The Ideal Salary

Social entrepreneurs are a group of passionate, innovative and resilient individuals. With a strong desire to better the world, they travel great distances, meet different individuals and find enterprise solutions to counteract the world’s most complex social issues. Today, there lingers a simple yet contentious question – what do these social entrepreneurs earn and how much they are worth? Should their salaries match those of private sector CEOs?

The particular crosses that the social enterprise industry bears include low salaries. A recent survey conducted on 20 UK-based social entrepreneurs revealed astonishing results. Among them, 5 did not take a salary and those who did only take a few thousand payrolls annually.

Craig Dearden Phillips, a successful social entrepreneur remarked, “Low wages at first are normal, but that this situation shouldn’t go on for too long.” I concur with this considering that social enterprise a business form on its own may not earn sufficient to cover cost initially like any other start-up businesses. Social entrepreneurs may get a pay cut initially however should not be distinguished from private businesses distinctly gradually. The role CEO of social enterprises play and their responsibilities are in fact on par with those in the private sector. Besides the opportunity to make a difference, they surely deserve to be paid at the market rate when the social business settles down. Financial security is needed in order for social entrepreneurs to support themselves and further advance their endeavors to tackle various world complex issues. “If social entrepreneurs are doing a good job, they should not “devalue” themselves and be rewarded with market rate,” asserted also Ceri Jones, the head of policy at the Social Enterprise Coalition.

Furthermore, social entrepreneurs face a multitude of challenges and that include obtaining little favor and financial support from prospect investors. Often, they resort to leveraging personal and social equity to carry out their works and offer competitive pay to talented employees. Taking this into account, it is often unfair to still restrict a social entrepreneur salary. They should be paid justly, nevertheless note not to mimic inflated salaries of most private company CEOs which will potentially enlarge the wage gap between CEOs and employees create a more unequal society.

Today, on the other hand, for most generation Y individuals, having a career aligned with their values to make a difference matters much more than the amount of salary they received. Ideal salary is not an issue for most social entrepreneurs. It may be painful but not pointless as they do good. Ultimately, to them, the greatest reward is not a high payroll but seeing the faces and happy smiles of those impacted by the time and effort they sowed.

Reference: 

Cahalane, C. (2012). Salary and social enterprise: what should entrepreneurs get paid?  Retrieved August 5, 2012, from https://socialenterprise.guardian.co.uk/social-enterprise-network/2011/jan/17/salary-and-social-enterprise

Start Young!

“Start your venture young. You’ve got nothing to lose.” That is what various successful social entrepreneurs would hearten young people during their pep talks.

In America, 4 passionate and dedicated undergraduates set up a social enterprise, “My Card My Story” with a common mission to present every underprivileged child in Mumbai an educational opportunity. How? By incorporating the artwork of underprivileged artistic Mumbai children into unique greeting cards, selling them in US and plough the proceeds back to the children to support their education.

As claimed by the 4 undergraduates, their dream of setting up a social enterprise would never become a reality without the exposure and resources their school proffered them. Personally, I agree very much with them.

To begin with, how exactly did these 4 young social entrepreneurs come together and generate their business idea? Well, it all happened during one of their lessons whereby their professor formed the class into teams, pinned large sheets of paper on the wall asking all to brainstorm business ideas and present in 5 minutes. It was then that these 4 individuals realized they had a common passion to alleviate the social issues in India. With a common goal and armed with a business idea they all believed in, they began embarking on a journey, turning a presupposed assignment to a reality.

Following, the school further presented these 4 individuals countless opportunities to enter into business competitions which provided mentoring programmes, funding and resources to take their business model from paper to product. However, reaching any goal involves sacrificing other things to get there. At the initial stage, the team put aside their hobbies and interests, toiled day and night working on business plans, etc. in the midst of juggling with school exams and assignments.

