What They Learned

At the end of the Hook it Up program we asked participants what they learned and what advice they would give to another young social entrepreneur starting fresh.

Among participants there were common themes:

1. Starting with the right attitude
2. The importance of social networks
3. Money management
4. Being clear on your purpose
5. Starting with the right team

Attitude

• I know now that courage isn’t something you wait for, it takes action, in the doing you find the courage. Hiding behind research and networking will only get you so far. A leap of faith is required and there is no such thing as the “right” moment, or a “perfect” business plan or project plan.
• That creating allies, partners and participants in what ever your organization may be, takes time. Have patience, everything will come together!
• Start as early as possible and be determined to your work through out.
• It is a lot of work, but once you develop your resources and your passion is ignited it is such an fulfilling feeling.
• The advice I’ll give out to another social entrepreneur is that there is always opportunities out there for you to accomplish your goals. Nothing is given to you, you have to work hard for it and the opportunity will present itself. If you want to start your venture, you have to go get it. No one is going to make sure that you’re successful other than yourself. That is what I know now and tell any entrepreneur starting off to keep in the back of their mind.
• The business technical aspects are actually not the most important. First you have to see if you have what it takes to start and build a social enterprise — so I recommend to completing some training workshops and joining networks of social entrepreneurs to unearth your personal leadership, confidence, and resilience. Second, mentors are very important. Find one or two key mentors to bounce ideas off and build your enterprise.

Networks

• I would recommend new entrepreneurs to really build a support group to help them accomplish their goals or just to support them when they need it.
• I wish that I knew that oftentimes passion can motivate people even more than money. I would encourage entrepreneurs to find others with a similar passion- those people will be a great support as you build.
• I wish I had known that there are plenty of people and organizations that support emerging entrepreneurs. For this reason, my best piece of advice to another social entrepreneur is to stop waiting for a perfect time to start their project and to just dive into it. You’ll figure things out as you go along and there will be resources to help if you look for them.
• Get out there, knock on doors and talk to anyone who will listen.
• Things may not go as anticipated- especially if you’re running a project half way across the world. The most important thing, by far, is having a positive attitude and flexibility to change your plans. I’ve learned that when you encounter problems, you can usually solve them if you have: A. Money or B. Friends/ Connections. Early-stage social entrepreneurs usually don’t have wads of cash, so make sure you have friends or others you can reach out for support, especially when you’re in a bind.
• Find ways to connect in person with leaders in the areas you need to integrate into your venture. They will move your work forward.

Money

• One thing I have learned is how valuable it is to think creatively about ways to stretch dollars. I have found it helpful to learn how similar ventures are funding their business and considering what may be most affordable and functional. I think it’s valuable to approach business purchases with an eye for quality and consistency as well as a drive to be frugal, and with enough research and planning, I think both can be achieved.
• To just pick one thing, I wish I knew how much money it was going to take to get to where we are now. There were a lot of overlooked costs like insurance or permits that were not factored in when we were determining the startup costs. If I gave one piece of advice it would be to take it slow and make sure every little detail is covered. That can be difficult if you are new to that field, so if you are able to work for someone else doing the same thing you can learn on their dime and time.
• I wish I knew just how much time and money it takes to start a successful business venture. Furthermore, I also wish I expected and asked more out of my advisors than just advice.
• To just pick one thing, I wish I knew how much money it was going to take to get to where we are now. There were a lot of overlooked costs like insurance or permits that were not factored in when we were determining the startup costs. If I gave one piece of advice it would be to take it slow and make sure every little detail is covered. That can be difficult if you are new to that field, so if you are able to work for someone else doing the same thing you can learn on their dime and time.
• Advice for new entrepreneurs is don’t slack on equipment. You may be a struggling startup but don’t look like one. A faulty laptop can set you weeks behind.

Purpose

• I would tell them to be very clear about the idea. Know your why and always stick to it. That will definitely be your corner stone for when you decide to collaborate and work with others.
• It is important to do a thorough needs assessment when starting a venture. Test your market before entering the market but even when you do test your market, always do follow up questionnaires to your target group to see new trends.
• We wasted significant amount of time with one of the Charity institutions we engaged with around building this work development model. They were offering resources for our services, however, they did not have the resources we needed to complete the project with them. We had various meetings however the project did not go through… I would have been more clear about our needs as an organization and the service we can bring to the table.

Team

• I wish i knew more about team building. Getting a group with diverse talents and skill sets is important. Also, make sure they are passionate about the problem you are trying to solve.
• Maybe don’t go at it alone — find one or two people to partner up with to leverage each other’s strengths.
• I wish I put a greater emphasis on the type of people I worked with initially — it’s all about team and culture. Furthermore, I also wish I expected and asked more out of my advisors than just advice. Advisors should also be the ones to create opportunities and be the first investors in you.