Some of the toughest social issues might be best solved through business

And I don't just mean big corps donating funds to power the third sector, though I think there may be a case to be made for earning to give that extends to corporate entities. While historically, businesses were thought of as profit-driven entities, there's been a shift towards seeing them as powerful engines to drive social change.

How does this work? Social impact and profit were traditionally seen as a zero-sum game in business. You can't have both at the same time. But numerous innovators have demonstrated that this is not true, that is, there are ways to create social impact while simultaneously enhancing the competitiveness of a company by [[creating shared value]].

But are social issues really best solved through business? Better than non-profits? Government initiatives? Well, not always, but here are some reasons I think there's a strong case to be made for its potential:

1. Businesses have vast resources
   • Large businesses have significant financial, human, technological resources to channel towards social causes, that non-profits struggle with.
2. Speed of innovation
   • The competitive environment of businesses drive them to innovate - which can lead to novel solutions to social problems.
   • The bottom line encourages efficient allocation of resources for problem solving.
3. Business model sustainability
   • The engine of business allows for sustainability of problem solving, unlike nonprofits that must continuously rely on donations