Friends, it feels I never stop turning the page here at Social Venturers. As with every good change, it feels monumental on the inside and looks insignificant on the outside. Over the 18 months that Social Venturers has been online, I have published 120 interviews and articles. But I want to do more than tell your stories and share the lessons we all learn along the way.
I want to write newsletters that are full to the brim with juicy content that you ask for a day off twice a month (I’m shifting to newsletters every two weeks) just to read them and chase down every rabbithole that I have carefully dug for you.
I want to create a website that makes you feel like home, that gives all of us a place to recuperate, refill our cup and huddle by the fire swapping stories about social entrepreneurship and building the very ecosystems that help them thrive.
I want to deliver products and services that meet you where you are and that put the wind under your wings to chase your wildest dreams of deep impact and a meaningful life. I want to equip you with the mindset, tools and resources you need to pursue your path with confidence and peers cheering you on.
With every conversation, I want to inspire and motivate you. Most of all, I want to remind you every day that what you do matters.
Whether you are a (social) entrepreneur, mentor or advisor, investor, service provider, policy maker, community builder, non-profit leader or employee; manager of an incubator, accelerator or co-working space; an academic, storyteller or artist – if you have a passion for social and environmental change and believe in the power of (social) entrepreneurship for good, you belong here. I want you to feel welcome and appreciated. I want to thank you. Let me outfit you the best I can before I send you on your changemaking journey knowing you always have a place to come back to.
For the past month, I have been listening closely to what you are struggling with and what you wish was different. I have been leaning on Marie Forleo, Minima Designs and Terry Rice to figure out what this vision could look like in the real world. I want to equip Social Venturers with an engine to bring that vision to life: a business model that allows me to reach and better serve all of you. So things will hopefully start and feel a little bit different around here. To me, they already do.
What’s next
I am eager to hear from you. What’s keeping you up at night? What makes you jump out of bed in the morning? What do you need help with? What is overwhelming you? In what ways are we falling short of impact in the social enterprise space? Let it all out:
We are kicking off Women’s History Month and I’m excited to introduce you to some incredible female ecosystem builders for social change! Check out the Community section to meet them!
I am also crazy excited to share the sixth installment of my Ecosystem Building 101 series: #6 Tell your community’s authentic story! In November, during an already busy Global Entrepreneurship Week, seven seasoned ecosystem builders took the time to share their approaches to and favorite examples of storytelling for community building with me. And let me tell you, this post reads like a manual for emerging storytellers! Do not miss the resource guide in which we gathered our favorite examples, tools and resources from the storytelling arena!
You’ll see the highlights of this conversation on Social Venturers’ Instagram channel throughout March!
How you can help
Tell me what you’re struggling with. I mean it. I want to hear what’s hard, what’s working and what isn’t so that I can start finding solutions, have more relevant conversations with experts in our field and design services that cater to your needs:
As always, thanks for all that you already do!
In camaraderie,
Anika