Millions of young people are passionate about social issues, but cannot find the resources they need to turn their good intentions into real, world-changing projects.
Online resources for young people inspired to do social good are fragmented and inaccessible, and many don't even know where to start. To address this problem, with a team of young social entrepreneurs in Canada, we are creating SoJo, an interactive online platform that provides information and support to young social entrepreneurs, guiding them through the process of setting up a social venture so that they can focus on addressing unmet social needs and environmental challenges. In its current public beta, SoJo is a self-guided online resource that organises relevant content in a clear and simple fashion. SoJo is developing a customised site that will adapt to the unique needs and learning styles of young people interested in starting social ventures. Future iterations will make this workflow more unique and intuitive, helping our audience to answer questions that they may not have known to ask in the first place.
Within two months of SoJo's launch, we have built a community of over 5,000 users, received national press coverage in Canada, and been accepted in an incubator for digital media startups in Toronto. When reflecting on our early success, here are some insights I'd like to share with you:
Stay focused on your goals and don't forget who you are serving
When I had the inspiration for SoJo, I knew nothing about online learning tools or digital content distribution. I was setting out to do something ambitious with no financial resources, where several similar projects had already failed. I received no shortage of cynicism, doubt and skepticism from individuals and organisations I approached for guidance. At one of my lowest points when I was most discouraged, I remember an advisor asking me the following question: "who are you serving?" It was obvious that I was getting distracted by the noise around me, and from that point onwards focused on building a product that would meet the needs of those who I was serving. Never lose sight of who you are serving.
Never underestimate the power of your passion
Despite being told by several credible entities that my approach was untenable, and that I would not be able to launch SoJo in the timeframe I desired, I never once doubted the need for SoJo and the impact it would make in our world. I did not have the 'how' figured out, but the 'why' was crystal clear. I am passionate about SoJo because I am myself am a member of SoJo's audience, and I both witness and experience the need for SoJo every day. Over the past decade, I've been through the struggles of launching multiple social ventures, and I know how daunting and difficult it can be. This passion allowed me to stay centered and guided me through the process of achieving something that once seemed insurmountable.
Share your ideas early
The day I came up with the idea of SoJo and its name (at the time Social Journal), is the day I started my first blog. With over 100 posts, this blog has been documenting SoJo's story in real-time, including key decisions made, milestones, reflections, setbacks, and raw emotions that were experienced throughout my personal journey of building SoJo. Sharing SoJo early with our audience allowed us to validate the concept and build the foundation of a strong community of supporters. People appreciated and resonated with our honesty of candidly sharing our story.
Build your product with your user
SoJo was deliberately publicly launched in a half-developed state at the end of November, 2011. Not only did we launch an initial version of our product in record-speed, we launched it in a big way. (SoJo was launched in partnership SociaLIGHT, a 1000 attendee conference). A product will never be perfect, nor will it ever be entirely ready either. Having the humility to accept that is one thing; having the courage to step outside of our safe community and expose ourselves to the world is something else entirely. We are excited to have our users co-create this site with us. We've laid the foundation, but this is only the first step of a much larger project. Our public Beta allows us space to listen to our users and build the SoJo with them. Feedback thus far has been phenomenal, and it is clear that our users appreciate this approach.
Celebrate the journey
The past six months in particular have been a long haul and I have started to appreciate the importance of appreciating the journey itself. We actively engage in victory dances, and try to take a step back to celebrate mini-milestones as they are achieved. It is sometimes easy to forget that we, too, are part of this same world we are trying to improve. It is therefore important we enjoy the ride. In some ways, social entrepreneurship is a lifelong journey, and taking care of the self (emotionally, physically and mentally) is equally important. SoJo has a long journey ahead, however I'm optimistic that this positive start will give us the momentum will carry us forward as we embark on the daunting task of realising our vision.
Kanika Gupta is founder of SoJo which helps young people with the practicalities of carrying out community projects.
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