“IF YOU ARE SERIOUS about wanting “READ IT: You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, to make a difference through social you’ll ponder, but most of all you’ll keep enterprise, you have to read Jerr’s work.” fighting on behalf of the common good.” LIAM BLACK, Author, KEVIN LYNCH, Immediate Past President, The Social Entrepreneur’s A to Z Social Enterprise Alliance err’s ournal JMy Adventures in Social Enterprise JERR BOSCHEE Founder & Executive Director, The Institute for Social Entrepreneurs ADVANCE PRAISE FOR Jerr’s Journal: My Adventures in Social Enterprise “Jerr Boschee was teaching us about social enterprise before most people even knew what it was. He is truly one of the giants of social enterprise. In Jerr’s Journal—his new collection of essays—he reveals the big, soft heart that undoubtedly drove him to give so much to the movement. Read it: You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll ponder, but most of all you’ll keep fighting on behalf of the common good.” KEVIN LYNCH Immediate Past President, Social Enterprise Alliance Co-author, Mission, Inc.: The Practitioner’s Guide to Social Enterprise “Jerr’s Journal is storytelling at its best. Yes, you will learn about social enterprise and social entrepreneurs. You will read about their success- es, failures, and lessons learned. But most importantly, you will learn about their humanity. How better to learn the truths about social enterprise than by experiencing their stories and how they wanted to make a difference. Jerr’s stories do that and more. His book is a remarkable learning tool…and you’ll find the lessons in the stories!” KATIE BURNHAM LAVERTY President, Society for Nonprofit Organizations Publisher, Nonprofit World magazine “Jerr Boschee has been an inspiration and pathfinder for social entrepreneurs all over the world. He brings to us hard won wisdom and insights delivered with honesty and humanity. If you are serious about wanting to make a difference through social enterprise, you have to read Jerr’s work.” LIAM BLACK Co-Founder, Wavelength Companies Ltd and Former CEO, Fifteen Author, The Social Entrepreneur’s A to Z “Jerr’s Journal should be renamed The Gospel of Social Enterprise Accord- ing to Jerr! The only thing that cheered me up after learning Jerr was discontinuing his blog was that he had combined them all in this free e-book. He does a masterful job of using real-world examples to illustrate social enterprise best practices. Sit down with a cup of coffee and enjoy!” SUZANNE SMITH Founder and Managing Director, Social Impact Architects “Jerr Boschee is a master storyteller, mentor and thought leader; and Jerr’s Journal is an empowering roadmap for the nascent and seasoned social entrepreneur. You won’t find a more accessible or practical source on the meaning and power of social enterprise. Jerr’s adven- tures are sure to inspire yours.” MARC LANE Author, Social Enterprise: Empowering Mission-Drive Entrepreneurs Author, The Mission-Driven Venture: Business Solutions to the World’s Most Vexing Social Problems “A few years ago at the Social Enterprise World Forum, I met a ‘giant’ of a man. Listening to him share his perceptions about the field of social enterprise was so enjoyable and such a great learning experience—hard to accomplish at the same time. Shortly thereafter, I invited Jerr to join us in the launch of a new “Social Entrepreneur- ship and Change” Master’s Degree program at Pepperdine Univer- sity. Jerr gave the kick-off lecture for the program and today teaches the capstone course, the two-semester Social Enterprise Incubator. He is a true master and his long history of experiences are invaluable not only for budding graduates but also for those who have been in the field for years.” MARGARET WEBER Professor Emeritus and Retired Dean Graduate School of Education and Psychology Pepperdine University JERR BOSCHEE has been an advisor to social entrepreneurs in the United States and elsewhere for 35 years. He has delivered keynote speeches or conducted master classes in 43 states and 21 countries and has long been recognized as one of the founders of the social enterprise movement worldwide. He has also been a senior marketing executive for a Fortune 100 company, managing editor for a chain of regional newspapers, a Peace Corps Volunteer in India, and a guest lecturer at numerous academic institutions, including Cambridge, Carnegie Mellon, Duke, Georgetown, Harvard, North- western, Oxford, Stanford, Ulster and others. He currently teaches the capstone course in the Master’s Degree program in “Social En- trepreneurship and Change” at Pepperdine University. Jerr is the former President and CEO of The National Center for Social Entrepreneurs, is one of the six co-founders of the Social Enterprise Alliance, and was named by The