1. Start With Your Basic Sites

At some point in your journey you will hear about these site, so you might as well get to know your resources now. They will save you time and if you don't look at them in the beginning you'll wish you had six months or a year into your venture.

• Alibaba

  This site is often super overwhelming and honestly can feel a bit sketchy. But, as a new entrepreneur, it is important to know of its existence and explore it to see if you can find some sound deals and partners.

• Hootsuite

  Social media is the cheapest way to promote your social enterprise and in order to be consistent without losing your hair you need a good way to manage them all and schedule posts. Hootsuite could be your solution. Hootsuite is a social media management platform for business.

• QuickBooks Online

  Accounting sucks, taxes suck even more, but if you find something that helps you stay organized no matter your skill set then you need to use it! QuickBooks online is one option I would definitely check out. Also they provide a free trial.

• TweetDeck

  TweetDeck is your personal browser for staying in touch with what’s happening now. You'll want to get up on what's happening in the twitter world. This is a great way to keep everything balanced and not take up too much of your time.

2. Companies To Watch

These companies are definitely worth keeping your eye on if you are thinking about starting your own social entrepreneurship company - or if you want to be a patron of companies doing good things, you should check these out!

• Jonas Umbrellas

  The foundation of Jonas is giving back by providing greater access to clean water. They provide high-fashion, stylish umbrellas to our customers while giving wells to primary schools in Uganda. They have a unique business plan with multiple facets of sales. Both B to C and B to B and there are so many ways to alter the 1 for 1 model that Jonas is showing us just how it can be done!

• Home

  This is a type of business theme you will see a lot of. Employing women and empowering them in their own communities and then selling the goods in developed countries. Follow companies like this because it will be interesting to see if they are scalable!

• ROMA BOOTS

  Another one for one model. Copying is the highest form of flattery, but if you are looking into doing a one for one model Roma is interesting to follow because they are a small fish in the Toms big pond. Watch their creativity to see how they stamp out their own territory.

• Sackcloth & Ashes

  This company sells high quality blankets worldwide. For every blanket you purchase, they give a blanket to your local homeless shelter. This company uses amazing imagery and their photo marketing is something to learn from for sure.

• So Worth Loving

  "A lifestyle. A way of thinking. Love you - Love people." A company that is the beginning stages of greatness in Atlanta. It inspires women and men to believe and love themselves. A very unique story starting as a blog and ending as this amazing lifestyle brand. Study their community and their community involvement. This is how you get people behind your idea. They have a blog too, that is definitely worth checking out.

• Clean Drinking Water for Developing Countries - Charity: Water

  It is the most innovative charity, and arguably the most successfully marketed charity in America. Charity: Water is a non-profit organization bringing clean, safe drinking water to people in developing countries.

• Sseko Designs

  The reason people are passionate about their Ssekos is because they are hand-made by a group of young woman in Uganda who make the sandals to earn money to finance their university education. They believe in the power of business to help consumers change the world, one sandal at a time. And they were recently on Shark Tank, which is pretty cool.

• TOMS®

  The One for One® model is pioneered by Toms and they are always releasing new products and recently got into clean water. So they are always worth watching. They were my inspiration as well! With every product you purchase, TOMS will help a person in need.

• Online Eyeglasses & Sunglasses - Rx Glasses | Warby Parker

  This vintage-inspired prescription eyeglass company offers you a free Home Try-On Program. Warby is one of the larger companies that has made money giving back. It is always good to learn from the big dogs, so learning how their model works and how they promote their story could help you too!

• Krochet Kids Intl.

  Krochet Kids Intl. shows the importance of story telling and sharing the positive vibes of those in need and how that can help your business. This is another company that is in the middle stages of growth and expanding its product line. They got to where they are by sharing the stories of their hat makers.

• Umano Clothing

  Umano was also recently on shark tank, but they do a cool job incorporating people they are helping into their products and making that part of their story. Umano will give a backpack to empower a kid.

• 31 Bits

  31 Bits is a socially conscious jewelry company that gives displaced women in Northern Uganda an opportunity to combat poverty through fashion.

3. Books to Read

Books that inspire, teach, and challenge you to think outside the box as you start your social business. Some of these are stories of others who have gone through exactly what you are about to, so learn from their successes and their mistakes -- and know you aren't alone!

