10 reasons your social enterprise is stuck in start up mode (even though you’ve outgrown it)
Growing your company’s impact should be an exciting time for you. After years of honing your skills, inspiring others for your mission and hustling your way to a comfortable level of income...
You DESERVE to be heading up a company that's famous and loved.
You DESERVE to be able to invest more money into making the world a better place.
You DESERVE personal financial freedom and the space to explore the new opportunities, breakthrough projects, and exhilarating visions that drive you...
But lots of social entrepreneurs tell me that it didn’t quite work out that way for them.
Instead...
They wear more hats than ever. Take more financial shortcuts than ever, buying cheaper from less ethical suppliers. Do more 11PM last-minute Facebook lives than ever. And suffer through more isolation, burnout, and frustration than any normal human should ever endure.
If that sounds familiar, your business is not scaling. It's stagnating. And the causes you work for? They're stagnating too. If you’re ready to face the truth, here’s why:
48% of social enterprises don't stagnate in startup mode:
48% of founders do
In over 30 years as a social entrepreneur, I've seen 10 main reasons why founders get stuck... and solutions that help you step into growth mode NOW:
ONE
You don’t like selling
Let me guess:
You don't consider yourself a sales person. In fact, any mention of it makes you cringe.
I mean, you do like it if customers are attracted to your offer... and you like to answer their questions. But the idea of pushing them to buy makes your stomach turn. You hate sounding false and cheesy. And that's exactly how you think you sound when you sell.
To succeed, you first need to forget everything you've ever heard about selling. Sales is really about two things:
1. Educating people and sharing meaningful information
2. Giving them a solution for their problems
According to Daniel Pink, 'unsalesy' people like you make the best salespeople. Embrace your strong points: you're more authentic, credible, vulnerable and relatable for your customers than the typical 'sleazy' sales person. For more confidence about selling, I recommend Daniel Pink's book: To Sell Is Human. If you decide to read it, I hope it encourages you to sell in your unique, unsalesy way. (And I would love to know how you found it!)
TWO
You do too much marketing
Do you find marketing boring and outside your zone of genius?
That's how many social entrepreneurs feel. But still, they're trying to do everything because they believe 'more is more'.
They're on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, Snapchat, their own podcasts, other people's podcasts. Their own blog, other people's blogs.
Google ads, Facebook ads, targeted Instagram posts, Bing ads. (Which are hit-and-miss.)
And they just cannot seem to find their tribe of followers in the promised land.
They're still struggling to get enough sales going.
Don't be fooled into that kind of overwhelm. Get strategic instead and do few things extremely well, consistently.
THREE
You don't make enough mistakes
Many social entrepreneurs I've met are perfectionists.
Not a bad thing, you might think!
However...
It means they spend a lot of time worrying over mistakes: those they've already made, and those they're bound to make in the future. (Because perfection does not exist.)
This can put them off trying new things. It can even stop them from getting work done... while their precious time is running out.
To be completely honest with you, I made a lot of mistakes with my first social enterprise.
The biggest one was that I resisted the extra requests from my customers. At the time, I was not seeing them as opportunities for increased income.
And as a result, I was not making the money I needed in order to support my family. The lack of revenue even affected the level of care I could offer the children I was serving.
Until I realised that my 'take it or leave it' attitude was a mistake.
From that moment on, I changed my perspective. I started looking at how I could serve my customers better. Developing new, popular packages around my core offering suddenly got easy!
Of course you might say that not making that mistake would have been even better. But then I wouldn't have learned so much!
As entrepreneurs, we all need the confidence to embrace mistakes, and even failure. Learning from them always opens new doors.
FOUR
Your prospects don't even know you
Do you know the saying, "Business is business. Personal is personal"?
Many startup founders keep a strict division between their personal and business lives.
When they're in business mode, they put on a show. A fake show.
The problem is: people smell 'fake' from miles away. And they avoid it. That's why this kind of division is such a sure-fire sign of an immature entrepreneur.
What really makes me sad about this attitude: it means your leads and customers will never really get to know you. That fascinating, endearing, empowered woman with that wicked sense of humour.
They'd probably really like you. And if they don't... then they wouldn't be the right customer for you anyway. (Because that's another sign of maturity: knowing your tribe and not trying to be everybody's darling.)
