Hunting to Hunted: My Social Entrepreneurship Lessons

In my 6years+ in social entrepreneurship, highlighted below are some of the lessons I have learnt, and I have classified them into phases;Hunting PhaseNo matter how good you are or your products and services, you need people to know about you and your services. This hunting phase is the phase of seeking opportunities, collaborations and visibility. It is the phase where you want your face to be on every poster, headline major public events, be on radio and TV, get published in mainstream newspapers and influential blogs. I got my first two TEDx platforms by hunting the opportunity. I messaged the licensees of these events and proposed what I believe is valuable to them, and they got me on board as part of the speakers. Our first major event in Ibadan was strategically amplified through individual blogs and news outlets that we reached out to by ourselves. I once travelled to Lagos to meet a contact I met at my first TEDx talk in Ibadan with a funding proposal. I begged many people to connect me with people that matter. Abiodun Alafe can testify to how we lost a space deal for our tech -hub after many meetings and negotiations. What of my first column in a popular weekly blog?. I applied to be a columnist.At this stage, many will give you the chances and the opportunities while others will reject you. What you need is preparation in terms of value and emotional intelligence. Ensure to add value and impress those who give you a chance and hold no grudges against those who don't. It is an ecosystem. Those who reject you today may be your biggest supporter tomorrow. That is how it works.Hunted PhaseThis phase comes after you have added value and proven yourself out there. Steady invitations and requests will begin to come in. You will no longer need to beg to enter some places or to knock on some doors. Some goodwills will start to come, and recommendations will begin to fly around about you. At this stage, others will be ready to work with your schedule and even shift dates because they want you to be part of what they are doing. Some respects will come with what you do, and some compensations will come. Your social capital begins to increase, and you begin to enjoy some privileges. The works you have done in the hunting phase begins to work and speak for you. You begin to get noticed. I have many stories here that I can't summarize in this short anecdote.The Sifting PhaseAt this phase, you begin to realize that you need a brand philosophy and that not all opportunities and collaboration requests are for you. At this stage, access to opportunities is no longer your problem but the choice of option to accept or the ones to reject. You will define what you stand for here. Remember, you want an opportunity to be seen and heard in your hunting phase, but here, you have been seen and heard, but you will have to decide your brand philosophy. You will now learn to say NO, reject some invitations and deals no matter how promising and juicy. You will refuse awards that are not in line with your belief systems and value systems and politely reject speaking engagements that are not priorities for you. I learnt this sifting the hard way after I got used by many individuals and brands who only need their clients to see that I associated with their brands. I once got cancelled because I rejected an invitation to come to judge a beauty pageant show. Do I hate beauty?. No. Is pageantry my entrepreneurship mission and priority? No.At this stage, you must draw the fine lines between being a socialite or an entrepreneur.Building in Silence PhaseYou get to this stage where you don't even care about having your face on posters or jumping from one public event to another; all that matter is building robust offerings and working on yourself. The definition of impact and success begins to change in your evaluation. You begin to care more about building lasting legacies, pioneering community-building efforts and giving back to the next generation. You begin to care more about the future than personal spotlights and accolades. Awards no longer tickle your fancy event though they may keep coming; they are no longer the gauge of your impact.Let me stop hereHe gives understanding to the simple.Oluwaseun David ADEPOJU