• "For the Love of Money" By: Sam Polk

  Why read this? It provides clarity into your decision on becoming a social entrepreneur verses a corporate employee. "For the Love of Money" is a memoir by Sam Polk that shares the story of a hedge fund manager and his redefinition of success.

• "Leaving Microsoft to Change the World" By: John Wood

  Why read this? John Wood had it all, according to some, but still wasn't happy. Being a social entrepreneur is as much about giving as it is about finding yourself. This book includes awesome tips on how to start from the ground up!

• "Let My People Go Surfing" By: Yvon Chouinard

  Why read this? Yvon founded Patagonia possibly one of the first social enterprises on the planet and one of the first B corp. Reading his story is like reading the history of Social Entrepreneurship.

• "Start Something That Matters" By: Blake Mycoskie

  Why read this? Blake is on "our people to watch list" and this is his only book. It's the story of Toms and the creation of the One for One model - something that is prevalent in the Social Enterprise world. It is important to know its foundation if you are to enter serious conversations about it as a viable business model for your own company.

• "The Promise of A Pencil" By: Adam Braun

  Why read this? Not all social entrepreneurs start for profit companies and some do come from standard backgrounds. So meet Adam, he is an excellent example for college kids looking for an untraveled road.

4. People to Follow

These are other social entrepreneurs just like you, some run for profit companies, some run charities, but either way you might be inspired or supported by their stories. They have innovated in the past and continue to push the envelope, so if you see their name in the news you probably want to read.

• Adam Braun - NYT & WSJ Bestselling Author

  Adam is the founder of Pencils of Promise. He is a good person to keep an eye on. You can sign up on his website to receive 30 inspiring mantras and monthly blog posts on life and leadership to keep you motivated on your journey.

• Blake Mycoskie | @BlakeMycoskie

  Blake is someone you need to watch. He recently stopped blogging but watch for his updates on Twitter and Instagram. You will always catch him doing amazing interviews so be on the look out for those links via twitter. Check out his latest Tweets (@BlakeMycoskie).

• Yunus Centre - Muhammad Yunus

  He is the godfather of MicroFinance. This is the link to the Yunus Centre, but doing a little research on the grandfather of social business will give you a well rounded understanding of where and why our ideas are important to the economy.

• Elizabeth Scharpf

  Founder of SHE and a female founder that really brings grassroots thinking to helping women in developing countries.

• Scott's Story - Scott Harrison

  Scott Harrison started charity water and is probably one of the most amazing people to see how to make charity sexy.

5. Events to Go To

As an entrepreneur there is nothing more important than networking and connecting with your mission. Make sure your social calendar stays full of amazing events such as these.

• Agents of Change Summit

  This annual Summit aims to unify and expand the community of professionals using marketing and technology to change people’s health and lifestyle behaviors for social good. It's a great event for entrepreneurs who want to discuss the science and technology of change.

• Clinton Global Initiative

  The Clinton Global Initiative convenes global leaders to create and implement innovative solutions to the world's most pressing challenges. This event is geared more for college students and there is even a competition for young entrepreneurs.

• IMPACT National Conference

  The IMPACT Conference “strives to connect, educate, and mobilize college students, nonprofit professionals, and educators to strengthen their communities through service, action, and advocacy.” This is the perfect networking or educational event.

• Plywood Presents

  Similar to Ted Talks, Plywood Presents is a once a year event in Atlanta that brings change makers from all over the world to explore hear stories of amazing social entrepreneurs and influencers.

• SXSW Conference & Festivals

  This is the mecca. It has all the things you could ever want and more, but it is really big so sometimes small teams get lost in the sea of companies dropping cool new gadgets and ideas. SXSW fosters creative and professional growth alike. Conference panel discussions present a forum for learning, businesses showcase their services the Trade Shows, and global networking opportunities are everywhere.

• The Feast: Change in the Making

  Since 2008, The Feast has been committed to fostering a community of innovators who are revolutionizing their industries and striving for social impact. They seek to help local communities solve big problems.

6. The Voices Of Entrepreneurs To Listen To

Podcasts, clips, videos, all the things that give you insight into how to start your company off on the right foot.

Meet the Author

• Josh Pavano

  Josh has founded Jonas Umbrellas and is a Co-Founder of Thankitude: The Thank You Project, both social businesses. He is a traveler and is currently traveling around the world. You can follow his story on his website!

• Bublup

  Bublup is a startup still in stealth mode. We are looking forward to sharing more soon