My Unfair Advantage

List of Resources

1. Personal experience with socially responsible financial services:  VRIN (Very valuable for obvious reasons, valuable; my experience is also rare because the socially responsible financial services market is still in a development stage; it is also inimitable because copying experience cannot be done; there are other practitioners in this space so I would say that my experience is substitutable)
2. Proof of Concept:  VRIN (the proof of concept that I have participated in regarding socially responsible financial services products and services, on 3 separate occasions, is invaluable because it has allowed me to learn what works and what does not work; it is rare because not many people have done proof of concepts for multiple products in the socially responsible financial services space; it is inimitable because I have gone through this process so others will have to start from scratch; I am sure others have also conducted proof of concepts so this is substitutable)
3. Regulation:  VRIN (Regulation in the financial services industry has only increased since the recent global financial crisis so experience and understanding of this area is invaluable and also acts as a significant barrier to entry for potential competitors; regulation is part of the industry so it is not rare, understanding regulations is difficult but it can be done if enough resources and funds are allocated to it; non-substitutability is irrelevant)
4. Fund raising experience:  VRIN (experience and contacts for fund raising are very valuable to start and grow a venture, many entrepreneurs are experienced in this area so this knowledge is not rare nor is it inimitable; consultants and other professionals can be hired to assist in this regard)
5. Boot strapping experience:  VRIN (Having steered socially responsible financial services businesses through the recent global financial crisis gives me a unique advantage and experience in boot strapping; this is not rare or inimitable, and the skills necessary can be learned so it is substitutable)
6. Timely concept:  VRIN (The SORIN concept is timely because the recent global financial crisis has woken people up to the reality that our capitalist system can wreak major havoc; this opportunity is available to everyone; anyone can copy this idea and act on it so it is substitutable)
7. Pent up demand:  VRIN (More and more people are preferring to live responsibly so a pent up demand for socially responsible financial services seems to be present; this may be a trend but for now it is available for everyone to act upon; the market opportunity is available for anyone and can be acted upon by anyone so it is not inimitable or non-substitutable)
8. Holistic solution:  VRIN (The SORIN concept presents a holistic solution by generating awareness, building a gap fund to help those who fall through financial cracks, and by distributing socially responsible financial products and services making SORIN a truly valuable service; I have not seen anything like this so for now the concept appears to be rare but it can be copied by others who can offer similar value through related services)
9. Professional credibility:  VRIN (When it comes to social responsibility, credibility is everything.  I have shown the ability to stay focused in this area for more than a dozen years without compromising the principles of social responsibility; there are others who can say the same thing but the persistent dedication, from what I have been able to gather is rare; anyone can dedicate themselves to these principles so theoretically credibility is inimitable and substitutable)
10. Passion:  VRIN (I consider my passion for socially responsible financial services to be the top resource for SORIN because I have drunk the koolaid (so to speak) and have dedicated the rest of my professional career to this venture including getting a PhD in Economic Sociology to articulate the SORIN vision in the academic and professional arenas; I do not believe many people share this passion nor are they willing to sacrifice whatever is necessary to achieve it; In theory such passion is inimitable and substitutable but in practice, it is very difficult to implement)