"I come from a hard business world, result-oriented and action-driven. I sometimes miss that in social enterprises, if I can be honest."
"You use those economic levers, but instead of putting them at the service of shareholders you put them at the service of the project you are working on."
"As a social entrepreneur, you work on two tracks: the social track and the entrepreneurial track. Before you know it, it is not balanced anymore. Money is im-portant. So that is the big challenge for social entrepreneurs: work, work, work for that money and don't lose sight of the goal."
I don’t think everything should be solved by the government. That is why I appeal to my network to work together in an entrepreneurial way towards an inclusive society.
"Synergie Family is a start-up in the innovation of education. We are a symbiosis between the world of inclusion and the economic world. We are a start-up be-cause the world of inclusion also deserves innovation. Dusted off. Challenged. In motion."
"I sometimes get advice from retired entrepreneurs. They look at it and think: well, this doesn't make any sense at all. They then start giving advice and say that we should open the launderette in the evening and during the weekend, because you can earn much more money then. I always have to explain: we have a launderette but we are not a launderette. Our aim is for the ladies to have a nice place where they can meet each other and work together. Ironing together, washing together and cooking together. We earn a certain amount with which we can pay the rent. The ladies know that and they are very proud of it. If I were to ask the ladies to come in the evening, because we would then be able to produce more, the whole effect would be gone.”
"I don't call myself a social entrepreneur. Fuck off, man. What a stu-pid title is that? I am an entrepreneur as it should be. Who has an eye for the situation in his city."
"Well, we are in a nightclub. So there is a different business model attached to it. (...) I think it is good to opt for several earning models so you are not dependent on one earning model."
Shirin Mirachor
Mono
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