ARTICLE: Help Write The Book That Needs To Be Written – Deepa Chaudhary

In this era of startups, there’s an increasing trend of startups looking to make money while doing social good. Trade instead of aid is the new mantra of helping people rise above poverty. Even nonprofits who have traditionally stuck to donations are turning entrepreneurial and embracing new business models to become self reliant and generate funds needed to scale their social impact.

In recent years we’ve seen many startups gain phenomenal success in this space – Sevenly, Krochet Kids, Raven+Lily to just name a few. Even Toms that pioneered the buy one, give one model with shoes has now expanded out to eyewear, coffee and bags. The market seems ripe for social good brands. Consumers are increasingly opting for sustainable, organic and empowering products as a way of improving their well being and that of the community. The web has made it extremely easy for people to launch businesses, the result is more and more social entrepreneurs are going down the business path instead of charity to solve social problems.

While at one hand there are social good startups that are gaining immense traction there are many others that have tried and failed. The new economy requires new thinking and tools, success is dependent on number of factors from high-quality, pricing, marketing, storytelling, visual presentation and tech knowhow.

To help improve the odds of success for new social good startups, I plan to write a book that will uncover what it takes to succeed. With Dutiee, I’ve spent considerable time researching and publishing articles profiling the growth stories of many social good startups such as No Nasties, Project Repat, etc. And many of you that found Dutiee useful and have reached out to me – provided the motivation for this endeavor.

I plan to do more such in-depth, one on one interviews with founders on the choices they’ve made and tools they’ve used to grow their startup. My goal is to reach out to 10 founders and to compile their growth stories in the form of a book. My hope is that the book would serve as a guide and source of inspiration to hundreds of aspiring social entrepreneurs taking the leap of faith everyday to start a business that would change the world for the better.

I’M SOLD, HOW CAN I HELP
I would love to hear from you, what are your favorite social good brands or entrepreneurs. As I move ahead with this project I’ll keep coming back for your thoughts and feedback

Please comment, tweet or mail her your thoughts.