Innovating for impact: Leaving your mark on the world

Innovation has become one of those buzzwords used so often that we sometimes forget what it truly means.

In the entrepreneurial space, it is a new idea or a change to an existing product or process that adds value to it.

With social enterprises, innovation goes beyond the next cool product or service. It pushes the boundaries of what’s possible, creating real change and leaving a lasting, positive impact.

As the CEO of GirlCode, a social enterprise dedicated to empowering girls and women in tech, I’ve learned a thing or two about navigating the challenges that often come with driving innovation.

After a decade in this field, I’ve gained a wealth of knowledge.

Here are some things I wish I knew starting out—insights I want to share with my fellow entrepreneurs, changemakers, and anyone who aspires to see their work create real impact. 

Understanding your industry’s challenges

Innovating for impact requires a deep understanding of the problems your industry faces.

In GirlCode’s case, it faces the unique challenge of solving the lack of access to technology, specifically, the infrastructure and resources needed to not just play with technology but to create with it. 

The team spends countless hours researching, talking to beneficiaries, and immersing themselves in the lived experiences of those affected.

This fuels their passion—it helps them identify gaps, pinpoint inefficiencies, and ultimately, spark creative solutions. It is important not to underestimate the value of diverse perspectives.

The more voices you hear, the clearer the picture becomes but it is equally important to know when to listen to those voices and when it’s just noise.

Think “Outside the Box” (but keep impact centered)

Thinking “outside the box” is easier said than done because often you don’t know what you don’t know. This is where it becomes important to surround yourself with people who will challenge your thinking and not just agree and accept everything you say.

From the early stage of my business, I always encouraged and welcomed different views from my own, often hosting brainstorming sessions, relying on an advisory board.

This has allowed GirlCode to embrace a culture of experimentation.

One such instance was around scaling our after-school programs, which initially presented a significant hurdle.

The traditional approach of hiring more staff would have quickly become cost-prohibitive.

To circumvent this, we implemented a novel strategy: mandating that participants teach a Saturday coding class as a prerequisite for their completion in our bootcamps.

This innovative solution not only equipped unemployed IT graduates with valuable teaching experience but also created a self-sustaining model where they trained high school students.

By transforming potential costs into a resource, we achieved exponential program growth while fostering a strong community impact.

Innovating for impact has a core motivation: positive change.

Every new idea, every experiment, needs to be evaluated through this lens.

Does it truly address the problem at hand? Will it benefit the target community?

If the answer isn’t a resounding yes, back to the drawing board you go!

It wasn’t easy, but staying laser-focused on impactful solutions keeps us motivated and, ultimately, successful.

Embrace collaboration: Strength in numbers

Innovation rarely happens in a silo.

Partnering with other like-minded organisations can unlock new possibilities.

Look for collaborators who share your mission, even if they operate in different sectors.

This requires not being afraid to step outside your comfort zone and partnering with seemingly “unconventional” organisations. 

One of GirlCode’s goals is to expand to all the public schools across the country who currently do not have coding and robotics programs.

However, we also recognise that we cannot realistically build those relationships ourselves as that would take a long time to accomplish.

So, what we have done is partner with other organisations who are already in multiple schools offering other afterschool programs to then bring us in as a coding partner.

It is a win-win—GirlCode expanded its reach, and their beneficiaries are gaining additional skill sets.

Building a future-proof enterprise

Innovation may be the engine of progress, but it needs a strong foundation to run on. Here are some strategies I’ve found invaluable in future-proofing our social enterprise:

• Agility is key: the world is constantly changing, and technology is no different which means we need to be able to adapt. Encourage a culture of lifelong learning, and an understanding that we need to be willing to pivot when necessary.
• Invest in your people: my team is our greatest asset. Create a supportive, inclusive environment where employees feel empowered to innovate. Invest in training and development programs that foster creativity and critical thinking skills.
• Measure your impact: the true test of innovation is in value creation. One of the things that drive us is in creating systemic change. That means clearly defining the impact beyond tracking numbers. We must ensure our efforts are making a real difference to the people and communities we serve.

Unlocking new opportunities: It’s worth the journey

Building a social enterprise that innovates for impact is a rewarding, yet challenging journey.

There have been roadblocks, setbacks, and moments where I’ve questioned our approach.

But when you see the positive change your work creates, it all becomes worth it. Our organisation has trained over 80,000 girls and women in coding and robotics. Hundreds of them placed into their first job opportunities at companies like Sage!

The key takeaway is to embrace the unknown, challenge the status quo, and dedicate yourself to leaving a positive mark on the world.

Remember, even the smallest breakthrough can have a ripple effect. It creates a wave of positive change that lasts beyond your lifetime.