Executive Report for the book Be the Solution: How Entrepreneurs and Conscious Capitalists Can Solve All the World’s Problems

We're Back! Aside from managing our business we are always searching for ways to learn more about the Social Entrepreneurship movement. Our consulting group recently completed an executive report on the book Be the Solution: How Entrepreneurs and Conscious Capitalists Can Solve All the World’s Problems. Below are some of the highlights.

Enjoy!

One focus is to define the Social Business Entrepreneur and distinguish him as a valid business entity in regards to capitalism. Society’s common perception of the “successful business man” and the perception put forth in this book is “He is dedicated to one mission in his business life- to maximize profit.” He is basically void of personality such as emotion and religion. However, this chapter highlighted the commendable Muhammed Yunus and the Grameen Bank showing the very successful route of business based on a business founded on and fueled by a societal issue. Therefore, a business man conscious of and concerned by societal issues could induce a valid change in both a successful business perspective and a more emotion-based social perspective.

The reason that capitalism has resulted in such crass consumerism and materialism is paradoxically because we do not have enough yet by managing health, education, and community formation by means of government, we have presented the most powerful force for innovation the world has ever known’s from releasing its innovative powers to improve our health, to improve our education, and community to do this it must start with improving ourselves. Achieving genuine happiness may require bringing about transformation in your outlook, your way of thinking. It requires the application of so many difficult factors from different directions, change takes time. Entrepreneurs bring value by bringing vision of a new world in new enterprises and transforming non valued products and services that may valued by others.

The final part of the book is about living life with a sense of purpose. We get into Maslow’s “Hierarchy of Needs” and other human development studies. Not all human beings are in the position to help others that is, without first satisfying their most immediate needs. It is a complex system that at times involves moving from one level to the next and right back. This part encourages us to understand that the ultimate level of human satisfaction is not when we have achieved a high personal growth in consciousness, but when we recognize and help others do the same. As entrepreneurs we have a responsibility to improve ourselves before we can help others. One of the processes that Greek philosophers followed is named Arete. That is to strive to be the best you can be and to think of life as an opportunity for continuous improvement. As mentioned in the book “Be the Solution” by Michael Strong and suggested by Brian Johnson, in order to live with Arete there are necessary steps to follow. These are to take charge of your life, to envision your future, to know and understand oneself, to develop goals, to take act on those goals, and to apply what you learned.