Pearls of Wisdom: Advice to Younger Social Entrepreneurs, Part 2

Last week, I shared crowd-sourced advice from social entrepreneur pioneers. Our industry’s collective wisdom, developed through years of experience, must be shared so that we may continue to make progress against the challenging social issues that face our communities. I called this piece “Pearls of Wisdom” because pearls only come about through grit and perseverance, two traits critically needed in the social sector. The advice of these sages speaks to our shared determination as a community of social entrepreneurs to make a greater impact in the lives of those we serve. With that in mind, here are five more pearls of wisdom to inspire and motivate you.

Start with the End in Mind — Every social entrepreneur starts with a dream, but Tamra Ryan of Women’s Bean Project and author of The Third Law encourages us to go one step further. “First, spend time to develop a detailed picture in your mind. Then, create a plan to get you there. Start with the end in mind because if you don’t know where you’re going, how will you know when you get there?”

Change Happens — Social entrepreneurs are in the business of (social) change, yet it can be challenging to implement change within our own organizations. “Change is inevitable — ride with it,” suggests Carla Javits of REDF. REDF, which celebrated its 25th anniversary last year, has shown through its leadership that the best social entrepreneurs incite necessary change and take us all to the next level.

Listen More — One of the blindspots that many social entrepreneurs have is certainty. You need to believe in your idea, but as I tell my students, “Fall in love with the problem, not the solution.” Betsy Densmore of Academies for Social Entrepreneurship shares the same sentiment: “I would listen more and be less certain that I knew best.” Carla Javits agrees and adds, “Don’t be afraid to change your mind.”

Celebrate the Small & Big Successes — While most of the case studies in the classroom are examples of big success, Rolfe Larson of Joining Vision and Action reminds us that the “most meaningful change often happens in small accomplishments never noticed by the media.” He encourages social entrepreneurs to celebrate all success — big and small.

Don’t Quit — The secret to a successful career as a social entrepreneur is persistence and pivoting. As Jerr Boschee of The Institute for Social Entrepreneurs is famous for saying, “Don’t quit until the miracle happens.” And, as Allyson Hewitt proposes, “When you hear the inevitable ‘no’ from an investor or the market, ask for feedback and keep evolving your message.”

I hope you will share this piece widely — not only with millennial social entrepreneurs who deserve a headstart, but also with Gen Xers and baby boomers. We need them all to create social change, and we need to work together to share our hard-won best practices. We welcome you to comment on these or share your own lessons for the benefit of us all.