#advancingSA

We often feel that we need to conform to a certain set of behaviours for our brand to get the recognition and support we want from our customers. Unfortunately this may lead to us forgetting what makes our brand unique and we lose those customers that are more attracted to what sets us apart from the rest.

There is an increase in the trend for businesses and entrepreneurs to embrace what makes them “weird” or different.  As Tiffany Rolfe points out in her article Keep your brand weird (http://www.inc.com/tiffany-rolfe/keep-your-brand-weird.html) “Getting to the heart of your brand's "weirdness" could very well be a competitive advantage in an increasingly cluttered marketplace.” Staying authentic helps us to not lose who we are and what we stand for.

Customers are looking for authenticity in brands, they want to know they are working with “real” and authentic people. One of the ways for brands to achieve this is to ensure that we retain what sets them apart from their competitors.

This week we want you to tell us about your “weird” and how it has benefited yourself and your brand. Join us this Thursday, 30 October 2014, at 8pm on twitter (@BigBreakLegacy) for our #BBLChat and share your thoughts.

The questions we will be asking:

Q1: Why has being “weird” received more support by brands?

Q2: When does being seen as “different” have a negative impact on a brand?

Q3: What are your brand’s unique traits that set it apart?

Q4: In what instance should one not stray too far away from what is seen as “normal” and acceptable?

When one is considering recruiting a staff member the big debate on what to look for comes down to: should you be looking for experience or talent?

Those with experience have proven their dedication to furthering their skills and have gained the knowhow and wisdom that comes with it. On the other had those with talent have a natural ability. As described in the article by Payal Chanania, Talent or experience – which is important,  “It can be an inherent creativity, communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving, managing crisis, leadership or any other ability for that matter.” (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-opportunities/talent-or-experience-which-is-important/article2772871.ece)

So which wins out in the end? Is talent enough? In a blog post by cream, (Raw Talent vs. Experience. Which is Best? http://plum.io/blog/raw-talent-vs-experience-which-is-best/), we are reminded that “The answer isn’t always clear cut and the truth of the matter is that there are pros and cons to both.” As with most things there are multiple opinions and views on which should be sought after over the other.

In this week’s #BBLChat on Thursday 23 October 2014, at 8pm on twitter (@BigBreakLegacy) we want you to share with us your stance on whether experience trumps talent, or whether the talented fight harder as they don’t necessarily have the experience to fall back on?

Questions we will be asking:

Q1: What qualities does a person with experience have that one with talent alone does not?

Q2: At what stage is experience overshadowed by talent?

Q3: Have you had to choose between experience and talent? Which did you go for at the time?

Q4: Can the two balance each other out?

No matter the decision we need to make, whether it is regarding a new opportunity, employing a new staff member or what course of action to take in our marketing strategy, we all have a process we abide by to assist us in making the final decision. These steps often include gaining figures doing market research and meeting with advisers to gain more insight into the matter. What is often overlooked as a legitimate step is reflecting on your feelings, paying attention to what your instincts are telling you about the decision to be made.

Instincts are based on your experience and are an important aspect to consider throughout all aspects of your life including your business. They should be part of your decision-making process. Once all the data has been collected and everyone has had their say, you should step aside and see what your ‘gut’ is telling you about the situation.

“I've trusted my instincts. I take in all the information I can gather. I listen to proposals, ideas, and advice. Then I go with my gut, what my heart feels most strongly.” These are the words of Oprah Winfrey, when talking about her successful businesses. If someone with her success is relying on her instincts to assist in decisions making, shouldn’t we try to do the same?

Join us for this week’s #BBLChat, Thursday 16 October, at 8pm on Twitter (@BigBreakLegacy) and share with us your view on listening to your instincts when it comes to your business.

  The questions we will be asking:

Q1: When making a decision what factors do you take into consideration?

Q2: Do you listen to your instincts when you conduct business and how much do they influence your decisions?

Q3: When should one be careful about relying too much on their instincts?

Q4: How often have you ignored your instincts when it came to your business and realised later that they were spot on?

After many months of patience, the long awaited season 3 of The Big Break Legacy is finally on our door steps with the Call to entry going out on the 8th of October.

This week for our #BBLChat we will be chatting to Ezra Ndwandwe, brain-child and host of this one of a kind entrepreneurial reality TV-series, about the call to entry and the upcoming season 3.

