When asked what does social entrepreneurship mean to me, I would say it’s a mixture of things. Superficially speaking it means finding solutions to social problems but to my eyes, it means opening up opportunities for those whose hopes were shattered when realizing those opportunities were being gatekept. I would say social entrepreneurship is vastly important in our world because it is the first step towards everyone being on the same playing field. Once we start to realize the significance of social entrepreneurship that it has on the lives of many, we will all be invested in expanding social entrepreneurship.

If you were to ask me what social entrepreneurship was before applying and actually coming to Detroit, I would probably Google it and give an answer like “it’s a method to solving social problems in the world.” Turns out it is more than just that. Detroit is an amazing city filled with culture and hope, two of the most important characteristics I would say a city needs in order to prosper in the near future. Maybe this is why social entrepreneurship is widely popular in the city of Detroit, everyone has hope that one day Detroit can go back to how it was a couple of decades ago.

Detroit Food Academy’s mission startled my eyes when I first read about them on the DukeEngage Detroit website. DFA serves as being a resourceful tool for high school students who are into the culinary arts and also interested in learning about entrepreneurship. Students first learn the skills and tricks used in cooking and baking to then execute what they have learned in more advanced programs within DFA. However, DFA is not like any ordinary cooking school, it goes way beyond what one would expect from a non-profit.

From one on one conversations I’ve had with students, I could feel the love these students have for the program. One of the students mentioned how she appreciates the program a lot because it is not just cooking skills you learn but you get to work on yourself. After she mentioned that it helps her work on herself, she mentioned that “DFA has helped me open my eyes, helped me work with others, allowed me to be optimistic, and be more responsible.” It was a heartwarming experience to listen to what she had to say about DFA and confirming what I originally thought about this program being more than just learning to cook but a program where kids have a place to be themselves. Sometimes sports and video games aren’t for everyone, and it is amazing to see that Detroiters saw it wasn’t and made a program like this one to help and guide high school students with useful skills and knowledge.

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When I first heard of social entrepreneurship, it is a very vague word. I do understand the “social” and “entrepreneurship” separately, but  I do not truly understand the concept of social entrepreneurship until I came to Detroit. During the first two weeks that I worked with MoGo, a social enterprise, I start to understand the true meaning of social entrepreneurship. In my opinion, is a business model that concerned more about making a positive impact on global issues than making money. Combining business with a do-gooder mentality, social entrepreneurship is an innovational approach for solving cultural and social issues such as alleviating hunger, improving education, protecting animals and improving equality. Similar to traditional entrepreneurship, the social enterprise also has business component that provides funding for its sustainable operation. But the main focus of social entrepreneurship is to solve, to benefit and to help, while entrepreneurship is more profit-centered. Although social entrepreneurship is not profit-driven, it can be non-profit or for-profit organizations. The mission is to use the innovational approach to solve existing social issues, through launching business or project. There are many social issues existing in the world; social entrepreneurship is a new approach, combining making money and doing good, to tackle those issues.
“Entrepreneurship is an equalizer that can and should be the pathway out of poverty.” I overhear Racheal Allen said this in Detroit SOUP, a microgranting dinner supporting social entrepreneurs. At the Detroit citywide SOUP, where four excellent social entrepreneurs pitched their ideas, ranging from art, urban agriculture, social justice, education technology and more, Racheal is one of the social entrepreneurs that day. She pitched her Motherhood Mentors mentorship program in Detroit SOUP. The program matches teenaged mothers with successful mentors who were also teenaged mothers. The mentors give guidance for mentees and help them to plan their life. The reason why Racheal launched such a program is that as a teen mom, she received guidance from her mentor that change her life and she hopes to give back to the community and to help teen mothers in Detroit. She is a great example of social entrepreneurship in Detroit. In fact, the community partner that I am working with is also a case in point. MoGo is a bike-share program that aims to provide accessible bike-hare service in Detroit. It aims to benefit Detroit residents to get around the city in a convenient and affordable way. To make MoGo accessible to everyone, MoGo has a “MoGo For All” program that provides $5 access pass for state benefit program members; it also has an Adaptive MoGo program that offers cycling options for riders of all abilities.
Detroit is a place where social entrepreneurship flourishes, which perfectly matches the Latin mottos Speramus Meliora and Resurget Cineribus in Detroit’s flag, meaning “We hope for better things” and "It will rise from the ashes". I believe social entrepreneurship is an effective approach that will bring Detroit rise from the ashes.
 