I personally feel their story is a reflection of where my team, Songjie, Bixuan and I are going through to bring our dream of assisting individuals who are recovering from depression to reintegrate into society through employment and rehabilitation. Thus far, the journey is never smooth sailing, many business ideas were pinned down, many logo designs were rejected, and it was also never easy to juggle between school, business and other commitments. However, just like the 4 individuals, working on campus had a way of pushing open doors we have never ever imagined. Encouraging school mates rendered whichever help they could with their talents. Supportive lecturers brushed up our business ideas and introduced competitions for us to participate in. Gladly speaking, our team is currently on the top 10 finalists of the Singapore International Foundation’s Young Social Entrepreneurial Programme, which presented many prestigious world mentors to guide us in our endeavors as well.

In truth, in the long run, it is unfeasible for non-profit organizations to build a robust society without interminable philanthropy. Whether our society will emerge for the common good, that question will be answered by social enterprises ultimately. Currently, Singapore has created a friendly environment to pursue social entrepreneurship – introducing social enterprises courses, organizing social enterprises competitions and conferences, etc. So, as young adults, be bold and courageous, take a leap of faith to step forward and bring innovative ideas to solve world social issues today.

Reference

The Huffington Post. (2012). Why you should start a social enterprise in college. Retrieved July 29, 2012, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/my-card-my-story/my-card-my-story-princeton-university_b_1695390.html

Individual Social Responsibility

Corporate social responsibility is no longer a buzzword. In short, it is a company’s commitment to behave ethically and contribute to social, cultural, economic and environment development. Undoubtedly, we are all familiar with CSR, but barely anybody will have known about individual social responsibility.

What is individual social responsibility? It is all about doing unto others what we would like others to do unto us. In fact, it is at the root of corporate social responsibility as a company is formed by many individuals who determine the social responsibility culture in the company.

In our day, we are conscious of what we buy, but even more conscious of how the things we buy are produced. Are the products manufactured through child labor or other inhumane conditions? Given 2 products with one produced in an unethical way and the other advocating a good cause, more likely we would purchase the latter one. In truth, whilst consumers are becoming more socially conscious, companies have to become more socially responsible to meet consumer demand as well.

Successful and well-to-do people like Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft Corporation give back to society by donating to charities, etc. However, I realized a large bulk of these money used to give back to the community is their private money and not the money of their corporation. A person like Bill Gates is an example of how we can each practice individual social responsibility.

Someone who practices individual social responsibility primarily, has a mindset to contribute to the society and therefore always endeavors to have a positive impact on the society and environment.

Sometimes it is easy to forget that one person can make a difference, and so can one can. In this world, we are never short of causes to contribute to. As long as we are willing, we can easily make a difference in our society by starting a social enterprise to employ the disadvantaged, helping out in events organized by voluntary welfare organizations, giving free tuition to children from low-income families, visiting lonesome elderly staying at one-room flats and many others.

George Bernard Shaw mentioned, “I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live.”

Neither today, tomorrow, nor the day after tomorrow is where our life is, where our life starts. As a member of your country and community, we can all do a little to make the less fortunate life better off by taking part in solving some of the local social issues. Even as a social entrepreneur, we must ensure our partners, employees and consultants adhere to the same value system and level of ethical standards as us -viewing our projects not only from a business perspective, but also from a social and environment one.

Reference

Anonymous. (n.d.). What is social responsibility? Retrieved July 22, 2012, from http://www.imasocialentrepreneur.com/social-responsibility/

A Socially Conscious Bank

“We are committed to partnering social enterprises to help them achieve commercial viability while pursuing their social causes,” remarked Mr. Lim Chu Chong, DBS’s head of enterprise banking.

Looking to open a bank account? Before you fill up those forms, make sure you are getting into the right relationship!

Today, in Singapore, we have DBS Bank increasing its commitment to do well and do good. Unlike other commercial banks, it’s not all about making money for DBS. Social enterprises (companies with a social purpose) can open a corporate bank account with DBS and enjoy several benefits.

• While small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) must maintain at least $10,000 in their account, there is not a minimum monthly account balance that social enterprises need to maintain.
• While SMEs have to pay up to 12.8% per annum interest rate on a loan, social enterprises are only required to pay an interest rate of 5% (less than half) on borrowed funds.
• Each month, social enterprises can also take in 20 Giro payments and issue up to 30 cheques at no cost.

