Social entrepreneurs are known for their intense passion and visionary aspirations to make a significant impact on society and to engender a permanent change that would mean a better world for large numbers of people. As they often say in private conversations, they want to leave behind something new, significant, and substantial. Munir Hasan, for example, can reflect on an irrevocably changed field of mathematics in Bangladesh, thanks to his efforts to transform the way the field of mathematics evolved from a neglected and undervalued aspect of public education to one in which students excelled and even competed on the world stage. Steve Bigari has created a solid approach to retaining and mainstreaming low-income workers. Similarly, Kaz Jaworski's region in the underdeveloped part of Poland is thriving, the societal mindsets changed irreversibly, prompting cooperative and enterprising behavior.

It may seem at first glance that these three individuals “magically” created “something out of nothing”: They addressed seemingly unsolvable problems, started with virtually no resources, and turned a totally “no-go” situation into a dynamic process, achieving significant and durable results.