Social Entrepreneur Business Coach - Private Sector
"I am a social entrepreneur who provides one-to-one and small group coaching for individuals creating new social enterprises or scaling up current operations. I can assist with all phases of business development for startups including the growth stage. My experience is deep, and I have a number of years as a social entrepreneur and want to share my learnings and experiences with others interested in the same journey. I have extensive leadership development training, a deep understanding of social entrepreneurship, and I am a connector—someone who easily builds relationships, engenders trust and adeptly manages networks to advance ideas and broaden impact."
Salary Range:
$125 per hour
The Tip
Contract work allows you to build skills, experience, and broaden your network more quickly than traditional jobs.
Priority Knowledge & Skills
Systems Thinking
Knowledge & ability to:
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Understand systems thinking
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Identify and make plans for future trends
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Recognize trends, opportunities and underlying patterns
Human-Centered Design & Design Thinking
Knowledge & ability to:
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Think laterally
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Identify patterns
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Work with third-party groups, such as think tanks, labs and accelerators
Communication, Collaboration & Facilitation
Knowledge & ability to:
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Use contextual knowledge
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Communicate effectively in all formats
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Develop & execute workshops, training sessions and/or events
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Use technology and specialized collaboration tools
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Compelling presentation & report writing skills
Changemaking
Knowledge & ability to:
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Be authentic, empathetic and ethical
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Ask questions
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Embrace challenges as opportunities to create systemic change
Oversight & Knowledge Management
Knowledge & ability to:
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Develop and manage the planning process
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Direct coordination of activities across departments, stakeholders, clients & users
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Manage operations & resources; provide oversight
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Leverage stakeholder relationships
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Develop and implement program schedules
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Budget management & oversight
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Manage and analyze complex data
Core Transferable Skills
Be an expert at all core transferable skills:
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Thinking skills
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Communications skills
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Organizational skills
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Interpersonal skills
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Technical literacy
Building Block Experiences
Education & Learning:
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Bachelor of Business Administration (General Management) with a minor in social innovation
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Ongoing professional development courses to increase business management knowledge
I enjoy quick workshops/webinars that I can apply immediately as I need new skills or knowledge. For example, if I want to branch into a new social media avenue, I look for quick short courses at the same time as I run practice campaigns to fully understand the new marketing tool.
Employment Experiences:
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My first job was selling lemonade on hot summer days. I made more money than my neighbour as I advertised that I would be donating part of my profits to the local pet rescue centre.
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During university I worked as a research assistant for the social innovation professor
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Worked as an admin assistant for the corporate social responsibility arm of a corporation
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Contracted to a nonprofit pet rescue society on a social media campaign which lead to a few other contracts as social media manager
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Contracted with a nonprofit raising money for women leaving abusive relationships, helping organize a donation campaign
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Landed a great job as a loan assistant at an agency that loaned money to startups and eventually was promoted to program coordinator
I tried to work in a traditional corporate business, but I kept seeing all these opportunities and had ideas for profit-generating programs that were not a good fit with the traditional corporate structure. So, then I tried working in the nonprofit world, but they also lacked the ability to pivot quickly once a gap was identified and capture an opportunity. So that was when I started hanging out with entrepreneurs.
Community Experiences:
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Volunteered with a campus club running events (AKA parties) where proceeds went to children’s charities
This is where I learned about and then experimented with different avenues for marketing. It helped that one of the club members liked to set everything up, so we could track and capture data to determine the best bang for our buck.
Contextual Experiences:
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Studied social enterprise in Chile for six months
A friend and I had an idea for a social enterprise. We applied for a scholarship to an accelerator program in Santiago, Chile and were awarded $40,000 to study and learn about social enterprise for six months. It was at that time I started to really grasp the power and promise of social enterprise.
Relationships:
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My mentors include former colleagues
Whenever I have had questions or wondered about going out on my own, I was always able to reach out to former colleagues and mentors. Always treat them like gold, you never know when you might need some good advice.