Many modern-day entrepreneurs are inspired to take action because they want to become agents of change while simultaneously supporting themselves. This is, in its most basic form, the idea of a ‘social enterprise.’ To start a businesses with the ability to provide for the community, and ideally help change the systems that have for so long perpetuated socially negative norms is a noble goal. It only makes sense that social entrepreneurship in Detroit should be a win-win for both Detroit and its residents.

Small start-ups in and around Detroit are making great strides in social entrepreneurship. Loveland technologies, a tech-centric, civic advocate organization has done wonderful work to help bolster the removal of blighted houses in Detroit. Avalon Bakery, a small scale baking operation in Detroit, specifically hires underemployed populations to benefit the community.

So why is it so hard for already established organizations to jump in, roll up their sleeves, and help out at a level that’s just as directly beneficial?

As great as it would be to have an enterprise with years of history and influential economic growth become a social enterprise, it becomes a much more difficult task when retro-fitting. Questions regarding a potential hire’s skills produce restrictions when on-boarding from a community with a history of being under-served in education. Modifying traditional business practices to truly open doors for communities that need help requires a change that is fundamental to a business model. It requires vulnerability, with an emphasis on the community’s wellness being something that is baked in to the business itself. It requires more than a charity arm, the form of community outreach that most large-scale enterprises are familiar with.

It’s an unfortunate reality, since often influential organizations are the largest and most long-established, but it doesn’t have to dictate the growth of social entrepreneurship as a legitimate method of revitalizing communities.

Starting with the community in mind is a step in the right direction, and Detroit area start-ups are beginning to realize that it’s possible to scale with good intentions. Change takes time, and as we’ve seen with Detroit’s revitalization efforts, can sometimes go unnoticed. With social entrepreneurship, the start-up might just be a new ally in the City of Detroit’s ongoing efforts for true revitalization.