This is part of a special series on “accidental entrepreneurs” that showcases inspiring stories and learnings of determination and innovation in business across sectors.
Innovation and entrepreneurship go hand in hand.
Entrepreneurs usually start new ventures and organizations, because they have come up with a new and innovative approach that they can apply towards solving a problem - whether it be world hunger or making that whatchamjigg work better. And, since we like to highlight how many of those entrepreneurs actually stumble onto these innovative ideas that change their lives, and in effect the world, a great story to tell is that of Adam Braun's, and his founding of Pencils of Promise.
On a trip to India, he asked a begging street child what he wanted most in the world. The answer ... just a pencil. And from that accidental interaction of providing this child with a pencil, the potential it held for the child, and the conversations and exploration it led to, he created Pencils of Promise, a youth-led movement to create schools within communities of developing countries that truly desired and needed them. The video below is a quick and informative video about the organization.
We have a lot that we can learn from Adam. At the NextGen: Charity Conference, he expressed that he believes innovation starts with what he calls a personal revolution. And, here is his roadmap to a personal revolution:
- Get out of your comfort zone.
- Speak the language of the individual you want to become.
- Embrace those late, sleepless nights … “the dreaming hours.”
- To achieve unreasonable things, you have to be an unreasonable person.
- Always stay guided by your values, not your necessities.
- The single greatest driver of the universe is the resounding belief that the impossible is possible.
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Interview with Senior TED Fellow Erik Hersman
