Month: November 2010

Marian Wright Edelman is the perfect example of a social entrepreneur. Founder and president of the Children’s Defence Fund, also known as CDF, Marian sets her aspirations on improving child care and protecting children all over the world who are disabled, homeless, abused, and neglected. By adopting a mission to create and sustain social values, she wants to ensure that every child has a “healthy start, a head start, a fair start, a safe start, and a moral start in life.” With this vision in mind, she embarks in the risk of being a Social Entrepreneur by founding CDF.

CDF fits every criteria and definition of what a social entrepreneurship should be. From recognizing and pursuing the new opportunities to serve Marian’s mission, to exhibiting heightened accountability to the constituencies served, CDF is able to act boldly without being limited by the resources  currently in hand. Financially, CDF is supported strictly and “primarily by corporate grants and individual donations” and does not require government funds or charity donations to sustain itself.

Nature’s Path Organic is definitely a company that I would consider to be an entrepreneurship., Arran and Ratana Stephens, husband and wife, founded Nature’s Path in 1985. With the aspiration to inspire both the people and the planet along the path of sustainability, Arran embarks his company under his father’s guiding principle of “always [leaving] the soil better than you found it.” Unlike most cereal companies, Nature’s Path Organic enters a new and sustainable market by using an innovative production method that allows them to reduce the amount of paper in their packaging. This business undoubtedly meets the criteria and the definition of Schumpeter’s View of Entrepreneurship – New Production Method and New Market.

Furthermore, Nature’s Path Organic experienced  a risk in entrepreneurial venture as they were “one of the first companies to sign onto the Declaration of Sustainability.” By providing a more green solution to the earth, Nature’s Path Organic is able to gain much support which led the company to a rapid growth.