7 minute read
Unit 5: The people who change the world: Social entrepreneurship
The people who change the world: Social entrepreneurship
What is a social entrepreneur? Who are the people who make the solutions that make the world a better place? Entrepreneurs are known as business people who see the need for a something, and they make and sell that product or service for a profit.
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A social entrepreneur is someone who sees the challenges in the world (financial, social or environmental problems) and they solve these challenges through what they make or do.
It’s important to remember that social entrepreneurs are still very much real entrepreneurs. They need to cover costs and make a profit, BUT: they do care about more than just money (profit is known as the bottom line).
They measure their success based on the so-called triple bottom line: PEOPLE – how the business affects people and society PLANET – how the business affects the environment PROFIT – how the business makes money, and how much
Social enterprises have goals to make the world a better place (social goals) as well as business goals (financial), but their main objective is to bring about social change. They use the normal entrepreneurial principles and processes to create and manage a business, while bringing about the desired change.
The first step in starting a social enterprise is to understand a social or environmental problem that you want to solve.
Think about it!
Does being a social entrepreneur mean that you do not want to make a profit? What do you think: SHOULD social entrepreneurs make a profit?
How do social enterprises differ from NGOs (do they)?
Teaching Resource | Case Studies
Meet 6 young social entrepreneurs who are helping to drive change, https://smesouthafrica. co.za/16609/Meet-6-of-SAs-young-pioneers-who-are-driving-social-change/
4 Surprisingly Simple Social Enterprises, https://www.thesedge.org/socent-spotlights/4surprisingly-simple-social-enterprises
Read the case studies that your parent or teacher will share with you.
z Why can they be seen as social entrepreneurs?
z Which challenges did they want to solve?
z Think critically about their business ideas. What would you do differently?
How To … A step-by-step guide to changing the world
Teaching Resource | What do you need to do to become a social entrepreneur?
Identify the problem you would like to solve The first step is to identify the social problem which you want to solve. Be very specific. It is important that the problem is close to your heart as this will give you the drive to continue when you really feel like giving up. Then write down how you will solve this problem through your social enterprise. This will become your mission statement.
Your mission statement should be able to answer the following questions: z What does your social business do? z How does your social business do it? z Why does your social business do it? z Find your community: It is important to become a member of the community whose problem you are trying to solve as they will advise you on the details of the problem and support you and your business. Consider involving other businesses in your community as well. This is where market research comes in.
Get financing You can finance your business through various ways, for example: z Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) z GSG Impact Investing z Impact management project z African venture philanthropy network
Grow organically When you start your business it is important to start small and local and work the kinks out of your social business model. Be flexible – take on opportunities that fit in with your vision and drop the things that do not add value. When you have a workable model, you can consider expanding.
Never give up There will always be people who tell you that you cannot do it, or who will come up with all kinds of obstacles. Listen to good advice that is well-meant, and evaluate all inputs, but don’t simply accept everything.
Social entrepreneurship has many challenges – also because the social cause you want to address in your business is close to your heart. But keep on believing, work hard and don’t give up! The world and its people will thank you.
Websites/Videos
https://www.climatecolab.org/contests/2017/land-use-agriculture-forestry-wastemanagement/c/proposal/1334140 https://www.lionessesofafrica.com/blog/2021/1/10/chioma-ukonu-a-social-entrepreneurturning-waste-into-impact-in-nigeria https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/agents-for-change/5-ways-social-entrepreneurs-are-tryingto-cut-food-waste https://www.news24.com/fin24/opinion/sas-social-entrepreneurs-going-from-surviving-tothriving-20180615
Teaching Resource | Case Study
Load shedding blues? The Baby Turtle’s got your back
Apr 22 2019 07:45 Anton Ressel
The original SolarTurtle
A Stellenbosch-based green energy company believes it can tackle lack of access to power and youth unemployment in one go.
SolarTurtle, a social enterprise that uses renewable energy designs to create jobs for youth and women, has signed a development and commercialisation contract with the South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI).
The result? Portable solar energy hubs that use the power of the sun to let users charge batteries, get WiFi access and other power-related services wherever they are, including remote and rural areas.
The SolarTurtle is an award-winning solar energy hub developed by Cape Town engineer James van der Walt and his team. The container-based energy kiosk features automated solar panels that deploy and fold away automatically for transport, or if there is any kind of threat, like wind storms, protests or anything else, Fin24 previously reported. It retreats like a turtle into its shell – hence the name SolarTurtle.
The so-called ‘Baby Turtle’ is a smaller, movable version.
In other words, this latest contract will see the design and implementation of three new solar kiosk designs of various portable sizes. They will all be based on SolarTurtle’s existing fold-away designs – which have been successfully piloted in several sites in SA and Lesotho – but with a new software management system.
SolarTurtle designs and builds solar kiosks with a range of applications, including charging stations, internet hubs and portable computer and training labs.
Their Nedbank project involved them developing a solar-powered container solution for providing banking facilities in remote and rural areas.
The latest project with SANEDI sees them combining solar technology with a micro-business model to create access to energy and sustainable business opportunities at a community level.
Market gap “There is a gap in the market for a small solar-kiosk that can provide battery-charging and WiFi options to meet the ever-growing reliance on smartphones and other ICT devices.
“What if you can just swap-out your flat powerbank-battery for one charged from the sun? You can take these bite size energy packets to work or home to provide immediate relief without needing a wall power-socket?” says SolarTurtle General Manager Lungelwa Tyali.
She says there is enough output in most power-banks to also power lights at home, thus providing a safe alternative to paraffin lamps and similar devices in areas with no electricity or where electricity supply is inconsistent.
Their vision is to provide access to cheap and sustainable energy to all South Africans for whom this is currently a challenge, whether rural or urban based.
“The demand for accessible electricity in pay-as-you-go increments has been proven across Africa. We at SolarTurtle just want to take it a step further,” she adds.
Baby shark? Nope, Baby Turtle Several years went into the development of these portable solar kiosks, dubbed ‘Baby Turtles’ by SolarTurtle co-founder and lead engineer James van der Walt.
“New battery charging station technology, coupled with an integrated software platform that manages the process for operators, customers and donors alike, will allow these energy kiosks to not just provide immediate relief to people that struggle to keep their phones charged and lights on, but also create sustainable opportunities for micro-entrepreneurs in these communities,” he explains.
Van der Walt adds that the back-end software that manages the kiosks will make use of various tools including gamification and online training to encourage buy-in from operators and help push these small green businesses to new heights.
The project with SANEDI will run over three years, during which time SolarTurtle will produce, test and commercialise these new solar powered units with the accompanying software packages.
The long-term goal is to provide a wide range of customers with access to safe, cheap energy while creating sustainable business opportunities, particularly for women and young entrepreneurs.
Read the case study about SolarTurtle and answer the following questions.
Why can this be regarded as an example of social entrepreneurship?
What resources did they use?
What problem(s) did they want to solve?
Who benefitted from the SolarTurtle, and what were these benefits?
INFO BOX
A mission statement explains in simple terms what the purpose of a business is.
Planning to Win
ACTIVITY 5.3
Choose one problem and its possible solutions from the list that you created in Activity 2.5. Now start thinking in more detail about a social enterprise you would like to create to solve this problem. Write a mission statement for your social enterprise. Remember to include the answers to the following questions in your mission statement: z What does your social enterprise do? z How does your social enterprise do it? z Why does your social enterprise do it? z Who do you regard as your community? z How will you involve your community? (also as part of doing market research)
Answer these questions in no more than 5 sentences each to form a complete mission statement for your social enterprise.