 

27 Dollars.
            After taking his economics class on a field trip to the poorest households in the village of Jobra, Bangladesh, Muhammad Yunus, social entrepreneur and Noble Prize recipient, made a profound discovery: it only requires 27 USD to lift a person out of poverty. After questioning locals as to why they did not acquire these small loans, he learned that banks were unwilling to provide minuscule loans to the poor for reasonable interest rates as the poor due to their perceived high risk. As such, Muhammed Yunus decided to act with the urge to eradicate poverty from the world; his faith in humanity compelled him to provide these $27 loans to 42 village women out of his own pocket as he believed that when given the opportunity, they would repay his loans. His revolutionary and radical idea disrupted the norms of credit: he did not require collateral. Unlike banks, Muhammed relied on mutual trust and allowed those with little financial means who are unable to qualify for minor bank loans to receive the money necessary to create their own profitable enterprises—microcredit. Due to the incredible success of his loans, Muhammad propelled his venture forward, founding the Grameen Bank—a bank that supports small businesses and entrepreneurs by providing microloans without requiring collateral. As of 2017, $20.92 billion USD in loans of which $19.02 billion USD has been repaid. Muhammed Yunus is exemplar model of a social entrepreneur: he discovered a pain and need in society, innovated a radical solution, and utilized his resources to catalyze large, positive social impact.

 Social Entrepreneurs.
            Social entrepreneurs and innovators share common DNA: they seek to create systematic change and create sustainable impact, hold themselves accountable to the constituencies served, constantly question the status quo, discover root causes for social issues, merge their personal experiences with social issues to create change, are unafraid to take calculated risks, are extremely creative, and utilize their resources to create positive social impact. The enterprises created are designed around innovations that can range from being disruptive—fundamentally different products or service that has a significant impact on an existing market and displace former markets, or even catalytic—a disruptive innovation that offers products and services that are more economically feasible and need underserved needs.
 
Responsibility.
             I sincerely believe that we all have the power to pursue opportunities in which we can aid the world and create social value. As Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben wisely stated, “with great power comes great responsibility;” with this power, comes the responsibility to not only discuss these social innovations, but to act. The amount of injustices in our world is ridiculously enumerable, and as Muhammed Yunus demonstrates, at times it can require as little as $27 dollars to save the future of a person’s life.  Whether it be changing one person’s life for the better or eventually changing hundreds of thousands of lives, we need to make a difference. The essential next question becomes what problem should we fix, and how would we go about doing this?

The process—demonstrated by Detroit.
            Detroit is a hub of entrepreneurship, a necessary adaptation following their economic crisis of declaring bankruptcy. A skill necessary to acquire in order to survive and make it through successful. From my time in Detroit, the myth behind the “social entrepreneur” has already been dispelled as I am now aware of the complex steps and process behind perusing innovative, sustainable solutions to address critical social problems. Most importantly, I am beginning to understand the importance of using business principles for the purpose of creating social value. This cyclical process can be summarized: Evaluate social needs and personal experiences, identify a social problem, educate yourself about the problem, generate an idea, create a Business Model (find investors, create a plan, consider scaling and replication), create a prototype, test and evaluate the impact, and then implement change. One thing to emphasize is that this process is nonlinear and with each step it is essential to revise and question the process and motivation behind each decision.

