As social entrepreneurs and nonprofit professionals, we are fortunate. We get to do work that matters. Work that serves people. Work that builds something bigger than ourselves.
But this path is not easy. Impact takes endurance.
As we enter the Lunar New Year and shift from the Year of the Snake to the Year of the Horse, it’s a fitting moment to pause. The Snake reminds us to be thoughtful and grounded. The Horse calls us forward with courage and momentum.
For me, this new year marks something else: my 17th anniversary as a social entrepreneur. That milestone has made me reflective, not just about what it takes to start, but what it takes to sustain. To evolve. To keep showing up when the work gets hard and the road bends.
Along the way, I’ve been shaped by extraordinary mentors and pioneers. Their lessons have become pearls of wisdom I return to again and again. And in this moment, I wanted to pass them along to you.
Over the past 17 years, I have asked leaders I admire one simple question: “What advice would you give your younger self?”
Here are their pearls, for the road ahead:
Develop Core Values
Many people are drawn to social impact work because they want to “make a difference” or “change the world.” Rolfe Larson, serial social entrepreneur and assistant professor at the University of Denver, suggests you dig deeper: “Find core values that are personal to you and come directly from your life experience. Then you can hold on to them when inevitable challenges come your way.”
In my classroom, we use a four-part Venn diagram, which the Japanese call Ikigai, to help students define their values and unique value proposition. That slim intersection between what you love, what you’re good at, what the world needs and what you can sustain financially is often the real starting point.
Impact begins with clarity about what drives you.
Start With the End in Mind
Every changemaker begins with a dream. Tamra Ryan, a nationally recognized speaker and author who led Women’s Bean Project for more than two decades, encourages us to go further: “First, develop a detailed picture in your mind. Then create a plan to get you there. Start with the end in mind, because if you don’t know where you’re going, how will you know when you arrive?”
Impact comes when purpose meets discipline.
Be an Intrapreneur First
Starting your own venture may sound glamorous, but the world needs builders inside institutions, too. The late Jim Schorr, a widely respected social enterprise leader and former head of the Social Enterprise Alliance, reminded us: “The world needs social intrapreneurs just as badly.”
As an intrapreneur inside a nonprofit or socially responsible business, you can build innovation with the security of a paycheck and the stability of existing infrastructure. This is especially true in nonprofits and government, where resources are tight and innovation is essential.
Organizations need leaders who can create new pathways, pilot new models and rethink old assumptions. We need more changemakers inside organizations, not just outside of them.
Find an Opposite in a Partner
If you do start something new, know your strengths and find someone who balances you. As Betsy Densmore, an experienced social enterprise strategist and founder of Academies for Social Entrepreneurship, notes: “It is rare for someone to be both a great visionary and a great manager, and a growing business needs both. Without a visionary, the business is less likely to go big and without a manager, the business is not likely to go at all.”
The strongest impact is built in partnership with others.
Change Happens
Social impact leaders are in the business of change, yet change can still feel uncomfortable inside our own organizations. Carla Javits, former CEO of REDF and longtime champion of employment-focused social enterprise, puts it simply: “Change is inevitable. Ride with it.”
The best leaders don’t resist disruption. They lead through it. Adaptability is not optional. It’s the job.
Become a Bridge Builder
The hardest challenges of our time will not be solved in silos. Allyson Hewitt, a leading voice in Canadian social innovation and cross-sector collaboration, encourages changemakers to build fluency across systems: “Work in government, nonprofits and the private sector so you can translate across different industry languages and move toward shared solutions.”
Impact belongs to the bridge builders — those who connect what others keep separate.
Lead with Humility
One of the biggest blind spots for mission-driven leaders is certainty. You need conviction, yes. But you also need humility.
As I tell my students: Fall in love with the problem, not the solution. Betsy Densmore agrees: “I would listen more and be less certain that I knew best.” Carla Javits adds: “Don’t be afraid to change your mind.”
Listening is not weakness. It’s good leadership.
Celebrate the Small and the Big
We love big headlines, but real change is often quieter. Rolfe Larson reminds us: “The most meaningful change often happens in small accomplishments never noticed by the media.”
Celebrate it all. Progress is progress. Most impact will never be trendy. But it will still matter deeply to those affected.
Don’t Quit
The secret to success in social impact work is persistence and the willingness to pivot. Jerr Boschee, one of the early architects of the modern social enterprise movement, is famous for saying: “Don’t quit until the miracle happens.” Allyson Hewitt adds: “When you hear the inevitable ‘no,’ ask for feedback and keep evolving your message.”
The path is rarely straight. But, after 17 years, I can attest that it is worth it. Resilience is the real business plan.
Whether you’re a rising social entrepreneur, a nonprofit professional leading from within, or a seasoned changemaker looking for renewed clarity, I hope these pearls of wisdom remind you that you’re not alone.
After 17 years in this work, I can tell you: the social sector doesn’t need perfection. It needs persistence.
And sometimes what keeps us going isn’t a new framework or the next big idea. It’s a simple reminder I learned from my father: Your only competition is yourself. The goal is to strive each day to be a better person than you were the day before.
As we step into a new year, I hope you carry a few of these pearls with you — the way I’ve carried them with me over the last two decades of growth and evolution. And I promise to keep collecting and sharing them along the way.
What advice would you give your younger self? Share your wisdom in the comments so we can all benefit from it.
Embrace ambiguity. Ambiguity is the world of an entrepreneur, and even more so for social entrepreneurs. Be okay working in uncertainty, but be aware of what you are uncertain about. Step forward with intention, always willing to step sideways and then forward from there. Imagine your grand vision is a lighthouse flashing its light in the fog. You can see it in the distance, but you aren’t sure where to step first. So, take a step with one foot forward and see if there is solid ground beneath your foot. Then take the next step with that new information. It may be forward or sideways. Each step is progress.