How To Start A Social Enterprise

How To Start A Social Enterprise

Being a Social Worker w/ a masters degree w/ a job vs working for yourself.
The most unlikeliest of places to look for entrepreneurs, social work is actually a hub of entrepreneurial thought leaders. Residing in this place of ideas for change with little to no funding, social workers are constantly grinding out creative ways to progress human and societal conditions.A reason social entrepreneurs are often unsuccessful is because they typically offer help to those least able to pay for it.

Capitalism is founded upon the exchange of capital (most obviously, money) for goods and services. However, social entrepreneurs must find new business models that do not rely on standard exchange of capital in order to make their organizations sustainable. This self-sustainability is what distinguishes social businesses from charities, who rely almost entirely on donations and outside funding. You will have to sacrifice in the beginning because it takes time to learn how to grow and manage a business, but if you are willing to put in work on the front end, you could build something lasting and fulfilling long term. 

The profession of social work began with a focus on helping the poor by those who were not.​

The discipline of social work has not so long been a qualified profession, only gaining formal recognition in 1898 in the United States and increasing in world popularity ever since.

Most social workers are familiar with enough of the history to know that Jane Addams herself was from a prosperous family, as were many of the friendly visitors of the 1800s.

So, as in the case of many well-to-do social activists, money existed as a non-issue in social efforts, allowing the issue to be the issue.

If, from the dawn of the profession, social workers had less of a need to talk about the earning power of case workers, wealth creation, or money management, it makes sense that the topic of money remains secondary to the pressing issues of poverty, inequality and injustice that we still address today.
​Social workers focus on resources not generally connected to money.​

We all learned from the Strengths Perspective that to help a system improve, it’s best to focus on the strengths of that system as opposed to its weaknesses.

But often, our focus on strengths is primarily because a system is limited financially and needs to consider additional resources. Usually those resources are more likely to include things like the system’s networks, abilities, and unique characteristics. Generally, if money is included as a strength, it’s minimally emphasized and rarely, if ever, maximized beyond an immediate need or mission, because why would it be if we’re not accustomed to focusing on money in the first place?
​Service is our middle name and giving is our game.​

The profession of social work was built on the notion of service. So fundamental to our mission is service that we even put it in our Code of Ethics.

Think about it. The profession itself has its roots in church activities and volunteer movements around the world which are all heavily service-based. It makes sense, then, that it remains a strong influencer within the social work profession to this day.

And although the trend from the corporate and for-profit world is increasingly to embrace the value of a service-oriented mission, social work remains largely rooted in the NGO and not-for-profit sectors, where money is seen as scarce and resources are considered few.

But service for the social worker has its reward inherent in the act of the service itself. That’s to say, we do it because it’s the right thing to do, not because of a paycheck.

With a mission to serve with no motivation of financial reward as our goal, is it any wonder, then, that social workers don’t talk more about money?
​Wanting to be wealthy is seen as anti-social work.​

For many social workers, the words “rich,” “money,” and “wealthy” imply “filthy,” “greedy,” and “capitalistic” – all anti-social work themes. And yet we can intellectualize that none of these words are “anti-social work” in and of themselves.

If social workers believe something is “filthy,” “greedy,” or “capitalistic,” chances are they aren’t going to go for it – it’s blatantly offensive to the social work creed – and that’s probably a good reason why more social workers don’t talk about money.
​We don’t have many wealthy social workers to look up to.​

Although we are aware of some social workers who became rich, we don’t see them very often, and we know even fewer wealthy people who become social workers, so we don’t have a plethora of examples of massive wealth by individuals associated with the profession.

In his book Think And Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill stressed the importance of having mentors – an individual or group of people to look up to, gain inspiration from, and follow consistently. Years later, Jim Rohn would famously state, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with,” prompting learners everywhere to critically assess their most cherished associations.

I don’t know about you, but most of the social workers I know associate heavily with one another. And if it follows that we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with, as Jim Rohn has declared, and if the average social worker is nowhere near wealthy, then it’s no wonder that more social workers don’t talk about money or have more of it to boot!

​We’re discouraged from doing so.​

Every social worker has heard these words: “We don’t do it for the money,” “People are what’s important, not money,” and “If you want to make lots of money you’ll have to choose another profession.”

Although the desired implication may be that money is a secondary component to the act of helping others, this idea often dissuades social workers from wanting more wealth; and if the profession that you love so much ever discourages you from wanting more wealth, why would you ever discuss it?
​We don’t know that we can.​

This goes with number six above. When we hear a phrase like, “You’ll never be rich as a social worker,” it stops us from even daring to dream about an alternate reality where money is overflowing, so we don’t even try.

If we were to consider Johari’s Window on the topic of money, the realization that we actually can have more money in our lives would probably be in our blind spot: “We don’t know what we don’t know.” This is information that is known to others but not known to us, and it requires feedback from others to help us develop the awareness.

The truth is that all social workers can be rich social workers if they want, to learn the principles and practices of wealth, but without this awareness, no one would expect you to talk more about money or have more of it in your life if you don’t know that you can…and now you know.We’re embarrassed at our own money mishaps.​

Many social workers are deep in debt from student loans, moves across country, home ownership, family matters, and life in general.

As routine as it is for us to handle crisis situations for our clients, many of us find it quite difficult to handle our own money matters and are actually quite embarrassed about them. When it comes to things like balancing checkbooks, investing for retirement, and owning our own businesses, it’s necessary for us to ditch the shame and get the same type of support that we prescribe to our clients in order to move into the space where we’re more comfortable talking about money, whatever our shameful past.We don’t know how to talk about money.​

There’s a great financial training website specifically for social workers called The Center for Financial Social Work, but if you haven’t heard of it, I’m not surprised.

The Center’s founder, Reeta Wolfsohn, states that she’s had a hard time selling social workers on the importance of having a financial awareness for themselves and an even harder time getting them to invest in financial training for their practice.

Robert Kiyosaki, author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad, teaches that one of the habits of the wealthy and why they have money is because they talk openly and often about it. When was the last time you heard social workers talking openly and often about money? No money, social workers? Perhaps this explains it.Because we don’t have any ourselves.​

…and we can’t talk about what we don’t have now, can we? So, why talk about money?​

Given the list above, one might wonder why social workers would even need to bring up the subject of money, especially since it’s not usually one of its leading topics. Hasn’t the profession done well enough thus far without the focus on money, one might ask?

