social capitalism

when i was a kid growing up in Mississippi my parents started a community outreach organization in our church called Love Indeed. my mother had a background in government social work, but they had dreamed of finding a way for the church to get involved in improving the racially and economically divided community we lived in. it started when people would just show up at the church looking for a meal or asking for help with their electricity bills. these people came from all kinds of backgrounds. some were white. some were black. some had lost their jobs. some were traveling through town. some were teenage mothers. some were drug addicts. some were abused. some were criminals. but they all had a need to know that someone cared about them. they needed to see the grace and love that was talked about in the worship service in action. they needed love in deed.

now i mentioned that this town was racially divided, but that is really an understatement. the racism was embedded in the gene pool and this gene pool infested our church. oh sure, they wanted to help people, but probably only the white ones. did they actually have to go to homes in the projects and deliver groceries? what if someone saw them? what would they say at the country club?

there were, however, a group of people who shared the same vision as my parents. they had been praying for years for someone with my mother's background to come along and lead the church to make a difference in the community. so, they went to the church and asked for funding, a place to work, and volunteers. the church agreed and Love Indeed was born. looking back it had a profound impact in my life. i saw my parents and my church welcome social outcasts and offer them help with no strings attached. this church provided a supplement to the inept government welfare programs and they started groups to help people get out of poverty by teaching them about financial responsibility and birth control. the culture in the church changed from just giving money and letting someone else do the dirty work to actually taking action to improve the community. even after my parents moved to another community, Love Indeed is still going strong twenty years later at First Baptist Church in Columbus, MS. this is truly a testament to the power of love in deed.

i'm an avid reader of fast company. it's a great business magazine and the web site is full of great articles. every year they have an entire issue dedicated to social capitalism. social capitalism is the idea that a "for profit" company can improve society and turn a buck at the same time. click here to see some examples. i must admit at first this seemed very counterintuitive. we have been conditioned to think that businesses are only interested in making money no matter the cost. the news is always bashing greedy "big business" and talking about how big business controls the suits we elect with their cash and lobbyists. while that might be true in some cases, there are people all over the world who want to use their business savvy to improve their community and make a profit. i think it's the ultimate win/win business plan. the business owners or investors build a business that will have a positive impact on the community and the reward for their hard work is a profitable business.

you might be thinking, "why didn't they just start a non-profit? isn't social improvement really the job of organizations like habitat for humanity, the local church, and the salvation army?" while non-profits serve to enact positive social change and fill an important role, the people who start social capitalist businesses often start their careers in the "for profit" world and are more comfortable operating under that type of business model. non-profit business is a completely different model that involves navigating government red tape, raising funds in non-traditional ways, and providing a service that is relevant under some challenging financial constraints.

at my distinguished university we were taught that a corporation has three primary goals: 1) create a product the market demands, 2) exploit that product to make a profit for shareholders or business owners, 3) operate the business in a socially responsible manner. although i was required to memorize these three goals, most of my education revolved around goals #1 and #2. goal #3 was more of an afterthought, but it's probably the most important. after reading about the entrepreneurs in fast company a couple of years ago, i was inspired.

what kind of business could i start that would allow me to pay my bills and help the homeless guy who stands at the swift ave. exit ramp of the Durham freeway? i'm not looking to get super rich. i just want to build a business that will sustain my family and benefit society. is that too much to ask?

for two years i've been racking my brain trying to come up with a reasonable plan. i've thought of a lot of business ideas. some had great social benefits, but they ended up fitting more into the non-profit sector. others could make a lot of money, but they didn't really improve my community. i still haven't some up with good idea, but someday i truly believe that God will provide the opportunity for my family to build a social capitalist business. my mother has the social aspects covered. my father has worked in both the local church and private business. i have a cousin with a tremendous entrepreneurial mind. my bother has worked as an e.m.t and in corrections. i studied business in college and currently work in the big business world. my wife and i have spent the past year rehabbing a property in Durham that used to be the neighborhood crack house with the hope of making a little money and improving the community. we have a great core of talent, but we need a plan. i'm still praying for that plan.

sunday's sermon at the church i've been attending, vintage21, was about something very similar. it was something i needed to here. we looked at Nehemiah chapter 5. in chapter 5, Nehemiah sees the injustice of his society as the wealthy exploit the poor. he has a meeting with the wealthy men in his town where he tells them that they created these injustices and it's their responsibility to fix it. he didn't ask them to close their greedy big businesses because he recognized the importance of a healthy economy. he didn't ask them to hold a fund raiser or have a benefit concert. Nehemiah told the men to run socially responsible businesses. he told them to keep making a profit, but to do it in way that would build up the community not tear it down.

the challenge is embedded in me. i believe it is my calling to build a social capitalist business. i don't know what it will be and i don't know when it will happen. there is beauty in not knowing. there is fear in it as well. all i know is that i'm searching for an answer and that i need to continue to grow in my faith. the rest will happen in time.