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It's About Time
Most of the people I talk to about social entrepreneurship (or entrepreneurship in general), assume that money is the greatest constraint in the pursuit of goals.
Don't get me wrong - we couldn't do much at all with funds - but no matter how low our bank accounts get, funds aren't the biggest constraint. I don't think it's a ground-breaking statement, but I do think it's important to highlight that to me and to many other entrepreneurs (social or otherwise) that I know, the greatest constraint is actually time. In the non-profit world, funds are always scarce and in high demand. But if you're good at what you do and promote your work properly, money will come. What limits your ability is time.
When I think about it, the one thing that is limited to any one person is time. I find myself constantly having to prioritize one thing over another thing that itself is a major priority. I find myself second-guessing every choice I make regarding time. But it's the way it goes… this is the investment.
The good thing is that I do see a light at the end of the tunnel. As those of us in FORGE have invested our time, our skills, and our lives, things have steadied. We now have four years of results to point to. We have a staff that has stood the test of time and can propel FORGE forward. Our contacts have increased and our upcoming new model is designed to turn a lot of our responsibilities over to the community itself. All these things add up to more time to do some of things that we haven't been able to get to yet. In the end, we'll probably fill up our plates just as full as they've already been because in this line of business, you can simply never do enough...
Don't get me wrong - we couldn't do much at all with funds - but no matter how low our bank accounts get, funds aren't the biggest constraint. I don't think it's a ground-breaking statement, but I do think it's important to highlight that to me and to many other entrepreneurs (social or otherwise) that I know, the greatest constraint is actually time. In the non-profit world, funds are always scarce and in high demand. But if you're good at what you do and promote your work properly, money will come. What limits your ability is time.
When I think about it, the one thing that is limited to any one person is time. I find myself constantly having to prioritize one thing over another thing that itself is a major priority. I find myself second-guessing every choice I make regarding time. But it's the way it goes… this is the investment.
The good thing is that I do see a light at the end of the tunnel. As those of us in FORGE have invested our time, our skills, and our lives, things have steadied. We now have four years of results to point to. We have a staff that has stood the test of time and can propel FORGE forward. Our contacts have increased and our upcoming new model is designed to turn a lot of our responsibilities over to the community itself. All these things add up to more time to do some of things that we haven't been able to get to yet. In the end, we'll probably fill up our plates just as full as they've already been because in this line of business, you can simply never do enough...
