The full version of this article was first published at: Impact Measurement Resources

Impact measurement is at the heart of any social venture. We suggest leveraging a few resources to start thinking about how to measure impact. IRIS – IRIS metrics are designed to measure the social, environmental and financial performance of an investment or performance of a company. B Lab Quick Impact Assessment Tool – This Assessment will walk you through a series of questions to help you learn what it takes to build a better business – better for your workers, community, and the environment. GIIRS Assessment Tool – GIIRS Ratings are the gold standard for impact measurement in impact investing. GIIRS Ratings are rigorous, comprehensive, and comparable ratings of a company or a fund’s social and environmental impact.
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The full version of this article was first published at: Legal Resources

[unable to retrieve full-text content]There are many free resources that major law firms publish for early stage companies. Below are a handful that we suggest you reference! Perkins Coie Cooley Go DLA Piper The post Legal Resources appeared first on SEED SPOT.
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The full version of this article was first published at: Mission Driven Leaders from Y Scouts

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Looking to recruit an executive for a mission driven company? Y Scouts has great resources available and an excellent podcast. The post Mission Driven Leaders from Y Scouts appeared first on SEED SPOT.
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The full version of this article was first published at: Other Tools

Here are some more great tools to help you succeed. Zapier – Help create workflows between apps Survey Monkey – Easy to use survey tool TypeForm – Another easy survey tool Qualtrics – The most widely used customer experience software on the planet Wave Accounting – Easy accounting for small businesses Xero Accounting – Easy accounting for small businesses
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The full version of this article was first published at: Time Management

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Here are some great resources to help with time management. Calendly – Easy way to schedule meetings Boomerang – Email inbox management and scheduling app The post Time Management appeared first on SEED SPOT.
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The full version of this article was first published at: 5 Business Resolutions for the Ambitious Entrepreneur

By: Blakely Fraasch, Content Creator Intern “New year, new you” – isn’t that how it’s supposed to go? The life of a business professional can be strenuous and hectic. There is no doubt that 2016 has taken a toll on overworked professionals, and the holidays rarely help to alleviate stress for the upcoming year. 2016 may have been a year of climbing the corporate ladder or a year where you were just learning the ropes. Either way, a New Year will always bring new beginnings and new possibilities. It is crucial to take advantage of 2017 and start off on the right foot. For a little boost, here are five business resolutions to think about as you take 2017 by storm! 1. Solidify your Audience Aspiring entrepreneurs will have various goals for 2017, but it is important to remember the significance consumers hold to the success of your socially conscious venture. The new year is bound to bring about various changes in the eyes of consumers; therefore, solidifying your relationships and re-evaluating your consumers’ needs will be vital. This year, make attempts to: Develop a digital marketing strategy to check in with consumers via social media, email, and surveys to strengthen and build consumer and investor relationships. Initiate conversations with the target market/community you most want to impact. What are they frustrated by? How can your product/service help them? What do they think you should improve on in 2017? Refine your product/service accordingly to your target market’s needs. Evolving from…
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The full version of this article was first published at: Neel Mehta’s 5 Steps to Making a Lasting Impact

By: Blakely Fraasch, Content Creator Intern Though many recent college graduates and experienced professionals find purpose in their careers by working for socially-conscious companies, others CREATE purpose by starting their own venture. Our blog post “Using Your College Degree To Engage In Social Entrepreneurship” shows you how to apply any degree program towards social entrepreneurship, but SEED SPOT alum Neel Mehta goes above and beyond this week by demonstrating how to make a lasting impact in our local communities! Who is Neel Mehta? Passionate about improving the lives of others, Neel Mehta received his Master’s degree in Biomedical Informatics from Arizona State University. Initially, Neel believed that after earning his Master’s degree, he would get his PhD in Biomedical Informatics  and eventually become a professor. That future changed when Neel decided to create his own purpose.  Neel brainstormed ideas with the hopes of creating a start-up company and utilizing it as an outlet into social entrepreneurship. While assembling his team, he partnered with Robert Yao, a fellow innovator fixated on the difficulties of diagnosing epilepsy. After observing Robert’s complex algorithm for diagnosing patients with epilepsy, Neel and Robert took the research and built an app, thus setting the stage for EpiFinder. Lesson #1: Identify your Passions Neel and Robert are passionate about making a difference in the lives of patients with epilepsy. To them, EpiFinder is not just a business venture, but also a way to bring about positive change in the lives of many. When Neel and Robert began…
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The full version of this article was first published at: Demo Day 2016: Showcasing 14 of AZ’s Rising Social Entrepreneurs

