Social business is becoming increasingly important because consumers want to match their values with the brands they invest in. One of the reasons I share so much about social entrepreneurship is to help demystify impact-driven businesses. There are a lot of businesses that do amazing work to help their community but don’t call themselves social businesses. As social business becomes increasingly common, entrepreneurs have the opportunity to invest in impact and attract their ideal clients and customers.
By creating a social enterprise I can help my audience understand what social business looks like and what that means. One of my awesome friends with a fintech startup sent out an update on his app development and I thought- this is brilliant. I can wrap up the year by pulling back the curtain on my social business so you get more insight into what’s been going on.
This article gives you a peek into the background of what’s going on with my business and how we can work together in 2023.
Outcomes Update
I have a few key metrics that I use for my business to determine how much I’m giving back through my impact mission.
- 29 women served through Wellness Connections & Discovery calls
- 16 women served through the Level Up Idea 2 Action Accelerator
- 6 hours of services donated to non-profit leaders for 2 projects
- $3,462 equivalent for time and services donated
- 4 scholarship spaces were awarded for the Level Up Idea 2 Action Accelerator
- 1 scholarship space was awarded for the Social Impact Mastermind
It’s the end of Q4 and I used this year as a baseline year for future growth. For much of 2022, I was creating and growing my programs, which means my metrics were a bit difficult to measure this year. To measure outcomes year over year consistency is key. This part of my business will get more stable and easier to track as time goes on.
I’m looking forward to set bold targets for 2023 to grow the number of people I serve through my impact mission. For now, I’m happy to report this progress for 2022.
Sustainability
When I left the government, a key takeaway from my work was the lack of support for people who are creating social change. I noticed that there are few public repositories of information on social impact and social change that focus on community-driven impact with equity as a top priority.
I also noticed a gap in people talking about how to actually sustain work over time by leveraging a comprehensive approach. After consulting with a few partners like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Prevention Institute, I created my Multi-Dimensional Sustainability model.
This year I’ve focused on bringing the idea to life and creating the backbone for this model to be released to the field in 2023 in multiple ways.
In 2023 I plan to share the sustainability framework more broadly through public speaking, in-person workshops, and virtual training. If your organization needs consulting and support for sustainability planning, let’s have a meeting so we can chat about sharing this new framework with your most important stakeholders.
Social Impact Consulting
As a solopreneur, the consulting and freelancing work I’ve done this year has been the bulk of my income generation. I’m looking forward to expanding my ability to serve through consulting because of the freedom to work with different types of clients who serve noble missions.
The organizations I consult with get immediate support to boost their capacity and make a bigger impact. I get a steady stream of projects that keep me busy and make me feel fulfilled.
Here are a few of the consulting clients I’ve had this year and how I helped them reach their organizational goals.
Social Business Examples:
- SHK Consulting– Stacy Horn Koch has been a close colleague and friend since 2011 when we worked together under Mayor Landrieu in the City of New Orleans. Stacy requested help preparing a partnership model to include in a report for her client the Nashville, TN Continuum of Care.
- CAIRN Guidance Cadre of Trainers- CAIRN Guidance provides in-person and virtual simulations where participants learn firsthand how to make systems change. The Cadre of Trainers consists of experts in transforming service systems to improve outcomes and equity. The Cadre is a unique consulting gig because it sometimes requires in-person travel to meet with educators and other professionals transforming service delivery systems. During our last trip in September, I found myself in the hospital with food poisoning. This definitely tops the charts for the most memorable consulting experience of 2022. Book your simulation for 2023 here.
- Prevention Institute Communities of Care Sustainability Consulting- The Prevention Institute is one of my longest-running professional partnerships so I’m so glad they asked for support around sustainability. I provided two in-depth virtual presentations to their Communities of Care grantees who are working in the Houston community to develop collaborative conditions to support wellbeing. The CoC grantees are now working with me on a 1:1 basis to resolve ongoing issues affecting their ability to have sustained success. Learn more about their work here.
2022 taught me that all the skills I honed in the federal government are the perfect asset to support organizations making an impact. Project management, sustainability, navigating complex funding needs, and amplifying impact are just a few of the tools I offer to help increase your organization’s capacity.
If you’re looking for a consultant to augment your team, I’m currently taking clients for 2023, book your call here.
Coaching Offerings and Opportunities
Level Up Accelerator = Level Up Your Impact: Idea 2 Action Accelerator
I created the Level Up Accelerator to help social entrepreneurs in the ideation phase take action. To date, 24 people have gone through the pilot sessions with each group giving valuable feedback and allowing me to see the outcomes achieved.
As with any good pilot, the final product will incorporate the lessons learned from the pilot cohorts. There are a few important changes to my accelerator, including the name!
Level Up Your Impact: Idea 2 Action Accelerator helps social entrepreneurs translate the ideas in their brains into action plans they can execute. We attack mindset barriers, harness the power of your full vision, and take the steps necessary to commit to making your idea a success.
In November 2022 I held the final pilot session with a lot of important tweaks. I changed the infrastructure of the program to a live webinar with a discussion facilitated in a Facebook Group. The change made a big difference in price point which makes the program much more affordable and accessible to more people.
I will run the Idea 2 Action accelerator again in the Summer of 2023. Until then, get on the waitlist so you don’t miss the announcement when the program reopens.
Social Impact Mastermind: A Community for Social Entrepreneurship
The Social Impact Mastermind community is continuing to work on the first year of starting a social impact venture. With any first-year program, there are a few growing pains. The first lesson our community faced was the question “do I have the space in my life to commit to making my vision a reality?” We’ve had a few members take a step back to focus on other aspects of their lives, which is encouraged and supported 100%.
