The true story of female entrepreneurs: "Social enterprise Flow" Lin Han

With the title of the established strong woman impression, in that quiet afternoon in front of our Sunny is a cheerful smile of the girl next door, in the interview we found the Sunny in the business behind the gentleness and perseverance. We may also have a very similar process of growing up with the Sunny when we are just out of society: according to the parents suggested that the University volunteer card, the smooth completion of school, after graduation there is a satisfactory job, perhaps the idea of the dream is no longer like a child, not too great, heroic imagination, but the days are also willing to ordinary happiness, But what would you do if one day you found what you really wanted to achieve?

when Most of the people may be in front of the dream, so deadlocked in the original life, Sunny but bravely grasp the present, to their dreams. (You will also like: the life of the murmur, is one of the elements of the dream )

"I didn't struggle on the road to entrepreneurship," he said. 」

Sunny, after graduating from the Department of Public Administration, did not like most graduates of the Department of Civil servants as a career, but chose to enter Institute of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin, USA , after graduation, not as originally expected to enter the nonprofit organization, but Social Enterprise Associates (SEA), a company-related consultancy, worked as project manager at Sea, where Sunny founded Taiwan's first Chinese-language social enterprise information convergence platform, "social enterprise Flow", after quitting the sea of work, full commitment to the establishment of the flow of social enterprises.

for a while abroad. " social Enterprise "in Taiwan for many people, is still a strange noun, In short , social enterprises are organizations that solve social problems in business models, from helping the poor to set up banks to train street friends to sell magazines are social enterprises, social enterprises also emphasize making money, but it is to use the money to help the community , rather than for the investors to maximize the benefits, Even though social enterprises have a long way to develop in Taiwan,Sunny bravely moves ahead of us, determined to sow the seeds of social enterprise in Taiwan. (More understanding: social enterprises, not equal to charitable organizations )

Full-time investing in social enterprises and volunteering is very different, is to put themselves naked in the business model of the competitive environment, not as long as there is love can solve the problem, but when Sunny's answer to the original choice process was unexpected, "I hardly ever struggled in the entrepreneurial process." "

Sunny firmly responded, look at our surprised expression, Sunny shortly thereafter, for Sunny, the birth of the social enterprise is an accident, at first Sunny did not think of the social enterprise as a career to operate, nor did he want to start a business, just because Taiwan's social enterprise information is insufficient, and simply want to create a social enterprise information exchange platform, but I did not think with the development of social and enterprise flow, Sunny that the social enterprise flow has developed to a certain level, if you want to break through, the need for their own whole-hearted management, and resolutely decided to pursue their own hearts of faith, resigned from the original social enterprise advisory work to the social flow as a full-time. (Recommended reading: People, why must work )

Image source: Social Enterprise Flow

Ambition to protect the entrepreneurial dream of social entrepreneurs

"Entrepreneurial mood, like a guardian child." 」

for The Guardian to flow the child, Sunny admitted that the change of life style is her most unaccustomed to the place, her own when the boss, there is no fixed vacation days, but also began to have the company's operating pressure, to the company's survival is responsible for the new company, any decision may incur the crisis of closure, " At that time was thinking about how to let the social flow of life, financial and risk is the former part-time time did not think of. "sunny frankly entrepreneurial pressure far beyond expectations, people have material to survive, people have a dream to talk about life, but the first step of the test of entrepreneurial dream is often not life, but survival. (Recommended reading: The eight difficulties that must be encountered in starting a business )

under such a huge pressure, a good risk Sunny there are a group of partners with her to guard the social flow of this hard to survive the dream, "I am very grateful to my partner, will want me to relax, not to bear their own." "Self-deprecating like mother, easy to worry about Sunny no longer like the past part-time when everything is robbed of their own completion, Sunny in the business with the partner of the Division of labor is more obvious, four different, respect each other's work, such mutual trust has become the power of Sunny go down ." In this process we saw Sunny and partner entrepreneurial courage, the original courage is when you are afraid, or holding hands together ready to go face .

and Sunny and partners at this stage want to put the social flow this dream to join more possibilities, hope that social flow can become a new social enterprise of the breeding center, to help more social enterprises dream bear fruit, also let just start social enterprises can go longer. Sunny to share with us in the second half of the ILab new plan, the social enterprise flow quotes the structure of the United Kingdom Unltd, according to Taiwan's current needs to adjust to support the entrepreneurial dream of start-up social enterprises, social enterprise flow team also found well-known enterprises as a sponsor and a strong lineup of mentors. The new plan is an important turning point in the second half of the Sunny. By instructors, sponsoring enterprises, social and corporate home triangle cooperation, and by the social flow as a logistics platform, Sunny expect the social flow can become a better world of action engine, so that the past to seek opportunities but not fall of the social enterprises have a more solid backing support.

