Social Entrepreneurs Have to Get Creative Too With Revenue Models

One of the things that is rewarding about being a member of REALPOLITECH is that we get to flex our skill set to help out some pretty worthwhile causes like this.

One of the things that is tough is that we have to continually be innovating on how we create revenue streams to support our business model. Whether it is creative advertising efforts, funny grassroots tactics, or making a proposal stand out from the rest of the stack, getting creative is really important.

The Wall Street Journal just featured this article on the ways in which entrepreneurs are raising money to manage their small businesses and pursue their dreams. Whether it is making cupcakes (which, by the way, look delicious in the picture in the article) or entering a contest, small business owners often find themselves doing things that are a bit off the beaten path or outside of their comfort zones.

In the last few weeks, I have come across a few other people who have a business model similar to ours, which is to provide free political engagement resources to citizens while also creating something that can be sold as a product or service within the private sector. One allows the other to operate for free and compensates the talented teams that are behind these projects. It is thinking smart economically and being socially-conscious. When this is done at the outset of a business rather than as a PR afterthought, it breeds accountability and a sustainable model.