I’ll be in Traverse City, Michigan on September 18 to lead a discussion about social entrepreneurship. My hosts will be Marguerite Cotto, from Northwest Michigan College and Elaine Wood, from the Northwest Michigan Council of Governments. Both of these women are active in promoting business and community development in the Traverse City area. Marguerite tells me that our venue, on the campus of NMC, has beautiful views with a treehouse-like feeling. Just what’s needed to feed the dialogue with our imaginations.
You may be wondering, why Traverse City? Dave Murphy, who is a long-time resident, and an advisor on A Bigger Voice, has been telling me for some time how beautiful the area is. Living near Boulder, Colorado, I know something about living in a place with gorgeous views. But then Dave tempted me with photos–of cherry orchards and Ma Murphy’s cherry pie, of the shoreline literally across the street from his house, of delicate spring flowers in wooded areas, of colorful fall foliage, and of icy rock formations spawned from winter storms.
In addition to painting a picture of the Midwest’s version of paradise, Dave described to me something even more special–the people who live there. Dave and I have had many long conversations, a labyrinth of topics woven from our shared interests. Inevitably, Dave would say, “I think you would love to meet a friend of mine. She’s doing this interesting work…..” After awhile, I began to wonder how so many remarkable people could be found in such a modestly populated area.
It seems that this part of Michigan attracts people who have passionate causes, innovators with wisdom that can change the world. Perfect for a conversation about social entrepreneurship. I’ll be especially interested in seeing what happens when the conversation takes place in person, as so much of my work is done virtually.
Many individuals who focus on creating social good consider “profit” to be a dirty word. I’m not one of them. Ever since I first heard the phrase, “doing well and doing good,” I’ve embraced it as a model for social entrepreneurship. My ability to do good in the world increases exponentially when I create a community of kindred spirits around a big idea. And I increase the likelihood of sustainability of such an effort when making money is part of the picture.
The pilot clients for A Bigger Voice showed me that building a community and building a profitable business are parallel, not sequential paths. It’s a “both/and,” not an “either/or.” Early on, the emphasis is on community-building (witness the start of this blog last December). And the seeds of a profitable business need to be sown at the same time. (I started writing a business plan for A Bigger Voice last spring, even though I knew I was a long way off from launching it as a business.)
Some of the ideas that we’ll be exploring in Traverse City:
- What role does story play in attracting kindred spirits to a community?
- How do community building and PR work hand in hand? How are they different?
- How do you meld the wild and wooly nature of community with the structure of business?
- When is community-building a parallel, but separate path and when is it intertwined with building a business?
- How does technology (e.g., social media) change how communities form and what they can take on?
- How can virtual communities inspire and affirm our work with local communities, where there is a physical presence?
- How is bottom-up change possible now, more than ever? And why is focusing only on top-down change becoming less effective?
- How are “digital natives” changing the way that social causes develop?
While I have plenty of opinions about the answers to the above questions, I’m more interested in starting a long-term conversation, one that will continue well after I leave the sandy beaches of Traverse City and return to the foothills of Boulder. My experience with A Bigger Voice team of consultants has taught me that the “third way” always emerges from vibrant dialogue.
If you are already registered for the gathering through Marguerite or Elaine, please say a little about yourself in the comment section of this post–why you are attracted to social entrepreneurship, the big idea that you are trying to spread in the world, and what you’d like to get out of the discussion.
If you would like to join the gathering, please email abiggervoice [at] gmail.com for details on location and time.
My thanks, in advance, to Marguerite and Elaine for organizing this event. I can’t wait to see who shows up.
Leading a Social Entrepreneurship Discussion in Traverse City on Sept 18
I’ll be in Traverse City, Michigan on September 18 to lead a discussion about social entrepreneurship. My hosts will be Marguerite Cotto, from Northwest Michigan College and Elaine Wood, from the Northwest Michigan Council of Governments. Both of these women are active in promoting business and community development in the Traverse City area. Marguerite tells me that our venue, on the campus of NMC, has beautiful views with a treehouse-like feeling. Just what’s needed to feed the dialogue with our imaginations.
You may be wondering, why Traverse City? Dave Murphy, who is a long-time resident, and an advisor on A Bigger Voice, has been telling me for some time how beautiful the area is. Living near Boulder, Colorado, I know something about living in a place with gorgeous views. But then Dave tempted me with photos–of cherry orchards and Ma Murphy’s cherry pie, of the shoreline literally across the street from his house, of delicate spring flowers in wooded areas, of colorful fall foliage, and of icy rock formations spawned from winter storms.
In addition to painting a picture of the Midwest’s version of paradise, Dave described to me something even more special–the people who live there. Dave and I have had many long conversations, a labyrinth of topics woven from our shared interests. Inevitably, Dave would say, “I think you would love to meet a friend of mine. She’s doing this interesting work…..” After awhile, I began to wonder how so many remarkable people could be found in such a modestly populated area.
It seems that this part of Michigan attracts people who have passionate causes, innovators with wisdom that can change the world. Perfect for a conversation about social entrepreneurship. I’ll be especially interested in seeing what happens when the conversation takes place in person, as so much of my work is done virtually.
Many individuals who focus on creating social good consider “profit” to be a dirty word. I’m not one of them. Ever since I first heard the phrase, “doing well and doing good,” I’ve embraced it as a model for social entrepreneurship. My ability to do good in the world increases exponentially when I create a community of kindred spirits around a big idea. And I increase the likelihood of sustainability of such an effort when making money is part of the picture.
The pilot clients for A Bigger Voice showed me that building a community and building a profitable business are parallel, not sequential paths. It’s a “both/and,” not an “either/or.” Early on, the emphasis is on community-building (witness the start of this blog last December). And the seeds of a profitable business need to be sown at the same time. (I started writing a business plan for A Bigger Voice last spring, even though I knew I was a long way off from launching it as a business.)
Some of the ideas that we’ll be exploring in Traverse City:
While I have plenty of opinions about the answers to the above questions, I’m more interested in starting a long-term conversation, one that will continue well after I leave the sandy beaches of Traverse City and return to the foothills of Boulder. My experience with A Bigger Voice team of consultants has taught me that the “third way” always emerges from vibrant dialogue.
If you are already registered for the gathering through Marguerite or Elaine, please say a little about yourself in the comment section of this post–why you are attracted to social entrepreneurship, the big idea that you are trying to spread in the world, and what you’d like to get out of the discussion.
If you would like to join the gathering, please email abiggervoice [at] gmail.com for details on location and time.
My thanks, in advance, to Marguerite and Elaine for organizing this event. I can’t wait to see who shows up.