What does it take to be a successful social entrepreneur? These 65 leaders from #SOCAP17 weighed in

The longer you stay in the game, the luckier you get.

Find a problem that you have to solve it, since it is so core to your personality. That way no matter what happens, you can keep pushing forward.

Expect your idea to change and for your startup to adapt the change. The only thing that is constant is change itself

We'd recommend to know exactly what your destination is, and how you can reach long-term impact, not just distribute products, but inserting your project into a large ecosystem of improvement and empowerment beneficial for the many.

Don´t stop believing in yourself, your team and your dreams!

Social impact enterprises are positioned uniquely to create solutions, operating in a space where ingenuity can pay off and impact investors are willing to take the risk. So - be confident and clear on your vision, know the value in the change you enabling. Gaining a competitive advantage relies on articulating your impact. It takes all of use to continue to build the dialogue and create the world we wish to see.

When looking for funding, look across geographic boundaries for mission-aligned investors.

Know always that the work you are doing goes beyond your product and/or service, and beyond yourself.

Keep doing what you are passionate about!

Find those who support you personally and professionally as early as possible and keep them close to endure the roller coaster of social entrepreneurship.

Plan but don't be paralyzed - eventually you will just need to act!

Open mindedness and willingness to talk to others - seek others' input and feedback, customer feedback, and mentors' and others who have gone before you's advice...and take it all with humility, sincerity, and a willingness to improve.

Obsessively seek solutions that are as big, scary and massive as the problems they are meant to solve.

I would advise other entrepreneurs starting their journey to design solutions for existing social problems instead of working towards making problems that fit their solutions.

Rather than just seeking capital, look for ‘smart money’ that will provide acceleration and support to enable your business to scale.

Don't allow yourself to be dissuaded by people who don't know the problem you're solving. Find people who really know the problem, and seek their advice.

Articulating your mission clearly is really important, It needs to both convince and attract investors and partners, and it needs at all times to drive what the company does. The mission must remind all your staff and partners why they are doing this work. It should encompass the benefit(s) you want to deliver, the people you will be impacting, and how you’re going to accomplish it.

Start with great clarity and execute with great people.

It is no easy task, but you are not alone. Impact enterprise will be a new normal for businesses guided by long term visions for sustainable development. Try to envision, define and measure the impacts of your business, and make sure social, environmental and financial returns are valued equally.

Surround yourself with a team of people who believe in your mission as fiercely as you do.

Work to develop a minimum viable product as quickly as possible and test it with your target market. Customer validation is key.

My biggest piece of advice for other social entrepreneurs is to think about doing good in the world in a way that can still return scaleable, market rate returns; there are almost no investors, impact or otherwise, who are willing to take concessionary returns and we have to design for that reality.

Honestly interrogate all the reasons why your organization could fail in its mission, and design your execution plan to systematically tackle each of these risks as early as possible.

Patience is a cornerstone to the success of any a social entrepreneur. Never give up in doing good.

Work your way towards networking, collaboration and community partnerships. If you want to create new market for the cause you are working on (revolutionazing savings for financial inclusion in Brazil in our case), the power of more players is essential. Seek ways on how you can join efforts together to leverage your solutions . This strategy has proven effective in our case by strenghtening partnerships with similar and complementary products and services working on the local field.

Don't waste your time talking to old-school investors because they will never get your vision, but go straight to the next generation business partners who value both financial and social returns.

My advice is to not wait. Instead of looking for the big foundation or investor to launch you project at scale, utilize whatever resources you have to pilot your project on a small scale, and you'll be amazed at the momentum you can build from there.

Three Important Ps in social entrepreneurship : Process, Purpose, and Principles.” If you know all three about your startup you will be a great entrepreneur.

Always focus on your goal and your vision. Do whatever it takes to get there, no matter how difficult and painful. They are temporary and you will wade through the struggles to a beautiful outcome.

Make sure you understand why you're doing what you're doing, why your entry into the space makes sense for what the world needs. A lot of people go out with cool "solutions" to problems nobody has, without being conscious of the societal needs, and how their own strengths will help move the world forward.

Is important to have a clear path towards achieving a proof of concept. This is critical to receive attention and interest of partners that can propel the social entrepreneur´s efforts and is the best proof of her/his execution ability.