Join us at 8pm on Twitter (@BigBreakLegacy) this Thursday, 09 October 2014, to hear from Ezra what we have in store for South Africa’s entrepreneurs this season.

  Questions we will be asking Ezra:

Q1: What are you most looking forward to from the new season 3?

Q2: How will this season of BBL be different from last year?

Q3: Why is it being done in the North West province? Will this not alienate the other provinces?

Q4: It is now a call for entries. How will this work?

Q5: Is there something you are specifically looking for from this season’s hopeful entrants?

Q6: How will it run on TV, the same format as last year or will it be different?

When we start out in business we tend to say yes to any and all opportunities that come our way. While this can help boost our revenue and reputation, it unfortunately becomes a habit that is hard to break. We end up saying yes when we should say no so as to not disappoint or due to the fear of missing out on a great opportunity.

The longer we are in business, the more work we take on starts to affect our ability to focus on the important and jeopardises our level of service. Kevin Daum highlights when entrepreneurs should be saying no, in his article for Inc.com “7 Great business reasons to say ‘No’ (http://www.inc.com/kevin-daum/7-great-business-reasons-to-say-no.html) Kevin observes that, “ Some may seem obvious, but I have often witnessed smart people get themselves in trouble by thinking they will somehow work everything out.” This is a very real issue with some entrepreneurs and it is something that can be overcome as they learn when to say no to a colleague, client or supplier.

Ed Batista advises that, slowing down “the pace of an interaction or a decision-making process can allow us to catch up and make the choice that’s right for us”, we must recognise our emotional cues “What do we feel—physically—when we consider saying “no”?” and practice saying no, as we can “improve only with repeated effort,’”  to effectively learn how to say no (read more here: http://blogs.hbr.org/2013/11/learning-to-say-no-is-part-of-success/)

This Thursday, 02 September 2014, join our #BBLChat on twitter (@BigBreakLegacy) at 8pm and tell us how saying yes too often, has affected your business and how you learnt to say ‘No!’

The questions we will be asking:

Q1: How difficult is it for you to say ‘No’ even if you know saying ‘Yes’ is a mistake?

Q2: What are the most common reasons entrepreneurs don’t say ‘No’?

Q3: When did you realise that you needed to say no to a client, colleague or supplier?

Q4: How has learning to say no affected your business?

Heritage month reminds us all of where we have come from and where our country is going. It rejuvenates the sense of pride we have in our country. As entrepreneurs we have come to realise that to be proudly South African, is to not only love our country, but also to work towards using that patriotism to grow and benefit the country’s society and economy.

Fellow entrepreneur Guy Harris is a great example of what it is to be proudly South African. Not only is Guy the Chief Entrepreneurship Officer for the South African Institute for Entrepreneurship (http://www.entrepreneurship.co.za/) he also serves on the Boards of ProudlySA, SA Bureau of Standards, Booyco Engineering and Greybeard Business Catalysts and, until recently, Bell Equipment. To add to that he is also an Advisory Board Member of Partners for Possibility.

What does it mean to walk in the shoes of Guy Harris, how does he view being proudly South African, and what role does he believe entrepreneurship plays in advancing our county? Join us this Thursday, 25 September, at 8pm SAST on Twitter (@BigBreakLLegacy) for the #BBLChat to find out.

We will be opening up the floor for the last 15 minutes of the chat; allowing you the opportunity to ask Guy any question you have about his journey as a proudly South African entrepreneur.

The questions we will be asking Guy:

Q1: What does being a proudly South African entrepreneur mean to you?

Q2: How has entrepreneurship impacted South Africa?

A proud moment for South Africa was at the beginning of this month when the National Outsourcing Association (NOA) Professional Awards, which were held in London, named BPeSA (Business Process enabling South Africa) co-winners of the “Skills Development Programme of the Year” award, for their skills training initiative (see more here: http://www.bpesaskillsportal.co.za)

We all know that skills development is vital for South African businesses to thrive and prosper. Some South African businesses have gone so far as to develop skills development programmes in-house to ensure that their employees are better equipped to perform the work that they are assigned.

There are other businesses that provide the courses to those that cannot train in-house but want their employees to gain new skills. Websites such as The Skills portal (http://www.skillsportal.co.za/) are there to bring together the Skills development institutions and those businesses that wish to implement skills development in their companies.

