When Success Means Being Obsolete

I attended a seminar in Post Graduate School of Ateneo and there I was introduced to the new concept of Social Entrepreneurship a field filled with happiness and wealth; a new trend of Entrepreneurship in the world.

There are two types of SE (Social Entrepreneurship); one is Profitable SE and that’s where you can empower the society as well as earn however the earning may not be much compared to some other entrepreneurial businesses (yet for some created abundance through quantity of their services) and the other is the Non-profitable SE. the latter focuses on the services surrendered to community in the point that their basic needs be satisfied through their personal sharing and efforts.

Example of the first can be FedEx, when they started to print the resume of unemployed who were seeking for job in the US. Or some companies that print the advertisements on the paper cups for very least amount of money. In both cases you can see empowerment of people or micro companies through services of big companies.

The sound example of the second type in our country is Gawad Kalinga started from a non-profitable organization of Couples for Christ; sheltering the homeless people of urban areas. They simply make residents of such areas build their own real houses with the help of GK People sponsoring the materials. Note that their services doesn’t end by turning over the houses but they educate the people on how should they maintain and keep the environment and the new houses clean and neat to provide the healthy and good looking environment. That is the more important factor, because after the GK people leave the area, the people would know on how to keep such a good environment and maintain it.

In both forms of SE, the service surrendered to community solves a problem and turns it into opportunities for both the mastermind behind it and the target community.

The success of these entrepreneurs is measured by the absences; if they are not around and yet their services or products keeps empowering the community then they are successful attaining their objectives.

Unlike some other organizations where they make the community dependent to their services (even if that is for free) the SE makes sure his system makes the community independent in solving their problems.

Therefore at the counterpart of some charitable organizations where they keep feeding the poor the fish, and even more than teaching them how to fish (which just save one generation on surviving), the SE makes sure to come up with a System that resolves the problem of the community where makes the fishing easier for them no matter how many generations.

And by looking at the people of target community who are empowered already and can focus in solving other problems comes the happiness and sense of fulfillment. Isn’t happiness and fulfillment what we seek in our life, then why not taking action in attaining it? Be the Social Entrepreneur who solves and empowers, that even if obsolete, people would remember him/her as a hero. Be the dream person whom you always wanted to be. Start building yourself today.

Does Your Future Make You Stressed?

“I can feel the stress from now already!” Leia said with fear and worries.
“Come on! You gon’na graduate on March right? And we are still in June!” I surprisingly replied!
Leia continued with her eyes seeking for hope in the sky and with her soft voice filled with doubt said; “Mahdi, you don’t know how it feels when your family invested in you by sending you to a good university for an expensive 6 years course of dentistry, and then they expect you to pass the board exam so you can support them in return!”

Just by looking at her; I could feel the responsibility she carries also, her fear and doubts. I asked her “what if you won’t pass the board?” shockingly like she never has thought of that answered “Oh No way! I’m dead”…

There was a moment of silence between us… I knew she was thinking and telling herself “What if? What if I fail? What if I won’t be able to practice what I spent 6 years of my life? What if I won’t pass the board exam” and I was thinking…
“Why should a graduating student worry much about her future to the point that she feels it’s a matter of life and death. As if she is left with only two options; My Profession (Job) and Death!?”

“Some 500,000 young men and women joined the rank of the country’s college and university graduates last march and all have one fear in common – not finding a job because of the current economic crisis.” - Entrepreneur Magazine, May 2009

Do you think there is a job out there waiting for all of them? -Probably Not.
Today’s world trend in Job and Employment; just doesn’t have the security anymore. Look at the number of employees fired because of recession! Employees are considered liabilities for some companies nowadays!

Do these fresh graduates have a chance? -Definitely Yes! But it depends on them!
In every recession, there are many opportunities, and after each economic crisis you can find many wealthy and successful people coming up to the surface.

What solution I suggest? -Join us; The Entrepreneurs.
Solving any problem and turning it into a successful business needs a sprit which is called the Entrepreneurial Spirit. And by doing so a system and then many job opportunities are created.

How about the capital? -What if I tell you, I started some businesses with 0.00 capitals!
Nowadays there are many successful entrepreneurs started from zero. Why not learning from them and those!? Look around and you can see many.

Is it really possible? -Of course Yes! I and many others like me have done it.

Why entrepreneurship?

“Entrepreneurship is an important key for unlocking the vicious cycle of unemployment. Through entrepreneurship, young people and college graduates - especially those with the means - can create not only new enterprises but also job opportunities for those seeking employment.”
-Prof. Eric Pasquin; chair of San Beda’s Colleges International Business and Entrepreneurial Management Dep.

It is easy to enter and is most rewarding. Besides you get to do what you want to do regardless of your course. This gate is always open without any requirements except the 3 Ds to start:
· Desire
· Drive
· Discipline

And 3 Es to succeed:
· Education
· Experience
· Execution

How can you require the education?
Again look for Good Mentors and Coaches and Business Communities.

Will that secure your future? I don’t guarantee. Cause success of your future is in your hands, but I know it builds character, and it takes a big character to have big achievements.

Entrepreneurship is not an easy field, in fact it’s a challenging one, but remembers, the entrepreneurs do their bests to change a challenge into a success. That’s why having the Unshakable Entrepreneurial Spirit is essential!

Are you willing to acquire that spirit or you still prefer to Sit down and wait for the future with closed eyes? (just because you fear the failures of tomorrows will just make you stressed!) Don’t let your circumstances control you. Create your desired circumstances instead. As one of my mentors in leadership said:

“Always prepare for the worst and hope for the best”

If you can’t practice what your college taught you to do, you still can practice something that can make you successful! Colonel Sanders (owner of KFC) was a military colonel not a chef!