Admittedly, I left no room for argument in my post about our need for fewer coaches to social entrepreneurs and for more actual social entrepreneurs.
There are exceptions, of course. Some people should become consultants and coaches to social enterprises as soon as possible because they have such unique expertise. People like:
- The world’s leading expert on organic cotton
- The person who’s helped three companies become B Corporations
- The woman in Rwanda who has lived and worked with coffee farmers for 25 years
- The doctor who is an expert in providing eye care to the poor in rural India
- The expert on replacing carrageenan in the supply chain for food companies
- The man who worked as an engineer in the solar power industry for 30 years before it was cool
- The farmer who mastered ground cover crops, crop rotation, and holistic farming practices in 1995 because it was the right thing to do
You want to be a social enterprise consultant? Ok, fine, some people really do make a go of it. But first, they put in their time and do the work to become great.
If that’s you, ignore my advice. We need you helping everything social entrepreneur you can get a hold of.