Social Entrepreneurs: Creating Our Own Paths

Social Entrepreneurs: Creating Our Own Paths

The most important thing is to get started…

It’s been almost ten years since I first started volunteering with a local high school audio video production class at John B. Connally high school in Pflugerville, TX. I was looking for a way to help creative youth of color become aware of viable careers in advertising, design and media. At the time, I didn’t know that the teacher of that class would become one of my major partners in crime, E4 Youth’s current Education Director, Humberto Perez.

Since that time, E4 Youth has worked with local high schools, colleges and employers to create an ecosystem in which thousands of Central Texas area youth have gone through the process of engagement, education, employment and entrepreneurship.

We match teachers with trained college mentors that run Get Creative Enrichment Clubs in subjects like journalism, audio/video production, coding, music and fashion. Students earn micro-credentials as they practice employability skills and build capacity through hands on creative projects. Based on their achievement, they participate in job shadow, internship, and apprenticeship opportunities at some of Austin top creative companies including GSD&M and McGarrah Jessee.

E4 Youth also employs program alumni as college mentors or part of E4 Hire, where we provide creative services like video production and social media campaigns for small businesses and non-profits.

All of these things make perfect sense now, but ten years ago, when I met Humberto, all I really had was just an idea, some key relationships and NO cash. That’s the trick with being an entrepreneur, particularly, a social entrepreneur.

You have to make tough choices about how to use limited resources and continue moving forward.

In non-profit parlance, I believe they call this “Asset Mapping.” What are my Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT)? Who is solving some of the same problems I would like to address? What’s unique about my approach? Are others in this space potential allies, enemies, frenemies?

Ten years later, I see that I knew much of what and who I needed to know to get started. However, I had to continue acquiring new skills and relationships if I was going to actually build an enduring organization and business model.

So, if you’re on your own entrepreneurial journey, try to remember that’s it’s likely you already know who and what you need to get started. You may not see all of those “assets” clearly now, but if you keep taking that next step, they will emerge and you will move further down your own path to success.

That’s my 2 cents…