Juan Del Cerro

We have to understand that no one organization can solve any problem on its own, collaboration is key to both strengthening and growing its own programs and impact, but also, to participate in activities that may be outside of its initial plan, but contribute to the solution its trying to generate in communities or with its stakeholders. Focusing solely on your own programs or planning, limits significantly the impact you can generate. You must participate in events, dialogues, communities, and even platforms like these to continuously learn, find partners, and be part of initiatives that would otherwise you might find outside your scope of work.

While much of the conversation of the entrepreneurship support ecosystem center around funding, I believe that when supporting entrepreneurs, it is key to prioritize going to market and sales strategies, to try and generate sustainable businesses rather than businesses based on funding. More and more, the stories of those businesses that go from round to round of funding without understanding their market demand and getting to break even in sales, demonstrate that those are rarely sustainable in the long term.

More important than assets, I would emphasize "get to know your team", and get to know what is their purpose. They can be your greatest strength if you build strong relationships with them.

Here are some great communities that I have been part of and have helped me connect with other social entrepreneurs: - B Lab community. - Ashoka Fellows community. - Good Ripple (Linkedin and Slack) - Zebras Unite. Also, Facebook and Linkedin groups are a great way to get started.

A great tool for writing the mission and vision is the "Branding for Changemakers" methodology, I love how it adapts branding and entrepreneurship methods to social enterprises.

I love this technique by Harvard Professor Kristi Hedges, where she shares 5 questions to define your purpose: 1. What are you good at doing? The idea here is to identify your strengths and open possibilities from there. 2. What do you enjoy? These questions help people find or rediscover what they love about work. 3. What feels most useful? This line of inquiry highlights the inherent value of certain work. 4. What creates a sense of forward momentum? The goal here is to show how today’s work helps them advance toward future goals. 5. How do you relate to others? These questions encourage people to think about and foster relationships that make work more meaningful.