In truth, we are all familiar with the biggest challenge that social entrepreneurs confront. That is finding sources of capital to either help them covert their idea into a viable business operation and meet their social and environmental aims or scale up their social enterprise and do more good in the world.

“We are realizing how do we get out of this first stage of growth into the second stage of growth, and that is where banks and investors can come in and say, ‘This is an area we want to support you with, here is a loan or investment that can help you’,” pointed out by Richardo Chua, the managing director of a social enterprise named Adrenaline Events and Education which employs at-risk youth to organize corporate events.

Richardo Chua is just one of the 80 social entrepreneurs who bank with DBS. In Singapore, we are progressively coming to a view that social enterprises would be the right way to get the economy rolling. Indubitably, social enterprises would necessitate investment in order to become much more independent, gain a competitive advantage and economic footing in the marketplace.

Therefore, Singapore would need more financial institutions like DBS who put away profit-making mindset for a moment, and commit themselves in helping socially conscious clients grow and get off the ground. As such, making more attractive funding options, like DBS’s social enterprise package, available for social entrepreneurs to more possibly embark on their meaningful endeavors. 

References

Sim, P. K. (2012, July 9). More funding options available to social enterprises. Channel News Asia. Retrieved July 15, 2012, from http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporebusinessnews/view/1212560/1/.html

Brand It!

Are you starting a social enterprise like me in the near future? You could be more wrong if you deem that brand management is something you will not have to worry about in the social sector. Well what is a brand? And why is it so essential?

In brief, a brand will be a social enterprise’s reputation you have for delivering on your promise. It comprises of a social enterprise’s logo, promotional materials and presence on the internet. For instance, McDonald is a brand on its own. It has successfully branded itself and created a positive perception among the public who are then able to define its mission – providing a cheap, convenient meal – easily.

So therefore, a strong brand will have some key benefits. Firstly, the brand is what our customers will remember. Secondly, it enables customers, investors, and the community to immediately recognize value and trust the social enterprise. Thirdly, it distinguishes a social enterprise from its competitors and demonstrates the real value it is offering to its customers.

Now, do you wonder how to build a brand? Well, to put it simply, there are 3 key components to create a brand.

Distinguishing
Social enterprise is a form of business on its own. In just Singapore alone, there are over hundreds of businesses with a variety of branded products and services. To distinguish your social enterprise, it is essential to know you business’s unique position, its value proposition – unique features of product/service, a compelling social story, etc. - and build your brand around that.

Credibility & Authenticity
A consumer will only patronize a business that they deem its product or service will serve its inherent promise. One way to gain consumers’ trust and advocacy is by being transparent about the obstacles confronted and the expertise brought into creating a product or delivering a service. In this fashion, you may be surprise that not only will your business begin to attract customers but will also form a loyal customer base which then further attract a wider audience.

There are multiple tactics that social entrepreneurs can used to develop a brand. Through the online platform, one can create websites, blogs, email campaigns and social media sites to reach mass potential customers with little or no cost involved. Through the offline platform, one can also set up events to build awareness of the social enterprise and its cause or even create materials that possess testimonials of customers’ experiences with the business’s programmes and services. This carry more credibility than anything the social entrepreneur could say about his business.

In my opinion, I feel that starting up a new business is not easy at all. Having a compelling product or service is not enough. An effective marketing and brand management plan is a key to bring positive attention to my social enterprise and enable my social enterprise to communicate effectively with my targeted public.

People will not know who I am and recognize what I do unless I brand it and speak for my social enterprise. 

Reference

Poston, B. (2012). Why social enterprise needs effect brand management. Retrieved June 15, 2012, from http://www.justmeans.com/Why-Social-Enterprise-Needs-Effective-Brand-Management/12462.html

Women More Active in Social Start-Ups

A study conducted on different start-up types on over 10,000 individuals from 52 countries reveals that women are 1.17 times more probable than men to establish social enterprises than economic enterprises. Personally, I am not surprised by the finding. Why?

