Social entrepreneurship requires vision, resilience, and a deep commitment to serving communities. In this episode of DO GOOD X, host Stephen Lewis sits down with Dr. Kit Evans-Ford, founder of two thriving social enterprises: Argrows House of Healing and Hope, and Autistic and Loved. Dr. Kit shares her journey of building mission-driven businesses that provide healing spaces for women survivors of violence and sensory-friendly resources for children with autism. She discusses essential strategies for scaling social entrepreneurship, including customer discovery, navigating nonprofit fundraising, winning pitch competitions, and the power of trust-based philanthropy. This conversation offers practical wisdom on how to start a mission-driven social enterprise while maintaining your values and serving marginalized populations.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:   

✅ How to balance purpose-driven leadership while growing a sustainable business model that serves your community's real needs

✅ Proven startup funding strategies, including grant writing, entrepreneurial journey insights, and leveraging community-based entrepreneurship networks

✅ Why business pivot strategies and listening to your customers are essential for impact-driven ventures that create lasting change

Join the DO GOOD X Community to access resources, connect with purpose-driven entrepreneurs, and grow your impactful business with intention.

TIMESTAMPS:  

00:00 Dr. Kit's advice on building mission-driven businesses: listen to your heart and community needs, practice customer discovery, and pivot based on what families actually want

08:51 Strategies for scaling social entrepreneurship: winning pitch competitions to raise money, and receiving transformational donor support

11:56 Three revenue streams for social enterprise success: business profit, grant writing resources, and private donations that fuel nonprofit fundraising efforts

14:19 How DO GOOD X and networking with like-minded social entrepreneurs create a ripple effect of resources and community-based entrepreneurship connections

17:35 The realities of social entrepreneurship: serving marginalized populations, maintaining boundaries, practicing self-care, and sustaining entrepreneurial resilience through challenges

KEY TAKEAWAYS: 

💎 Customer discovery is critical for social entrepreneurship success. Listen to your community's actual needs rather than just your initial vision, and be willing to pivot strategies as you learn what truly serves people

💎 Multiple funding streams strengthen mission-driven businesses, such as combining business profits with nonprofit fundraising, grant writing opportunities, and pitch competitions to raise seed money and sustain your impact-driven ventures

💎 Building a network through community-based entrepreneurship programs like DO GOOD X creates invaluable connections with like-minded social entrepreneurs who provide resources, referrals, and support throughout your entrepreneurial journey

💎 Self-care and entrepreneurial resilience are essential when serving marginalized populations. Protecting your mental, physical, and spiritual well-being ensures you can sustain purpose-driven leadership without burning out.

ABOUT THE GUEST:

Dr. Argrow “Kit” Evans-Ford is a spiritual director, social entrepreneur, and founder of Argrow’s House of Healing and Hope, a safe space offering free services and employment for women healing from violence in the Quad Cities. She also founded Autistic & Loved, LLC and the Autistic & Loved Foundation, creating sensory-friendly products and resources for children with autism. An award-winning author, Kit has received the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Award for Public Service and the Tom Locke Innovative Leader Award. She lives in Bettendorf, Iowa, with her husband, Pastor Dwight L. Ford, and their children, Imani and Justice.

Autistic & Loved - Website

Argrows House - Website

RESOURCES MENTIONED: 

DO GOOD X Mastermind Community

DO GOOD X - Website

DO GOOD X - LinkedIn

QUOTES: 

"Listen to your idea and to your customers, and part of that is being connected to customer discovery, asking people what they need and want. Otherwise, you're creating a business that won't have any customers." - Dr. Kit Evans-Ford

"The biggest lesson is to listen to your customers. I would say on the other side, as it relates to the social enterprise piece, is to take care of yourself; simple, but take care of yourself too, because who you are, your soul, your mind, your body, your spirit also matters in the midst of the hustle and bustle." - Dr. Kit Evans-Ford

SEO KEYWORDS: 

DO GOOD X, Kimberly Daniel, Stephen Lewis, Entrepreneurs, Purpose-Driven Business,      Social Entrepreneurship, Social Enterprises, Mission-Driven Businesses, Scaling Social Entrepreneurship, Customer Discovery, Nonprofit Fundraising, Trust-Based Philanthropy, How To Start A Mission-Driven Social Enterprise, Marginalized Populations, Purpose-Driven Leadership, Sustainable Business Model, Startup Funding, Dr. Kit Evans-Ford, Argrow’s House of Healing and Hope, Autistic & Loved