In addition organisations are forming to represent the skills development practitioners and administrators. An example of one of these organisations would be ASDA (Association for skills development in South Africa).

These are but a few of the organisations and initiatives that have seen the need for skills development in South Africa.

In this week’s #BBLChat we want you to tell us your view on skills development. Are South Africans receiving the skills training they need and how can we as entrepreneurs and business owners play our part?

Join us on Thursday, 18 September 2014, at 8pm SAST on twitter (@BigBreakLegacy) to add your voice to the discussion.

The questions we will be asking:

Q1: How do you feel about hearing that a South African company won an international award for skills development?

Q2: What aspects should a company consider before deciding on the correct programme for their employees?

Q3: What benefits does a company gain from implementing a skills training programme?

Q4: Are these programmes as effective as they ought to be? How could they improve?

South Africa is a young nation with a culturally rich vibrant people who have a drive to make this country a force to be reckoned with. Due to the high unemployment in the country, caused mainly by a struggling economy after the recession, many South Africans are finding their ‘inner entrepreneur’ to generate an income. With the next generation of university graduates about to enter the job market, many are worried that there will be no work for them which will cause a rise in the unemployment rate of the country.

Over recent months entrepreneurship has been highlighted by many as being the answer to the unemployment facing South Africa. ThisDayLive.com reported on Ernst and Young (EY) (http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/ernst-and-young-harps-on-entrepreneurship-to-address-youth-unemployment/188619/) who have embraced entrepreneurship as a solution. “Recent EY studies had shown that entrepreneur-led businesses would create more jobs than large corporates over the coming year, with 76 per cent of entrepreneurs saying they’ll expand their workforce in 2014.” This is a great boost for entrepreneurs and provides hope for the unemployed.

J. Brooks Spector, of the Daily Maverick, (http://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2014-02-03-analysis-to-get-ahead-south-african-economy-needs-entrepreneurial-spirit/#.VBAri8KSySo) points out that South Africans need to regain their entrepreneurial spirit. He believes that “what seems to be needed is real effort to turn these young people into enthusiastic entrepreneurs and entrepreneur-wannabies” How then do we encourage entrepreneurship amongst our Youth? He believes that the education system needs to start implementing the teaching of the skill required for our youth to have the option and the knowledge required to start their own business.

Minister Lindiwe Zulu is known to have said, “South Africa is a youthful country. The long-term solution to the nation's unemployment crisis is to create a nation of entrepreneurs, and not a nation of job-seekers.” She is convinced that South Africa needs to teach entrepreneurship education from primary school level right through higher education institutions.

Does this now put undue pressure on the entrepreneurs of this country? Or is it a source of motivation? We want to you to tell us. Join us this Thursday, 11 September 2014, on twitter (@BigBreakLegacy) at 8pm SAST, for the #BBLChat, and tell us how you feel about the new focus on entrepreneurship as a solution to unemployment and how we can effectively educate our youth to encourage a spirit of entrepreneurship.

The questions that we will be asking:

Q1: Are you surprised that entrepreneurship is gaining recognition as a viable answer to unemployment?

Q2: What ‘red-tape’ issues are entrepreneurs and SME’s facing with regards to hiring staff?

Q3: What measures can be implemented by government to support the small business’ ability to employ more staff?

Q4: How important is education to the growth of entrepreneurship and small business?

With the country recovering from a recession, South Africans are looking at ways in which to boost the local economy. Many are arguing that to do so, South Africans must start buying local. This means supporting companies that manufacture and produce within South Africa. Others may ask whether it is enough to just have the South African consumer purchase local products.

The South African government says no, they want South African businesses to support local as well. They are aiming to get 80 companies on the JSE list to commit to purchasing more products locally. Trade and Industry Minister Dr Rob Davies also announced that the DTI would ensure that 75% of the government’s goods and services would come from local companies. In his budget vote speech in July he urged that “To add to this momentum, the private sector needs to buy more from local companies…” This is very encouraging for local businesses.

