Mission-driven startups fail in predictable ways every year because good intentions are no substitute for a theory of change, money, and community involvement. As I found out the hard way, “At least we’re trying to do good” is the most dangerous sentence in social entrepreneurship, because it lets founders skip the boring, specific work that decides whether a venture actually helps anyone. I wrote the first version of this almost twenty years ago for undergraduate students starting their first socially-conscious nonprofit or mission-driven company. I hope this update is still useful, and would welcome feedback. Tip 1: Fall in love...