By tradition, men play the primary role of breadwinners while women are the primary caregivers of a family.  Generally, women are found to be more active in community activities than men as well. This kind of traditional upbringing has instilled women with qualities like resilience, empathy, intuition to be successful social entrepreneurs. Moreover, in comparison to traditional businesses, profit maximization is not social entrepreneurs’ key priority. As such, women who juggle multiple roles (e.g. career and motherhood) could have less work stress and more flexibility in their working practices and working hours.

On the contrary, in the face of several social and cultural barriers, women’s potential is not fully utilized and thus women social entrepreneurship activity remains low. 

The key barrier to entry is gender inequality. In developing countries especially, because of gender inequality, women are expected to perform their primary role as caregivers and are not given access to educational opportunities or networking platforms.  As such, by and large, women do not have the required knowledge, contacts, capital, guidance and confidence to carry out their initiatives and pursue their social goals.

I strongly feel that there is a vial need to eliminate gender gap to create a favorable environment for social entrepreneurship to flourish. Surrounded by umpteen social problems, the world cannot afford to disadvantage women from opportunities to exploit their talent and expertise to create greater social change.

For instance, to help various women to enter into the social entrepreneurship sector, successful women social entrepreneurs can conduct mentorship or training programmes to enhance other women’s know-how and competence. Based on their experiences, successful women could also boost others’ confidence by sharing how they actually overcome certain odds and protect their legal rights to educational and career opportunities.

In brief, the progress against world social problems will improve if more than a few social entrepreneurs believe they can solve them. Women social entrepreneurship matters. We will need more favorable policies to encourage and develop more social entrepreneurs, especially the women to create sustainable social impact and make our world a better place.

References

University of Cincinnati (2012, April 3). Men start businesses for the money: Women for the social value. ScienceDaily. Retrieved July 1, 2012, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120403124404.htm

Scaling Up Social Enterprises

“Very few social enterprises have got to a national scale and had a major impact,” remarked Liam Black, a social entrepreneur who led Fifteen along with Jamie Oliver.

What is holding social entrepreneurs back from scaling up to deliver broader and deeper impact? This brings us back to the fundamental problem of how social enterprises could raise finance to scale up its operations. Today, it remains a grey area for social enterprises, on whether they should look for donations like a charity or source for commercial funding like a business. However, interestingly, a growing number of social enterprises are working with corporate organizations to create new ways of raising finance to scale up.

For instance, Autism Works that is run by Peter McDonald enjoys commercial financial support to scale more quickly through a Social Innovation Pioneers programme by strategy consulting firm, Deloitte. Autism Works hires autistic people as software testers. McDonald wants to scale up his enterprise across UK, hiring up to 120 autistic people within 5 years for 2 key reasons. Firstly, unlike typical individuals who deem hiring disabled employees will cause productivity lag into business’s services, McDonald sees the potential in autistic people doing a much better job than ordinary people in jobs requiring intense focus, comfort with repetition, and memory for detail. Hiring autistic people as software testers gives him the confidence that Autism Works will own a competitive advantage over traditional competitors. Secondly, he believes that scaling up Autism Works will eventually create more employment for autistic people and change the world’s perception of their work capability dramatically.

In truth, there is no lack of organizations akin to Autism Works that prioritize social impact over profit maximization. However, because most of these organizations rely on grant funding, the public often associate the word “social” to “loss-making”.

In my opinion, interminable philanthropy from the public or government will not safeguard social enterprises with a sustainable source of finance. Relying on philanthropy will eventually cause social enterprises to lose their commercial footing in the competitive marketplace. In fact, even blur the boundaries between social enterprises and non-profit organizations.

What social enterprises need is to do? Akin to Autism Works, they should develop sustainable business model to support their social mission and then seek ways of raising finance to scale up and deliver broader impact. In this context, corporate organizations with financial expertise like Deloitte play a vital role in helping social enterprises to expand strategically.

If more corporate organizations are willing to exploit their resources and partner with social entrepreneurs, not only more social problems can be tackled, new financial models can also be created to help the social enterprise sector become more financially sustainable to scale up.

