Today we got to meet with Dr. John Wallace during our visit to Everyday Cafe. He spoke to us about the workings of social enterprises in the small community of Homewood and how he worked to make a difference in the lives of the people within the community. It was intriguing to learn about just how much a not-for-profit business can do to affect the community around it, all while putting the revenue that they profit right back into programs and funding for the community.

Although challenging, Dr. Wallace has found a way to turn his dreams for his childhood neighborhood of Homewood into a reality one step at a time by introducing a variety of social enterprises. The overall goals of the programs are to incorporate educational skills that aren’t normally taught in school into after-school programs so that children will have basic introduction into solid career platforms, as well as catalyzing business development in Homewood through the support of entrepreneurship. Business can play a huge role in solving the social problems of a community. Take Everyday Cafe, for example. The restaurant has become a way for members of the community to engage, and it has also provided jobs for younger people in the neighborhood who have never had previous experience. Dr. Wallace said that profit wasn’t the main gauge of success with this social enterprise system. Instead, he seeks the diversification and amount of community engagement within Homewood to measure the success of the programs that have been incorporated. Most importantly, he bases his beliefs in the program on the power of education, because all of the skills that one learns need to be necessary to be applied in the real world, which is why the STEAM and entrepreneurship programs are so vital to Homewood.

While it may make managing a business harder, having a social purpose is key to economic development and allowing a business to succeed, especially in a small community like Homewood. By engaging the community, not only does it help put your business on the market, but it gives people a reason to support the business, as well as the causes that the business supports. Dr. Wallace strives to create a social benefit for the neighborhood of Homewood, and he has shown what it takes to manage business in a complex environment.