However, if we consider that every social effort requires money on some level – not only for the intervention, but to support the practitioner – we may begin to consider the value that these types of conversations can bring.

Specifically,

1. Money is a necessity, like it or not. It’s a quality of our current society and is not inherently good or bad. Neither does it hold any meaning or value other than what we give it. It’s important, so it’s to our advantage to pay attention.
2. The more money you have, the more people you can help and the more good you can do. This is not bad. This is good. Embrace it.
3. Ignoring the topic of money won’t make it go away. Embrace this, too. In fact, the very future of social workers’ compensation depends on our attention to its importance. How important is that?

Improve your money mindset.
Having more money starts with one’s mindset about it. Many social workers have historic negative experiences with money and negative emotions that keep coming up for them. The most common way Social Workers deal with these is by ignoring the importance of money and saying things like, “I do this work to help people, not for the money,” and, “Money is not important.” But nothing could be more dangerous to the work! It’s dangerous because that kind of thinking makes money less important than it really is thereby sabotaging social workers’ own empowering efforts.

The solution? An abundant money-mindset practice with the goal of neutralizing the meaning of money altogether. When Social Workers no longer view it as something that is hard to get, they learn that money is just a thing they can exchange for the value that they give, and so there is no limit they can make!-Most social workers have been conditioned to believe we will work for a non-profit, the government or organization (but rarely actually run them). Not a bad thing just the reality of the need and the work available.

-We have been conditioned and then accepted the reality that we will barely make enough money to cover our basic needs (even if we spend another $35,000+ on getting our master’s degree)

Diversify your use of the Internet
The internet age has presented an abundance of opportunities for people from all walks of life to leverage their skills and expertise, and there is no reason why social workers can’t take advantage of this opportunity as well.

Many social workers restrict their online activity to scholarly research and surfing. But when Social Workers fully embrace the internet and use it to connect with diverse professionals, showcase their expertise and explore their creativity, their prowess in creating money increases. In The Netherlands, always known as an open and innovative country, Social Workers are inventing surprising ways to create money and even connect more purposefully with those in the for-profit and corporate sectors. That might be scary for some, but the best innovations always come from innovations across industries, and with today’s technology social media makes it easy to connect!

The more money they have, the more people they can help.​

Social workers are known for their service to humanity. In fact, so associated are they with this activity that many people who find themselves in service positions often ascribe to themselves the professional title sans the qualification.

Service for the social worker is not merely a job function, it’s a routine practice. They’re often found working “in the trenches” with clients and agencies, assessing needs and strategizing the best plans of action. But often the impetus for service is stifled because of a general lack of organizational resources and/or an ignorance of how to maximize the existing ones.

However, when social workers are rich they use their knowledge of wealth to leverage more resources, support more causes, and help more people; help which their clients, in turn, pass on to their circles of influence and networks.Social workers need to be able to afford to take care of their mental and emotional health.​

The profession of social work comes with its fair share of stress and fatigue. So legendary is this phenomenon that there exist entire journals, websites, and movements devoted to the importance and practice of self-care and maintenance.

However, while social workers are well aware of these maintenance tools, far too many of them don’t take the time or spend the money to invest in the counseling, hobbies, and vacations that they should primarily because they complain of having neither the time nor the money to do so!
Oh, the irony.

When carers don’t take care of themselves they do a lousy job of caring for others, and then you’ve defeated your purpose. But without the fear of not having enough money hanging over their heads, social workers are free to hire that coach, take that hobby class, book that three-week trip to Cancun, and splurge on that luxury spa treatment with no regrets. Not only will they be better functioning helpers, they’ll be better equipped to help their clients to function better too.When social workers are empowered, they empower their clients.​

It’s a skill that social workers are expected to possess — and that is being able to empower their clients to higher levels of functioning.

But here’s the kicker; they can’t empower their clients in the ways of wealth if they’re not empowered themselves. It’s no secret that many social workers work with people and in environments which are economically challenged. This lack of financial resources is often the root of more serious problems (such as access to healthcare, quality education, and transportation services) that also require money to address.

However, because most social workers have not learned the principles of wealth creation, money management and investing, it’s unlikely that, when it comes to money, they’ll be able to offer their clients much more than the referrals to the traditional welfare resources that commonly exist.

If we consider the efforts of Brene Brown, Suzy Orman and Steadman Graham — all trained social workers — then it’s easy to see the massive impact social workers can make in the lives of others when they’re financially empowered. Now imagine that level of impact from social workers on a global scale. What an empowered world it would be!Social workers bring a unique set of skills and services to the marketplace that are preventative, mitigating, and healing.
Social work interconnects with various industries such as healthcare, service, and education. These and other intersecting industries represent billions of dollars in revenue annually. They also represent major opportunities for social workers to fill the needs represented within their scope.​

With skills such as assessment, problem-solving, coping, relationship improvement, and capacity building, social workers fill significant gaps within the marketplace providing services that are preventative, mitigating and healing. And with the evolution, we are the ones engineering new currency of relationship.When money is not their concern, they can focus on other critical issues.​

What problems do social workers focus on when money is not their issue? Anything else that they need to.

Consider this: you don’t see Richard Branson, Bill Gates or Jeff Bezos stressed out about money — neither do they spend time hankering for resources. Instead, these multimillionaires spend their time and energy seeking to engineer some of the most significant improvements of this generation.

It’s because money is not their concern that they’re able to focus their attention on such epic ideas and strategies — and it’s because social workers are concerned about not having enough money that they do not — not in any systematic way, at least.

But when money — or the lack of it — is no longer a primary concern for the social worker, the question is no longer, “Can we afford this solution,” but, “Which viable solution will we choose?”

Up & Downside of Entrepreneurism:​

• There is no schedule
• No consistent paycheck
• You pay (A LOT) for your own insurance
• No one is required to guide you or give you tangible tasks to do
• You must motivate yourself to do the work (and watching reruns of the ‘West Wing’ doesn’t count as work)
• It can be lonely without coworkers
• The new world of entrepreneurism is unknown, scary and overwhelming
• You get to create your own schedule, which 98% of the time is way more grueling than working for an organization but you are able to go for a run at 10:23am and stop for an ice cream break at 3:30pm should you feel so inclined
• While there is no consistent paycheck, there is also no limit on how much income you can generate-that is fully up to you and clients you bring in (scary and empowering at the same time)
• There is no upside to paying for your own insurance but if I find one, I’ll be sure to let you know
• You can create your own way to accomplish the work that needs to be done.