References

Hurley, J. (2012, June 6). Building a social enterprise with added ambition. The Telegraph. Retrieved June 19, 2012, from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/businessclub/9313730/Building-a-social-enterprise-with-added-ambition.html

A Painful Heart Beats for the Marginalized

Have you ever wonder why some people become social entrepreneurs?

Well, for some individuals, including myself, we are provoked to make a difference having been exposed to several social, economic and political problems of society.  For some others, they have role models or parents who are social entrepreneurs themselves that they too are influenced to be a changemaker.

What’s more? There also exists a group of individuals who become social entrepreneurs having experienced some kind of trauma or held deeply transformative experiences at an early age. 

For instance, Kalpna Saroj, a successful social entrepreneur of in India has some roads named after the company, Kamani Tubes and attained several awards. Behind her success, there is a compelling social story.

Photo: Thomas Caswell

In India, there is a caste system which ranked its citizens as shown on the right. Kalpna Saroj, is born into the lower castes and identified as the untouchables – outcasts who are generally considered too impure to be ranked as human beings. For this reason, she confronted discrimination and struggled with countless adversaries. She is often bullied in school and was one of the victims of forced marriage at 12 years old.

Despite having grown up in a troubled family environment and experienced trauma, Kalpna Saroj nevertheless has the ability to reframe these challenges into opportunities for growth. Against all odds, she fought social pressures to escape from marriage. Not afraid of hardship, she worked as a seamstress earning less than a dollar a month initially. Recognized for her perseverance, competence and diligence, her reputation eventually led her to a CEO position of a multi-million dollar metal engineering company, Kamani Tubes today. 

Photo: Kalpna Saroj’s Official Website

Experienced a painful or tragic situation personally, Kalpna Saroj employs many from all castes and different walks of life, wanting to give them hope of a better life. She mentioned, “If you give your heart and soul to your job and never give up, things can happen for you." From what she pointed out, we realize that she carries a social entrepreneurial mindset that sees the possibilities rather than the problems created by change. In any case that she encounters obstacles in her current business, we can be assured that she will stay committed to her social cause and continue providing for an “undeserved population” she feels so invested for. 

For social entrepreneurs like Kalpna Saroj, owing to their painful histories, they carry an extraordinary burden on their shoulders that they would not turn away from any situations easily. 

References

Haindl, S. (2012). Kalpna Saroj: One of the few women social entrepreneurs in India. Retrieved June 15, 2012, from http://www.justmeans.com/Kalpna-Saroj-One-of-Few-Women-Social-Entrepreneurs-in-India/54332.html

Go-Givers Better the World

No doubt, most of us should be familiar with the term “go-getter”. If not, go-getters are aggressively ambitious people driven by accomplishment, reward and status. To them, hard work turns dreams into reality. Working harder than the rest, they make things happen and are tremendously successful. Yet,for most go-getters, due to their self-centered nature, the needs of people around them are often neglected.

Lately, I came across this book named, “The Go-Giver: A Little Story about a Powerful Business Idea” written by Bob Burg and John David Mann. It conjures up the thought that as social entrepreneurs, we ought to be go-givers instead of go-getters.

What are go-givers? They are people who put others before self. They find great joy and satisfaction by meeting needs and adding value to others. They believe giving is the most effective path to success in both their personal life and business.

In the book, it details 5 laws of stratospheric success for business. Among the 5 laws that have been mentioned, the law of value is the one that strikes me the most. The law states that our true worth is determined by how much we give in value than we take in payment.

In a free enterprise-based society, there is high competition among businesses, especially among those offering the same type of products or services at the same price. In such context, what differentiates one business from another? It is the value that one business gives to their customers. Customers will only purchase a product or service if they find the value in it is worth more than the price they have to pay.  For instance, Eighteen Chefs which provides customers high quality food at much more affordable price than other similar restaurants, gains a larger loyal customer base because they attempt to make customers’ eating experience more enjoyable and affordable. In truth, customers are able to sense the genuine care a business has for them. Recognizing the value a business brings to their lives, not only will they return for more services, they will also refer the business to the people around them.

