Working from the Heart: An Exploration of What Propels 12 Quality Social Entrepreneurs

UnLtd, the Foundation for Social Entrepreneurs is a UK based charity which supports social entrepreneurs. As one component of its longitudinal impact evaluation, UnLtd seeks to examine "What makes a 'quality' social entrepreneur?"

With the aim of gaining insight straight from the source, I conducted a series of interview and constructed biographic case studies on 12 individuals whom UnLtd has supported.

The implications of this case study are two-fold. First, in a filed where a board consensus on "Who is a social entrepreneur?" has not yet been attained, this research serves to advance the global dialogue. Second, summarizing some of the characteristics of successful social entrepreneurs should help UnLtd in selecting future award winners, particularly in instances where potential recipients are not yet able to present an established professional track record of success.