Look for trends, which are a key to wealth.

Look for trends in social issues.
What issues are impacting people who have the means to pay you for help if you figure out a way to eliminate their issue or reduce the impact?

Create a national network of support groups for parents & or children and charge an affordable monthly membership fee.

You could provide parents the latest medical and lifestyle information to make life easier for their family and create monthly support group meetings where they can connect with others locally who are facing the same challenges. ​

Here are some of the most common frameworks we see successful social enterprises using:

Cross-Compensation – One group of customers pays for the service. Profits from this group are used to subsidize the service for another, underserved group.

Fee for Service – Beneficiaries pay directly for the goods or services provided by the social enterprise.

Employment and skills training – The core purpose is to provide living wages, skills development, and job training to the beneficiaries: the employees.

Market Intermediary – The social enterprise acts as an intermediary, or distributor, to an expanded market. The beneficiaries are the suppliers of the product and/or service that is being distributed to an international market.

Market Connector – The social enterprise facilitates trade relationships between beneficiaries and new markets.

Independent Support – The social enterprise delivers a product or service to an external market that is separate from the beneficiary and social impact generated. Funds are used to support social programs to the beneficiary.

Cooperative – A for-profit or nonprofit business that is owned by its members who also use its services, providing virtually any type of goods or services.

Now let’s look at our list of 22 Awesome Social Enterprise Examples!

Social Supermarket

(Business Model: Fee for Service. Example: Community Shop) – Create a food market that sells food to low-income communities at a discounted price. Discounted food is donated (or purchased very cheaply) from food suppliers and other supermarkets, who cannot sell the food themselves for a variety of reasons such as approaching expiry dates, dented cans, and product mislabeling.

Used Textbooks for Social Change

(Business Model: Cross-compensation and Independent Support. Example: Textbooks for Change) – Partner with student groups/clubs to collect used textbooks at the end of each semester. Students donate their used textbooks. Some of the textbooks are re-sold to students at the college/university of their collection source; some of the textbooks are donated to students in need at underserved universities in the developing world. The profits are split between the student groups/clubs, program administration costs, and any remaining funds are used to support social programs in developing communities.

Online Socially Conscious Marketplace

(Business Model: Market Connector. Examples:ArtZoco and eBatuta) – Help underserved artisans sell their products to the world by building a platform that makes it easy for them. Artisans can either manage their online store directly, or the platform can act merely as a listing service that connects the artisans face-to-face with buyers. Revenue is created by either charging listing fees directly to the artisan, via a commission on goods sold, or built-in as a premium fee to the buyer. Profit generated can be used to fund social services that directly affect the artisan communities.

Sustainable Water

(Business Model: Fee for Service. Example: Water Health International) – Build small water purification stations in communities in developing countries using off-the-shelf products. Initial funds to build it can come from traditional charitable methods, or through debt/equity financing; the communities can be partial owners (or full owners, if using cooperative business model). Ongoing costs to maintain and staff the water station come from the sale of purified water to its beneficiaries, but at near break-even levels, costing almost nothing for the beneficiaries.

Micro Lending

(Business Model: Market Connector. Example: Kiva)– Create a platform for individuals and organizations to lend money directly to entrepreneurs who would otherwise not get funding, such as those in the developing world. Charge a small fee to cover the operational costs.

Social Crowdfunding

(Business Model: Market Connector. Example: Start Some Good) – Build a platform for social entrepreneurs to find groups of funders. Similar to the Micro Lending platform, but lenders take a promise of something in the future in return for ‘donating’ a bit of money to the Social Entrepreneur’s project now. Charge a small fee to cover the operational costs of the platform.

Baking/Cooking for a Social Cause

(Business Model: Employment and Skills Training. Example: Edgar and Joe’s) – Open a bakery/restaurant or another food-providing establishment that focuses on building employment skills for underemployed groups, such as at-risk youth or former drug addicts. The profit from sales of food and beverage go to wages, training, and social betterment programs for the staff-beneficiaries.

Efficient Wood Stoves for Developing World

(Business Model: Cross-Compensation. Example: Bio Lite) – Millions of women in developing countries suffer from cardiopulmonary diseases as a direct result of breathing in wood smoke on a daily basis. Build a more efficient stove to solve this problem. Sell the stoves at or above market rate to those who can afford it, and use the money from the sale of the stoves to partly subsidize the cost for those who cannot afford it.

Innovative Information Product

(Business model: Cross-Compensation. Example: Information Blanket) – Create a baby blanket with information about how to take care of a baby, such as when to immunize, how big a baby should be at a specific age, and how often to feed the baby. The regions where baby education is scarce are the same regions where income tends to be low. Therefore, these blankets could be given freely to new mothers in low-income areas, while they could be sold to new mothers in wealthier areas. Proceeds from sales would fund blankets and education for new mothers in poor areas.

Micro Power Generation

(Business Model: Fee for Service. Examples: Husk Power) – Provide micro-electric solutions for remote applications in the developing world. Two ways you could do this are to create a stand-alone power system from used, rechargeable batteries to power classrooms. Or, you could create a mini power plant that uses biomass produced by the humans, plants, and animals of an off-grid village. These types of systems are very cheap to build and implement and can be paid for on a fee-for-usage basis. This idea might also lend itself well as a cooperative.

Socially Conscious Consumer Electronics

(Business Model: Fee for Service and Market Intermediary. Examples: Fair Phone.) Build a new kind of consumer electronic device; one that is built with conflict-free materials, provides fair wages to the workers who build it, offers a fair and transparent price for the end consumer, and does not engage in unfair consumer practices (such as locking smartphones, or creating proprietary software/hardware interfaces).

Education Books on a Social Topic

(Business Model: Fee for Service and independent support. Example: Chef’s Collaborative Network) Create a book or other educational publication, whose benefit is easily understood and salable. Learning about the topic of the social education book should benefit the reader, such as a recipe book that focuses on recipes that promote sustainable food culture. The proceeds from the book are used to support education initiatives along the same topic and to group who will have the most impact and benefit. In the case of sustainable food preparation practices, the target education group would be chefs.

