No idea too small: Entrepreneurs inspire world-changing innovation

Want to change the world? Solving the planet’s most complex problems usually relies on a coordinated effort between industry, government, and communities.

But it often starts with one person: the innovator developing revolutionary products and technologies, the entrepreneur taking matters into their own hands.

In fact, a desire to effect change is one of the biggest driving factors for aspiring entrepreneurs. In the U.S., 36%* say they want to start a business to make a positive impact in the world and 24% cite supporting their community. 

And many of them achieve this goal, applying creativity and scrappiness to inspire real change. The effect is contagious. That spark—a new technology, a sustainable practice, a different perspective—can catch fire, inspiring more ideas and more entrepreneurs. 

Thesus co-founder Sofi Khwaja set out to change the fashion industry from the inside out. But amplifying her mission, she says, takes a village. “It requires a whole ecosystem of people to think differently.”

In a rare move for brands, Thesus opened its IP in 2024. Sofi and her team released a whitepaper outlining 10 years of research that resulted in the company’s signature sustainable Weekend Boot—an effort to challenge other founders to follow her lead.

Entrepreneurship drives innovation both locally and globally—especially through collaboration-minded founders like Sofi. “The only thing worth working on on planet earth is world class things that inspire others,” says Shopify CEO, Tobi Lütke. 

Innovating for change

Sofi and her husband and co-founder Nicholas Horekens were UN field workers, seeing first hand the devastating impacts of a flawed economic model. “You can spend your life being part of the siloed system,” she says, “or you can say, ‘Is there some creative way of addressing some of these inequities?’” 

The couple investigated where they could make the biggest splash. One category stood out. “The fashion industry was operating with complete impunity around the world,” Sofi says.

Sofi, a lawyer by trade, had no experience in fashion, design, or business. “We moved to India for six months to learn about the system, everything from farming cotton seed to garment production.”

The couple settled on footwear, aiming to design a sustainably-produced boot that lasts. “With the amount of stuff in the world on the fashion side, we don't want to participate in that. So it had to be a necessity,” says Sofi. 

In California, Mariana Faerron identified a different problem. When she moved to the U.S. she noticed a strong coffee culture. Americans loved their caffeine but there was a disconnect between farming and coffee consumption. 

“People don't know the impact of their purchases on small businesses and communities around the world that are growing these coffees,” says Mariana.

Mariana launched Tico Coffee to close this gap. She works directly with production partners to ensure fair wages, empower women farmers, and collaborate on more sustainable growing practices. 

For companies like these, effecting true change means bringing others on board and amplifying brand stories. “So much about this is narrative building,” says Sofi.

Collaborating on a path forward

When Thesus shared its IP, it opened the door for conversations. Sofi has received interest from larger businesses, industry associations, and other smaller brands with an appetite for working together. “I’m at a point in this business where I know I can’t expect a quick result,” she says. “I'm looking at this next stage with a lot of patience and optimism.”

Sofi knows that in the fashion industry at large, real change won’t be possible without getting policy makers on board. “I cannot underscore how important legislation is because it sets an overarching set of values for societies to function in,” she says.

For Mariana, a localized approach is helping Tico Coffee further its mission both in the communities where it operates and where its coffee is produced. Impact is felt all the way down the supply chain. 

Tico Coffee works directly with farmers to grow in a more sustainable way, planting coffee crops alongside fruit trees and other species to naturally repel pests and stave off disease. These stories make their way to Mariana’s customers via workshops and talks the brand hosts in its production facility.

“People want to feel part of creating or supporting something that is aligned with their values. The most important thing as an entrepreneur is to participate in the community.”

Mariana Faerron

At home, Mariana supports, through financial and coffee donations, a number of nonprofits that work with at-risk populations. “Coffee brings people together. And if we already have these people who are engaged, how else can we help them?”

Tico Coffee creates jobs in the community, bringing others along with its mission. The business also took pains to get certified as a green business in its county. With this comes a responsibility to engage the community in sustainability initiatives. This helps the brand educate its customer base one cup at a time.

“People want to feel part of creating or supporting something that is aligned with their values,” says Mariana. “The most important thing as an entrepreneur is to participate in the community.”

For brands like Tico Coffee and Thesus, success isn’t limited to hitting sales targets. “For us, success means setting an example,” says Sofi. “It means being on the cutting edge of thinking so that we can help facilitate the acceleration of an industry.”

The tireless work of educating others and advocating for change has not gone unnoticed by consumers. More than one in five consumers** aged 18 to 24 said they’d prefer to support brands that stick to their values such as demonstrating commitment to the environment or social causes.

Educating consumers is just one part of the strategy that ultimately helps the idea spread. “You need to have a lot more people of influence who are setting aspirational values in this culture of quick change,” says Sofi. ”Every single decision we make affects a network of people around the world in a globalized economy.”

Pioneering progress—together

While young consumers are voting with their dollars, the next generation of entrepreneurs are also primed to influence a shift. Of aspiring entrepreneurs aged 18 to 29, 39%* say they want to start a business to make a positive impact.

And the only path forward is together. “It’s not possible to sustain any of these projects without a constant influx of remarkable individuals reaching higher, being ambitious and optimistic about the future, and collecting other people who want to reach for a better tomorrow,” says Tobi. 

Shopify’s mission is to remove barriers to independence, paving the way for more entrepreneurs and innovators. And it’s up to all of us to support them.

Changing minds and winning hearts won’t happen overnight. But the collective voice of entrepreneurs—and consumers—advocating for a change is getting louder. 

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*Results for the Gallup entrepreneur poll are based on responses from a survey of 46,993 U.S. adults (18+ years old) conducted online May 1-14, 2024. All participants are members of Gallup’s probability-based, nationally representative panel. 

**Survey conducted among 18,000 consumers in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, the UK, and the US. The interviews were conducted online by Sapio Research in August 2024 using an email invitation and an online survey.