One of Detroit’s Answers.
            One such social enterprise that I have been fortunate enough to work with is TechTown Detroit, a non-profit technology accelerator and incubator that provides those with little financial means to launch and grow their businesses by providing event space, networking connections, workshops, mentorship programs, and coworking space. They have tackled the social need of the lack of low-cost mentorship and workspace, and have already successfully created social impact by serving more than 1900 companies and leveraging more than $130 million in start-up capital. What is especially interesting about TechTown is that they enhance and foster the growth of other social enterprises. For example, while shadowing our mentor Joanna, I was able to consult and aid a local company that TechTown was preparing for an upcoming pitch contest, Detroit Demo Day: Einstein by Design—a social enterprise that provides customized technology camps for younger children, inspiring future entrepreneurs. Not only does TechTown support fellow social entrepreneurs, but they also invest in the younger generation via their Innovation Studio program that is in partnership with Wayne State University. The program strives to inspire and close the confidence gap and encourage people to transform their abstract ideas into concrete products and services that can enter the business market. TechTown is only one of hundreds of social enterprises aiding in improving upon Detroit as a city.

My Turn.
             I hope to use these social enterprises as guides and resources, inspiration for the future, and as motivation to continue to provide positive social impact; to honor my responsibility to act.​

When I first came across the phrase “social entrepreneurship,” I had a very limited understanding of what it meant, what drives people to pursue it and how it impacts a community. In all honesty, I liked the phrase and thought it sounded like an interesting idea, without actually knowing what it was comprised of. However, in the weeks leading up to coming to Detroit and now finally working here, I have grown to understand the true meaning of a social enterprise and the work that they do. To me, these sorts of companies are responsible for finding innovative and sustainable solutions to today’s most pressing problems. Whilst they understandably care about the financial aspects of their business, their profit margin is not the only number taken into account when analyzing the success of their business. Rather, they focus on the community themselves rather than just the numbers, ensuring that the services they provide are fully used by people who need it.

This aspect of social entrepreneurship is something that I have seen firsthand at Street Democracy, where I am working. Street Democracy’s aim is to represent the poor and vulnerable, and use that representation to identify and research the systems that perpetuate poverty and punish the poor. Currently their focus is on implementing ways to fix the systemic causes of poverty through the court system, working with ex-convicts, lawyers, judges and policymakers to find a more effective and sustainable solution to America’s prison problem. Street Democracy has taken the initiative to try and solve a glaring problem where people find themselves incarcerated for the smallest of misdemeanors, or simply because of the poverty they are in. One of Street Democracy’s primary strengths is their involvement in the community. Although just a small office, people represented by the 36th District Court are constantly in and out of the office discussing their cases. Their model of working to reform the justice system, whilst also representing disenfranchised, low-income workers who would not normally get this level of expertise is improving the 36th District community and making it more inclusive. Their way of working as a social entrepreneurship that is determined to be a sustainable business whilst also positively impacting the neighborhood is the primary way I see social enterprises working in Detroit. That being said, I am keen during my next 6 weeks here to explore more of these social enterprises in Detroit and see their method of working, thus expanding my knowledge of what really is a social enterprise.

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​When applying to this program, I thought I had a pretty good understanding of what social entrepreneurship was. I figured any organization that was trying to do good for the community was a social enterprise. While this may not be entirely incorrect, I now realize that it only scratches the surface of what social entrepreneurship truly means. Social entrepreneurship operates at the intersection of ingenuity, determination, and altruism. A social entrepreneur sees a problem that pervades society and uses his/her time and resources with the goal of solving said problem. They want their business to thrive, but not because it means they will take home more money. Instead, they reinvest their profits in their company so that they can continue to do good for society. This allows the organization to achieve their goals while also creating a sustainable business model.
 
Today we are facing some of the greatest challenges that we have ever faced, including climate change, uncontainable technological advancement, inequality, and more. It will be up to our generation to solve many of these problems and ensure that we do not lose control of them. Solving these problems often requires changemakers who are willing to prioritize their goals over financial gain, which is why social entrepreneurship plays and will continue to play a very important role in the coming years.
 
