A Social Impact Entrepreneur is like a superhero. They see an injustice in the world, that they just can't turn away from. They know that something can be done to solve the problem, so they do exactly that. They change the world.
But changing the world isn't cheap, and most often the people who need the most help don't have the resources, or the means, to help themselves. Social Impact Entrepreneurs know this, and they understand that changing the world needs to be driven by a sustainable business model.
Driven by selfless compassion and brilliant ingenuity, they set out to design businesses that allow this world changing impact to be a by-product of their success. The bigger and better their business becomes, the more positive impact they have on the world around them.
One of the best, and most well known, examples of a social impact business is TOMS. In 2006, Blake Mycoskie was backpacking through Argentina, and he noticed how many children weren't in school. Then he was told that the children couldn't go to school because they couldn't afford shoes.
Seeing this injustice caused Blake Mycoskie to build a $600 million shoe empire. It was all predicated on one simple foundation: "For every shoe we sell, we give a pair away."
The One For One™ model was born, and TOMS has now given away more than 95 million pairs of shoes since its founding in 2006. In 2014, Blake sold half of the company and put $300 million dollars in his pocket. Blake's desire to help, made him a very wealthy man.
Blake Mycoskie had never been anywhere near the shoe business before creating TOMS. But he didn't let this stop him, because it didn't matter. He knew that where there was a will, there was a way. He didn't have to have the resources, he merely needed to be resourceful.
Social Impact entrepreneurs are driven by the problems they want to solve, and the people they want to help. Did Blake run into any issues while building TOMS? You bet he did!!! But they didn't matter.
To a Social Impact Entrepreneur, problems are merely speed bumps on the road to salvation. Once they're over that bump, their passion and purpose forces them to stomp on that gas pedal. They know that the faster they move, the faster the world becomes a better place.
