Weblog Sociaal Ondernemen van studenten in VS

Onze eerste ontmoeting

There’s a first for everything and so there is a first for everything in the States as well. My first impressions with the people I met here didn’t quite fit though with what I was initially expecting here.

That is also what we got told by Jos Scheffelaar. Born Dutch and moved to Boston in the 90s, he now helps companies to cross over the pond and start their businesses in the States.

• Be positive and outgoing
• Assertiveness is expected
• Negotiations are tough, but fair
• Be persistent if you want to get something done.

Cambridge Innovation Centre

What he basically told us, is that if you want to do business in America, adapt and be like an American (didn’t see that one coming). I think the presentation we got after that by Dougan Sherwood of Cambridge Innovation Centre (CIC) is a personification of the lessons above. With his excellent spirit and presentation skills he not only brought across what CIC did for business (an all inclusive business incubator), he also showed us how to motivate a crowd for your service. He also demonstrated that being an entrepreneur is not just about wanting to make loads of money, it is also about pursuing your dreams, having dedication and having fun with the people around you.

Siiri Morley

With those life lessons we left the CIC building and my program got somewhat split up from the rest of the group. Because of the kind sponsoring of the VU University one of my assignments here is to interview Social Entrepreneurs about this form of entrepreneurship in the States. I was off to interview Siiri Morley, woman serial social entrepreneur and founder of Prosperity Candle.

I met her in a Moroccan café somewhere close to Central Square in Cambridge. While interviewing her, what immediately struck me was her passion for supporting women entrepreneurs in countries that are subject to wars or natural disasters. Having worked at a foreign aid company in Africa she experienced first hand what these disasters can do with women and family in such countries.
Prosperity Candle hands women entrepreneurs a kit to make candles and thereby gives them a way to generate income. By selling these candles on the US market for a premium price they break even. She targets women not only because they are “the cornerstones of every family”, but also because men in these areas are either out to war, or rebuilding the area after a disaster has happened. By investing in women she hands them a way of taking control and effectively empowering them, to take back control and make their own money. A noble case if you ask me. Being a social entrepreneur in the US isn’t something easy though; the social system here isn’t fit for these types of initiatives and therefore a lot of social entrepreneurs still have to work double jobs just to keep their healthcare.