Social Entrepreneur
Social Entrepreneurship is for people for whom impact is non-negotiable and business is a means, not an end. You will sacrifice financial security, predictable hours, and career safety to build something that matters. If that trade-off energises you — if the thought of changing lives at scale is worth the uncertainty — this is one of the most fulfilling paths a person can take. If you need stability first, build skills elsewhere and return when ready.”
About This Role
Runs businesses that prioritize social or environmental impact alongside financial sustainability.
A Day in the Life
You build and lead a venture — business or non-profit — that creates measurable social or environmental impact alongside financial sustainability, addressing a social problem through innovative business models.
- Define and continuously refine the social mission and theory of change
- Develop revenue models that sustain the social enterprise long-term
- Pitch to investors, grant-makers, and development organisations for funding
- Build and lead a diverse team of staff and volunteers aligned with the social mission
- Measure and report social impact metrics alongside financial performance
- Develop partnerships with NGOs, corporates, and government agencies
- Represent the enterprise at conferences, media, and public events
- Continuously innovate products, services, and delivery models to maximise impact
Work Environment
Self-created, mission-driven work environment. No fixed employer — you build the organisation. In Sri Lanka, social entrepreneurs operate in sectors like rural education, women's economic empowerment, environmental sustainability, disability inclusion, and smallholder agriculture. Colombo and provincial areas both. Key incubators: Sri Lanka Social Enterprise Forum, local innovation hubs.
Typical hours: 60h/week · WLB score 3/10 · IRREGULAR overtime
Social entrepreneurship is deeply personal and mission-driven — boundaries between work and personal life are blurred. Early stages require intense commitment; scaling provides more structure.
Skills Required
Technical Skills
Soft Skills
Tools & Software
Salary in Sri Lanka (LKR / month)
Typical progression: 5yr to mid · 10yr to senior
Global Salary (USD / year)
Top Markets
Market Outlook
GROWING
Growing ecosystem for social entrepreneurship in Sri Lanka through programmes by Ashoka, IFC, UNDP, and local bodies like Sri Lanka Social Enterprise Forum and Impact Hub Colombo. Post-crisis recovery has created many social problems that social enterprises are positioned to address.
Hiring: LOW
GROWING
Global support for social entrepreneurship through Ashoka, Skoll Foundation, Schwab Foundation. Strong Fellowship programme ecosystem enables global visibility.
Entry Requirements
Sri Lanka
Preferred
Global
Preferred
Helpful Certifications
Entrepreneurship & Freelancing
Business Ideas
- Social enterprise in any sector addressing a Sri Lanka social problem (education, agriculture, disability, waste, women's employment)
- Hybrid social/commercial model (eg. train-and-hire for marginalised communities)
- Environmental solution with revenue model
Side Income Ideas
Active and supportive ecosystem — Impact Hub Colombo, UNDP Accelerator Lab, Social Enterprise Forum, Dialog Axiata Foundation, and international programs (Ashoka, IFC) all provide support.
Risks & Challenges
AI / Automation Risk
VERY LOW
UNLIKELY
Burnout Risk
VERY HIGH
Job Security (SL)
LOW
Social entrepreneurship fundamentally requires human vision, community trust, moral leadership, mission-driven creativity, and relationship-building. AI tools cannot replicate the human heart of social impact work.
Burnout Causes
Physical Health Risks
Mental Health Risks
How to Mitigate
- Build financial sustainability through earned income before grant dependency
- Join Ashoka, IFC, or similar fellowship programmes for credibility and network
- Develop clear impact metrics from day one to attract evidence-based funders
Is This Career For You?
Purpose-driven individuals with strong business instincts who have identified a genuine social problem they want to solve. Suits people with high emotional intelligence, resilience, and genuine community commitment — not a career to enter without lived connection to the problem you are trying to solve.
Personality Types
Core Motivations
What You'll Love
- Fully mission-aligned work — your values and your job are the same
- High public recognition and social prestige
- Building something that genuinely matters
- Ashoka Fellowship and global peer network
What's Challenging
- Financial insecurity, especially in early years
- Extreme work-life imbalance
- High personal risk with no guaranteed return
- Navigating donor requirements and mission drift