By: Bianca Buliga, Content Curator Clear your calendars, cancel your plans, and find a nanny – Demo Day is here! Come join the Phoenix community this Wednesday, December 7th at 6pm to fill Orpheum Theatre and celebrate Arizona’s largest annual pitch event! SEED SPOT’s 7th full-time cohort of 14 social ventures will hit the stage in front of 1,000 people to give their three-minute business pitch. If you haven’t RSVP’d yet, NOW is the time; this show WILL sell out! Each year, Demo Day is Phoenix’s opportunity to recognize local dreamers and celebrate their achievements, including innovations ranging from Healthcare Technology to Animal Welfare. After 14 consecutive 30-hour weeks of leadership development, 1:1 mentoring, and pitch practice, these incredible social entrepreneurs get to present their ideas to the community they hope to positively impact. Attended by some of Phoenix’s most influential leaders, this showcase represents a critical acceleration point in each dreamer’s career. So let’s show up and cheer them on! Speaking of the dreamers, here’s a sneak peek into each of their larger-than-life ideas: 1. Jaime Martinez, Schola After struggling through school, Jaime is proud that he was able to grow personally and professionally. His dream is to help students and parents find the right school so they can thrive. Mission: To improve K-12 education by streamlining the recruitment and enrollment process for parents and schools [embedded content] 2.  Stephanie Schull, OOJAAH When she was young, Stephanie watched helplessly as her mother fell ill and lost her will to…
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The full version of this article was first published at: SEED SPOT 101: The 12 Buzzwords We Are Thankful For

By: Jenna Fitzgerald, Market Analysis Intern This Thanksgiving, the SEED SPOT family has a lot to be thankful for. We’ve helped to create nearly 750 jobs by supporting 288 socially-conscious business ventures since our inception in 2012. And most importantly, we have impacted a whopping 1.15 million lives through our ventures! [See the complete 2015-2016 Impact Report here]. This work would have been impossible without our inspirational entrepreneurs, mentors, investors, and staff working tirelessly to embody our core values and ensure that this process is accessible to all. If you are new to the startup scene, you probably have experienced the steep learning curve that comes with unfamiliar SEED SPOT and Social Enterprise terminology. From words like “incubator” to “pitch” and coming to understand the importance of twinkle lights, there seem to be tons of unanswered questions and confused looks that are seldom addressed. At SEED SPOT, we know how important it is to feel in the loop when it comes to these things… I mean, we’ve all been there at some point in our startup journey! Below, you will find a list of 10 crucial buzzwords that we use within the SEED SPOT community. We live and breathe these terms. Study them. Appreciate them. Love their uniqueness, and soon enough, you will understand why we value these simple words and phrases and how they truly help to define our mission and core values as a whole at SEED SPOT. The heart and soul of every startup company lies within social entrepreneurs. These folks…
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The full version of this article was first published at: Podcasts: Your New Virtual Mentor?

By: Vid Micevic, Guest Blogger and Co-Founder of 33 Buckets UNSTABLE CONNECTION According to TechCrunch, a startup company is three times more likely to succeed if it has a mentor. More importantly though, mentorship has a stronger correlation with company success than age, experience or background. Innately, I find myself drawn to connect with others—especially in the social entrepreneurship world. The community of social entrepreneurship is so collaborative and helpful to one another because we all have the same mission—to do good by being good. I feel a need to share my passions, have my thoughts heard, get feedback, gain other perspectives and listen to others so we can continue reaching our dreams for a better world. Mentorship has been a key component to my growth as a social entrepreneur. Simply put, a mentor is somebody that guides you to your full potential by sharing his or her own previous experiences. Throughout college it was easy to find a mentor because professors were willing to listen and classmates shared similar struggles. The right mentor was insightful, thoughtful, and patient, while the mentee should be respectful, curious, and attentive. With this expectation, I stepped out of the idyllic college atmosphere ready to take on the “real world” with a smile…the smile quickly vanished. I looked left. I looked right. No one seemed to care, consumed by their own agendas. Quickly I realized that I needed a mentor—a void I’ve struggled to fill since graduation. I reached out to countless people to simply grab…
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