In an interview with CNBC Africa (see more at http://www.cnbcafrica.com/176151.aspx), Coenraad Bezuidenhout, the executive director of the Manufacturing Circle, states that “We think the move towards localisation overall is very positive. We think it’s important that there be responsibility placed in front of corporate South Africa to support local manufacturing, and to understand the very important role that manufacturing plays in sustaining services and other sectors of the economy.” Certainly something that all South Africans interested in boosting the local economy need to understand.

So how can we as South African Entrepreneurs assist with this endeavour? How can we play our part? Is this just something everyone talks about without actually putting into practice?

Join our #BBLChat this Thursday evening, 04 September 2014, from 8pm-9pm SAST on twitter (@BigBreakLegacy) to add your voice to the discussion on how we can encourage and maintain buying local.

Questions we will be asking:

Q1: What are some of the main reasons South African businesses are not buying locally?

Q2: Should it become legislation that a certain % of products bought by companies be from local manufacturers?

Q3: If tax breaks or incentives were offered to encourage local purchasing, would this be effective?

Q4: What long-term benefits can be gained by buying local?

In this day and age, one would think that gender bias in the workplace has become a thing of past. Unfortunately this is not so. There are still industries that are seen as male-dominated like the mining, construction and engineering sector. Though there has been a rise of the number of women entering these fields, there is still a sense that this is a “Man’s job”.

So how do we overcome the gender bias and inequality in these industries? Yes government can issue legislations to promote women to higher levels of business, which they have. This, however, does not mean that these legislations have been implemented. As is evident by the study conducted by Grant Thornton Johannesburg, (http://www.gt.co.za/news/2014/08/support-for-gender-quotas-rises-worldwide-while-sa-support-starts-to-diminish/) where the findings show that only 26% of senior management jobs in South Africa are held by women. During the research it was discovered that only 52% of South African companies said that they would support the introduction of quotas for the number of women on executive boards of large listed companies.

Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) argues that the 50% target demanded by the Women Empowerment and Gender Equality Bill is ‘unrealistic and unattainable’. Is this due to a lack in highly skilled women or due to a high bias towards women taking on high ranking positions?

Sangita Kasturi, president and founder of Tan270 Consulting, argues that gender inequality and bias needs to be addressed at home, in her blog “Gender Equality - Can We Have It in the Workplace without Having It At Home?” (http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140605233311-14020801-gender-equality-can-we-have-it-in-the-workplace-without-having-it-at-home). From little we are raised with certain gender expectations. The same behaviour is interpreted differently depending on whether you are a boy or a girl or a man or a woman. Sangita suggests that we should “…start by celebrating the remarkable diversity of personalities, ambitions, strengths and challenges that define each of us as well-rounded human beings, rather than limiting ourselves and others by the gendered expectations that define so much of our culture today….We will have equality in the workplace when we have equality at home.”.

Join us this Thursday evening, 28 August 2014, at 8pm SAST on twitter (@BigBreakLegacy) for the #BBLChat, and share with us your opinion on gender bias and inequality in South Africa’s businesses and how we can overcome it.

The Question’s we will be asking:

Q1: Can the low percentage of women in high level management positions be attributed to gender bias or a lack of highly skilled women?

Q2: How prevalent is gender bias and inequality in the workplace and is it only focused at women?

Q3: Have you ever seen or experienced gender bias and how did you deal with it?

Q4: Will addressing gender equality at home influence its presence in the workplace?

Women have made huge inroads into the business world and there are many who have become key players in their industries.

The Wits Business School Journal has identified 30 business women in South Africa, in their article “South Africa’s 30 Wonder women (http://www.wbsjournal.co.za/articles/south-africas-30-wonder-women-948.html) that have achieved tremendous success and taken their companies and dreams to great heights.

With woman like Pam Golding, (Founder and Life president of the Pam Golding Property group and receiver of the 2009 Ernst & Young World Entrepreneurship Lifetime Achiever award), Bridgette Radebe, (Not only she one the richest black woman in Africa, but is she also the Founder and Chairperson of Mmakau Mining (Pty) Ltd and she helped draft crucial mining legislation), Nicky Newton-King, (The first woman to run the Johannesburg Stock Exchange) and Basetsana Kumalo (Who went from winning Miss SA in 1994 to becoming one of the youngest black women directors in the mainstream economy) on the list of powerhouse businesswomen in South Africa, there is no doubt that women are serious contenders in the business world.

