Often when we look at entrepreneurship what first comes to mind is Silicon Valley, startup culture, and large corporations. However, through this class, we have been able to explore how entrepreneurial thinking goes beyond these sectors.
Social Entrepreneurs
Social entrepreneurs are individuals with innovative solutions to society’s most pressing social, cultural, and environmental challenges.
“Social entrepreneurs are the essential corrective force. They are system-changing entrepreneurs. And from deep within they, and therefore their work, are committed to the good of all.”
– Ashoka founder Bill Drayton
Through this class, we have been able to explore social entrepreneurship through the lens of local businesses with great values. From hearing from the CEO of Flowers for Dreams to the founders of Hewn Bakery, running a business isn’t just about profit (if you don’t want it to be). It is possible to incorporate your values and life purpose in your own company. At the same time, it’s OK to have a business and donate money to social impact causes. As we begin to dissect our own motivation and impact in our work life it is important to understand that entrepreneurial life is also one that needs motivation and encouragement.
Social entrepreneurialism gives space for community and large-scale growth. For one, consumers are interested in understanding that where they invest their money can also give them a sense of purpose. At the same time, social entrepreneurs open the door for others to also become invested in entrepreneurial ventures that make the world better place.
Opening the Door for Other Entrepreneurs
After the industrial revolution, entrepreneurship was steeped even heavier in systemic racism and sexism. When I began my entrepreneurial journey, I often thought back to these mental models of what I saw as real entrepreneurial ventures. Many of these ventures were led by white men and often culturally did not fit my idea of what a company should be.
“From its earliest days,” Chang writes, “the industry has self-selected for men: first, antisocial nerds, then, decades later, self-confident and risk-taking bros.”
The writer of BroTopia, Emily Chang, explores systematic racism and sexism in startup culture in her book. Conclusively, she’s also arguing that entrepreneurship culture is very hard to change when other people do not see themselves as figures in that world.
“In other words, they hired their buddies, and their buddies were all men. Yet they insist that such cronyism was just the meritocracy at work. “
In Human-Centered entrepreneurship, we were able to explore what it looks like taking your own journey and creating your own platform in the entrepreneurship space.
Main Takeaways
At Northwestern, I personally think students have spent most of their lives trying to figure out what they were going to be when they grew up. Whether that was their parents telling them who they were supposed to be or they themselves placing a lot of expectations on themselves, there is a lot of fear in exploring the unknown. There is a cultural idea that we should all expect to make 100 K+ leaving college and the only way to do that is to go to a standard consulting job, law school or into finance. However, many people have different entrepreneurial journeys and we have been able to explore what it looks like to own a local business. We’ve also been able to explore that owning a local business doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to have the lifestyle that many Northwestern grads expect from being a student here. Finding what makes you happy is the best way to understand how you can support yourself and your family.