Just ask, many people are willing to help you succeed in making a positive impact.

Getting people to care about your cause is easier than getting them to adopt the cause as one of their own. Focus on equipping people to take inspiration from your cause and make it their own.

You're going to make mistakes - lots and lots of them - but as long as you have passion for your mission and the open-mindedness to seek out others in the community that will help you improve, you and your organization will keep getting better and better.

Work hard to build a network of incredible people. It's the only way to solve the big, intractable problems.

I would advise current and aspiring social entrepreneurs to always believe in their vision; all while being aware of the the development required to grow and sustain.

Don't wait till you're in need of funding to engage investors. Start conversations early, introduce them to your vision, and ask them what progress they'll want to see in order to have a more productive discussion. More often than not, they'll give you their criteria and playbook, which puts you in control of determining when (if at all) the right time is to follow-up for investment.

Social entrepreneurs need to remember that the journey to change can be hard and slow. Be patient and trust in yourself and your team that you have what it takes to create the solution. Don't let the "No's" stop you because eventually you will get to that "Yes" that will change your trajectory and has the power to create meaningful impact.

Do more, get to market as soon as possible and then spend as much time with your customers. Try to walk in their shoes and adapt to feedback as our perception of what the customer needs or how they interact with our product or service is not always as we assume. So it is very important to hear the voice of our customers.

My advice for new social entrepreneurs is to stay fearless. There are many problems facing our planet, tackle the biggest issue that you can and stay focused. Partnerships are the name of the game - especially in impact - we are all here to make a difference and the more we support each other, the more positive change we can make together.

You can't do this alone. Social entrepreneurship is addressing systemic issues and changing systems, and it takes all different kinds of partners to be successful. It's not something you can do alone. Use your drive and passion to identify people who can buy into your vision. And don't give up!

When embarking on a social enterprise, decide where you will be responsive to feedback, and what is non-negotiable for you to feel you are doing the right thing.

Grit and integrity beats everything.

The most important thing in the early days is physical proximity to your customer or user. Live in the communities/countries where you work, and always put your customers first.

Do not be afraid to ask for help!

Be bold, be brave, seek out collaborators and supporters, and most of all, believe that change IS possible! Oh, and come to SOCAP next year :)

It takes patience, working smart and improving your product or service every single day if you are to succeed as an entrepreneur.

I would recommend social entrepreneurs who are just starting their journey to attend events similar to SOCAP17 to network, as this is a critical component of their future growth and success.

Find a mentor(s) that is willing to help you navigate the landscape and boost the growth trajectory of your venture.

Panels at events like SOCAP are a great way to reach an interested audience and connect with those willing to support your organization.

Share what you're doing with other entrepreneurs and they'll share back! I love how collaborative this field is - chances are there are others doing something similar to you that you can learn a lot from.

My advice is to write down every bit of feedback you receive - especially detailed responses. This will allow you to have a place to look when you need motivation, to not get hung up on the negative comments, and to learn how you can improve your story as you talk to more people.

Its not about how many times you fail, its about what you learn from each pivot. It is only through iterations of innovation that true impact is achieved.

Social entrepreneurs are too often celebrated for their individual leadership. We heard at SOCAP about the need to move past an “ego-system” to the ecosystem needed for broad and sustained social impact. The quicker you can move as an entrepreneur to the sense of your integration in a broader movement for impact, the bigger your impact can be.

I would advice prioritizing close contact with the customer base in order to identify pivoting opportunities and areas of improvement as quickly as possible.

Always recruit people smarter than you.

Listen to the market. It’s the best way to know how viable your project is financially. Also, surround yourself with people who believe in your vision - so they bring you back up when the rollercoaster of entrepreneurship brings you momentarily down.

If you have a vision, start working on it now. Even if it is just a few hours a week that you spend on it, begin now. Research relevant topics. Conduct informational interviews. Start asking questions about the challenge you want to solve. Whether you continue at a slow roll or find a solution that begins to pick up steam, you'll be glad you started when you did.

Surround yourself with great mentors and others in the field of social entrepreneurship. There is lots of great support out there and you don't have to go at this alone. Also- get to know the people that you most want to impact and make sure that what you are doing is truly needed and welcomed.