Feelin’ lucky? Oliberté takes a gamble with soles
Hard work and passion aside, entrepreneurship relies – sometimes heavily – on the oft-times unreliable infusion of capital and the enigmatic and frustratingly intangible element we call luck. Yes, luck. If you’d prefer to Oprah-fy this conversation, let’s...
The Value of Ideation for an Enterprising Non-profit
“What business should we operate?” Is your organization thinking about launching an enterprise? Jonathan Wade explains the importance of ideation in pursuing that goal – and shares some of the challenges and benefits every enterprising non-profit can...
The Social Impact Bond: Potential and pitfalls
Shifting the risk of social value creation to private investors There is currently much discussion about the Social Impact Bond as an innovative tool to generate financing for social enterprises. Anyone who has tried to start a social enterprise—a...
What’s all the Buzz about B Corps?
Ever since Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company began making craft beer seven years ago, they’ve used organic ingredients, followed eco-friendly practices and supported community causes. The Vankleek Hill, Ontario-based business announced in October that it had taken...
Why Haiti’s Answer May Lie in Clinton, Collaboration and Social Entrepreneurship
Panelists: Denis O’Brien, Sean Penn and Danielle Saint-Lot, with moderator Kathleen MatthewsCredit: Juliana Thomas / Clinton Global Initiative Four years after the devastating earthquake hit the nation, killing 250,000 people, Haiti is still struggling to regain...
Ontario’s Social Enterprise Recipe – Proof is in the Pudding
What should we expect from the Ontario social enterprise (SE) space in 2014? It’s holiday time, so I’m going to tackle this from a food perspective. If we’re trying to judge the success of our SE recipe, “the proof of the pudding (in 2014) will be in the eating.”...
Rebuilding Detroit: Social Innovators Stake Their Claim
It’s early evening of an August scorcher and I’m seated under a much-appreciated tent at Detroit’s Earthworks Urban Farm. Located in the city’s east side, the 2.5-acre organic farm grows food to benefit its own soup kitchen and runs a variety of initiatives to...
Sustaining a Social Enterprise Ecosystem
“Sustainability” is not just a buzzword, but a multi-purpose concept. It illustrates the resiliency of an organization. It is often the reason many nonprofits pursue social enterprise – to improve their mission delivery and enhance their sustainability...