Hello again!
Second article might be somewhat familiar to you guys... I can't recall when we might have came across this, maybe year 2?
But its okay! DEFINITELY not year 3 ;)
Its basically some pointers from two social entrepreneur pioneers, Carol Chyau & Maria So. (Our seniors!! Not BZSE seniors, but hmm y'know seniors in the social enterprise arena~~)
This two ladies own Shokay, which sells stylish posh products made from yak down.
This creates a livelihood for the Tibetan nomads, and ups their income bracket!
Yaks, by the way are very cute animals.
AWWWWW.
*pats furry head*
Okay, so anyway its not a particularly long article, do have a read.
Deep down in my heart I don't really think there are characteristics that you need to posses innately to be a social entrepreneur.
I believe anyone can be a social entrepreneur, its only a matter of choice.
I guess the article provided 5 simple things we can learn from social entrepreneurs who have more experience than us~
#1. Be absorbant like:
Spongebob!
Don't ever stop seeking advice from professionals, share your business plans!
Get feedback, attend conferences, learn, learn, learn!
Keep GROWING~
As stated in the article, Carol and Maria had absolutely 0 experience in the fashion industry, and yet they went in, head on. I think we can learn to develop this gung-ho spirit.
Setting up a business would surely have challenges.
The initial stages would require you to get down and dirty, to familiarize yourself with the industry that you intend to work with.
#2. Be curious like:
George? Nah! Like the charming Sherlock Holmes.
Carol likened the process of creating a social enterprise to something like solving a mystery. She said "Sometimes all you have are clues. When you don’t understand something you have to ask why."
Why why?
I feel even without uncertainties or questions, you have to continually ask yourself why to ensure that the in the end, your enterprise can be the best one it can ever be.
"Why am I doing it this way, is there a better alternative?"
"Why am I spending so much on XXX, is there some way to cut cost?"
"Why am I spending so much on XXX, is there some way to cut cost?"
And the most fundamental question "Why am I doing this?" What is your purpose?
Don't stop questioning yourself, as
“All our knowledge results from questions, which is another way of saying that questioning is our most important intellectual tool." (Neil Postman)
So as Neil the Postman have stated, the power to question is our most important intellectual tool.
You don't have to be too smart, you just gotta keep questioning.
#3. Be inventive
This old man is supposedly to be Thomas Edison, the great man who invented the lightbulb, gramophone and the motion picture camera, which is an old fashioned word for video camera.
It took 10,000+ failed attempts before Mr Edison finally found the right material to make the bulb filament.
Although not that drastic, Carol and Maria took 5 years before finally constructing the best business model for their enterprise.
We've got to be flexible and innovative in the way we create our business so that it can maximize profits as well as maximize social good.
Of course its not gonna be an simple activity! The traditional business model has been existing for so many decades to become what it is now. The social entrepreneurs of today will be the ones shaping this landscape, isn't it so exciting that we can all be part of this?
#4. Perspective like an:
Eagle.
As Robbie Williams sings in his song Bag Full Of Silly
/What I need now, is an aerial view/
'Cause I can see for myself/
That I can't see for myself/
Isn't it so true, sometimes we gets so wrapped up in the nitty gritty details of things, we forget the big picture?
Sometimes we need to alleviate ourselves to be able to see the flaws and improvements that can be made.
The article mentions that as a social entrepreneur , we need to think of 2 bottom lines, profit + people/planet/both
It is easy to lose your way trying to achieve that, but having your mind set on the bigger picture can keep yourself in track.
I feel its also important to maintain that mentality even in school, its so easy to get jaded by assignments and put aside our initial reasons for being here. Stay focused!!
#5. Be..
YOU!!!
I am very sure the last thing this sector needs are cookie cutter business models!
So many social issues to tackle, so many ways to get at it.
You can bring new dynamics, ideas and plans that no one else can.
What a great thing it is though to share all these creativity, and work together to achieve change.
I know there's a sudden influx in pictures (albiet not very professional looking ones...). Realised that this blog looks sad and boring without pictures so hahaha I've included some this time around. Hopes it makes this post a little more interesting?
Hehe, but it's the content that matter right!
Anyways! You guys can comment on some other things you think are important for social entrepreneurs, I would really like to know~
Also, I don't know if I'm really following the assignment guidelines..
Nevertheless, you could comment on other stuff too hahaha.
References:
Huang, J. (2012). Social Enterprise 101: Five lessons from an experienced social entrepreneur. Sg Entrepreneurs. Retrieved October, 30, 2012. http://sgentrepreneurs.com/2012/01/01/social-enterprise-101-five-lessons-from-an-experienced-social-entrepreneur/#more-31279
Beals, G. (1999). The Biography of Thomas Edison. Thomas Alva Edison. Retrieved October, 30, 2012. http://www.thomasedison.com/biography.html
(n.d.). The importance of questioning. QUEST quality education support and training. Retrieved Octobet, 30, 2012. http://ictnz.com/importanceofquestioning.htm
Hi Grace,
ReplyDeleteFirstly, I would like to comment that you have an interesting way of posting. With all these photos and emoticons, it really attracts me to read on further and further.
As posted in your post, I believe that their beneficiaries are women. Personally, I really think that women are usually at a disadvantaged position, be it financially or emotionally. I really like the idea where social enterprises are set up to empower women, maybe it is a bias mindset as we are females. (:
Just a point to share with you, currently in Singapore, there are only 2 organizations that are set up to empower women. They are HELP (Help for Every Lone Parent) and PPIS As-Salaam Family Support Centre -- helping them. I think that 2 organizations are relatively less, but as the phrase goes “Half a loaf is better than none”, so we shall also appreciate what we already have.
To add on, the founders of Shokay had zero industry experience and had no background in fashion or textiles but they still risk this chance and managed to persevere through it. I believe that, with the amount of hard work and determination, they deserve the fruitful outcome. Talking about this leads me to an experience to share with you.
As you know, I was posted to A-Changin for internship and the founder of A-Changin, Ms Josephine Ng had a similar situation as the founders of Shokay. Why? It is because, Ms Ng had zero background in fashion industry neither in sewing industry. Thus, she did tones of research, hard work and unlimited learning through daily operations, etc. I would say that, she is very successful and she deserves the outcome of A-Changin. (Note: A-Changin has 2 outlets and 1 workshop and MAYBE expanding further in future). It is definitely not an easy task for these founders to start up businesses in an industry where they have no much knowledge.
Therefore, I really respect them and hopefully, there is more people who will set up social enterprises, be it locally or globally to reach out the help to needy people. Lastly, I hope all these articles and learning will be able to motivate both of us to consider starting up an SE in the future (: