Social Entrepreneur

Raj Sisodia is one of the thought leaders of the Conscious Capitalism movement. His books Firms of Endearment and Conscious Capitalism were major influences on my thinking about social entrepreneurship. They are part of the reason that I produce Social Entrepreneur today.

In this interview, Raj describes the research he conducted and how he began to understand that there was a better way of doing business – a more conscious form of capitalism. He also talks about his new book Shakti Leadership: Embracing Feminine and Masculine Power in Business.

Social Entrepreneurship Quotes from Raj Sisodia:

“Joseph Campbell talked about, you need to find your bliss, and you can also follow your heartbreak.”

“It felt like we were spending more and getting less [from marketing].”

“If you look at the overall impact of about a trillion dollars of spending on marketing, on the lives of customers, and the performance of companies as well as generally on society, I found that there was not a strong positive impact. In fact there were in many ways negative impacts.”

“The paradox of profit is, if you pursue profit resolutely with a single-minded focus, you will do things that will harm your ability to generate surplus in the long term.”

“Profits cannot be pursued. Profits ensue. They are the outcome.”

“This views business as an interconnected, interdependent living system.”

“A conscious business calls for a different kind of leader with different motivations.”

“The way we lead impact the way people live.”

“These companies tend to reflect a lot more of the so-called feminine energy.”

“There’s a lot more talk about caring and compassion and nurturing and relationships.”

“Many of these companies talk openly about building a business on love.”

“After the 19th Century we ended slavery, in the 20th we ended totalitarianism. I think in this century we end the oppression and suppression of women and the feminine.”

“Articulate what you stand for and make it explicit.”

“Keep in mind that we are also citizens.”

Social Entrepreneurship Resources:

• Raj Sisodia: http://rajsisodia.com
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/RajSisodiaCC
• Conscious Capitalism, Inc. http://www.consciouscapitalism.org
• Book: Shakti Leadership: Embracing Feminine and Masculine Power in Business: http://amzn.to/1S1k9h1
• Book: Everybody Matters: The Extraordinary Power of Caring for Your People Like Family: http://amzn.to/1VwlIZI
• Book: Conscious Capitalism: http://amzn.to/1VwlXUB
• Book: Firms of Endearment: How World-Class Companies Profit from Passion and Purpose: http://amzn.to/1Vwmi9U
• eBook: Five Key Traits of Successful Social Entrepreneurs: http://tonyloyd.com/socent
• Try Audible and Receive Two Free Audiobooks: http://tonyloyd.com/books

Gretchen Steidle and Global Grassroots looks for change agents in the most marginalized communities in post-conflict East Africa. Their mission is to catalyze women and girls as leaders of conscious social change. They provide mind-body trauma healing, a conscious social change curriculum, mentors and seed capital.

In Conscious Social Change, Global Grassroots emphasizes five key areas:

1. Cultivating presence.
2. Becoming whole
3. Ensuring balance
4. Staying attuned
5. Leading from within

Social Entrepreneurship Quotes from Gretchen Steidle:

“I was intrigued by what it takes to scale and replicate the best ideas.”

“I recognized that this is where change was happening. It was happening from the grassroots level up.”

“I wanted to find a way to finance more social innovation in the world.”

“I found change agents among illiterate farmers who had escaped genocide.”

“Here was the niche I felt I could serve best, where rebuilding efforts had already begun, but where grassroots needs were still not being met.”

“Everything we do is extremely experiential.”

“We incorporate trauma healing work with our change agents.”

“Conscious social change is the intersection of mindfulness with social entrepreneurship.”

“We teach mindfulness as a leadership principle.”

“For example, a water venture might sell water to those who can afford to pay for it, but that underwrites orphan school fees and women’s heath fees and their programming on domestic violence.”

“Do not assume you know what is needed.”

“Go there, listen, ask questions, engage and support local solutions.”

“The more you can recognize that every stakeholder has wisdom that is valuable to the whole, the more quickly you can clearly and accurately define the issue and design a solution that is going to result in long-term transformation.”

“Constantly evaluate if what you are doing is really alleviating the underlying social issue.”

“The most important thing that we can do is work on our own self-awareness.”

“Start with your own breath – by taking three breaths.”

Social Entrepreneurship Resources:

• Global Grassroots: http://www.globalgrassroots.org
• Conscious Social Change Toolkit: http://www.conscioussocialchange.org
• Last week to grab our free eBook: Five Key Traits of Successful Social Entrepreneurs: http://tonyloyd.com/socent
• Try Audible and Receive Two Free Audiobooks: http://tonyloyd.com/books