating change through participation lies in the social entrepreneur’s ability to introduce ground-breaking innovation. An excellent example of this skill is Jason Aramburu, who worked on Biochar – a fertilizer made from plant waste. During his research, he created a fertilizer that could promote sustainable agricultural practices.
Aramburu made an organization responsible for providing Biochar to third-world nations. This initiative motivated a change in agriculture, and it wouldn’t have been possible without Jason Aramburu’s exceptional social entrepreneurship skills.
4. Part of The Action
Most entrepreneurs will provide financial assistance and wipe their hands off social issues. However, social entrepreneurs tend to take a different approach to problems. Besides providing substantial financial support, they don’t back out from physical assistance. Instead of letting others handle work, social entrepreneurs lead a social project from the front and make sure all the donated amount goes to the right cause while effectively managing a budget to meet the project needs.
5. Speaking in Public
Change is derived from inspiration, and for inspiration to take root, public speaking skills are crucial. Social entrepreneurs need to have excellent public speaking and motivational skills. While communicating with a crowd, social entrepreneurs maintain their calm, concisely address the issue, and offer their help. The rest of the inspiration is driven by their care, positive attitude, and giving personality. Aside from this, social entrepreneurs are excellent leaders. When it comes to fixing a problem, they are at the forefront.
6. Creativity
Social entrepreneurs often have a mix of unique personality traits that set them apart from others. A significant aspect of a social entrepreneur’s personality is creativity. To help the underprivileged and end social injustice, you need more than just money. To come up with an effective solution, social entrepreneurs exhibit creativity. This skill is not found in most people; after all, it’s a key trait that makes social entrepreneurs unique. They can address problems others might not see and come up with out-of-the-box solutions. This sharp thinking becomes possible due to lateral thinking abilities, and social entrepreneurs have excellent cognitive ability to boost their mental skills.
7. Opposing Adversity
At the root of every social injustice is abundant adversity and a stringent society that refuses to change. Sometimes, social injustice arises due to poverty. A prime example of this can be witnessed in third-world countries where girls aren’t sent to school due to lack of finances. In such situations, social entrepreneurs exhibit their empathetic skills and rescue people from the problems they face. Most of all, social entrepreneurs have an innate drive to oppose adversity, making them perfect for solving social problems.
The Bottom Line
Law, charitable institutions, and human rights regulatory bodies all perform their work within specific domains. However, social entrepreneurs actively seek opportunities to solve social problems. On the other hand, they have particular skills that make them perfect for addressing social issues. The list of skills mentioned above makes social entrepreneurs distinct from other social institutes.
One of the best skills of a social entrepreneur is turning every opportunity into a money-making venture. This ability to see profit through failed ventures allows social entrepreneurs to invest more in their welfare projects. Since the project earns through its own separate business, social entrepreneurs rarely require external findings.
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