My partner organization, NextEnergy, is a great example of social entrepreneurship in Detroit. This non-profit works with cities and innovators to accelerate clean energy solutions. Tim, our supervisor, explained to us that being a non-profit does not really change the way the business operates. In conversations with NextEnergy leadership, I have found that making money is important for the organization, as the business cannot continue to sustain itself unless it is making a profit. However, the people at NextEnergy are concerned with profit as a means to pursue their mission, not for personal financial gain. The leaders and employees are focused on making clean energy more common and readily available so that a shift can be made away from forms of energy that cause health and environmental problems. This summer, Maggie and I will be working with NextEnergy to help organize an initiative to expand clean energy into smaller cities that are interested in implementing such technology but lack the resources to do so. With our work at NextEnergy, we hope we can contribute to the ambitious and important goals that the organization strives to achieve. Although we may only make a relatively minor contribution to a much greater mission, it may create a ripple that could cause a lasting effect.

A social entrepreneur is someone who creates with intention. While profit may be a part of the plan, by combatting social, cultural, or environmental issues, the main goal of social entrepreneurship is to improve the lives of others. In a world surrounded by so much bad, social entrepreneurs serve as a beacon of hope. I’m reminded of my experience at Detroit SOUP, where is a city struck with tragedy, so many people are trying to come up with innovative ideas to help in any way that they can, serving as a light at the end of the tunnel. 
 
In one of my Innovation and Entrepreneurship classes last semester, we talked a lot about brands with purpose. While examining companies like Toms and Warby Parker, we often discussed the current trend of individuals supporting companies that make them feel good. For example, sitting at the Detroit Food Academy table at Wayne State market, many people glanced at the jams, popsicles, and granola bars and kept walking. However, when I would engage with the potential costumers and explain that the Slows Jams, Detroit Pop Shop Popsicles, and Mitten Bites were made by Detroit students who were being empowered as young entrepreneurs, they were much more inclined to purchase. Social entrepreneurs bring purpose to business.
 
Before coming to Detroit, my Grammy kept asking me what I would be actually doing at the non-profit I was assigned to for the summer. After convincing her that my time at Detroit Food Academy would not involve working at a food bank or teaching cooking classes, I gave her the same small spiel I gave everyone else who asked. More or less: “DFA is a non-profit organization that uses food as a tool to empower youth and teach them leadership and entrepreneurial skills.”
 
At our first day at DFA, my work partner and I learned that DFA was in desperate need of high-quality photos to promote their programs. So, the next day, John and I traveled to the advance class ready to take pictures.
 
But when we walked into advanced kitchen, I saw first hard the impact of DFA. As soon as students started cooking, there seemed to be an energy shift in the room. I started talking to students about their dishes, listening carefully as they explained what cuts they were making and what ingredients they were mixing together. I think some of the students thought it was self-explanatory, but to the girl who just hard-boiled eggs for the first-time last week (aka me), I was mesmerized by every step.
 
This past Saturday, I attended Tastefest, which was a culmination of the hard work of the advanced students from thought year. They each made a dish from a different country and even learned about the culture of each place. Traveling from table to table, the students were beaming with pride of their hard work. They exuded confidence. They were ready to take on a new challenge. To me, this is what social entrepreneurship is all about. Detroit Food Academy combats one of Detroit’s biggest problems, unmotivated youth, and gives them the skill set to turn them into leaders.
 
Social entrepreneurship doesn’t have to be about creating the next million dollar idea that’s going to change the world, it can be something as simple as giving students confidence.
 
And maybe, these kids will be the ones who change the world.
 

