Social Entrepreneurship

From stay at home mom to social entrepreneur, Shelley Jones is the owner of dignify an online store selling “kantha” blankets- unique quilts, hand stitched in Bangladesh by women who are recovering from or vulnerable to sexual exploitation. Witnessing a better way to do business early in her career, planted the seed that profit …

We often talk about the benefits of skills based volunteering. Whether it’s a way to add experience to your resume, transition to your next job or just your way of giving back. But sometimes the toughest part is figuring out where and how to use your skills for good. Well, now …

One of the most challenging aspects of searching for a career with purpose it that there is no roadmap. Instead there’s options, trade-offs, decisions and a whole host of different paths to explore. Gone are the days where professionals settled in with a company out of college and then defined their career success …

Quitting your stable corporate job to start your own social enterprise takes a lot of courage and conviction. The thought of which can scare even the bravest of individuals. Gelaine’s career story shows us how you can gradually make the transition and why there’s no better time to be a social entrepreneur than …

Don’t wait for permission to create the change or job you want. That is one of the many life lessons we can learn from Zahra Ebrahim, founder and principal of ArchiTEXT- a design think tank and consultancy focusing on design based approaches to social innovation for government, charities and philanthropic organizations. Zahra’s …

Wearing multiple hats is common in the impact sector. And this couldn’t be more true for Stachen Frederick, a social entrepreneur who also juggles her day job as a Manager at the YMCA of Greater Toronto. Stachen is the Founder and Executive Director of BrAIDS for AIDS a social enterprise launched in 2008 …

Most people would agree that it’s tough to be an entrepreneur (and maybe even a bit tougher to be a social entrepreneur). It takes a special kind of person and Jenise Lee, the Founder & CEO of  CertClean is no exception. We love her motto of “fail fast, and learn faster” because it …

We recently met Kristy O’Leary at the Social Finance Forum in Toronto and immediately felt a kindred spirit. As a fellow social entrepreneur, we admired her vision and passion for social impact creating Scout & Burrow, a non-traditional agency. Kristy’s career story is a good reminder how career paths in the …

One of the most exciting things about working in the impact economy is seeing the rise of cool social enterprises like Mealshare, taking the buy one give one model to the culinary world. Andrew Hall is the co-founder and co-mastermind behind this budding West Coast based organization. From consultant to …

We’ve never walked away so inspired than after meeting Phillip. On a mission to redefine giving, Phillip and his team are disrupting what it means to do charity and business. Phillip is not only a visionary but a fun leader that encapsulates a play hard – work hard mentality. Phillip’s …

What do you do after you’ve been a part of one of Canada’s greatest business success stories (the 6th employee at lululemon)? You deploy your business acumen to create social change. Or maybe you try and reinvent Capitalism. That’s the bold ambition of Darrell Kopke, Founder and Skool Principal at institute …

Courtney Clarkson reminds us that the secret to job happiness is passion. It was her passion for the environment that propelled her to start BotanyCo. Eyewear, a sustainable eyewear company based in Caledon, Ontario. Courtney and her company transform everything from bamboo to old skateboards to make the eco-friendly artisan …

What do pandas and sustainability have in common? Bamboo! Bamboo is the secret ingredient to Jamie’s two-year-old sustainable eyewear company- Corvus Fittings. Based in Vancouver, BC, Jamie’s story demonstrates the future of social entrepreneurship and sustainable business in Canada. Corvus focuses on fashion while building sustainability into the essence of …

Robin’s background makes her a perfect advocate for the non-profit she founded, Pencils for Kids. Her inspiration came from hearing 30 kids had to share one pencil in a Niger classroom and it was her instinct to say “let’s not just talk about it, let’s do something”. Pencils for Kids …