Join us tonight for this week’s #BBLChat, 21 August 2014 at 8pm SAST on twitter, (@BigBreaklegacy) and tell us what you think sets these women apart from other women in business and what their success can teach us?

The questions we will be asking:

Q1: Who stands out for you as a South African businesswoman?

Q2: What skills and characteristics does it take for a woman to do great things in the South African business world?

Q3: What are the common mistakes made by women in business that hinders their success?

Q4: What can we learn from the success of these powerful business women?

Networking has become a vital component to any business and entrepreneur. To get out there amongst like-minded individuals and share knowledge, experience and to gain new contacts is an important if not a necessary step to take in the growth of a business.

As women are gaining traction in the business world they are finding that they are in need of support .South Africa has seen this need and has answered it with the formation of women networking organisations and associations aimed at the empowerment and encouragement of woman.

Woman’sNet is one such organisation (www.womensnet.org.za) with their vision being “All women and girls confidently exercise their information and communication rights to create social capital and wealth that positively impacts on their lives.”  They help women to find the people, issues, resources and tools they need for social activism.

The Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) has an initiative, South African Woman Entrepreneurs’ Network (SAWEN). (http://www.sawen.org.za/) Their mission clearly states that “SAWEN is a South African National Network that facilitates and monitors the socio-economic advancement of women entrepreneurs and their positive impact on the country’s economy.” They target woman who are self-employed and who own companies that are registered with CIPC, women who are engaged in income-generating activities that are not yet registered with CIPC but aspire to grow their businesses, and those women who want to start a business but don’t know how or where to begin.

The question we all want answered is how effective are these networking organisations and associations? Join us this tonight, 14 August 2014, for the #BBLChat on twitter at 8pm SAST, to help us discover the answer, by sharing your thoughts and experiences.

The questions we will be asking:

Q1: Have you found networking to be an asset to your business or yourself as an entrepreneur?

Q2: What benefit can a women’s networking organisation provide a woman entrepreneur?

Q3: Do you believe the government is on the right track with their initiative SAWEN?

Q4: How can society support these initiatives and organisations to expand their reach?

August is the month where we honour woman and all they have achieved. They are our mothers, sisters, daughters, aunts, grandmothers and wives. Their struggle for gender equality in business has come a long way. Many have opted to leave the work force and become entrepreneurs, to take charge of their destiny and start their own businesses.

Every year there is survey done to study the factors behind the success of SMEs in South Africa. According to the SME Survey’s press release (http://www.smesurvey.co.za/press.html) the 2014 survey has found that 78% of woman-owned businesses are profitable while 70% male-owned businesses are profitable. This shows us that a small business owned by a woman has a better chance of being profitable than one run by a man. Arthur Goldstuck, SME Survey principal researcher and MD of World Wide Worx, cautions that "While this result may seem like a big win for women, it comes with an immediate qualifier: the level of female ownership is exceptionally low.” This means that South Africa is still a ways off from having a formidable number of woman owned businesses.

When one compares the percentage of male owned businesses to those owned by woman, one gets a much clearer picture. According to the survey 48% of SME’s are owned by men, 44% are owned jointly, which leave a mere 8% of SMEs owned. South Africa is still a ways off from having a formidable number of woman owned businesses according to this survey.

Granted, like most surveys, this may not include every SME in the country, though it does give an indication of how far woman have come in their journey as entrepreneurs and how much work there is still to be done. Lusapho Njenge chief strategy and information officer at Seda (Small Enterprise Development Agency) suggests that "The problem appears systemic; it therefore has to be addressed at a systemic level, starting at school and extending through the workforce to give women not only the skills, but the confidence to start their own businesses." We need to start with our girls and young woman. We need to encourage them and provide them with the necessary skills and support, if we are to see a change.

This Thursday 07 August 2014, we want to put the spotlight on woman entrepreneurs. Join us at 8pm SAST on twitter for our #BBLChat and share with us your thoughts.

The questions that we will be asking:

Q1: Do you think that the Survey is an accurate representation of the percentage of woman owned businesses?

Q2: What do you think are the main challenges that woman face when it comes to starting a business?

Q3: What can we attribute to the high success rate of woman-owned businesses?

Q4: How can we as a community encourage the increase in number of woman entrepreneurs?