Ultra-Modern Technology to Attract Economic Development

(Business Model: Fee for Service. Cooperative. Example: O-Net) A small community normally doesn’t have much to offer a business, unless you make it a place that has the best business service in one area. For instance, you could create an internet service that is owned by the community and provides internet access at ten-times the bandwidth for the same price as those in another community would have to pay. The cost could be subsidized by the community, but it would attract high-tech businesses to locate in the community, fueling the local economy and benefiting everyone in it.

Beauty Products to Support a Social Mission

(Business Model: Independent Support. Example: Bottle 4 Bottle.) Partner with major beauty brands to sell their products as an online retailer. Convince them to provide their products to you at a favorable wholesale rate, and divert the profits to purchasing milk and baby bottles for distribution in the developing world.

A Virtual Factory of Computer Workers

(Business Model: Employment and Skills Training. Example: Cloud Factory.) Build an online community of computer workers, hired from underemployed communities. Train each of them to do one computer-related thing well (ie. writing functions in a particular programming language, translating code for a specific and common API, etc.) Combine dozens of them to complete a product, such as a website, for a client that would normally only require 1 or 2 people. Because each person is highly micro-specialized, the larger team forms as a virtual ‘assembly line’ to finish the project faster, cheaper, and with a higher quality standard than the traditional method of locally hiring or outsourcing a broad-range knowledge worker. Virtual assembly line workers enjoy employment with higher wages than they would normally receive doing menial work.

A marketplace for social good

(Business Model: Market Intermediary. Example: Do Good Buy Us and Ten Thousand Villages.) Sell socially and ethically conscious products in a virtual or real environment. By purchasing these products from the producers, the social good flows-down the logistics chain to the beneficiaries, and consumers are able to find a bunch of the products they want in a convenient shopping format.

Exercise equipment for social outreach

(Business Model: Fee for Service and Cross-Compensation. Example: Rubber Banditz.) Sell a piece of exercise equipment that is simple to use and affordable. Promote the equipment as an alternative to full gym access for those who can’t afford it. Use profits and product to subsidize outreach programs that promote healthy living, thus promoting healthy living to two underserved groups: direct customers and outreach participants.

Educational travel company

(Business Model: Fee for Service. Examples: Think Impact and Evoluzion.) Start a company that brings together travelers with experiences that provide an intercultural learning experience and a positive social impact on a local community. Profits are recycled back into the communities they affect.

Food for Philanthropy

(Business Model: Independent support. Examples: Newman’s Own and Late.) Create a food company that provides an already needed/wanted product and use the profits to support philanthropic work. The company is easily scalable and can focus on just one product line/charity, or can be easily scaled to provide multiple food products and support a variety of charities.

Social products and employment for the underserved

(Business Model: Employment and Skills Training, Fee for Service. Example: Livelyhoods.) Source one or several social good products (clean cookstoves, affordable power solutions for the developing world), and hire an underemployed group to sell these products to their community on a commision basis. It’s both a distribution/marketing method and a way to employ underemployed populations.

Water for everyone!

(Business model: Cross-compensation. Example: Soma Water.) Create a home water filtration solution that you sell to the first world, and use the proceeds of these sales to provide the same (or similar) solution to the developing world. As a bonus, use environmentally friendly materials and processes in the creation of the product.

Micro-Giving for easy philanthropy

(Business Model: Cross-compensation or independent support. Example: B1G1.) Partner with businesses and have them donate micro amounts of products/money to a social cause for every transaction they enter. For example, set up a relationship with a baker. And for every loaf of bread they sell, have them donate a handful of flour (or monetary equivalent) to a food-aid organization in the developing world

The Untapped Hub of Entrepreneurs​

Ability to Raise Money:
Many social workers work within the nonprofit sector or within the public sector, both of which see little working capital and funding cuts. Due to this consistent lack of cash flow social workers are constantly figuring out how to come up with funding for their clients, communities and programs. Due to social workers being committed and determined they are brainstorming different ways to raise capital just like an entrepreneurial venture would do. Many sectors like to think of social workers as not being financially savvy however in a world where one has to figure out how to best advocate for their clients and communities with the least amount of money, they have learned how to get very creative with fundraising.

Branding/Marketing:
Much of what lies behind social work theory is psychology. Additionally, much of what lies beneath effective and efficient branding and marketing is psychology as well. Thus, when social workers are attempting to brand or market their program or organization they have a leg up as they can easily analyze what their audience might want by knowing the different psychological theories that already exist. Additionally, social workers are generally speaking, natural empaths. Yes, some have to work harder at empathy but social workers don’t go into their profession by monetary motivation, they generally go into social work because they are empathetic and compassionate individuals wanting to solve worldly problems. The ability to empathize with your audience gives you an advantage when branding and marketing because you can easily put yourself into your audience’s shoes to figure out what they need and want.

Self-Care & Resilience:
If you research anything about social work you will most likely stumble upon self-care and compassion fatigue (Mindfulness, Self-Care, and Wellness in Social Work: Effects of Contemplative Training, Caring for Ourselves: A Therapist’s Guide to Personal and Professional Well-Being). Once again, social workers were developing and taking trainings and discussing the importance of self-care before all the mindfulness coloring books, meditation helmets and such started appearing in popular culture. Social workers realize how incredibly important it is to take care of yourself so you can be a more effective professional and person in all areas of life. Additionally, resilience is something that social workers have to recognize, assess and teach within many of their client populations such as mentally ill, abused and neglected and impoverished.

Due to consistently working with the most disadvantaged in our societies and seeing and teaching that resilience, it has become an innate trait for any professional social workers to embrace. Social workers experience many failures with clients, programs and organizations but it’s that compassion, grit and resilience that keeps them doing their job everyday waiting to change even 1 person or 1 community. The Lean Start-Up by Eric Ries addresses many entrepreneurial obstacles and how to overcome them, one of them being failing fast and failing often to get to success.

Building Cohesive Teams:
One thing that many social workers have to develop or at least review is called a strengths and needs assessment for individuals and/or communities they are serving. Many decades ago social workers started realizing that only identifying and treating needs of persons and/or communities wasn’t treating the issue as a whole and in the most viable way. By identifying the strengths of the person, organization or community you can then more effectually address the issues. Many entrepreneurial articles (Entrepreneur, Forbes, and Inc.) talk about the need for building effective teams as one of the most important steps in a successful venture.

