Social Entrepreneurship Workshop


Kicking off the Spring semester of 2022, Blackstone Launchpad sponsored and provided the College of Health Sciences, the University Honors Program, and the College of Liberal Arts with the Social Entrepreneurship Workshop. The Social Entrepreneurship Workshop was led by Joselyn Briseno. Joselyn’s work experience includes Texas A&M University, the University of North Texas at Dallas, and University of Texas at Dallas. Throughout her tenure at these universities, she participated in recruitment, study abroad programs, and created a new curriculum to teach students to explore the role and importance of the non-profit sector and the unique place it occupies in twenty-first century life.

Throughout the workshop Joselyn accurately described what Social Entrepreneurship is, she also provided various examples of companies that participate in Social Entrepreneurship, common drawbacks associated with a career in Social Entrepreneurship, and probable solutions to combat these common drawbacks Joselyn began the workshop by clearly describing what motivates social entrepreneurship, which is:

“The creation of social change and addressing social issues.”

Joselyn continues to iterate those social entrepreneurs should adopt a mission to create sustainable social value, relentlessly pursue new opportunities, continuously innovate to the changing and evolving landscape, and always remain accountable for your actions. Joselyn proceeded to describe the first step in creating a Social Entrepreneurship Venture:

“Picking and knowing your (social) issue.”

Companies that utilize social issue and have become market leaders:

  • Lush
  • Toms
  • PuraVida
  • Fahlo.

    • Social Entrepreneurship cons:

  • you will have limited resources, and your motivation to create social change should not falter.

    • What areas of your social entrepreneurship company must have to succeed quickly?

  • Individuals in leadership roles
  • Measurement metrics for performance
  • Revenue models
  • Communication.

    • Joselyn expressed the importance of evaluating the competitive landscape:

    “Are there competitors for your desired social issue?“

    Identify your mission, set boundaries, motivate internal and external stakeholders, and evaluate organizational-performance.

    Lastly, our knowledgeable instructor asked UTEP students to identify the following:

  • Target audience,
  • What is your brand? What is your message?
  • How will you communicate it?

    • To conclude becoming a social entrepreneurship may be difficult but your motivation should be focused on creating social change not limited change.

    Connect with Joselyn via LinkedIn

    Key concepts we learned from Joselyn:

  • Social Entrepreneurship is motivated by “The creation of social change and addressing social issues.”
  • Students interested in Social Entrepreneurship should adopt a mission to:
    - Create sustainable social value
    - Relentlessly pursue new opportunities
    - Continuously innovate to the changing and evolving landscape
    - Always remain accountable for your actions.