Social Enterprise

Awareness & Understanding

A social enterprise is a business that exists to solve a real problem — not just to make money. Companies like TOMS Shoes, Bombas Socks, and Cotopaxi (founded right here in Salt Lake City) all built profitable businesses around a mission. Watch "What Is a Social Enterprise?" on YouTube — the RSA Animate channel has a sharp explainer. Then look up Cotopaxi's origin story and read how Davis Smith built a gear brand that donates a percentage of every sale to fight poverty. Notice how the product, the mission, and the business model all connect. You're ready for the next step when you can explain what makes a social enterprise different from a regular business and a regular nonprofit, and name two real examples.

Research & Investigation

Now research the problem space you want to work in. Pick one issue you care about — food access, mental health, environmental waste, education gaps, or anything else that bothers you locally. Find out: How big is this problem in Utah? Who is already working on it? Search the Utah Nonprofits Association website (utahnonprofits.org) and look for organizations in your area. Then find one social enterprise anywhere in the world that tackles a similar issue and study their business model — how do they make money AND create impact at the same time? You're ready for the next step when you can describe the problem you want to address, who it affects in Utah, and how one existing social enterprise generates revenue while solving it.

Planning & Preparation

Design your social enterprise concept on paper. You need four things: (1) a clear problem statement, (2) a product or service that solves it, (3) a customer who pays for it, and (4) a way the revenue creates impact. Use the free Business Model Canvas template (search "business model canvas PDF" — it's one page). Fill in every box. Your idea doesn't have to be original — it can be a local version of something that works elsewhere. Talk to at least two people who experience the problem you're solving and ask them: "Would you pay for this? Why or why not?" Their answers will make your plan much stronger. You're ready for the next step when you have a completed one-page Business Model Canvas with feedback from at least two potential customers.

Taking Action

Run a real test. You don't need a full business — you need one small experiment that proves someone will actually pay for your product or service. Sell something. Take orders. Run a pop-up. Pitch your idea to five people and ask for a commitment. Use free tools: a Google Form to collect interest, Venmo to accept payments, Canva to make a flyer. Keep track of every dollar in and every dollar out in a simple spreadsheet. Document what worked, what flopped, and what you learned. If nobody bought, that's data — figure out why. You're ready for the next step when you've run at least one real-world test of your concept and have documented the results with actual numbers.

Leadership & Expansion

Take your concept further. Use what you learned from your test to improve your model, then pitch it to a real audience. Look for youth entrepreneur competitions in Utah — the BYU Business Plan Competition, the Utah Entrepreneurship Summit, and the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute at the University of Utah all have student-facing programs. Even if you don't enter, prepare a three-minute pitch as if you were. Practice it in front of at least two people who will give you honest feedback. Then recruit one person to help you and assign them a real role. Leading a small team — even a team of two — is a totally different skill than working alone. You're ready for the next step when you've delivered your three-minute pitch to a live audience and incorporated at least one piece of critical feedback into your plan.

Impact & Reflection

Pull everything together and measure what you actually created. Write a two-page impact report covering: What problem did you set out to solve? What did you build or test? What impact did your work create — even if it was small? What would you do differently with more time and money? Share this report with someone who could help you go further — a teacher, a mentor, a local business owner, or a nonprofit leader. Then write a personal reflection: What does running a business for good feel like compared to just volunteering? Which skills surprised you most — and which do you still need to develop? You're ready for the next step when you've completed your impact report and shared it with at least one person outside your immediate friend group who gave you real feedback.