We have learned over the past few weeks that a social entrepreneur’s main focus is in helping others. We have also learnt that they face many obstacles during their journey of accomplishing their goals and to address social issues. But who is there to help them? When one is focused on helping others, we as a society should be providing support for them in turn.

Quite often, the first to help a social entrepreneur and provide the needed support are their family and friends. This support structure is very essential for the nurturing and development of a social entrepreneurs dream. Family and friends are the first to aid them be it financially, morally or by volunteering their time.

For a social entrepreneurs cause to reach greater heights, there are others who have seen their need and have come forward to provide support in other areas. Erica Swallow highlights a few of these foundations in her blog ‘5 Foundations Supporting Social Good Entrepreneurship’ (http://mashable.com/2011/10/27/online-social-entrepreneurship-foundations/) of the foundations she writes about there is the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship (http://www.schwabfound.org/) , whose mission is to "provide unparalleled platforms at the regional and global level to highlight and advance leading models of sustainable social innovation." There is also the Skoll Foundation (http://www.skollfoundation.org/skoll-entrepreneurs/) , founded by Jeff Skoll who wants to "to drive large scale change by investing in, connecting and celebrating social entrepreneurs and the innovators who help them solve the world's most pressing problems."

Another great example of an organisation can be found here in South Africa, UnLtd South Africa. (http://www.unltdsouthafrica.org/about-us/about-us)  Their mission statement, "We find, fund and support passionate people who are committed to delivering sustainable solutions to social challenges in South Africa" aptly describes who they are and what they stand for.

These are but a few of the support structures available to a social entrepreneur. The more support they can receive the greater their chances are of delivering the largest impact in society.

Join us tonight for the #BBLChat on twitter at 8pm SAST, where we want to hear from you. Share with us your thoughts on providing support to social entrepreneurs and how we as a community of entrepreneurs can assist those who help others.

The questions we will be asking tonight:

Q1: How crucial is the support of a social entrepreneur’s family and friends with regards to them reaching their goals?

Q2: Where does society fall short of the support required by a social entrepreneur?

Q3: In what way could businesses, other than financially, develop a culture of support for social entrepreneurs?

Q4: Besides donating to their cause, how would you provide support to social entrepreneurs in your community?

When we are asked about what we think a social entrepreneur is, we find that one of the most common definitions is, “someone who sees a real need/issue facing society, and makes it their goal to find a solution.” This best describes Sandra Millar and what she is accomplishing with her organisation, Dignity Dreams. (www.dignitydreams.com)

Sandra has cofounded a Fundraising forum, been a consultant to the University of Johannesburg dealing with their community engagement projects, and gone on to be the founder of NPO Development and Training, where she offers training, mentoring and coaching services to those in the NPO sector. 

When Sandra saw that girls in poverty stricken areas, were missing school once a month because they did not have access to the basic dignity of sanitary products she developed a plan of action to solve this problem and thus founded Dignity Dreams.

Dignity Dreams not only supplies the desperately needed sanitary products to those who cannot afford them, but they are also providing employment to unskilled woman in Pretoria, thus empowering them as well.

So who is Sandra? Where did her journey begin? How has she reached the place where she and Dignity Dreams are today? Join us tonight, 24 July 2014 at 8pm SAST on twitter for the #BBLChat where we will be discovering more about Sandra and her journey as a social entrepreneur.

The questions we will be asking Sandra:

Q1: What prompted you to transition from being passionate about a social issue becoming a social entrepreneur?

Q2: What is the hardest challenge that you have found you and other social entrepreneurs face, and what kept you motivated?

Q3: What advice can you impart to those who have decided to walk the path of a social entrepreneur?

The old adage “Money makes the world turn” is quite relevant to a social entrepreneurs cause and like any business or entrepreneur, social entrepreneurs need funding to enable them to ensure that they reach their goals. For most it is one of the largest challenges that they need to overcome.

In today’s age of technology and development the world has become “smaller” in a sense which brings entities closer together and thus enables a social entrepreneur to reach a larger audience of investors and other funding options.

There are many avenues that a social entrepreneur can use to help raise the finances that they require. Some of these include Social investment funds, foundations whose main focus is on assisting social entrepreneurs in the growth-stage, and venture capitalists to name but a few. One can even approach certain banks to gain loans.

