Why do you buy stuff Do things like bracelets basketballs or earbuds make your life more comfortable or more fun Perhaps they do If you choose carefully though your purchases can do something else too they can help change the world Doing Things Differently Craig and Marc Kielburger energize the crowd at a WE Day event They hold these events to inspire youth to work for positive change in the world 4
Seeking a New Way of Doing Things In 2008 Canadian brothers Craig and Marc Kielburger were running a charity It was called Free the Children now called WE Charity Through this charity the brothers were doing remarkable things They were helping children escape slavery and go to school The problem was that the Kielburger brothers needed more money to do this work So they founded ME to WE ME to WE is an enterprise which is a business organization Many enterprises sell things to help them meet a single goal to make money ME to WE sells a variety of things to meet a different goal to change the world That’s why it gives half of all its profits to WE Charity formerly Free the Children and invests the other half back into the enterprise ME to WE is just one of many enterprises trying to find ways to change the world The next time you’re feeling torn between buying something for yourself and supporting a good cause stop and think Remember that you can do both at the same time ME to WE is an example of social entrepreneurship A social enterprise may help people directly or it may raise funds to donate to other groups It may make a profit for its owners or investors In all cases the main goal of social entrepreneurship is to address a social problem 5
Social Entrepreneurship Have you ever run a lemonade stand You would have planned it out bought your supplies and made it happen That would make you an entrepreneur An entrepreneur is someone who plans starts and runs a new enterprise that provides goods or services Henry Ford was a revolutionary entrepreneur whose vision included social improvement He improved the lives of his employees by paying them well and reducing their workweek 6 1
Groundbreaking Entrepreneurs Some entrepreneurs do things that change people’s lives One famous American entrepreneur was Henry Ford In 1908 his company introduced the Model T automobile It was affordable and simple to drive In 1914 Ford began producing this car on a moving assembly line This had never been done before The new approach made production easy and kept costs low The Model T’s low price allowed many more people in North America to buy a car for the first time More importantly Ford’s assembly line changed the way many things were made Using an assembly line to make automobiles meant that more cars could be built in less time The cars could still be good quality but cost less Workers had shorter workdays yet made good money Ford’s success inspired business owners worldwide to use assembly lines in all kinds of industries Today everything from toasters to party hats are made using assembly lines Forms of Entrepreneurship All entrepreneurs follow a passion They tend to be good at noticing a problem or need and then finding a solution for it Traditionally entrepreneurs have focused on keeping customers and making a profit In recent years people have begun to use business skills to develop new kinds of enterprises In an automobile assembly line cars move through a series of stations At each station a worker installs the same part on every car Many entrepreneurs have found business opportunities providing goods and services over the Internet The main goal of digital entrepreneurship is the same as that of most businesses to make money Most businesses measure their success by whether they make a profit Suppose you sold a lot of lemonade at your lemonade stand You would probably make a profit so your business would be considered a success Social and environmental entrepreneurship are different Such enterprises may generate a profit but that is not their main goal Environmental entrepreneurs are passionate about having a positive impact on environmental issues The main goal of social entrepreneurs is to have a positive effect on people’s lives 7