Albert Einstein pointed out, “Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.” By being a go-getter, a businessman may become very successful and rich, but all he would have ever done is devoting 110% time and effort for self-interests. On the other hand, being social entrepreneurs, as we focus on being a go-giver, we do good businesses that not only benefit ourselves but also make a difference in the lives of those around us by adding more value to them through serving their needs.

Sir Winston Churchill once mentioned, “We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give”. Truly, as social entrepreneurs our life is much more meaningful and satisfying as we create our fortune and success through first giving passionately to others.

References

Goldsmith, M. (n.d.). What is a Go-Giver? Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved June 10, 2012, from http://www.marshallgoldsmithlibrary.com/cim/articles_print.php?aid=545

Unrelentingly and Without Permission

“Dad, I have everything I need right now, but there are lots of other kids with autism that can’t do the things they want or need. I want to be able to help them get some of the things they want with the money we earn. Can’t we start now? I don’t want to wait.”

Kent Melville 

You might be surprised. That was what a 9-year old autistic child, Kent Melville mentioned to his father. Kent, at a young age, wanted to start a soda company and used a portion of the generated profits to do something for people with autism. At the outset, Kent’s father was doubtful about Kent’s capabilities to run a business himself. However, having touched by Kent’s passion, he eventually supported Kent’s endeavor.

Today, Kent’s soda company named Kent’s soda can be found in several places –a farm, restaurant and a stand near Kent’s house in Vermont. For every bottle sold, a portion of the proceeds will be used to carry out social clubs, camps and other social development programs for autistic children and their families.

I am greatly encouraged by Kent’s story. Being part of the generation Y, most of us are socially conscious and assertive that we can make a difference in social issues and impact the community. In short, we are all young people with a passion for social change. But the question remains, what exactly is stopping us from entering into the field of social entrepreneurship?

The first thought that flashed through my mind is that, regardless of how capable and entrepreneurial our generation is, we are all waiting for permission to make our next move. What is so special about Kent that we ought to learn from? Surrounded with doubts and disbeliefs, he did not wait for permission from his Dad, he followed his passion and insisted on doing what he want to do to advocate his social cause. For the reason that Kent followed his passion boldly, a meaningful impact for autistic individuals was created.

Looking back on our life, most of us have committed ourselves to public education, especially in relation to social entrepreneurship for at least 2 years. If you are like me, trying to find a career path in the field of social entrepreneurship, I would like to encourage you to pick up your courage, follow your passion, familiarize yourself with the social problem you are attempting to change, and network with like-minded individuals or mentors that can help you to unlock your passion and make a change in our world today.

So, I would say the key to enter into the field of social entrepreneurship is unrelentingly and without permission.

References

Jardine, J. (2011, April 16). Look out world, here comes Kent. The Caledonian Record. Retrieved June 3, 2012, from http://caledonianrecord.com/main.asp?SectionID=180&SubSectionID=778&ArticleID=60517

Kent’s Soda. (2011). About Kent’s soda. Retrieved June 3, 2012, from http://kentssoda.com/about.html

The Huffington Post (2011). Kent Melville, Autistic 9-Year-Old, Starts Soda Business To Help Other Autistic Children. Retrieved June 3, 2012, from http://kentssoda.com/about.html

The Power of Leverage

As explained in the dictionary, leverage refers to the power or ability to act or to influence people, events, and decisions. The power of leverage is all that we need to attain out goals. This is the key message Mr. Jack Sim, social entrepreneur and founder of World Toilet Organization delivered at an event on entrepreneurship.

After realizing this fact from Mr. Jack Sim, I had some readings on the power of leverage. Not surprisingly, the more I read up, the more I agree with Mr. Jack Sim.

Mr. Jack Sim mentioned, “If you can use other people’s money, other people’s power, other people’s distribution, other people’s media, and other people’s influence and connections, and you align them towards a common mission, then each of them will join the party willingly.”

This is very much reflected in a formula presented in the book, “One Minute Millionaire” written by Mark Victor Hansen and Robert Allen.  Leverage=Speed=Goals, was the formula pointed out.