Ability to Sell:
Last but certainly not least is the ability to sell. Most everyone would think that sales could not be further from social work. However, if you have ever read How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie you will quickly realize that empathy and sympathy are 2 of the most effective traits to have in order to be successful in dealing with people. Additionally, having that grit, determination and resilience are other characteristics that social workers have that help them pick themselves up and keep forging on after a failed “sale”. Many social workers may not even have thought of themselves in sales before, however they actually have to “sell” themselves to their clients quite a bit.

In social services you have many untrusting people due to things such as life experiences or mental illness. Social workers usually use the terminology “gaining people’s trust” however it is a matter of semantics because the social worker is essentially “selling” themselves or services to someone. You have to make them believe that you are trustworthy, dependable and honest in order for clients and/or organizations to open up to you. Gaining people’s trust is one of the traits social workers have that help them “sell” their service and or product just like in entrepreneurial ventures.

Types of Social Workers

Social work practice can take place at the micro, mezzo, or macro level. Micro social work is practice that concentrates on the individual and family levels. Macro social work is focused on driving change in community systems, institutions, and larger group units, commonly through government or other non-profit agencies. Mezzo social work is focused on groups that fall between the individual and the community, such as neighborhoods, task forces, and support groups.

These levels refer to the scale of the systems being analyzed in each type of practice and are complementary to one another; as a result, there can be considerable overlap between the micro, mezzo, and macro levels of social work practice. Further, not all social work professionals agree on how different groups and interactions should be categorized. However, understanding the effectiveness of differing approaches and interventions on each level and how these can work together to build positive social change is important for effective practice.

Micro Level Careers
Clinical Social Worker

Clinical social workers are the largest group of professionally trained mental health providers in the US, providing over half of all counseling and therapy services.2 These social workers diagnose and treat mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, and substance use disorders. They provide individual and family therapy, couples counseling, and group treatment. They also counsel clients to develop new ways of thinking, change behaviors, and cope with challenging situations. Clinical social workers collaborate with doctors, other mental health professionals, and clients to develop treatment plans, and they may monitor and adjust treatment plans based on each client’s needs and progress. Besides direct therapeutic support, clinical social workers connect clients to community resources and services such as support groups, resources for basic needs, and wellness activities.

Many work in private practices either with other mental health professionals or independently. Others are employed by hospitals or community mental health agencies.1 While some clinical social workers are generalists and work with clients facing diverse issues, others specialize in areas such as rural social work, family practice, or child welfare. Social work at the clinical level always requires a minimum of a master’s degree in social work (MSW) and state licensure.

Psychiatric Social Worker

Psychiatric social workers, also known as mental health social workers, who engage in mental health social work, often work in hospitals or inpatient psychiatric treatment centers. They assess patients’ social, emotional, interpersonal, economic, and environmental needs, along with their strengths, to develop an effective treatment plan. Social workers support patients suffering from psychiatric illness to manage family relationships, employment, and other affected parts of their lives. Using individual counseling, group therapy, and family therapy, they connect psychiatric patients to hospital and community resources and plan for successful discharge, transitioning patients back to their families and communities. Most psychiatric social workers work in hospitals and residential treatment centers, but others work in outpatient mental health centers and substance misuse treatment facilities providing similar services to clients. Many schools offer degree programs with a concentration in mental health social work to help students prepare for this career. Psychiatric social workers typically need at least a bachelors’ degree in social work(BSW) to practice.

Child and Family Social Worker

Child and family social workers, also known as youth and family social workers, provide a range of case management services to support children by improving the functioning of their families and/or engaging support and supervision outside of the family. Each child in need requires a unique range of services. Common services provided by child and family social workers for parents and families include job placement, medical assistance, debt counseling, addiction treatment, family therapy, and financial support. Social workers in this field may serve as an advocate for each child and a liaison between the child and his or her school, medical and mental health providers, courts, and home. They also may manage adoptions, seek supervised foster care services, and placements in residential treatment facilities. Many child and family social workers work for local government agencies such as departments of health and human services or departments of children and families. The related area of child welfare social work focuses on the needs of children and adolescents.

Education, Licensure, and Salary: Child and Family Social Worker

• Education: BSW or bachelor’s degree in a related field required for most positions, not all. MSWrequired/preferred for some management and school social work positions.
• Licensure: Varies. See our Licensure page for more details.
• Median wages (2018) $22.24 hourly, $46,270 annually3

Projected Job Growth (2016-2026)3

• Faster than average (10 to 14%)

Social and Human Service Assistant

Social and human services assistants work with social workers, counselors, and other health and human services professionals to provide support to individuals and community groups. They may hold different titles, such as social work assistant, counselor assistant, case work aide, social services assistant, or human services worker. The duties of a social and human service assistant vary according to the setting in which they work, but commonly these professionals are responsible for assisting clients in finding and accessing mental health and community resources. An associate’s degree in social work(ASW) is often sufficient for those seeking social services assistant positions, though a bachelor’s degree or higher in social work can be beneficial for those social and human service assistants seeking opportunities for career advancement.

Healthcare Social Worker

Healthcare social workers counsel patients at the time of their diagnosis and throughout their treatment, helping them adjust to their living arrangements and make arrangements and plans for dealing with an illness. Some of these social workers work on multidisciplinary teams with doctors and other health professionals to focus on illnesses’ effects on the emotional health of patients and families. There are also specialized fields of healthcare social work which focus on special populations or times in the life cycle. Most healthcare social workers have a master’s degree in social work.4

Medical Social Worker

Medical social workers, under the healthcare social work umbrella, provide patients with psychological and social support to cope with chronic or terminal illnesses. They provide patients with education and counseling, including discharge planning, and connect patients to other services. They also work to remove barriers to healthcare for all patients and work on multidisciplinary teams to create, monitor, and adjust care plans. Medical social workers also counsel patients’ families and caregivers to assist them in understanding and supporting their loved one while caring for themselves. They may also organize support groups and health promotion activities. Medical social workers are often called upon in situations of suspected child or elder abuse and in mental health crises in hospitals. Some hospital social workers visit patients at home after they are discharged to make sure that community and family supports are in place.

