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For the past 12 years, Diplomatic Enterprises (“DE”) has operated as an attorney-led consultancy that specializes in legal, branding and operations, helping athletes, brands and creatives become the best version of themselves. Over time, we’ve had the pleasure of working with a number of individuals and organizations who have incorporated the mission of helping others into the way they conduct business. In furtherance of our mission to give back, as a company we’ve donated pro bono and volunteer hours and in conjunction with our clients we’ve led, contributed to, and/or administered donations to worthy causes.
For me, my charitable work extends beyond the boardroom and into the classroom. For the past 5 years, I’ve served as a faculty member at Northeastern University in the College of Professional Studies Nonprofit Management Program. I designed, and now teach, two classes at the university: Measuring Social Impact and New Ventures in Social Entrepreneurship. Social entrepreneurship is a form of business where the mission of helping others is central to the business. It’s where companies attempt to serve the double bottom line of profit and purpose. Now, more than ever, it’s important for brands, companies, and individuals to engineer the future they want to live in. And one of the ways to do that is by building and creating companies that ethically, responsibly, and sustainably contribute to that future in thought, word, and deed.
Being a professor and a practitioner affords me the opportunity to practice what I preach and to teach what I know. It was in furtherance of this maxim and with the help of the good people at Kendall Hunt Publishing, that I penned a textbook on social entrepreneurship entitled, Social Entrepreneurship: From Concept to Venture. The book focuses on entrepreneurial ideas that generate social impact. It covers how to generate an innovative business idea, how to address social issues and have an impact, and how to develop an action plan and consequently measure for results.
Yes, I know you may be asking, “Why do I need a textbook, if I’m not enrolled in college, let alone this class?” Great question! While I’m a strong advocate of higher education, I understand that for some, the four walls of a college or university feel like a prison. And despite the accessibility and flexibility the program I work in offers, accessibility is subjective to your unique set of circumstances. And today, perhaps more than ever, that number of people who find traditional higher education within reach has shrunk.
If your aim is to build a Fortune 500 company or to end world hunger (or both), you’ve made this undertaking to be great, not mediocre and this text is for you. The challenge is to chart a path that appreciates the risk, understands the challenges, and moves forward boldly. This textbook aims to equip you with insight, tools, and resources to charge ahead and to move (reasonably) fast and break things (legally). Whether you choose to further your knowledge on campus, online, or (responsibly) own your own, textbooks help open new realms of possibilities. If you’re seeking to learn more about creating social impact through entrepreneurship, then this textbook is a wonderful tool.
Northeastern Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/northeastern/ Instagram: @northeastern LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/northeastern-university/ Twitter: @NortheasternDE_
Kendall Hunt Publishing Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KendallHuntHE Instagram: @kendallhuntpublishing LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kendall-hunt-publishing-company Twitter: @KendallHuntHE
