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Escuela de Negocios Sociales – ENS | Bernardo Javalquinto | Interview

Escuela de Negocios Sociales (ENS) is the first Social Business School in Chile and whose methodology, commitment and ultimate goal is to defeat poverty. They base their principles on the philosophy of Prof. Yunus, Nobel Peace Prize and recognize men and women as agents of change. ENS’ motto is: The Human is First. (el ser humano es primero). The school teaches 3 levels of continuing education. Graduates will receive a Certificate, Diploma or a Masters / MBA Global. People who enter the ENS – Social Business School, will be transformed into leaders or agents of change in their environment, jobs, businesses and society. In this interview i-genius talks with ENS Founder and Chariman, Bernardo Javalquinto, to learn more.
ENS
i-genius: Why is there a need for ENS?
Bernardo Javalquinto: The main focus of The Social Business School (SBS)/ Escuela de Negocios Sociales (ENS) is to eradicate poverty, because we must understand that there is a need to help people to recover values that have been lost through lack of Faith and Hope in different cultures in different parts of the planet everything we try to do is to return people the opportunity to dream and see that they can do things and  can succeed in any endeavor that they start. Always with a sense of peace, and focusing on the human being as the most important asset of the company.
i-genius: In what way is ENS to social enterprise?
Bernardo: For us in social enterprise is one company that solves social problems within and outside the company so that everyone can benefit from the economic and financial system that exists in the world. In other words the financial or economic system serves humans not human beings at the service of financial or economic sector.
i-genius: What is an average working day like for you?
Bernardo: Delivery of knowledge to vulnerable people in a simple and easy way. They can understand how they can do things without other people take advantage due to their lack of information or education.
i-genius: What have you experienced difficulties setting up ENS?
Bernardo: Extremely long this question is better to answer that all the difficulties we have had have helped us to gain experience to go and transferring all the problems so people can have success stories to be able not to commit in the future those mistakes and to teach people what not to do.
i-genius: What innovative working practices have you developed for ENS?
Bernardo: Trying to simplify everything we teach so that people can understand complex issues in the management business economic and financial, marketing, mixing them with values that exist in different cultures without losing their own beliefs turning us/all to understand that we are all united in the same equation and we have to live in the planet, that me must be careful in: the environment, creating jobs for young people, women empowerment, teaching mainly general culture and respect to others.
i-genius: What are the most crucial things you have done to grow and develop ENS?
Bernardo: Convincing people to do the social things it is not bad and overcome the fear of change.
i-genius: How have you ensured ENS has become a sustainable business?
Bernardo: ENS is totally sustainable. We have better paid professors, better infrastructure, even money to give scholarships and create a social fund to help the community’s help social problems.
i-genius: How do you best relax and detox from work?
Bernardo: Seeing people smile when they see that there are opportunities to live happily in life.
i-genius: Do you have any exciting projects you want to share?
Bernardo: We are working on a project in the region of Araucania must vulnerable indigenous communities to learn hot to integrate with society but with their cosmic way of seeing the world connected with nature and not by imposing what our societies believe is best for them.
i-genius: How do you measure the impact of your projects / work?
Bernardo: We are currently in the evaluation process, but so far only see benefits for the most vulnerable person from the person that help to clean up to the largest shareholder of a company.
i-genius: Where would you like ENS to be in 5 years time?
Bernardo: To have a strategic alliance with universities in every continent on the planet.
i-genius: What advice would you give to those starting up a social business / project?
Bernardo: Never give up …. if you surrender you’ll never know if you could do something constructive for you, your family, community, country. region. “If you grow, all grow”.

This interview was conducted as part of the i-genius ‘Innovation & Sustainability’ interview series. If you would like to develop a particular aspect of your business or address something you are struggling with, then why not take our ‘Social Entrepreneur and Business mentoring’ sessions with i-genius Academy. To find out more, click here!

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