Thanks to my good friend Newt Fowler for a great interview!
Check out The Soul of Entrepreneurship.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Back on My Feet
In entrepreneurship, one of the hardest things to understand is that it’s not about the BIG IDEA, but about the idea that actually can work. And getting from the idea to the enterprise involves a lot of thought and effort. It’s called opportunity analysis, and it’s a lot of work.
In social entrepreneurship, there is a similar need to really think about how you are effecting change. Feeding the hungry is great. But getting them off the soup line and into gainful employment (like my friend Robert Egger does at d.c. central kitchen) is better. It’s called social change theory, and having a handle on it is absolutely critical if you want to make a real difference.
I’ve recently become a fan (literally) of a program called Back on My Feet, which – of all things – is a running club for the homeless. Now, before you giggle too much, think about this for a minute. Being homeless is a dehumanizing experience – you lose some of your self-esteem when you are without a place to call home. And exercise is a great way to build self-esteem (I know I feel better every time I get back from a run!). So what BOMF does is send volunteers down to local shelters, supplies the shelter residents with running shoes, and they train together as a group.
There are rules – clean and sober among others – but the basic idea is that you start to feel better about yourself, which then translates into an increased ability to get – you guessed it – back on your feet.
Great social change, and great social change theory. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m late for a run.
In social entrepreneurship, there is a similar need to really think about how you are effecting change. Feeding the hungry is great. But getting them off the soup line and into gainful employment (like my friend Robert Egger does at d.c. central kitchen) is better. It’s called social change theory, and having a handle on it is absolutely critical if you want to make a real difference.
I’ve recently become a fan (literally) of a program called Back on My Feet, which – of all things – is a running club for the homeless. Now, before you giggle too much, think about this for a minute. Being homeless is a dehumanizing experience – you lose some of your self-esteem when you are without a place to call home. And exercise is a great way to build self-esteem (I know I feel better every time I get back from a run!). So what BOMF does is send volunteers down to local shelters, supplies the shelter residents with running shoes, and they train together as a group.
There are rules – clean and sober among others – but the basic idea is that you start to feel better about yourself, which then translates into an increased ability to get – you guessed it – back on your feet.
Great social change, and great social change theory. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m late for a run.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
