In the past, I’ve explained the difference between being B-Corp certified and forming a business entity like a benefit corporation or, in Washington State, a Social Purpose Corporation (“SPC”). An SPC is a specific type of Washington corporation that permits management (officers and directors) to consider social purposes in addition to their financial bottom line. …
By Amy W. Riedel As many of you may know, Washington State’s governor, Jay Inslee, signed the Washington State Jobs Act on March 28, 2014. Our very own Peter J. Smith blogged about this development last spring. By enabling crowdfunding on the state level, Washington State is providing a more immediate solution for entrepreneurs and …
Equity Crowdfunding in Washington: The New Frontier in Venture Capital? Read More »
In honor of her use of social media to funnel more than $100,000 to nonprofits combating child slavery, 9-year-old Vivienne Harr rang the bell to open Twitter’s first day of trading on the NYSE. Vivienne decided that she would sell lemonade in an effort to combat this despicable practice. She was inspired by a picture …
Business is a tool, its how you use that tool that matters. Michael Porter, the Harvard Business School Professor in the Ted Talk video below, argues that business can be the tool to solve the world’s greatest problems. We all know the social problems: childhood obesity, poverty, water scarcity, poor healthcare, climate change. Usually, we look …
Why Business Can be Good at Solving Social Problems Read More »
Last month, over at SocentLaw, I came across an interesting blog post by Haskell Murray explaining a collaborative attempt to quantify how many benefit corporations exist across the US. The post is quick to admit that the numbers cannot be completely trusted because the relevant state agencies (usually the secretary of state) don’t necessarily have …
There is lots of movement in the social impact investment space lately it seems. Yesterday on Businessweek.com there was an interesting piece on Patagonia, California’s first Benefit Corporation, and its announcement of the creation of an in house venture fund aimed at startups looking to make a positive social impact in these distinct areas: clothing, …
Many people have a misconception about fundraising costs and charitable giving. Too many donors ask to see the numbers on a charity’s overhead and how much of their donated dollar will be spent “on the ground” without also asking about the overall impact of an organization. This thinking, among other myopic views about charity, is …
“The Way We Think About Charity is Dead Wrong” by Dan Pallotta Read More »
The concept of crowdfunding is very intriguing to me. The idea that a young company could utilize a tool such as Kickstarter to fund a new venture, thus avoiding the costly and difficult prospect of acquiring traditional venture capital, is exciting. Indeed sites that help small businesses acquire funding have started to carve out a …
In our day-to-day practice at Apex Law, we are lucky enough to come into contact with many social entrepreneurs who are seeking advice on how to structure and implement their socially motivated business. Now, generally, this conversation starts with a discussion of what business entity is best suited for a particular venture. Should it be …
The Recipe for Social Entrepreneurship – Love of Jojo’s Sriracha Sauce Read More »
Language matters. Language is how we communicate, frame problems and seek their solutions, and otherwise interact as social, complex human beings. Words can affect how a person feels. Ask anyone in the marketing business whether word choice is crucial; they know that words develop identity and create associations, and chosen carefully, words establish brand loyalty. …