Social Focus Consulting

My company, Social Focus Consulting, helps non-profits raise more funding so they can do more good while also helping students to gain consulting experience. We do this by combining youth-driven ideas from our undergraduate business students with the experience of their MBA mentors.

Scope: 28 employees

What is the business problem that your product/service solves? We develop innovative marketing strategies that help non-profits stand out among the 180,000+ Canadian organizations that are all fighting for public awareness and a limited pool of funding.

Something we tried that didn’t work: In the summer of 2012, our entire team operated virtually. There was little, if any, face-to-face contact. This resulted in less engagement with the organization and project outcomes that weren’t ideal. Ensuring that we now meet in person as often as possible is a top priority.

The most important thing I’ve learned about starting a business: Resilience is the key to success. There have been failures, big and small, in founding and managing Social Focus Consulting. Learning from these failures and staying focused on our goals has allowed us to enjoy our accomplishments to date.