Everything has intended and unintended consequences. As the world’s population increases due to better health care and nutrition delivery, the unintended consequences include increasing poverty rates and environmental damage. Out of these unintended consequences has grown an industry made up of social enterprises that tackle tough issues in unique ways. The addition of technology tools ‘like blogging and social media sites’ has only made it easier for these enterprises to fulfill specific corporate missions. As a viable business model, social enterprises have contributed significantly to changes in the way corporate America communicates with customers and vendors, teaching lessons that minority and woman business enterprises (MWBEs) can turn into success.

A social enterprise is an organization that uses business methods to achieve a social, environmental or economic mission. Though there are businesses that have social and environmental components to their mission, the social enterprise is set apart by the fact its business activities, products and services specifically and directly address social needs like reducing poverty rates, increasing healthcare access, creating jobs, improving access to the marketplace for the historically underrepresented MWBEs, generating economic growth, increasing wage rates and improving communities.