Photo: Donna Messer 

Looking at the diagram provided, on the left edge of the lever, firstly, we have a group of people in our network with similar interests as us. They are the ones whom we can interact, share knowledge, skills, contacts, resources etc. for mutual assistance or support. Secondly, we have a cohesive team of members who share a common goal and work towards achieving it cooperatively. Thirdly, we have trusted mentors who provide us with valuable business advice. At last, with all the tools and systems in place, on one side of the lever, we have got all that we need to get us to where we want to be.

On the other hand, our vision and dreams make up the right edge of the lever. Hence, it is clearly shown to us that for social entrepreneurs to truly achieve our social objectives, the fulcrum, the pivotal point of the lever is where we should stand to “be the change”. It is a position at which the lever is balanced upon and at which we could benefit most from the lever. For instance, Mr. Jack Sim shared, “Municipal governments are willing to host the event because it helps solve their own sanitation problems; the media are willing to cover the event because it gives them something to publish; and companies are willing to sponsor because the media coverage is strong.” Certainly, Mr. Jack Sim’s goal to increase awareness and improve people’s sanitation conditions was done by first bringing and aligning every element on the left side of the lever together towards a common mission.

Having realized this concept, I realized that in reality anybody, regardless of age, can overcome limitations and change the world just by connecting and leveraging the right people. It is truly how wisely we use our network - whom we know, whom our contacts know – to accomplish what others deemed impossible. Thus, like what Mr. Jack Sim emphasized, it is time to let go of our pride and leverage on people’s resources to achieve sustainable success. Our social projects are not about ourselves but about the impact our ideas create on generations to come.

References

Shemer, N. (2012, May 21). ‘Use other people’s money to achieve goals’. The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved May 27 2012, from http://www.jpost.com/Business/BusinessNews/Article.aspx?id=270912

Stop Throwing Starfish

Unquestionably, you have probably heard of the Starfish Story by Loren Eiseley: A man, walking along a shore filled with dying starfish, noticed a boy picking them up and gently throwing them back into the ocean, one by one. Realizing that there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish, the man approached the boy and contended that he would not be able to make a difference. Yet, the boy continued throwing a starfish back into the ocean and asserted, “I just made a difference for that one.”

Growing up listening to the famous Starfish Story, the mindset of ‘One can make a difference’ is cultivated in many of us. Consequently, we may not know, the story has also triggered the mindset of an inappropriate social entrepreneur movement – the power of one.

Looking into Indonesia, even though number of companies and individuals involved in social entrepreneurship is on the rise, the widening social gap within the growing middle-class is not shrinking but expanding. Having social entrepreneurs who work in isolation is one major factor that brings about this circumstance in Indonesia. Cases of Indonesia social entrepreneurs refusing to collaborate with one another and share their secret sauce are a commonplace. This in turn causes social entrepreneurs to face difficulties in enhancing and expanding their business to meet the needs of the sizable population.

According to Mr. Aaron Maniam, chairman of the National Youth Council Academy’s Advisory Panel, pointed out that, “Social entrepreneurship is about drawing from the strengths of all to create a cohesive whole. The ability to do this is critical. ”

As a matter of fact, real world problems typically stem from a broken ecosystem and lasting change involves collaborative efforts to tackle the root of the problems. For instance, if actions were not taken to act upon the key reason which caused the starfish to dry up on the beach, the starfish would certainly be washed ashore again. Indeed, time and again, without doubt, as social entrepreneurs, our own way of doing does make a difference. Yet, what many of us not realized is that the social impact we have pulled off is only on the surface. Holding on too tightly to our simplistic solutions, we have often failed to realize the bigger picture – the complex nature of the social problems we deal with to solve the problem wholly.

Mr Mechai Viravaidya, founder of Thiland’s Population and Community Development Association emphasized that, “Rather than simply donating money to causes, corporate could achieve sustainable good more effectively by investing in social enterprises set up and run by young people, and helping train future social entrepreneurs.”