Geriatric Social Worker

Geriatric social workers, also under the healthcare social work umbrella, assist older adults and their families in finding services such as meal delivery and home healthcare. In some instances, they support seniors as they transition into assisted living or nursing care facilities and continue to work with seniors in those settings. Many master’s of social work programs include concentrations in aging or social work with older adults to prepare social workers for the unique needs of this population.

Hospice Social Worker

Hospice social workers, another type of healthcare social worker, help patients and their families cope with terminal illness. Hospice social workers either provide families with grief counseling or link them to outside services offering grief counseling and support groups.

Education, Licensure, and Salary: Healthcare Social Workers

• Education: MSW required for most positions
• Licensure: Varies. See our Licensure page for more details.
• Median wages (2018) $27.02 hourly, $56,200 annually4

Projected Job Growth (2016-2026)4

• Much faster than average – 15% or higher

Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker

Social workers provide most of the country’s mental health services. According to the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), 60% of mental health professionals are clinically trained social workers, compared to 10% of whom are psychiatrists, 23% of whom are psychologists and 5% of whom are psychiatric nurses.5 Mental health and substance use social workers assess and treat individuals with mental, emotional, or substance use problems. Social workers specializing in mental health and addiction provide individual and group therapy, crisis intervention, and case management. Because mental illness and addiction impact all areas of a client’s life, social workers assist clients in maintaining safe housing, obtaining employment, and building and rebuilding family relationships.

Social workers in this field also support clients in adhering to treatment plans by scheduling appointments, arranging transportation and childcare, and monitoring progress toward set goals. They also manage substance use prevention programs and promote mental health education. Social workers in many employment settings are likely to serve individuals who suffer from mental illness and/or addiction. Substance use problems are common in many areas of social work practice including child abuse and neglect cases, juvenile delinquency, domestic violence and other legal problems, veterans services, and older adult services.

Education and Licensure

• Education: MSW required for most positions.
• Licensure. Varies (see state licensure pages)
• Median wages (2018) $21.56 hourly, $44,840 annually6

Projected Job Growth (2016-2026)5

• Much faster than average – 15% or higher

Mezzo Level Careers
School Social Worker

School social workers work with children at all grade levels, assisting students whose academic struggles, behavior, truancy, and interpersonal difficulties impact their school progress. They may consult with parents, teachers, and other support staff to find solutions for struggling children. School social workers are often called upon in situations of child abuse or neglect to navigate legal channels and serve as a liaison with outside agencies. While some of these professionals are assigned to one school, many work for the larger school district and respond to mental health crises and child abuse concerns in multiple schools.

School social workers are often part of a multidisciplinary team of counselors, psychologists, nurses, administrators, and educators working to support students. School social work is typically considered mezzo practice as it involves working with the entire student community in one or more schools, though it can be classified as micro practice when a professional is working one-to-one with struggling students.

Education, Licensure, and Salary

• Education: BSW or bachelor’s degree in a related field required for most positions, not all. MSWrequired/preferred for some management and school social work positions.
• Licensure: Varies. See our Licensure page for more details.
• Median wages (2018) $22.24 hourly, $46,270 annually3

Projected Job Growth (2016-2026)3

• Faster than average (10% to 14%)

Community Social Worker

Community social workers focus on promoting positive change at the community or neighborhood level, based on a given community’s diversity and cultural values. These social workers work closely with community leaders as well as residents to understand issues that affect them and their impacts on the community. Then, they can help to develop solutions and strategies that solve problems, promote participation, and improve people’s overall quality of life. Assessment by a community social worker might involve taking surveys of community members, analyzing the physical environment, and researching historical neighborhood trends.

These social workers may then act as advocates for change, working to promote community development, assisting the community in finding needed resources, and helping the community implement proposed solutions. Community social work can also fall into the category of macro social work, depending on the size of the community and the scale of the interventions. Professionals in community health commonly work within a social service agency or local government.

Community Health Workers and Administrators

Similar to a community social worker, community health workers (CHWs) seek to address health problems at the community level. Community health workers act as liaisons between the members of the community and the social services available to them. CHWs also provide basic health and medical care to people within a community, often educating them about health issues and sharing preventative measures they can take to avoid illness. A bachelor’s degree or master’s degree in social work with public health coursework is strong preparation for this career. According to O*Net OnLine, community health workers earn an average annual salary of $39,540 and are also known as community health managers, community health outreach program coordinators, and community health specialists.7

Social and Community Service Manager

Social and community service managers oversee and coordinate service programs or the organizations offering such programs. Their work is similar to that of community social workers, but is more administration- and management-focused. Social and community service managers typically work for non-profit and government agencies. Their responsibilities routinely include coordinating with contractors, managing service availability, and supervising counselors, social workers, and other staff. Social work graduates with an interest in management can be competitive applicants for positions as social and community service managers, especially with related experience in the public services field.

Group Social Worker

Group social work can take place at the micro or mezzo level. Formal groups above the family level are typically included in mezzo social work, although some social workers regard family practice as taking place at the micro level. Group social workers are typically employed by social service agencies or other non-profits to organize groups, facilitate intergroup or interpersonal communication, and evaluate the effectiveness of an organization’s social service programs. These social workers may also work in private businesses or organizations to identify and suggest tools for constructively managing sources of intergroup conflict or tackling workplace issues.

In most environments, group social workers seek to help group members develop positive communication tools collectively to promote personal growth and to collaborate effectively on common issues and interests. Group support or group therapy is a common career path for these types of social workers.

Health Educator

Health educators, who are typically employed in non-profit and government organizations, promote health education from the individual to the community level. Similar to social workers, these professionals work to identify the needs of the group(s) they are working with in order to plan and provide appropriate programs. The education provided may be centered on nutrition, physical activity, disease prevention, or further specialized areas such as diabetes management. Health educators earn an average annual salary of $54,220 and have a much faster than average job growth prospects, projected higher than 15% through 2026.8 Example job titles for public health jobs that involve education include community health educator, patient education manager, and peer health educator.

Macro Level Careers
Public Policy Social Worker

Public policy social workers typically work in government and non-profit organizations to promote social change through education, legislation, and other large-scale interventions. These professionals may also engage in international policy work for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) such as the World Health Organization. Public policy social workers engage in policy analysis on issues such as public housing developments, zoning regulations, public service programs, and other large-scale projects. A public policy social worker may organize focus groups to analyze the perception of proposed or enacted changes or conduct needs assessments. They may also run and evaluate organizational training programs or manage logistics for large-scale social service programs. This level of practice is also referred to as social policy social work and can impact changes in public policy as well as government policy.

