This post was written by guest blogger Heather Franzese, co-founder and executive director of Good World Solutions.
I spoke recently at the Lead On women's leadership conference in Silicon Valley about how to build a successful social enterprise or social purpose business. The women I spoke with were working on diverse issues from elder care to human rights to breast cancer. But all wanted to achieve the maximum impact with their limited resources.
I've pulled together some tips from my experience over the last four years launching a social enterprise that leverages mobile technology to give voice to factory workers and improve their working conditions. No matter what issue you're trying to tackle, these tips will get you closer to the impact you envision:
Whatever social issue you're trying to address, take care of yourself. There's no shame in getting lots of sleep. In fact, it's coming back in style. You cannot achieving maximum impact if you or your team members are always on the verge of burnout.
A Purpose Economy 100 (PE100) global changemaker, Heather Franzese is the Executive Director of Good World Solutions and has been working for 15 years to improve the lives of vulnerable workers in global supply chains. Her award-winning social enterprise has leveraged mobile technology to give voice to factory workers and real-time data to leading clothing and electronics companies. Since 2010, the organization's Labor Link platform has reached over 200,000 workers in 16 countries, including China, India, Bangladesh, and Brazil.
Heather brings together industry experience with Columbia Sportswear Company and field experience working with small-scale farmers in West Africa. She sits on Etsy's Manufacturing Advisory Board and holds a master's degree in economic development from Harvard Kennedy School.