Similarly, starfish throwing akin to philanthropy is not bad. Yet, it is not a sustainable solution to bring about a lasting change to the world’s social issues. As social entrepreneurs, we must be courageous, look beyond the present situation and challenges in taking the lead for sourcing ways to create lasting change – to do more than throwing starfish.

References

Anonymous. (2012, May 19). More firms involved in social entrepreneurship: Experts. The Jakarta Post. Retrieved May 20, 2012, from http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/05/19/more-firms-involved-social-entrepreneurship-experts.html

Hawker Centres With A Conscience

Are you a hawker, a budding hawker or a patron? No matter whom you are, we can all now look forward to a more vibrant hawker scene.

Not just a place to eat, hawker centres with a conscience will be newly built at several towns –Bukit Panjang, Tampines, Jurong West, Admiralty, Pasir Ris, and Punggol – within the next 10 years.

Run by a social enterprise or cooperative, these hawker centres set out with the aim to meet a threefold bottom line – making profits, creating social improvements, and achieving environmental sustainability.

Making Profits

A few slices of thin cucumber, a few pieces of meat – with such paltry ingredients, we, as typical hawker patrons, often supposed that the profit margin for hawkers should be rather handsome. However, that is not the case. Many humble hawkers struggle to make ends meet.

“As sub-tenants, our cost is higher so it is hard for us to keep food prices low” Li Hui Xing, a sub-tenant of a stall selling rojak and porridge in Chomp Chomp Food Centre, expressed.

By and large, for the private gains of the original stallholders, stallholders are often liable to a higher rental rate than the initial subsidized rate. This extra cost often ends up in the price of our meals, causing hawker food to be more expensive than it should be. For this reason, in the new management model, rental rates would be predetermined and subletting of stalls would be restricted to prevent profiteering. This movement not only brings in greater profits for hawkers, but also makes the selling of affordable food possible.

What’s more?  Community spaces (e.g.  Child-care and elderly centres) will also be incorporated into the new hawker centres. This not only means more business and profits for the hawkers, but also helps to forge community connection. A healthy community development brings communities together to work for a healthier, more sustainable future.

Creating Social Improvements

In the modern society, the marginalized, especially the disabled are deprived of basic employment rights. Akin to Dignity Kitchen, a training school cum food centre operator,  the new hawker centres will serve to provide employment for people who struggle to enter labour market habitually – the less privileged or those with disabilities. 

“Dignity Kitchen has fulfilled some of my dreams. Besides being a cashier, I am able to sing and be an entertainer”, uttered Norjumanese, who is visually impaired.

 In this fashion, we can build an inclusive society where people change their attitude towards the marginalized, giving back their self-respect and dignity and also the opportunities they well-deserved to be successful in life.

Achieving Environmental Sustainability

To promote environmental sustainability, environmentally-friendly features – recycling bins, solar panels, food collection points, etc. –will be incorporated into the design of hawker centres. What is more? In a move to promote green initiatives, hawkers and patrons will also be encouraged to adopt environmentally-friendly practices. For instance, hawkers are heartened to use more sustainable packaging alternatives like corn-starch based take-away boxes.

Truly, today, hawker centres remain an important part in Singapore’s life and acts as a social platform where people from all walks of life intermingle. It also plays a significant role as a tourist attraction whereby tourists are offered a wide variety of local food and opportunities to experience the local way of life. As Singapore works towards building a more vibrant hawker scene, without doubt, Singapore will create a “city that cares” image to visitors and also build a culture of doing good amongst citizens.

References

CHANNEL NEWSASIA. (2012, May 5). Social enterprises should run hawker centres of the future: Panel. TODAY. Retrieved May 13, 2012, from http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC120505-0000106/Social-enterprises-should-run-hawker-centres-of-the-future--Panel

Feng, Z. (2012, May 11). Most of hawker panel's ideas accepted. The Straits Times. Retrieved May 12, 2012, from http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_797639.html

Kotwani, M. (2012, May 13). Hawker centre to be run by social enterprise. TODAY. Retrieved May 12, 2012, from http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC120513-0000035/Hawker-centre-to-be-run-by-social-enterprise