We all want to change the world. Some channel this desire into their professions by becoming nurses, doctors, or philanthropists. Others fulfill their longing through hobbies, volunteering for causes they support. For many years, those of us with entrepreneurial flair were considered to be in a different category, focussed alone on business or money.
That mindset is finally disappearing, with many of this decade’s most successful startups incorporating a social benefit into the fabric of their business models. The once-unique model now fills an entire category called “social entrepreneurship.”
TOMS Shoes was one of the first prominent brands to launch a “one-for-one” model, by which every pair of shoes sold provided a pair for a barefoot child somewhere in the world. FEED is a brand that sells high-end bags as funding mechanisms for school meals for children. One bag pays for 185 lunches. That’s no small impact.
The list of world-changing social enterprises goes on and on. The message? Separating entrepreneurial flair from world impact is a thing of the past. We filmed an entire episode on the subject called Social Entrepreneurs. For teachers, we’ve also created a FREE lesson plan to use in the classroom.
Here’s one of our profiles from that episode, featuring Richard’s Rwanda, a social enterprise that supports orphans whose parents were victims of the genocide in Rwanda.