Meet Paul Zelizer | Social Entrepreneur Coach and Podcast Host

We had the good fortune of connecting with Paul Zelizer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Paul, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I was drawn to start my own business because I saw our world dealing with a number of very challenging issues. And business is one of the more powerful forces in our modern culture. There are many, many examples of businesses doing more harm than good in the pursuit of profits with little attention to longer-term ripple effects.

I knew there had to be a way to leverage the engine of business for positive impact, but 16 years ago when I started weren’t many examples of businesses who were both doing well financially and having positive impact at scale.

I started my business to change that.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
For 16 years, I’ve put positive impact front and center in my business. With the rise of social entrepreneurship, attention to climate solutions and similar issues, there’s many more examples of businesses doing this over the past 5 years. But I was an early adapter and that meant there were many challenges to overcome.

What I want the world to know is that the market has shifted and that especially customers and employees under the age of 35 are very passionate about businesses that have clear values and a positive vision. In fact, many will choose to buy from or work for companies who’ve baked these into their DNA over those businesses that haven’t.

I want folks to know that this isn’t a bandwagon I jumped on recently. I’ve been mentoring and interviewing impact focused business founders for many years.

I’m proud of this long standing commitment.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’ve been blessed to call New Mexico home since 1993! We’re going to need at least a week to do my tour.

I’m a trail runner and a big outdoorsman, so my first thought are some of the great wilderness areas like the Gila Wilderness, the mountains outside of Chama, the northern areas of Santa Fe National Forrest, and the canyons in Georgia O’Keefe country near Abiquiu. I’d also recommend checking out one or more of the many petroglyph sites we have around the state, like Petroglyph National Monument.

Some of my favorite restaurants in Albuquerque are Farm & Table, Oni Noodles, Soo Bak Foods, and M’Tucci’s Bar Roma. In Santa Fe, I’d recommend Jambo, Paper Dosa, Cafe Pasqual’s and Clafoutis.

I’d recommend checking out some of the great exhibits in museums like the International Folk Art Museum, The Albuquerque Museum, Natural History Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts.

In addition, New Mexico has some wonderful intimate music venues like The Outpost , Popejoy Hall and the Lensic Theater.

I’d also suggest a visit to one of our fabulous farmer’s markets – Santa Fe Farmer’s Market is one of the oldest in the country.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to appreciate the wonderful community builders here in New Mexico – folks like Kathy and Corrine Sanchez of Tewa Women United – that showed me how to effectively leverage the power of community for positive change.

Website: https://www.paulzelizer.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paulzelizer/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulzelizer/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaulZelizer

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulZelizerBusinessCoach

Other: I’m the host of one of the world’s leading social entrepreneur podcasts: https://www.awarepreneurs.com/

Image Credits
Kip Malone