Samantha Jones gave the last word at the Aotearoa Social Enterprise Forum held on 19 October 2018 in Wellington.  The full transcript is typed below.  She brought some truths to the table that deserve to be heard such as "Leave ego behind.  If you really want to influence people let your actions speak for themselves."  This is a challenge for change and action over complacency and not focussing on the image without the substance to back it up.  She also talks about how hard the journey actually is which is something we don't do enough of.  I am releasing this less than 24 hours after she gave the talk because I think it is important for all those who could not make it to the conference to also hear this message and the many challenges it contains.  If you agree then consider sharing it with others who would appreciate it. Samantha is a previous podcast guest and her full journey is in that episode here: http://seeds.libsyn.com/samantha-jones-on-sustainable-fashion-and-founding-little-yello-bird More on Little Yellow Bird: https://www.littleyellowbird.co.nz Here is the full transcript of what she said: Tena tatou te whanau As today draws to a close I hope that everyone here has had the opportunity to learn, connect and be inspired by all the amazing entrepreneurs and change makers that we have here in Aotearoa.    But the challenge that I want to lay down now is for us not to just talk about social enterprise but to focus on growing effective organisations that are actually addressing and preventing those issues that are so critical to our very survival.   As you might know social enterprises are all the rage at the moment and it is tempting to try and apply social enterprise thinking to almost any idea.  But as we become more sophisticated as a sector it is becoming increasingly important that we not only understand who we are, but who we are not.  We need to understand which social enterprise solutions actually make sense and are needed - what are the boundaries of social enterprise - and how can we foster a culture that encourages us all to learn from our own and each others mistakes.  More than ever before we need to move beyond that mythical and invisible impact both in our personal lives and in the organisations we are running. More of us should be asking, is this actually adding value, or does it just spin a good story.  Do we want stainless steel straw companies with a side of social enterprise.  Or do we want organisations that are genuinely committed to ending ocean plastic not just the tiny percentage that straws represent.     The practise of social enterprise is often very different from the stories that we tell and the truth is it is often hard work.  You are often judged not only on your business acumen but also on the impact that you are making.  Often by people that don’t have much of an understanding on either of those things themselves.  I think most people expect it to be hard, and I definitely don’t want to put anyone off - but what no one tells you is that it continues to get harder.  I kept thinking that when Little Yellow Bird got to a certain size or a particular level of turnover or reached a specific milestone that things would get easier but they don’t.  They do just keep getting harder.     But building a social enterprise teaches you a lot of things.  Most of all you learn about perseverance and how to keep summoning that last iota of inspiration that carries you and your team through each day.  Things never get easier but you do get better at dealing with it.  So I hope today has been filled with learning, inspiration and opportunities to scale your impact whether this is in your own business, a corporate organisation that you work for or in your own life.  Each and every one of us in this room has the power and the privilege to scale their impact.  So if you are just starting out on your journey look at the small wins and easy transitions that can be made immediately to start living more impactfu