Giving Compass' Take:

• Caitlin Cullen shares twelve lessons she learned from opening and running a social impact neighborhood restaurant in a poor area of Milwaukee. 

• How can other social entrepreneurs take these lessons to other projects? 

• Learn about a social entrepreneur helping students change the world. 

It’s been roughly 19 months since we opened the doors to The Tandem, a cozy 56-seat restaurant on Milwaukee’s Near North Side. When setting out to open my first restaurant, it was a no-brainer that a location in Lindsay Heights (a majority Black neighborhood with a poverty rate that afflicts nearly half its population) would employ young people from the surrounding area, even if it meant teaching every last new hire the ins and outs of having a restaurant job—grilling and temping a burger, dealing with an unruly customer, or simply showing up to work on time every day.

Here are 12 lessons we’ve learned so far.

  1. Everyone deserves a chance; you are not the right chance for everyone.
  2. Set an example, as long as the example is something you believe.
  3.  You cannot be an example all the time.
  4. But just keep trying, because growing up is hard and everyone’s path is different.
  5. No matter our differences, we can see the other side if we truly look.
  6. Do less harm.
  7. Do more good.
  8. Take yourself seriously.
  9. Take yourself less seriously.
  10. Own your perspective and privilege.
  11. It’s lonely.
  12. You’re never alone.

Read the full article about The Tandem by Caitlin Cullen at Causeartist.