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February 2010 
Social Entrepreneurship
Posted on Feb 23rd, 2007
by 
Gaia Team
Gaia Team
We know it's a bit of an . . . unusual holiday, but we feel a little compelled to sit up and take notice. Remember our conscious capitalism bit on the front page? Well, tomorrow marks the beginning of Entrepreneurship Week USA.
That's right. From February 24th to March 3rd, Entrepreneurship Week is a celebration of the entrepreneurial spirit. And we're all about that. Entrepreneurism is about bringing ideas into reality (woohoo!) and creating new value in the world. And what an amazing thing to celebrate!
We're even more thrilled to note, though, that an even more amazing crowd is putting their own spin on Entrepreneurship Week . . . by adding a 'Social' in front of it. From Palo Alto to Washington DC, there are those who realize that true entrepreneurship is about so much more than making money. It's about adding real value to the world, by creating businesses, organizations, and programs that benefit the people who make up that vague concept we call "the economy." It marries social awareness to the enthusiastic innovation of development. Talk about being conscious.
So we're going to be blogging a bit over the next few days about social entrepreneurship, tipping our hats to those who're doing good in the world and sharing resources and inspiring stories for those who aspire to their own brand of entrepreneurial greatness. (If you have any tales of your own to share, we'd love to hear them!)
And while the week is US based, there's no reason why it can't apply worldwide. Grameen Bank brings microcredits to entrepreneurs in struggling nations, while London is gearing up for a Global Institute for Social Innovation. This is bigger than all of us, kids. So let's keep the change happening.
Posted by: Siona
Access: Public
Siona: Thanks for this timely reminder! Check out The Center for Social Profit Leadership as another organization working for a new and better concept of support for 'Social Entrepreneurs.” www.socialprofitleadership.com
Now this is what Zaadz is about! Nice. :) Thanks for posting this one, S.
That's awesome! One more cool thing I did not previously know about.
I've forwarded this to entrepreneur freinds and maybe-later entrepreneur friends. Thanks for the info!
I'm still struggling with both finding a term for my kind of business - socially responsible, environmentally responsible, progressive, independent, fair (equal) trade and not-for-profit - and finding a tax designation for it. I'd like it to be clear that people should invest in my business, like they would in a non-profit organization, and expect the return to be a better world, rather than money, but I'd also like it to be clear that this is an independent business, run by me (not a board of directors).
Not having a category for such a non-profit-business from the IRS is frustrating. I suppose I will just register as a normal business when I get to the point of making any serious money off the business, and then just market myself differently. But then, what do I market my business as? “Socially responsible, environmentally responsible, progressive, independent, fair (equal) trade and not-for-profit” is just a tad too much of a mouthful. It's just not that catchy, ya know?
What does this group do?
http://socialprofitleadership.org/
Siona, perhaps you are not aware that the group you recommended does not accept anyone who was born before 1955.
http://www.startingbloc.org/