Administrative Social Worker

Administrative social workers, also called management social workers, social work managers, or social work administrators, hold leadership roles in social and community service organizations including social welfare departments, schools, and hospitals. Social work administration is also known as social work management and has a strong emphasis on organizational leadership. Successful management of a social service organization requires leaders who understand social work at all levels as well as how organizations perform and intersect to meet service, policy, and other goals. An administrative social worker typically has responsibility for budget allocation, program development, and operations and staff management, as well as other tasks such as fundraising, grant writing, and public relations. Importantly, social work administrators seek to improve their organizations and the groups that these organizations serve, through strong planning and positive change.

Research Social Worker

Social work research is a field as broad as social work itself. However, because the results of social work research frequently have large-system impacts, research social work is commonly regarded as taking place at the macro level of practice. Research social workers may conduct high-level research to determine the effectiveness of interventions or applications of social work theory or more targeted research to evaluate the effectiveness of a given program or social service agency. Research projects may also involve identifying problems and causes, making qualitative comparisons, or developing new theories. Research social workers frequently gather their own data and write articles regarding their findings for publication. Social work researchers commonly possess a PhD and may work in academia or government, though they may be hired by organizations of all kinds.

Research Assistant

While research social workers commonly hold a PhD, those with an interest in research who have a bachelor’s or master’s degree may be interested in working as a research assistant. Research assistants help senior researchers find, interpret, and present research to support organizational decisions, program proposals, new theories, business models, and grant applications. A degree in social work can provide the well-rounded education that employers seek when hiring research assistants, especially in organizations focused on social and human services.

Environmental Health Workers and Administrators

Environmental health workers, also known as environmental health officers and administrators, work in both policy and public education to promote environmental health and safety in communities. In addition to job titles like environmental health director, population health manager, and outreach educator, these types of positions include food inspectors, health inspectors, and safety inspectors of various kinds. Environmental health workers earn a median annual salary of $71,130, and on average are well-educated; 70% of such workers hold a bachelor’s degree, while 26% hold a master’s degree and 2% hold a professional degree.9

Healthcare Administrator

Healthcare administrators are typically found in management roles, coordinating health services in hospitals, large doctor’s offices, and public and non-profit health care providers of all sizes. Alternative job titles include medical and health services managers, hospital administrators, and health coordinators. A master’s degree in public health or health administration is typically required and licensure as a social worker can be advantageous for this career. According to O*Net OnLine, these professionals earn a median annual salary of $99,730 and are in high demand, with job growth projected above 15% through 2026.10 Among those working in this field, 19% hold an associate’s degree, 65% hold a bachelor’s degree, and 12% hold a master’s degree.10

Public Health Administrator

Public health administrators, who perform similar work to healthcare administrators, are typically found working in non-profit and government agencies, though they can be found working in hospitals and similar organizations. Public health administrators focus on health education and policy decisions that impact large-scale communities, entire cities, states, and even regions. Related job titles include public health director, educator, or coordinator. A master’s degree in public health or a specialized master’s degree in public policy or public administration can prepare you for administrative jobs in public health.

Frequently Asked Questions
How much are social workers paid?

As discussed above, there are many different types of social workers, and each social work career will offer different average salaries. For example, healthcare administrators earn a median salary of $99,730 per year, healthcare social workers earn a median of $56,200 per year, child, family, and school social workers earn a median of $46,270 per year, environmental health workers earn a median of $71,130 per year, and mental health and substance abuse social workers earn a median of $44,840 per year.10,4,3,9,6

How do I become a social worker?

Most social workers have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree, but those who are interested in entry-level social work may be able to get a job with an associate’s degree in social work. Most states require a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in social work to obtain licensure, and many require a master’s degree in social work to be licensed. To work as a clinical social worker, a master’s of social work (MSW) is required. Check with your state’s licensure requirements for more information.

What jobs can you get with a social work degree?

The career options for social work graduates are broad. Some people who get a degree in social work are looking to work directly with clients, as licensed clinical social workers (LCSWs) or child, family, and school social workers, while others want to work at the macro level, working to promote change on a larger scale, such as in public policy. Other possible social work jobs include community social worker, healthcare social worker, and research assistant. Read more about micro, mezzo, and macro social work careers above, and decide which area interests you most before choosing a professional path for your career.

What hours do social workers typically work?

Social workers do not have “typical” hours. Depending on the type of social work job you have, many social workers, especially those at the micro and mezzo levels, have to be available after normal working hours for client visits and meetings. According to a recent article from The Guardian, social workers reported working an average of 45.9 hours per week, which is higher than their contracted hours (37.2). The same study reported that social workers tend to spend more time completing administrative tasks than face-to-face time with clients. If you are considering a career as a social worker, you should expect that you may have to work a varied (and sometimes challenging) schedule.

Great Social & Human Services Company Business Plan

A business plan is the skeletal framework for your social and human services business’s mission, goals and strategic vision.

Since lenders and investors will use your plan to gauge risk, it needs to contain industry-specific benchmarks and a detailed marketing plan.

Early in the process, it’s worth your time to learn how to write the market analysis section of a business plan. While a robust market analysis can be a selling point for a social and human services business startup, weak market research is a sure giveaway for a business that hasn’t invested adequate effort in planning.

Check Out Competitors

Before you open a social and human services business in your town, it’s essential to determine how you will fit in the competitive landscape. Try our link below to get a list of local competitors near you. Complete the form by entering your city, state and zip code to get a list of social and human services businesses that are close by.

• Find Local Social & Human Services Business Competitors

Is the established competition doing a good job? It’s important to understand their strengths and weaknesses and think through how you’ll stake up against those established businesses.

Learn from Others Who Are Already In This Space

If you want to open a social and human services business you really ought to talk to somebody who is already in the business. If you think your local competitors will give you advice, you’re being overoptimistic. The last thing they want to do is help you to be a better competitor.

But, a person who owns a social and human services business on the other side of the country can be a great learning resource for you, given that you don’t compete with them in their area. Many business owners are happy to give advice to new entrepreneurs If you are persistent, you can find a business mentor who is willing to help you out.

