Why is wellbeing a gamechanger for founders and social entrepreneurs?
In the beginning, founders have to do everything. Their passion and energy is the only driver. If they are not well and decide to quit, there is no venture and no impact.
What are the key findings of SIA’s research?
Our data from two SIA surveys among current and alumni ventures since 2018 confirmed the issue. The majority of social entrepreneurs had experienced lasting periods of stress.
For 20%, this manifested in persistent physical symptoms such as sleeping disorders and anxiety issues, in a few cases even clinical burnout.
Much of this is driven by the high demands of entrepreneurial work. In some cases, however, the gravitas of the social problem our alumni work on seemed to amplify the pressure.
A respondent explained:
“... people wait for your products that could save lives and you are not doing anything. It’s constantly on your mind, that someone could die tomorrow because you took a break.”
But SIA can make a difference. Some of our interventions, especially 1-on-1 coachings, had a strong positive correlation with wellbeing.