Design Thinking for Social Impact

Are you building your social enterprise in a "basement" of isolation, or are you developing it alongside the community you actually serve? Social entrepreneurship attracts people with a deep desire to solve community problems, but many of these founders fall into the trap of building their vision in total isolation. Adam Morris explores why the "perfect" plan often fails while the "messy" test succeeds. Using the cautionary tale of two underwater vehicle companies, the discussion highlights how early failure is actually a competitive advantage. One company spent ten years engineering the perfect vessel only to go bankrupt, while the other "crashed" early, learned quickly, and eventually dominated the market. We dive into the journey of Jerry from Renter Mentor, who bypassed high-tech coding to first sit down with landlords and discover their true pain points through focus groups and "speed dating" sessions. This approach to Applied Design Thinking isn't about colorful sticky notes; it’s a disciplined way to identify your riskiest assumptions. Whether they involve your customer, your revenue model, or your actual social impact. By shifting the focus from building a "car" to building a "skateboard," founders can stop guessing and start creating solutions that people are actually ready to support. Episode in a glance 00:00 Defining social entrepreneurship and the two types of founders 02:46 Learning by doing: The tale of two submarine companies 05:33 Success story: How Renter Mentor used focus groups to pivot 07:31 Understanding Design Thinking 09:33 The MVP explained 11:38 Six core assumptions every social entrepreneur makes 16:13 Avoiding bias: The Mom Test by Robert Fitzpatrick 17:25 Five practical tests to validate your idea 19:03 Why revenue and pre-order tests are the ultimate signal About Adam Morris Adam Morris is the founder and host of People Helping People. He launched the podcast in 2017 with the vision to learn and share what is possible through social entrepreneurship, as well as to give individuals the tools to successfully start their own impact ventures. He is passionate about connecting people and creating a world that will thrive for generations. Connect with Adam and his work → People Helping People → Linkedin → Instagram → Youtube