Successful Founders Aren’t Discovered, They’re Made

Successful Founders Aren’t Discovered, They’re Made

Projects aiming to achieve big, world-changing goals need a lot of time to develop, and require the coordination of large groups and institutions. This level of complication means that projects must have "shovel-ready" solutions in place to secure investment. A project is shovel-ready when work can begin immediately,and ready-to-go solutions like this require experience.

A successful business entrepreneur has already experienced the pitfalls, accomplishments, and surprises of a project, and that makes them the best candidate for the immense challenges of bringing about social change. Steve Tobak at Entrepreneur reminds us that "…the only people making a real difference are those already successful in business," such as Microsoft’s Bill Gates and eBay founder Pierre Omidyar.

…And Here’s Why

First, experienced business leaders understand what it takes to get a startup off the ground, raise capital, grow an organization and scale an enterprise. A task that’s hard enough when the goal is profit, and more so when it is not.

Second, successful founders don’t just drop out of the sky into comfy corner office chairs. They are there because they have learned which each past project, and can take that expertise along with them into the nonprofit world.

Third, it’s hard to run a business without learning to sell. Asking people to give up their time and invest in a venture that is not designed to show a material return on investment is a tough sell, even for the pros.
Be Shovel-Ready

Experienced business entrepreneurs have the skills to build and cultivate the shovel-ready projects social entrepreneurs are seeking out in growing numbers. With the knowledge to take a start-up from the garage to the enterprise level, these entrepreneurs are creating scalable organizations with the tenacity and structure to take on the world’s most challenging problems and create positive change.

Remember, you can thrive in the pursuit of your passion and excellence.

Tom Spry, Executive Recruiter & Coach
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