Being a social entrepreneur is tough work. Money hard to come by. Most before you have failed. Even your own family doubts your mental health.
The bracing happy talk at social investment conferences and cheerleading predictions about social investment capital poised to flood into the developing world begs for a reality check. Meet Liberia-born Chid Liberty, Founder & Chief Executive of Liberty & Justice.
Liberty & Justice is Africa's first Fair Trade Certified apparel company. Built on a shoe-string budget since its founding in 2009, Liberty & Justice is starting to attract both notice and investment capital.
For the iOnPoverty cameras, he described the raw truth about impact investing. "People are very attracted to social entrepreneurship right now. They spend a lot of money flying to conferences all over the world to talk about how great an idea social entrepreneurship is, but, when it comes to check writing time, they start coming up with reasons not to write the check."
"At some point, if we want to create something [good] in places like Africa, Asia, India, we need to take some very serious risks," he soberly adds.
To start his social enterprise, Chid tossed a solid Silicon Valley career with a great salary, a nice car, a comfortable place to live in swanky Sausalito, Calif., and a seemingly endless capacity for late night drinking with his buddies. He talks about those days as essentially fooling himself about his happiness, but even then sensing the "seeds of misery."
Watch and listen to Chid describe his life:
Clear as the brightest African diamond, Chid's life is the living embodiment of a new kind of Return on Investment (ROI). Not financial ROI, not even social Return on Investment (SROI), but PROI = personal ROI.
Today, Chid advises "know thyself" -- the indispensable missing skill for new social entrepreneurs. If you know yourself, you can "really understand people" -- both the impoverished client and, of equal importance, the potential impact investor.
In poignant homage to his mother, "When I really think about why I could bet my money and my career on Liberian women, it's because of my mom. If the goal is to work on economic justice so kids can go to school or get healthcare, if I bet on their moms, we win."
Chid's life certainly honors his mother. She must be so proud of him.
Who inflames your courage to be who you are?
Support HuffPost
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
At HuffPost, we believe that everyone needs high-quality journalism, but we understand that not everyone can afford to pay for expensive news subscriptions. That is why we are committed to providing deeply reported, carefully fact-checked news that is freely accessible to everyone.
Whether you come to HuffPost for updates on the 2024 presidential race, hard-hitting investigations into critical issues facing our country today, or trending stories that make you laugh, we appreciate you. The truth is, news costs money to produce, and we are proud that we have never put our stories behind an expensive paywall.
Would you join us to help keep our stories free for all? Your contribution of as little as $2 will go a long way.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you’ll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages.