So take a leaf out of the books of Beyoncé, Oprah or Janelle Monáe. Your authenticity, passion and life experiences are the foundation for everything! There's not much that's more personal than business.
FIVE
You secretly wish your business was a charity
Because then it would be crystal clear that you're here to do social good.
So when you're asking for $$$...
...you wouldn't have to worry about making a profit...
...and instead, you could take all those lovely donations and put them right where the need is greatest.
But let me ask you:
Do you really want to rely on donations, government funding and volunteers?
We live in tough times for the voluntary sector. So tough, in fact, that some charities are now converting their operations into social enterprises.
As a social entrepreneur, you get to meet people's needs with useful products and services. Create a sustainable livelihood that's pretty safe from annual government budget decisions. And build a team that's 100% committed and trained to turn your vision into reality.
SIX
You're not using your biggest selling point
What I enjoy most about working with social entrepreneurs: you are really inspiring people.
You're doing mind-blowing work to make the world a better place while making huge personal sacrifices.
The downside: your modesty can stand in the way of scaling your impact. Because it means you don't shout enough about all the amazing things you do.
And it's your social and environmental impact that will rally the most ardent supporters, impatient to fuel your mission with cash.
Your impact should be a key part of your marketing message.
SEVEN
You've started to take yourself for granted
You've been doing what you're doing for a while now, and it's become second nature:
The ins and outs of running your business...
The details of your mission...
Such as, how you determine where to devote your financial and practical support.
How your contributions actually reach their destination.
How you communicate with people in need, find out how to help, and run a business that provides that help.
That's HUGE!
Not many people know how to do such a thing.
So when journalists or fledgling startups or wannabe apprentices want to learn the best tips and strategies, you'd be the IDEAL person for them to talk to... don't you think?
And yet...
You know what's one of the most common things I hear from social entrepreneurs?
"I don't think there's anything special."
"I have nothing to give."
Your enterprise will start scaling the moment you realise the rich experience, knowledge and value that only YOU can bring.
Tip: listen to others and tell your story. Deep conversations will show you what you can offer.
EIGHT
Location, location, location
That's what matters in business! Right?
Well, not anymore!
The internet makes location a nice-to-have. Or even less: we've become "location-independent".
Instead, now it's all about people: relationships, relationships, relationships!
This means we need to market differently, spend our time differently and think differently about events.
To scale, you need a strong global network of people who believe in you, your mission and your business.
NINE
You don't love money enough
Love people, use money.
Every single social entrepreneur I've met believes in that statement.
To scale your social impact, you need to look at the flip side too:
Use money to love people.
Meaning: in your hands, money can turn into a force for good.
Because money is what makes EVERYTHING happen. Cash is queen. Without it, you have no business. Without it, you can't create the change you wish to see in the world.
It's not about making loads of money and keep it for yourself, so you can take a daily bath in it à la Scrooge McDuck.
It's about making loads of money so you can make loads of impact. As social entrepreneurs, we're only temporary custodians of our profits — passing that financial potential on to those who need it most.
Once you let go of any guilt around money, you'll find scaling your business that much easier.
TEN
You can't do this on your own!
I get it: Leadership is a lonely place. Hiring a team is a scary step.
Investing into relationships with other entrepreneurs bears the risk of losing out to the competition.
Courting customers = your idea of hell.
So... you've retreated into yourself.
You keep your ideas private until you execute them. So no-one can steal them. Or ridicule them. Or keep asking you about your progress, in case it's not going that well.
I get it. After all, leadership is a vulnerable place. And that time when you first started, when people didn't believe in you... taught you to find your own way.
But the truth is...
Nothing big has ever been built by one man or woman alone. You're trying the impossible.
It takes 2 to start a family.
A village to raise a child.
Many brilliant minds to scale a company. (They don't have to be on your payroll!)
That's why I'm building a free Facebook group of like-minded change makers who are going through the exact same growth phase as you are.
It's your space to ask questions and support each other. I join your conversations every day, to guide you along your individual path ascending new summits of growth.
And I'd love to meet you there: Walk With Me - Social Entrepreneurs' Support Network
If you enjoyed the post, let me know in the comments below!
Wishing you growth and happiness,
Nyasha