​To me, social entrepreneurship is the use of intellectual capital to create a business that creates a measurable amount of social good. In other words, social entrepreneurship constitutes a subset of “conventional” entrepreneurship, as long as the goal of these social entrepreneurs are to impact positive changes to its community. This type of entrepreneurship is important to modern society as it isn’t focused on making large sums of money, like many corporations strive to, but is focused on serving society and bettering the standard of living for the everyday citizen. Social entrepreneurship has the potential to ameliorate many social issues, in a time when everyone is self-centered and the world tends to turn a blind eye.

​An example of social entrepreneurship would be not only my partner organization, TechTown, but also the myriad entrepreneurs and small business that TechTown has advised and supported throughout the years. TechTown is an incubator that helps startups ideate, grow, and scale. It provides consulting services, intensive training programs, and rentable space for entrepreneurs to use. The company also partners with Wayne State to encourage innovation from students there and hosts a tech-based startup competition, DTX Launch Detroit, where each participant has $2,500 to launch their startup. The winner receives $15,000 to further grow their company. 

Through my time with Joanna, our supervisor at TechTown, I have seen two socially-minded startups that have come to TechTown for its services. One of these was a group called Einstein by Design, which focused on educating children about technology: robotics, AI, and computer programming. The founder, Tai Thibodeau, was preparing a speech for Detroit Demo Days, a pitch competition. Through their speech, Xin, Becca, and I got to listen to the story of a successful social entrepreneur, who spread her company’s influence across Michigan, and then across the U.S. Their program did not discriminate: lower income students and children of auto industry CEOs shared a classroom. Unfortunately, they did not end up winning the competition, but it was a wonderful experience to sit in on and advise a socially entrepreneurial pitch.

The other social entrepreneur I had the pleasure of meeting at TechTown was Rachel, who I saw previously at Detroit Soup. She presented one of her ideas, Motherhood Mentors, there. However, she has already seen multiple successes in terms of the other ventures she has had. Of course, all of them are focused on bettering the Detroit community. She came to TechTown to join the professional service network, as to get better connected with like-minded entrepreneurs. 

​Social entrepreneurship is one of the keys to improving our society long-term. Businesses need to give back to society. The relationship between businesses and normal society is vital to making our society the best it can be. Businesses can give back through various environmental initiatives, fundraisers, or events to raise money for disadvantaged groups.
 
Social entrepreneurship is important to me because I believe in the concept of giving back. If a business is going to make a profit, why not give something back and do something great for the people who are buying your products and services? The environment is an issue of particular importance to me. Businesses should try to reduce their and society's carbon emissions to mitigate climate change through social action. If a business can simultaneously make a profit and help protect nature, the firm should. Businesses should be avidly trying to better the societies future generations are going to be living in.
 
There have been many prime examples of good social enterprises. For instance, one of the largest social enterprises is TOMS. Born out of a trip to Argentina where he witnessed the issues children without shoes were facing, Blake Mycoskie formed TOMS with the intention of donating a pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair that was purchased from his company. Over the years, the company has expanded to areas such as eyewear, water, safe births, and anti-bullying programs. To date, Toms has managed to donate over 60 million pairs of shoes, restore eyesight to over 400,000 people, and give over 335,000 weeks of safe water. Another example of a famous social enterprise is STATE Bags. STATE was created to address the needs of American children that are living with challenging or critical circumstances. For every STATE bag purchased, STATE will hand-deliver a backpack that contains all the essential tools for success to an American child in need while promoting and enabling education and community inclusiveness. Backpacks are handed out by their team of PACKMEN and PACKWOMEN who have lived in at-risk-neighborhoods themselves and have successfully overcome their circumstances to make a living.
 
Social entrepreneurship is also important to me because one day I want to own a social enterprise. I would love to help people as well as allow my business to thrive simultaneously. I want to do something that is going to genuinely help people.
 
ProsperUS is the perfect example of a social enterprise. They are helping underprivileged entrepreneurs develop their livelihoods: their businesses. More business development means greater profits reaped and more opportunities for additional employment. ProsperUS also offers lending services for local Detroit businesses to thrive, whether the business be existing or a start-up.