Female, a born social entrepreneur.

Referring to the role played by women in the social sector, Sunny agreed with former Chilean President Michelle Barre. Women are born social entrepreneurs ", perhaps women are not born in the business of social enterprises than men come handy, but many women have the gentle strength of social enterprise concept can be more flexible way to be practiced, Sunny that many problems are not the core of hard to solve, Women are often sensitive to the interaction between people, and more willing to share, give more trust, willing to pull down the face of communication, such a "soft relationship" is what women are known as the reason for the family of social enterprises.

"Women are the mother of the strong toughness, is the most powerful force." 」

Sunny also saw a lot of women entrepreneurial case is in the marriage after the children, when women experience gestation life, but for both children and work and many other goals have a stronger perseverance, when the mother standing in the entrepreneurial position , there are often believe that all the possibilities of the stupidity peculiar, and not hesitate to protect the possibility that they believe, although Sunny has not experienced the stage of birth, but in Sunny body, we also saw the same toughness, Willing to go to the guardian of the community to flow the dream that others may not optimistic.

In addition to expecting more women to be able to invest in the social sector, Sunny also believes that social enterprises can play a different role than traditional non-profit organizations on issues of gender equality, Sunny the Cambodian anti-human trafficking person, Mary. The man has opened a beauty salon in Cambodia's major tourist attractions for example, which has allowed girls exploited by the sex industry to find new life in the beauty industry, helping victims of trafficking to learn beauty industry skills and opening their own beauty salons after training.

"I think it's not just relief, but it's a great way for women to have their own earning power," she said. 」

Sunny that traditional non-profit organizations may be more focused on feeding directly to female victims, while social business models focus more on teaching women how to fish, hoping to liberate female victims from the passive role of the actor, to be self-reliant, and not to rely on outside relief. Can make women's happiness in their own hands, and recognize that they actually have more potential to do different things. (Same field Gayon : A life-changing letter: Letting poor girls see hope )

The most dazzling thing in social enterprise is not money, it is human

Sunny that in Taiwan or abroad, social entrepreneurship is not a particularly easy thing, it is important whether they have to think clearly, in the absence of a comprehensive understanding of their environment and to solve the problem before, and the venture will often incur the consequences of failure. In addition, because social enterprises do not rely on business model to make big money, but with the money to help more people, Sunny also reminded want to step into the community of Dreamers: " social enterprises to make money for the purpose, it is difficult to stay long." "To stay in the field of social enterprises need a strong enthusiasm and sincerity, in order to be concerned about the issue of long-term work, silently waiting for the changes in the hearts of the change has gradually realized a day." (Recommended to you: six TED speeches to see your strength )

Social enterprise field is like a group of dreamers, they are obsessed with the development of social selfless, and do not focus on their own material interests, perhaps it is such a magic to make Sunny all the way through hard, but steadfast. "I really like the people in the social business field, and I can't walk so long without them." 」

Sunny sincerely share with us the most dazzling "people" in the social enterprise, for the Sunny, who would like to interact with others, the partners in the social-enterprise sector have a willingness to share, sincere qualities, compared to other employment conditions, Sunny that the partners in the field of social enterprises are relatively simple, With the belief that we can make the world a better place, even though there are still many people in Taiwan who do not understand the social enterprise, the social partners use the power of sincerity to try to make us different in our place.

Finally, we ask the reader who Sunny to the woman to be fascinated, Sunny chose "Dream to make home" to everyone, Sunny explained the "Zhi" of the multiple meaning, the first is "Chi industry to create",sunny think that in any case, as long as the work of their own Zhi industry, and not simply work as a mixture mouth of the occupation, Even if you work hard, you can go forward bravely. The second ambition for "concentration", in the dream of the road, there may be a lot of fear and hesitation, or even because of the understanding of the surrounding feel lonely, but as long as the focus on their own dreams to move forward, can let oneself and dream distance closer. Sunny's third ambition is "surmount", as Sunny said before, in the process of realizing the dream, if a group of sincere partners to share with themselves, trouble can often be solved. (Recommended reading: dream of not talking about dream practitioner Lin Hongquan )

interview with Sunny in just one hour, we saw in the pursuit of the dream process, we may be some hard, even some embarrassed, but the timid ego limit only the belief to break through, unfinished dream is always distant, even if today how cruel, some things "do" just know, Sunny's entrepreneurial story proves that the dream not only exists in the movie to make people's tears, not only in the children read the fairy tales, but not only in the beginning of the year to write full of wishes in Notepad, but in our life is true and exactly happen .

She, is Sunny Lin Yihan, a common like us, in front of the dream will also be afraid and uneasy girl. But she is the real dream to build a home, like every one around you and me bravely forward chasing the girl .