How do you go about finding a social and human services business owner in a different locale who can assist you?

Here’s how we would do it. Try the useful link below and key in a random city/state or zipcode.

• Find Social & Human Services Business Owners Who Might Advise You

Academic Coaching
a working partnership that focuses on the process of learning. Together with a professional coach,

Think of an academic coach like a personal trainer. The coach is adjusting the weights, offering new workouts, supporting you, and providing guidance to help you achieve your goals. The obvious difference is that an academic coach is helping you strengthen:
your learning fitness.

Coaches provide students with semester-long academic support in areas such as time management, procrastination, test preparation, and note taking and reading strategies. Coaches offer strategies, accountability, and encouragement.

• objectively assess barriers to academic success
• establish attainable educational goals
• develop and maintain positive daily routines
• improve time management and organizational skills
• enhance self-esteem and self-advocacy skills
• develop a study schedule
• become active learners and class participants
• take effective lecture notes
• prepare for exams
• balance academic and social demands
• establish rapport with professors
• utilize college resources
• Time management
• Organization
• Reading for retention
• Study habits

1) establishing relationship principles

2) conducting learner assessments

3) developing and implementing an action plan

4) assessing results and revising plans accordingly.

Important Qualities
Communication skills.
Because coaches instruct, organize, and motivate athletes, they must have excellent communication skills. They must effectively communicate proper techniques, strategies, and rules of the sport so every player on the team understands.

Decisionmaking skills.
Coaches must choose the appropriate players to use at a given position at a given time during a game and know the proper time to utilize game-managing tools such as timeouts. Coaches and scouts also must be very selective when recruiting players from lower levels of athletics.

Dedication.
Coaches must attend daily practices and assist their team and individual athletes in improving their skills and physical conditioning. Coaches must be dedicated to their sport, as it often takes years to become successful.

Interpersonal skills.
Being able to relate to athletes helps coaches and scouts foster positive relationships with their current players and recruit potential players.

Leadership skills.
Coaches must demonstrate good leadership skills to get the most out of athletes. They also must be able to motivate, develop, and direct young athletes.

Resourcefulness.
Coaches must find a strategy and develop a game plan that yields the best chances for winning. Coaches often need to create original plays or formations that provide a competitive advantage and confuse opponents.

Questions people expect you to be able to answer:

How long have you been tutoring?

What are your qualifications, certifications or credentials?

What’s your expertise in the content area my child is studying?

Have you worked with kids or adults with learning or attention issues similar to the ones my child has?

How will you get a sense of my child’s learning or attention needs?

What specific strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a child?

Can you tell me a little bit about your coaching philosophy?

What kind of results can I expect to see, and what happens if my child doesn’t make progress?

Given what you know of my child, what might interfere with your achieving your coaching goals?

How, specifically, would you help my child deal with the problem he’s had with [specific issue your child has had?

What can I do to support the coaching process?

How will you communicate with me, and how often?

How will you work and communicate with my child’s teachers?

How do you measure progress?

Do you have references I can speak to?

What’s your availability?

Where will the coaching sessions take place?

How long is each coaching session?

How much do you charge per session?

Are there other fees (for materials or assessments, for example)?

What’s your policy for cancellations and make-up sessions?

https://www.census.gov/newsroom/facts-for-features/2015/cb15-ff09.html

create a business for seniors:

Senior care consultant:
These professionals help find the best living arrangements for seniors, whether that is at home, daycare or a senior living facility. You’ll work with community services and local government agencies that help seniors to get client referrals.

Home retrofitting/remodeling:
Seniors who want to stay in their homes as long as possible are getting their homes retrofitted with features like wider doorways, shower grab bars and other changes to make their homes safer and more accessible.
Travel company: Active seniors are eager to travel, and a travel business focused on senior or family travel can be a big hit. These days, many seniors are planning multi-generation vacations, “girlfriend getaways” or vacations with grandchildren.

Home services:
More than eight in 10 (82%) of seniors own their own homes, but as they get older, they may prefer to have others handle the maintenance. Home-related services, such as housecleaning, lawn care and handyman services aren’t just for seniors, but targeting this clientele can help you build a thriving business. Earn the trust of seniors and their adult children, and you’ll have more referrals than you can handle.

Nutrition/exercise consultant:
You can work with physical therapists, geriatric physicians, fitness centers and other organizations targeting seniors to provide fitness and nutrition programs for their patients and/or customers. You can also market your services to individuals. Yoga, Pilates, dance and swimming are popular exercise programs among seniors.

Non-medical in-home care:
Adult children often worry about aging parents living at home alone. Your service can ease their worries by helping senior clients with tasks of daily life, such as getting to and from appointments, shopping, cleaning and cooking, so they’re able to stay in their homes longer. You’ll need to market the service to adult children, since few seniors will admit they need this type of care.

Medical claims assistance:
If you’re familiar with health insurance, Medicare and the healthcare industry, you can start a business to help seniors and their families manage medical bills. You’ll review bills and medical records to make sure seniors aren’t paying too much and are getting all of the benefits they’re entitled to. Market your services to senior centers, medical offices and financial professionals that can refer you to potential clients.

Senior transportation services:
Seniors who can’t or don’t want to drive still need transportation to and from doctors’ appointments, to shop, or to get to social engagements. Their children aren’t always available to drive, and taxis can get expensive. Even in areas with good public transportation, seniors unable to walk to bus or train stops can spell opportunity for senior transportation services. Do your homework about territory and market before starting this business, and find out what type of drivers license and insurance is necessary.

Successfully market to seniors

• Seniors—especially baby boomers—don’t think of themselves as “old.” No matter what you’re selling, your marketing should speak to healthy, active customers. Focus on how your product or service enables customers to stay independent, enjoy life and keep fit.

• Trust matters—especially if you’re selling a service that involves coming into seniors’ homes. You will need to be licensed, insured and bonded (if relevant to your industry). Since seniors are most likely to trust companies they hear about from friends and relatives, strong word-of-mouth is essential to attract new customers.

• Diversify your marketing. While traditional marketing tactics such as direct mail and print advertising will attract senior customers, the vast majority of seniors are also online. And since adult children buying for their parents are also a key target market, an integrated marketing campaign incorporating both traditional and digital media ensures you cover all the bases.