The bittersweet truth about social entrepreneurship

I want to change the world.

It's bold, it's ambitious and sometimes it feels pretty impossible.

By the very nature of the work I really want to do, I am faced with a double edged sword of doing good and the practicality of every day realities. These are some of the crossroads I have come across in my journey:

Who pays? It might at first seem really obvious that no one pays if it's really a good company. That's what I thought too at first. I thought I had to create a company that was completely free to the users in order for me to be a good person. However, how does that work in the real world? How would the business run? Don't volunteers need to eat, travel and so forth? So I accepted that I had to charge or find a sponsor.

Where do you find corporate sponsors? Good question. I know a lot of amazing companies doing good are really struggling to find corporate backing. The reality is that any form of corporate sponsorship takes a long time to come through. However, it is really important to know how your mission and vision aligns with theirs. Once you can communicate this effectively, you're more likely to reach an agreement sooner. It also really helps to speak to the right people who can make decisions.

Retaining your WHY in your search for sustainability I know it's easier said than done but why would you want to lose the very thing that led to you creating your business. What is my why? "I want to break down barriers for mums who care about learning and upskilling and encourage them to bring their whole selves wherever they go, because that's ok". So any plan for growth has to include the things I care about the most. This means being very selective about who to partner with and take money from. It can be very flattering to have someone throw money at you, but it's super important to remember you will be having a long term relationship with them. Do they share your why?

So my ambitious journey continues, a woman who received the award for "goody-goody two shoes" in secondary school and happily has it placed on her wall at home in Lagos. Yes, you can be good and successful. You can retain your why and grow. I'm learning to be patient and cautious as an excitable entrepreneur. The investor has to be right, the partnerships have to be right and the values have to be shared by all.

If you share a similar tale and want to have a coffee with me to swap stories of scaling a company on a social mission, send me a message :-)