Are making a living and making a difference separate parts of your life?

Terri — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 21:04:03 +0000

The old idea of philanthropy as writing a check or volunteering after you’ve made your fortune in a high level job is 20th Century thinking. A trend we’re seeing at universities worldwide is to prepare graduates to build a business that makes money and embraces social change. A business degree is definitely not necessary to start a business, but it’s worth noting that major business schools are turning out a new breed of MBAs who want to make a buck while also making the world a better place. The old MBA model turned out graduates with the goal of landing a solid corporate job. If a student’s goal was to make a difference, they’d go into social work or the non-profit sector. In a recent article in the Independent, a UK publication, Pamela Hartigan, director of the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship was quoted as saying that “rather than separating where they (new MBAs) make their money from where they do good, they are convinced that it is possible to live comfortably and dedicate their careers to pursuits that are fundamentally innovative, philosophically positive and morally compelling.”

Are you ready to join the ranks of 21st Century Entrepreneurs who are creating businesses that improve the lives of individuals, families, communities and countries by using their passions and creativity to solve local and global problems and create social change? If you’re ready to learn how you can create a profitable business that means something more, I’d like to invite you to join Barbara Winter, best selling author of “Making a Living without a Job” , Idea Artisan, Alice Barry of “Entertaining the Idea”and me, Terri Belford, self-employment muse for a life and

career changing event.

Where Can You Start to Make a Difference in the World?

Terri — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 13:34:57 +0000

Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed by the endless possibilities of the world wide web? In the past decade, the internet has opened up the entire universe as your clientele. As my friend and mentor, Barbara Winter, Author of best selling “Making a Living Without a Job” reminds us, your customer base is no longer limited to those who share your geography. So, your message can reach potential clients on another continent, even a different hemisphere.

But, what if you just aren’t sure where to start when the whole world is your target? Or you have a strong desire to make a difference in your own neighborhood?

An article in Sunday’s Cincinnati Enquirer featured a young entrepreneur who got her business idea from a need to borrow a ladder. Keara Schwartz launched Share Some Sugar, a website that lets neighbors post and share items they own and borrow items they don’t. Searching for an alternative to consuming items that we all use infrequently, Schwartz took a social anthropologist’s perspective to create a business opportunity out of a need she saw in her own backyard.

This business can and likely will eventually expand and go national or worldwide, but Keara started where she was, where she saw an immediate need.

Is it possible you are looking at too big a picture and being paralyzed by too much choice? When you try to figure out where to begin to make a change in the world, does it sometimes feel like trying to decide what to order in a Chinese restaurant? Or not knowing where to begin to sort through decades of clutter in your great aunt’s basement?

Try narrowing your focus a bit and reigning in your perspective. Look around your community, explore what unmet needs you notice on your own block. Where can you make a tiny impact? If you can drive change in your own neighborhood, your vision may eventually make a global difference. If you doubt the possibility, consider Craigslist was started as a local site. You can’t make any change if you don’t start somewhere. So start right where you are.

» make an impact

Are making a living and making a difference separate parts of your life?

Where Can You Start to Make a Difference in the World?