Because the mastermind is a community, the success of the community is made by the success of community members. It’s important that people who join the community know how much time/energy it takes to create social change. I am revamping the program to provide the maximum support possible to the current community while preparing for new members.
The mastermind community opens again in 2023 and will be limited to 10 organizations with up to 3 executive members from each business or nonprofit. I am focusing on preparing applicants for the commitment needed to implement your vision for an entire year.
Live Training
In the past year, I’ve hosted 12 live virtual training sessions on a variety of topics that are what I consider “social entrepreneurship basics”. These workshops were free or high-value/low-cost so they can make knowledge available to the field.
However, this strategy wasn’t as successful as I hoped. I found it difficult to recruit attendees monthly, even though it was free! I’m retiring the monthly webinars to make space for new ways to bring live training content to my audiences. It won’t be free this time… and that change will help people better understand the value of what they are getting.
Some of the feedback I received from live-webinar attendees was that the training sessions were jam-packed with info, but the hour was not enough time to absorb it all. That’s fair when I teach you something… you are going to learn a lot in a short time. The information I share is better suited to self-paced or live courses. That’s what we’ll be transitioning to in 2023.
In 2023, I will only host live workshops quarterly in my community, all prior workshops can be accessed on my website. While I love teaching live through virtual workshops, I want to focus on connecting more in person and hosting sustainability workshops for network-based organizations.
Courses
This year I developed one course, the Level Up Your Influence Academy. The Influence Academy helps social entrepreneurs who struggle to reach their ideal audiences. I teach two strategies to help with this problem: content repurposing and Search Engine Optimization basics (SEO).
This 5-day course offers an easy-to-follow strategy that social businesses and nonprofits can use to connect with the right people online. Growing your influence with intention helps to reserve your energy and resources for the things that matter most.
In January 2023 the course will be open for enrollment for the first time. But you, my community, can get access now. Yay!
Community- Social Business & Nonprofit Leaders
Social Impact Level Up Collective
I founded the Social Impact Level Up Collective over a year ago with my co-host Rodrigo Bravo. We wanted to bring social impact to multiple platforms as a vehicle to lift up the voices of founders from marginalized and under-resourced communities.
Clubhouse Club
While the Clubhouse Club continues to slowly grow. The club now hosts one weekly room on Monday or Wednesday, depending on our schedule. We’ll continue to host rooms on the Clubhouse app in 2023, join the club if you aren’t a member!
LI Audio events
In addition to our weekly Clubhouse room, we’ve added a Social Impact Networking audio event on LinkedIn. We held 3 events in 2022 and community members found meaningful connections in our spaces. We’ll continue to hold this space so people who are like-minded and like-hearted have a way to connect with others and grow a deeper relationship leveraging social audio.
LI Newsletter
This is by far the platform with the most growth in 2022! The LinkedIn newsletter went from a few hundred people when I started it in February and now grows by about 300-500 people every month! We now have over 3,100 subscribers and the newsletter continues to grow daily.
The great thing is, the newsletter is a vehicle to connect with the exact people who care about social impact. Our LinkedIn newsletter followers are the right people to create massive change! Many of our subscribers are already working in the social impact space and represent many of the essential roles required for societal change.
The bad thing is- this is a one-sided fence. We can’t hear back from our community unless you comment and engage. In 2023, let’s commit to being in closer contact. Connecting with our LinkedIn community is a top priority and we want to make sure that everyone who joins the newsletter is able to connect with each other.
Let’s connect and I’ll make sure you hear about the latest community updates and opportunities to grow your network.
Social Impact Level Up Podcast
Season 1
Season 1 is wrapping up a few final episodes we’re moving on to season 2! We’ve focused on growth and having a growth mindset as social entrepreneurs. Rodrigo and I have vulnerably shared our experiences as social entrepreneurs. We’ve opened up our lives and our businesses to our friends and peers via Season 1’s episodes.
Now it’s time to open up the show to more voices beyond just our community on Clubhouse.
Season 2
Season 2 is all about storytelling. You’ll hear stories from successful social entrepreneurs making an impact and thriving. We’ll share in-depth discussions with people who are making a difference every day. We’re currently taping episodes and will release Season 2 at the beginning of 2023. Social business owners and nonprofit leaders pull back the curtain and share the secrets to their success. Don’t miss an episode- we’re on every podcast platform.
If you’d like to share your impact story on the Social Impact Level Up Podcast, reach out to me here.
Work With Me -2023 & Beyond
What’s in store for 2023? 2023 brings time to refine and level up.
Of course, I will keep building both the consulting and coaching sides of my business. I’m returning to my passion for public speaking and adding additional opportunities to connect with in-person and virtual audiences via speaking engagements.
I’m here to help you turn your vision for impact into reality and sustain your success. Here are a few ways we can work together in the new year:
- My Executive Coaching services support you through the tough transitions so you can excel as a business owner or nonprofit leader.
- My Consulting services are ideal for impact-driven organizations looking for sustainable solutions and access to years of federal funding experience.
- Keynote and panel speaking engagements focused on strengthening the public service sector and reaching sustainable outcomes.
- My one-of-a-kind programs and courses to build your skills fast are perfect for DIY founders and small organizations. These programs can also be taught as a cohort for a team in your organization to learn how to level up their influence, impact, and sustainability.
You can find all of the information for my programs and services at WendieVeloz.com.