This LibGuide covers topics surrounding social entrepreneurship. Click the main topics to see subpages and more information. 

• Social Entrepreneurship Resources
• Doing Business
• Corporate Social Responsibility
• Blogs and Multimedia
• IGOs and NGOs
• Country Profiles
• Statistics

Looking for more information about sustainable businesses and subsistence markets? Check out the LibGuide.

Also see the Toolkit For Entrepreneurship LibGuide for information about industry and market research, and more. 

A social entrepreneur is a person who pursues novel applications that have the potential to solve community-based problems. These individuals are willing to take on the risk and effort to create positive changes in society through their initiatives. Social entrepreneurs may believe that this practice is a way to connect you to your life's purpose, help others find theirs, and make a difference in the world (all while eking out a living).

Source: Investopedia

People - Most social entrepreneurs start their endeavors by identifying what people they want to benefit

Problem - Social entrepreneurs try to fix problems. More specifically, social entrepreneurs identify a problem that the people in the previous section face.

Plan - Social entrepreneurs not only strive to create a business plan to operate an entity, but they must also determine how this type of entity will receive funding and remain financially sustainable.

Prioritize - One of the largest challenges for a social entrepreneur is a lack of available resources to tackle the problem they wish to solve.

Prototype - Because resources are limited, social entrepreneurs often test out solutions in small markets before expanding. This means creating prototype products, services, or processes.

Pursue - With the test case down, social entrepreneurs identify what went well and what didn't go well. It often surveys those who helped put the solution together as well as those receiving the benefit. 

Source: Investopedia

STEM Entrepreneurship and Business is located in Grainger Engineering Library. If you have questions or need help, contact Becky Smith, business librarian at becky@illinois.edu or at bis@library.illinois.edu.