Fremont: So, you have decided to start your own business and do something good for the society. Sounds good, but unfortunately it is not as easy as it sounds. In the era when business entrepreneurs seek profits and returns, social entrepreneurs measure their success in terms of social and environmental change that they bring. But will doing social good help startups to grow?

Emerging from the world of interesting startups into the select group of internet powerhouse, Airbnb is a good example of a startup doing social good and still growing at a rapid pace. Founded in 2008, the company is an online service that matches people seeking vacation rentals and other short-term accommodations with those with rooms to rent generally from private parties. Last year, the company was valued at $1 billion.

If an entrepreneur is hoping to start a business capable of creating real impact, then he should remember that even consumers now consider the environmental and social impact of their purchases. It is important to identify a problem that needs fixing and provide a viable solution to it. Starting a socially responsible company engrains social good into the culture of the company and provides the employees, partners and customers, with a sense of mission and a sense of good that can have profound impacts on the near and long-term success of the organization.

A business with the sole mission of being environmentally conscious will not help the business to grow. It is important to grow a sustainable brand that is truly sustainable in the long run. For example, Tom’s shoes’ principal is that it gives away a free pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair of shoes they sell. The company has become widely successful, due in part to its social mission to provide shoes to children in need, but also for its quality product, corporate culture, and corporate brand that makes consumer feel good about buying the product.

Airbnb and Tom’s shoes are just few examples of how corporate enterprises are implementing social good program into their business and gaining popularity among the consumers. It is up to the startup entrepreneurs to decide how they want to take their business and what social responsibility they implement into their business. One should not forget that doing good while doing business will have positive impact on the business along with those whom the entrepreneurs’ intent to help through their social responsibility programs, either in the way of product or service or through a support.