Social entrepreneurship, the idea of using entrepreneurial principles to create and manage a “social purpose venture,” is in my opinion one of the more intriguing topics we’ve covered in class. The inspiring stories we heard about social entrepreneurs who have had major impacts on their communities made me want to explore the subject further.

While researching social enterprise in Vancouver, I happened across an article called The Case for More Social Entrepreneurship by Kate MacLennan. The article describes an example of a Vancouver registered charity that operates as a social enterprise: the Potluck Cafe Society. The Society’s cafe betters the Downtown Eastside community by employing disadvantaged residents and serving free meals. Interestingly, the busier the cafe gets, the more costly it is to keep it running, and these costs are mostly subsidized by revenues from the Society’s catering operation. In 2011 the catering operation earned about $500,000 less than executive director Heather O’Hara’s “ideal” operating budget for the cafe; nevertheless, the Society ensures that the cafe remains in operation because, as O’Hara explains, the cafe “serves a really important community function.”

The Potluck Cafe Society serves as a reminder that there is more to business than profit maximization; entrepreneurs can use their skills to earn revenue and better the world around them.