MODULE 10: CREATION OF A SOCIAL ENTERPRISE

Social Idea Generation

A social enterprise starts with the recognition of a need in the society, driven by motivation to
initiate a social change.

Ideas are important because they represent a start of something that has a potential to get bigger
later on. They represent unrealized potential values in their original state. Entrepreneurs are often on the
lookout for ideas that can be offered to the market to answer customer needs.

General Sources of ideas that spur creativity and change:

 Personal experiences
- These are the common source of entrepreneurial ideas, which may come from solving
problems or having unresolved issues encountered at home, at work, or in school.
 Hobbies or Passion
- An individual’s passion or interest may inspire an idea that can be turned into a business.
 Accidental Discovery
- Some ideas for a product came about completely by accident. A company may be seeking to
innovate a product, yet accidentally discovers something else through the course of product
development.
 Systematic or Intentional Search
- Some entrepreneurs find ideas by actively and intentionally searching for them. Some may
look at the list of unused patents or search on the Internet for ideas that have yet to be turned
into reality. Others may seek information from other entrepreneurs by attending seminars,
gatherings or informal types of meetings.
 Awareness through different channels
- Most social entrepreneurs may find inspiration from watching the news, reading articles, or
through professional or social networks Media and the Internet make the world a smaller
place. A curious entrepreneur may see a social problem in one country and think of ideas in
order to solve it.

According to Longenecker, et al., there are three categories of classifying ideas:

1. Type A
- Identifies a new market for an existing product.
2. Type B
- Develops an entirely new product, which can be based on a technological breakthrough.
3. Type C
- Seeks ways to find more efficient or more effective ways of producing an existing product.
This can be through the discovery of a more energy-efficient machine and cutting steps in the
manufacturing process without affecting the quality of the product.