NonProfit Times to its nonprofit sector “Power & Influence Top 50” lists in 2004, 2005 and 2006. He served from 2001 to 2004 as an advisor to England’s Department of Trade and Industry Social Enterprise Unit and is Executive Director of The Institute for Social Entrepreneurs, which he created in 1999. He is the author or editor of six previous books, including Boschee on Marketing, The Social Enterprise Sourcebook, and the award-winning Migrating from Innovation to Entrepreneurship: How Nonprofits are Moving toward Sustainability and Self-Sufficiency. His work has appeared in numerous anthologies and been translated into seven languages. Jerr is the former Board Chair for SAGEGlobal (“Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship”), which supports high school social entrepreneurs in more than 20 countries, and has served on numerous local, national and international Boards throughout his career. Additional information about Jerr and The Institute for Social Entrepreneurs is available at www.socialent.org, or by sending Jerr an email at [email protected]. Jerr’s Journal My Adventures in Social Enterprise By Jerr Boschee Founder and Executive Director The Institute for Social Entrepreneurs ENCORE! PRESS Chicago, Illinois / 2016 Copyright © 2016 Jerr Boschee This book is available free and may be forwarded to others without charge. Permission is also given to reproduce all or part of the content so long as proper attribution is given. ISBN: 978-0-9777510-2-0 Library of Congress Control Number: 2015921348 Publishing advisor: Linda S. Ball, President, Publishing That Matters, Inc. Designer: Sarah Anondson For Linda … for everything Jerr's Journal: My Adventures in Social Enterprise vii Contents Introduction......................................................................................................................................................... 1 1. Of Romeo, Juliet and social entrepreneurs ................................................. 3 I was 16 and woefully ignorant about world literature. 2. Channeling Prof. Brown .......................................................................................................... 5 He was an elderly English professor with abundant white hair and a bristling white mustache. Tall and stooped, he seemed to hover over the classroom. 3. Of predators and prey… ............................................................................................................ 8 “Do NOT get out of the Land Rover at any time,” he thundered. “And do NOT stand up.” 4. The man with the double life .......................................................................................... 12 Marv’s full of stories and we carefully steer clear of politics. I’ve been seeing him now for about four years, but I didn’t discover his double life until a few months ago. 5. Teaching George to count .................................................................................................. 15 “I knew George had a much more highly evolved brain than a chicken, even with his limitations. Hell, if a chicken could do things, George could, too—he’s 100 times brighter than any damn chicken put on this earth.” 6. A cautionary tale…in five acts......................................................................................18 Anton Chekhov and I wrote a play together 15 years ago. I know, I know, he’d been dead by then for more than 90 years, but wait for it, okay? 7. “Way to go, kid!” ................................................................................................................................ 23 I lay face-down on the infield grass, completely embarrassed. More than a hundred kids had seen me blow it and I dreaded getting up. 8. “How does it look now?” ...................................................................................................... 27 One of my favorite social entrepreneurs lived more than 500 years ago…and his career is filled with ingenious strategies for meeting customer demands… viii Jerr’s Journal: My Adventures in Social Enterprise 9. It’s always the little things… .......................................................................................... 30 My grandfather lived to be nearly 103. He was at various points in his life a farmer, an entrepreneur, a pinochle savant, a lay leader in his church—and a bootlegger. Which would have worked out fine except for the smudge of coal on his brother Joe’s face. 10. Right out of a John Wayne movie… ............................................................... 34 When I was about eight or nine, I hoarded comic books. Didn’t we all? War stories, alien invasions, romantic adventures, superheroes, westerns. Of the hundreds I devoured, two left lasting impressions. One had such a horrific ending it scarred me