Cathy Elliot advises us that a business plan is a key element to assist you in gaining investments. “You especially need to be clear with yourself and those involved on what social and financial results you can offer a potential funder as they will want a return of some kind” she points out in her article A social enterprise's funding fundamentals (http://www.theguardian.com/social-enterprise-partner-zone-the-co-operative/social-enterprise-funding-fundamentals) An investor wants to know that the money they are putting in, to support your cause will benefit them, whether it is a social or financial benefit.

  Many social entrepreneurs have opted to have a business that runs the same way any other entrepreneurs’ business does with the exception that any profits made are used to fund their cause and grow their business.  Jacen Greene, Ames Fellow for Social Entrepreneurship at PSU, notes that “This has the added benefit of providing immediate validation of the model, as well as enabling the founders to retain full control.” (http://impactentrepreneurs.wordpress.com/2012/05/10/funding-your-social-enterprise-part-1-grants-donations-and-crowds/)  This however does not work for all social entrepreneurs, as many of them need very large investment and so would need to seek out other options.

  Crowdfunding is a relatively new way of gaining finances by using a product or service to receive donations. This option can be quite effective if the campaign is planned and run well. Jacen Greene offers a few tips on the best way to run a campaign. You need a good team, a product people will want to have, research which site to run your campaign on and most importantly ensure that your target is a reasonable amount and your goal is not too short or too long.

  In this week’s #BBLChat, we want to hear from you what the best way a social entrepreneur can gain funding and weigh up the different options that are available to them.

Join us tonight, 17 July 2014 at 8pm SAST on Twitter.

  Q1: Why do you think it is so hard for a social entrepreneur to gain funding?

Q2: How does a Business Plan benefit a social entrepreneur with regards to investment?

Q3: In what instance has a social entrepreneur successfully been able to use their own business to finance their cause?

Q4: Have you ever supported a crowdfunding campaign? If so, what aspect of it made you want to support it?

Social entrepreneurs have proven time and again that they really can improve the lives of others when they focus on a cause they are passionate about and much the same as every other business owner, there are challenges they face when it comes to scaling: How to scale their impact? Should they expand their organisation? Should they seek larger financial backing?

 Professor J. Gregory Dees, co-founder of the Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship at Duke University, theorises that if one stops asking “can” and starts asking “how can” then we will be better able to find solutions. “That’s the kind of conversation we need to be having about social entrepreneurs scaling impact—not framing this as a yes or no proposition—can they versus can’t they, but as a challenge to which we all need to rise. In reframing this as a “how can” question, I think we can be a bit more precise.” Says Dees in his blog: Creating large-scale change: Not ‘can’ but ‘how’ (http://voices.mckinseyonsociety.com/creating-large-scale-change-not-can-but-how/) This is a much better question to ask and it gets us thinking of constructive answers.

We must seek out all methods for scaling impact. Expanding the size of your organisation is one route to take, and can be quite effective. Another method is one that was taken by Dr. Cecily Saunders, who founded St. Christopher’s Hospice in London. Her passion was to introduce the idea of a Hospice to all other countries, she achieved this by

replicating what works,

creating a cultural change and

changing public policy in many countries, not by growing St. Christophers.

We must also empower those whom we wish to help. Katie Smith Milway feels that “Even far-flung or pint-sized choruses for change can wield great influence when they unite and come from a place of deep authenticity. Any social entrepreneur, who wants to help a disadvantaged constituency help itself, needs first to give power to its voice.” (http://blogs.hbr.org/2014/05/how-social-entrepreneurs-can-have-the-most-impact/) It is one of the greatest gifts.

In this week’s #BBLChat we want you to tell us what you think is the best way social entrepreneurs can scale their impact and how we as a society can assist them.

Join us on tonight, Thursday 10 July at 8pm SAST on Twitter.

  Q1: How do you think social entrepreneurs can achieve a greater, more widespread and lasting, impact sooner and more cost effectively?

Q2: ‘Money makes the world go round’ but is it the be all and end all of a social entrepreneurs’ ability to scale their impact? What role do you think finances play in this regard?

Q3: Dr Cecily Saunder’s example at St Christopher’s Hospice is an example of how it was not necessary to grow the organisation in order to scale her impact.  In what instance/s do you think growing an organisation is the best solution to scaling the impact of a social entrepreneur?

Q4: Name ways a social entrepreneur can increase a community’s interest and participation in their cause.