Why I don't fit in as a Social Entrepreneur

Many of us get squared in in what the social entrepreneurship status quo requests us to do. Through this, we forget about our freedom to be who we are and create what we love. At the end, it’s this Power of Being that finally leads us into positively impacting and changing the world.

As a Socially-Conscious Change Maker, who has been trying to create positive impact through the social entrepreneurship approach, I can tell you that this can easily lead you to feel alone, lost and depressed because you are not capable of fitting your project into it, and hence, yourself into social entrepreneurship.

“Social entrepreneurship is an approach by start-up companies and entrepreneurs, in which they develop, fund and implement solutions to social, cultural, or environmental issues.” (wikipedia)

I tried very hard to develop my project into a social enterprise by following the guidelines of social entrepreneurship. I really wanted to define a steady business model that would allow me to sustain and grow the project and through it, my living. Nevertheless, this approach did not fit my positive impact mindset, because I was not creating a solution. I was trying to positively impact my target community through its empowerment and evolution, for them to continue growing and reinforcing their individual impact projects.

My business model suffered multiple adaptations and never was final, as my target population was so diverse; different change makers with distinctive projects around the world. I started worrying I wasn’t doing things right. But I continued believing in what I felt, in what I saw, in what I was creating and in what I was doing. Many years ago, I learned the importance to follow my intuition to become free of being who I am. I was now learning to become free of creating what I love.

By feeling my Power of Being - freedom to be who I am and create what I love - I risked anything to follow my heart. Throughout the years, I started understanding the meaning behind the words of respect, integrity, authenticity, humility, honesty, courage, purpose and collaboration. I experienced their real significance through my project, through its evolution and through its impact toward myself, and vice-versa, as well as through the interaction with others like me.

I finally understood that I am not a social entrepreneur and hence, my project could certainly not fit into the social entrepreneurship status quo.

I did not find a network that would connect, empower and support entrepreneurs like me in their evolution to create positive impact. When I decided to create it myself, I started meeting more and more change makers like me who aligned to my vision and beliefs. Through them, I conceived what makes us different: We are here to positively impact through who we are and what we create. This is our purpose. This is what leads us into positively impacting and changing the world. Individually and collectively.

We are Socially-Conscious Change Makers. And you?

Evolution - Community - iMPACT

With love, JEM