What you need to know to start or grow your social enterprise
How to find your tribe
Tip no3 to fellow and aspiring social entrepreneurs, from my lived experience
I often speak to social entrepreneurs. The most common questions they ask me are: What do we need to know in creating our own social enterprise? How did you do it? Where do we start? This is the second in a series of articles where I try to answer those questions and more. If you missed the first one, the first two tips were 1) Develop a coaching mindset and 2) Working 12 hours a day only goes so far!
Dear fellow and aspiring social entrepreneurs,
Here is another tip which helped me at the beginning as well as during my journey with Micro Rainbow, a not-for-profit social enterprise:
Tip no3. Find your Tribe.
Being a social entrepreneur can be lonely, especially when you are at the beginning of the journey. When I started Micro Rainbow 12 years ago, social entrepreneurship was less well-known. I did not have many role models or mentors to turn to. Finding my tribe not only helped me to keep going but it also made me feel less isolated.
I first came across the concept of a tribe when reading a book called “The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything,” by Sir Ken Robinson. My husband had given me a signed copy when I was living in Brussels, leading the world federation of LGBTQI organisations, ILGA. (It always surprises me how the people closest to us often play such an important role in assisting us to become our authentic selves). Sir Ken Robinson writes:
“Finding your tribe can have transformative effects on your sense of identity and purpose. This is because of three powerful tribal dynamics: validation, inspiration, and what we can refer to as the alchemy of synergy”.
These words spoke to me. At the time, I was struggling to find my tribe. On the one hand, I was an LGBTQI activist lobbying foreign governments for the decriminalisation of homosexuality, (equality for LGBTQI is one of my life’s passions). On the other hand, I was working hard to develop new income streams to ensure the sustainability of my NGO. Without realising it, I was following another passion of mine — being a social entrepreneur.
During this transitional period, I felt like I didn’t fully belong to the LGBTQI activist world nor to the social entrepreneurship world. I felt pulled towards different tribes and there was a disconnect between my two worlds. I also felt isolated and I had a sense of “not fully fitting” anywhere. Reading Sir Ken Robinson’s book during this uncertain time had a profound impact on me. It heightened my awareness about what was missing and what I needed and wanted in my life.
Creating Micro Rainbow helped me find my tribe. In Micro Rainbow I merge my passions for LGBTQI equality and social entrepreneurship. (I look forward to sharing more about it in a future article). However, it has not been an easy process.
It isn’t easy finding your tribe. I admit it was difficult at first to find validation as a social entrepreneur. In my experience, people do not understand what a social entrepreneur does. Some think it is not a proper job, while others assume I volunteer in a local community group (which do great work by the way!). I remember attending social networking events events in London and introducing myself as a social entrepreneur. The most frequent reaction was a blank facial expression, followed by “What the hell is that?” or a high-pitched response like, “Oh, I see, good on you.” They would swiftly move on to speak to someone else, presumably hoping to meet someone more significant like a banker or a lawyer.
Ultimately, my validation came from my gut, feeling this is what I was meant to do. However, it is not always easy to be in sync with your instinct. In those instances, I was fortunate to rely on the validation from my husband, my coach, and a small group of three people who I trust implicitly and who agreed to join me on the journey. They are still part of my tribe.
It was also challenging to maintain inspiration; mine came from following authentic leaders like Jacinda Arden and reading every book on social entrepreneurship I could find. Most of all, my strongest inspiration came from, and still comes from the impact we deliver. Every LGBTQI person fleeing persecution who secures the right to live and be in the UK brings us, at Micro Rainbow, the joy that fuels our inspiration. Authentic leaders, other social entrepreneurs, and Micro Rainbow’s beneficiaries are crucial elements of my tribe.
For me, the “alchemy of synergy” describes the power and cohesion of people coming together. I did not have many social entrepreneurs around me whom I could call upon for a chat. However, I was fortunate to experience a little dose of the alchemy by attending events like the Social Enterprise World Forum or by participating in a workshop by Social Enterprise UK. It also helped to speak and connect with social investors. It is not easy still to find the time to attend these events, and when I do, it refills my tank with dreams, ideas, and a strong sense of belonging to my tribe. More recently I have welcomed new members to my tribe. They are my coachees from all over the world and people who want to change the world through coaching, many of whom are part of the Wise Goose Community.
I realise now that being a social entrepreneur does not need to be a lonely journey, but it requires attention. My advice to social entrepreneurs is to ensure you build your own tribe. It will be an ongoing source of validation and inspiration, a gift that keeps giving. It will also provide opportunities to connect with others who share your values and mission in life. This combination will hopefully make your social entrepreneurship less lonely and uncertain. When you find it, I hope it will strengthen your resilience when you need it most, as it did for me.
With my very best wishes for your social entrepreneurship journey
Sebastian
To know more about me, you can check my profile on Medium or connect with me on LinkedIn or Twitter.
