Crafting Virtual Community of Indigenous Entrepreneurs: Case in Social Entrepreneurship

Facebook has voyaged a significant distance since its launch in 2004 as a web-based social media connector.* What initially started off as a way to socially associate people at an individual level has in its journey become a platform for doing business easily. It is currently a huge ring to associate and network across the globe. Sonia Konjeti Agarwal has weaved a comparable success story utilizing Facebook. Her story, like that of Facebook, started with a motive to socially connect people of a geographical area. She created a Facebook group for women in Pune and christened it PULA (Pune Ladies Association), which has now become a vibrant business platform. Research Questions: i. Social entrepreneurs are change agents. In the context of social entrepreneurship which is most important: initiation of an idea, transmission of idea or creating a sustainable impact? ii. Social media is a powerful tool for networking. How did PULA strategically leverage social media for real time interactions and entrepreneurial ventures? Link to Theory: This case draws linkage to Social Cognitive Theory. Social Cognitive theory depicts bidirectional character of causation where behavior, cognitive, emotional factors and environment persistently and jointly persuade each other. Role of the protagonist in creating an exciting platform for indigenous entrepreneurs through the path of social entrepreneurship is linked here. Phenomenon Studied: Social entrepreneurship is a promising field with diverse interpretations. As a social entrepreneur, Sonia’s efforts are directed towards strengthening the identity of indigenous entrepreneurs. She initiated small venture creations within social network. Growth of indigenous entrepreneurs ignites self dependency and magnetizes new investments. Success of the virtual community to hone entrepreneurial skills is studied. Case context - As a social entrepreneur, the protagonist used Facebook to create virtual community of indigenous (women) entrepreneurs. PULA enhanced visibility, reach, network and prominence of indigenous entrepreneurs at low cost. Opportunity to interact with buyers directly expanded vendor registration in the group. It also created level playing field for first generation entrepreneurs. Findings: This case depicts pragmatism of the social entrepreneur. PULA unified the virtual community and resources fostering entrepreneurship. This virtual community signifies uniqueness of domain, novel practices and policies. PULA was initially constituted for social networking. Gradually members discovered business opportunities. Efficacy of social media for virtual engagement and small venture creation resulted in financial independence for women. Status of women transitioned to indigenous entrepreneur from homemaker. Growth of indigenous entrepreneurs being contagious, a wave of first generation entrepreneurs was born. Discussions: PULA encouraged individuals hitherto in the veil of self imposed life situations to become entrepreneurs. Sonia was zealous about empowering women, to create opportunities for them to succeed and advance in lives. As a social influencer her actions are directed towards social well being. Her primary objective is to leverage the trust shown by two hundred forty-five thousand plus members and six thousand five hundred plus verified sellers. Non existence of tangible and quantifiable metrics for measuring the performance of the social entrepreneur creates a challenge. Sonia is exploring new social media engagement strategies for creating a sustainable virtual community.