Thinking big, being bold, marketing and financial savvy: All these are required to make the leap from small business to high-growth business. But what keeps all these pieces together?

10 Social Media Habits To Boost Your Business

by Geri Stengel on Jul 28, 2011 - 12:19am

customer service social enterprise social entrepreneur Social Entrepreneurship Social Media social media sustainability

Yes, you can grow a business without damaging the planet or the people who live on it. From a start-up in 2006 to a presence in 30,000 stores worldwide, Yes To is a success story by any measure. And its values, as explained on its Facebook page, could come straight from “Social Enterprise 101,” if there were such a handbook:

a portion of all proceeds has been dedicated to a non-profit, 501(c)3 organization
sustainability in products, partners, and the lives of the company and the people who work for the company
a team committed to taking steps to lead greener and more 'aware' lifestyles (organic fruit deliveries! recycling! team yoga!)
a healthy, happy team makes everything a little bit better

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Just What Is a "Socialpreneur?"

by Geri Stengel on Jan 11, 2011 - 12:17am

social entrepreneur Social Entrepreneurship social media socialpreneur Trends values-driven

It's the era of word creation: anything beginning with "i" as in iPhone or "e" as in e-marketing and, it seems, anything ending in "-preneur" as in solo-preneur.

But with no one standardizing definitions, the process has gotten out of hand; conglomerate words are taking on multiple meanings. Case in point: socialpreneur.

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When Bad Things Happen to Good Businesses

by Geri Stengel on Aug 19, 2010 - 10:11am

flip-flops Lessons Learned planning Small Business social entrepreneur Social Entrepreneurship social media

You can't plan for everything.

Like BP not putting in the right kind of plug on its oil well.

Kyle Berner saw a need and built a company that took into account sustainability, market, community benefit, biodegradability, fair trade, and ethics.

Vokashi: Fermenting Food Waste, Eliminating Garbage

by Geri Stengel on Aug 5, 2010 - 8:00am

business plan competition Case Studies composting social entrepreneur Social Entrepreneurship start-up business

Vandra Thorburn went into business for herself later in life – at 62 – motivated by both a cause and being laid off from her job. Necessity is the mother of invention!

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Do Ethics Matter in Social Enterprise?

by Geri Stengel on Jul 20, 2010 - 8:00am

Commentary / Opinion ethics marketing social entrepreneur Social Entrepreneurship social responsibility

What is your definition of social entrepreneur? I've asked that question before but feel compelled to revisit in light of an article in the July 11 The New York Times.

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Saving a City, One Entrepreneur at a Time

by Geri Stengel on Jul 8, 2010 - 8:00am

Bizdom U Detroit innovation networking Nonprofit social entrepreneur Social Entrepreneurship sustainable nonprofit

An interesting twist on public-private partnerships – and a social enterprise home run – is Bizdom U, a bootcamp for aspiring entrepreneurs in Detroit. It is funded by Dan Gilbert, a self-made man who has focused his philanthropy on one city and on building a network of small businesses to raise that city's economy. For four months, the would-be entrepreneurs receive a stipend while they work on business plans and refine their products and services. Some receive a $100,000 grant to implement the plan.

Entrepreneur Takes Recycling to New Level

by Geri Stengel on Jun 8, 2010 - 8:00am

business plan recycle social enterprise social entrepreneur Social Entrepreneurship Trends upcycle upcycling vision

If you think you've reduced your carbon footprint all you can, think again. By looking at the problem of landfills from two sides – not putting stuff in them and taking stuff out of them – a company founded in 2001 by then 19-year-old Tom Szaky has gone well beyond the blue recycling bins we all know and use (don't we?) to upcycling, the reuse of trash.

It all started with worms and a Princeton Business Plan contest.

Palestinian Entrepreneur Exemplifies Adage That Social Responsibility is Good for Business

by Geri Stengel on Jun 1, 2010 - 6:00am

Canaan Fair Trade entrepreneurship fair trade farmer co-op NASFT Fancy Food small business social consciousness social enterprise social entrepreneur Social Entrepreneurship social responsibility socially responsible

"Social impact is our entrepreneurship goal and this is also serving us from a business standpoint."

Need I say more? That's a nice definition of social enterprise.

The statement above is from Nasser Abufarha, 46, founder of several social enterprises that serve both the farmers of Palestine and those who want to support organic and fair-trade enterprises. In fact, as indicated in the statement above, the growing demand for fair-trade and organic products is part of his business plan.

Bottom Billion is Major Market for Entrepreneurs Who Get It

by Geri Stengel on Apr 15, 2010 - 2:00am

bottom billion entrepreneur Grameen Bank social entrepreneur Social Entrepreneurship socially responsible Tata Group

If you wanted to design a product for the Indian market, where would you begin? Do you even know what products are needed? Do you know how to give your product value in the multi-faceted culture of the sub-continent? Do you know how much of that market has electricity, running water, or other infrastructure that might be needed in order to use your product?

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